The LinkedIn Headline That Actually Attracts Clients

## Your 220 Most Important Characters Your LinkedIn headline appears everywhere—search results, comments, connection requests, post shares. It's the first thing people read. Usually, it's also the last, because most headlines are boring. You have 220 characters to make someone want to click. Most fractional executives waste them. ## What Doesn't Work **The Title Collector:** "CFO | Board Advisor | Strategic Finance Leader | FP&A Expert" This tells me your job title, not what you do for clients. **The Credential Stack:** "MBA, CPA, CFA | 25 Years Experience | Big 4 Trained" Your credentials don't solve my problems. **The Vague Promise:** "Helping Companies Grow | Financial Strategy | Business Transformation" This could describe anyone. **The Job Seeker:** "Experienced CFO Seeking Fractional Opportunities" You're telling me you need work, not that you can help me. ## What Works The best headlines follow a pattern: **Who you help + What outcome you deliver** ### Formula 1: The Outcome Statement "I help [specific audience] achieve [specific outcome]" Examples: - "I help B2B SaaS founders build investor-ready finance infrastructure" - "I help PE-backed companies cut 90 days off their close process" - "I turn founder-led sales into repeatable revenue machines" ### Formula 2: The Role + Context "Fractional [Role] for [specific company type]" Examples: - "Fractional CFO for Series A-B SaaS companies" - "Fractional CMO for B2B tech startups going from £1M to £10M" - "Fractional COO for fast-growing agencies" ### Formula 3: The Proof Point "Fractional [Role] | [specific proof]" Examples: - "Fractional CFO | £120M raised across 9 startups" - "Fractional CMO | Built marketing at 4 companies to acquisition" - "Fractional CTO | Shipped 12 products, scaled 3 to 1M users" ### Formula 4: The Availability Hook "Fractional [Role] | Currently accepting [X] new clients" Examples: - "Fractional CFO | Currently have capacity for 1 new client" - "Part-time CMO for hire | 2 days/week available" This creates urgency and makes your availability clear. ## Making It Specific Generic headlines get ignored. Specific headlines get clicks. **Generic:** "Fractional CFO for startups" **Specific:** "Fractional CFO for fintech startups pre-Series B" **Generic:** "Marketing leader helping companies grow" **Specific:** "I build content engines for B2B SaaS. 3 clients, 3 successful exits." Specificity does two things: 1. Attracts the right people ("That's exactly what we need") 2. Repels the wrong people ("We're not fintech, moving on") Both are valuable. ## The Headline Writing Process **Step 1: Answer these questions** - Who is your ideal client? (industry, stage, size) - What's the main problem you solve? - What proof do you have that you can solve it? **Step 2: Write 10 variations** Don't edit, just write. Get options on paper. **Step 3: Test for clarity** Show your top 3 to someone who doesn't know you. Ask: - What do I do? - Who do I help? - Would you click to learn more? **Step 4: Choose and test** Pick the one that's clearest. Run it for 30 days. Track profile views and connection requests. ## Real Examples (Adapted from Working Fractionals) **CFO:** - "Fractional CFO | I help SaaS founders understand their numbers and raise their next round" - "Part-time finance leader for companies that have outgrown their accountant" - "I build finance teams for startups. 8 clients, 5 successful raises, 2 exits." **CMO:** - "Fractional CMO for B2B tech | I've built the £1M→£10M playbook three times" - "I help founders figure out their marketing. No fluff, just what works." - "Part-time marketing leadership for startups that can't afford full-time yet" **COO:** - "Fractional COO | I fix the operational mess that's slowing your growth" - "I build the systems that let founders focus on product and sales" - "Operations leadership for scale-ups. Currently working with 3 companies." **CTO:** - "Fractional CTO | Technical strategy for non-technical founders" - "I build engineering teams from 0 to 20. Currently advising 3 startups." - "Part-time CTO for early-stage. I've shipped 6 products to market." ## Common Objections **"What if I work with multiple industries?"** Pick the one you want more of. You can always adjust. **"What if I limit myself?"** You will limit yourself to the clients you actually want. That's the point. **"What if someone outside my niche needs help?"** They'll still reach out if your profile shows you can help. The headline gets attention; the rest of your profile expands the scope. **"What if my current clients don't fit my headline?"** Your headline is for future clients. Your past work is in your experience section. ## The A/B Test If you're not sure between two headlines, test them: - Run headline A for 14 days - Track: profile views, connection requests, messages - Run headline B for 14 days - Compare the numbers LinkedIn makes this easy because you can change your headline anytime. ## Updating Your Headline Your headline should evolve: - When you niche down further - When you accumulate more proof points - When your capacity changes - When you want to attract a different type of client Review it quarterly. Does it still represent who you help and how? ## The Quick Win If you do nothing else, remove: - Job titles without context - Buzzwords ("passionate," "results-driven," "dynamic") - Credentials that don't matter to clients - Anything that sounds like a CV Replace with: - Who you help - What outcome they get That single change will improve your click-through rate and attract more relevant connections.