Your banner image is the first thing people see when visiting your LinkedIn profile. Knowing how to use such a big piece of real estate is crucial to growing your influence on the platform.
Sadly, many people use it to share pictures of their city views, branding, or pictures downloaded from Pixabay. Those things aren’t actionable.
Rules for Effective LinkedIn Banners
Your banner is one of the most important parts of your profile. Use it to achieve a specific goal, like:
- Getting newsletter sign-ups
- Drive website traffic
- Build brand awareness
- Sell a product
- Get more followers
You might see bigger accounts have an irrelevant picture like this:
But that only works because they’re already established (it’s still a waste no matter how big you are). When you’re just starting to build your brand, you need to be clear about what you’re offering.
Next, you’ll see awesome LinkedIn banners that show you how it’s done.
Best LinkedIn Banner Examples
1. Sam Szuchan
This is my banner. Besides its striking design, notice what it’s featuring:
- What I do (LinkedIn ghostwriting)
- My full photo for more personability
- A CTA to buy my comprehensive LinkedIn online course
The awesome design presents professionalism and moves the reader towards two possible defined outcomes.
2. Justin Welsh
Justin Welsh features his LinkedIn course, encouraging curious browsers to learn more. The visibility leads to countless more sales than he would otherwise.
Here’s what else works:
- Featuring renowned brands he’s worked with (Forbes, Indie Hackers, etc.,) adds social proof
- Simple and clear design featuring his course, the LinkedIn Operating System
- Headline stating who the course is for (LinkedIn creators)
The easily digestible banner highlights Justin’s course and tells people to visit his website for more information. Adding well-known brands builds trust and increases the likelihood that viewers take action.
3. Austin Belcak
Austin Belcak’s LinkedIn banner shows how to use limited space effectively by packing it with information. It promotes his coaching program, helping people “land amazing jobs.”
Here’s why it stands out:
- Featured award (LinkedIn Top Voices 2022) is a massive authority signal
- Website link drives visitors towards a specific outcome
- The companies he’s worked with (Inc., Wired, Business Insider, Forbes) add social proof
Once people see the banner, they’ll know how Austin can help them, where they can find more info, and how trustworthy he is. It’s a comprehensive lead-gen engine, which is what every banner should be.
4. Sam Dunning
Web designer Sam Dunning uses his LinkedIn banner to highlight his custom website and SEO strategy services. Apart from its straightforward design, he:
- States the benefits of his services (generate leads and sales)
- Adds a CTA telling visitors to DM him to learn more about his services
- Features his website where people can find more information
The banner tells visitors what Sam offers and the benefits they’ll get from his services. It also offers two ways to learn more – by visiting his website or sending him a direct message.
5. Niharikaa Kaur Sodhi
Niharikaa Kaur Sodhi builds her brand through her banner and features:
- A clearly stated benefit (I help you become healthier and happier)
- A pastel background color scheme (soft, calming) enhances her professional branding
- Casual language in the CTA (“don’t forget to check out cool stuff in the featured section below”) adds a friendly touch
A personal and no-fuss approach makes Niharikaa’s banner inviting and trustworthy. As a self-help expert, she uses conversational language to make herself relatable and approachable.
6. Brianna Doe
Career growth and leadership expert Brianna Doe uses her banner to promote her marketing services. Notice how the banner showcases her expertise by:
- Featuring a colorful theme (attention-grabbing)
- Extending the theme in her profile picture and offering consistency
- Highlighting keywords (career growth, leadership, marketing) showing visitors what she focuses on
The harmony between her banner and profile picture creates a memorable look that makes Brianna stand out. The relevant terms instantly reveal her areas of expertise and whether she could be a valuable connection.
7. Matt Barker
Ghostwriter Matt Barker uses a simple, clean design for his LinkedIn banner. Notice how he:
- Bolds “save time,” so it’s the first thing people see
- Adds three CTAs to give visitors multiple clear options on what to do next
- Uses white space to ensure people don’t get distracted
Matt’s banner highlights his value without overwhelming visitors. The three CTAs give visitors multiple options, casting a wider net without compromising on niche appeal.
8. Roxana Irimia
Roxana Irimia features a testimonial from a marketing influencer, Jérome Scat, in her banner. Here’s why this works well:
- A direct quote highlights how Roxana helped him save time reading, showing an obvious benefit
- Arrow pointing towards the Follow button provides a clear CTA to visitors
- Contrasting white text against black background draws complete attention to Jerome’s testimonial
Roxana uses social proof in her banner to show how she can help visitors save time with her marketing, copywriting, and personal branding content. She also features her company’s logo to increase brand awareness and trust.
9. Tara Horstmeyer
Expert LinkedIn content writer Tara Horstmeyer explains how she helps executives create content for their profiles. Notice how she:
- Highlights publications (Business Insider and Morning Brew) that have featured her to add social proof
- Promotes her website where people can find more information
- Features her title (Executive LinkedIn Ghostwriter) and the services she offers (monthly post packages + content workshops)
Tara’s banner immediately gives visitors a snapshot of what she does, who she helps, what she offers, and where they can go for more details.
10. Zain Kahn
Zain Khan uses his banner to promote Prequel, a free workshop for teen creators. I like it because it:
- Uses vibrant colors in the illustration and the workshop title to appeal to a young audience
- Directs visitors to the link in bio with an arrow and CTA
- Increases impact by emphasizing creators—what teens will become after attending
Zain’s LinkedIn banner is eye-catching and clearly explains what visitors can expect from his workshop. Colorful visuals foster engagement and a clear CTA drives visitors towards a direct result (workshop sign-ups, in this case).
11. Rob Maiale
Using colors creatively can make your banner stand out, as Rob Maiale’s design shows. The yellow draws attention to branding by:
- Using spotlights that point to Rob’s profile picture
- Stating the benefit of working with him and highlighting “That’s who” in yellow to make it stand out
- Highlighting his specialization (Complex, cutting-edge-and highly-regulated industries)
Rob plays with colors to make his banner more eye-catching. Using yellow and black makes his banner look modern and sleek.
12. Jasmin (Jay) Alić
My good friend Jasmin rocks an awesome banner. It demands attention with its slick font, minimalist feel, and prominently-featured photo.
Your takeaways:
- Keep your design clean
- Feature another cut-out photo for more personability
- Prominently feature social proof.
As you can tell from his client waitlist, this is a real lead-machine.
Serious About LinkedIn? Try LinkedX
LinkedIn is probably the most valuable social media platform to grow on right now.
No other platform has as many decision-makers actively investing their time into it. If you build an audience on LinkedIn, you’ll have people at the top of your industry checking out your profile.
And the best way to start growing fast? LinkedX—my comprehensive course for growing on LinkedIn quickly.
Click here to learn more about it. I’ll see you out there!
