# LinkedIn personal branding: banner, posts and a look [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/linkedin-personal-branding) On LinkedIn your profile is read like a CV and your posts are scrolled like a feed. A personal brand there has to work in both modes. Here is the setup, from banner to carousel. ## The short version - LinkedIn personal branding is how your profile, headline, banner and posts combine to tell people what you do and how you think. - The LinkedIn profile banner is 1584×396 pixels, and your profile photo covers its lower left, so words belong in the centre and right. - A strong LinkedIn headline says who you help and with what, rather than only repeating a job title. - LinkedIn carousels are PDF documents uploaded to a post, with each page shown as a swipeable slide. - Using the same background, typeface and photo treatment on your banner and posts makes your content recognisable in the feed before anyone reads your name. **LinkedIn personal branding** comes down to four things working together: a headline that says who you help, a banner that shows what you do, a photo people can trust, and posts that look like they come from the same person every time. Most profiles get the first two half right and ignore the last. Yet the feed is where people actually meet you, so that is where a recognisable look earns the most. ## The top of your LinkedIn profile When someone opens your profile, they see the banner, your photo, your name and your headline in one glance. Treat it as a single composition rather than four separate fields. Your headline matters most, because it follows you into every comment and search result. Job titles alone tell people what your employer calls you, not what you are good at. Write who you help and with what, then add one detail that is specific to you. ### Vague headline - Marketing Manager at Northline - Passionate about innovation and growth - Founder | Speaker | Coach | Dreamer - Open to opportunities ### Clear headline - I help B2B software teams turn product updates into posts people read - Payroll for UK restaurants · Founder at Tillbook - Brand designer for climate startups · 40 launches since 2019 - Data analyst learning product, writing about it weekly Your photo should be a tight, well lit head and shoulders on a plain background, ideally in a colour from your palette. [Personal branding photos](https://gradiently.design/guide/personal-brand-photos) covers backdrop colours and light. ## Designing a LinkedIn banner that works The personal profile banner is 1584×396 pixels, a very wide 4:1 strip. Your round profile photo overlaps the lower left, and phones crop the sides slightly, so keep words in the centre and right. One short line is enough: what you do, or the one thing you want visitors to remember. Exact safe areas are in [LinkedIn banner size](https://gradiently.design/guide/linkedin-banner-size). A wide LinkedIn banner with the line Clear words for complex products on a gradient background, text placed right of centre A personal banner with one line, set right of centre so the profile photo never covers it. The background does the rest. - **Say it, don't list it.** One line beats a row of logos and job titles. - **Leave the lower left empty.** That corner belongs to your photo. - **Use your brand background.** The banner should look like your posts, not like a stock photo of a city. - **Skip contact details.** They are already on the profile and look cramped at banner size. ## LinkedIn post images: sizes and a look Most LinkedIn posts are text first, and that is fine. Add an image when it does something the words can't: show a result, frame a key sentence, or announce something. When you do, use the same background family and typeface each time. Over a few months, people start recognising your posts by their look before they see your name above them. | Format | Size | Use it for | | --- | --- | --- | | Profile banner | 1584×396 | What you do, in one line | | Square post | 1200×1200 | Quotes, key numbers, announcements | | Portrait post | 1080×1350 | Taking more feed space on phones | | Link image | 1200×627 | Articles and pages you share | | Carousel page | 1080×1350 | Each page of a PDF document post | The LinkedIn formats a personal brand actually uses. Portrait takes up more room in a phone feed than square. For layouts that read well in the feed, see [LinkedIn post design](https://gradiently.design/guide/linkedin-post-design). ## LinkedIn carousels that get read A LinkedIn carousel is a PDF uploaded as a document post. Each page becomes a slide people swipe through, which makes it the best format on the platform for teaching something in steps. Design the pages at 1080×1350, one idea per page, with a cover that makes a clear promise. 1. **Write the outline first** One sentence per page. If a page needs two ideas, split it. Six to ten pages is a comfortable length. 2. **Make the cover a promise** Say exactly what the reader will get: "5 ways to cut a launch post in half", not "Some thoughts on writing". 3. **Use one inner layout** Number in the same place, headline in the same place, a short line under it. Repetition makes swiping easy. 4. **End with a summary page** Repeat the key points on one page people can screenshot, then a quiet line on who you are. 5. **Export as a PDF** Upload it with the document option and give it a clear title, which LinkedIn shows above the first page. A LinkedIn carousel cover reading 5 ways to shorten a launch post on a gradient background The cover page: a specific promise and a reason to trust it. A carousel page numbered 02 reading Cut the first paragraph on the same gradient background An inner page on the same background, with the number and headline always in the same place. In Gradiently, a carousel is one design with several pages, all on the same Mark, and Pro exports it as a PDF ready for LinkedIn. The Designer can draft the outline and lay out every page in your brand kit's voice, and the Mark keeps each headline readable wherever it falls. [LinkedIn carousels for thought leaders](https://gradiently.design/guide/linkedin-thought-leader-content) has more structures to borrow. ## Keeping your LinkedIn look consistent Write three rules and keep them: one background family, one typeface, one photo treatment. Use them on the banner, every post image, every carousel and your [LinkedIn newsletter cover](https://gradiently.design/guide/linkedin-newsletter-cover) if you write one. When you change jobs, update the words, not the look. The broader system behind it is in [personal branding](https://gradiently.design/guide/personal-branding). ## FAQ ### What size is a LinkedIn banner for a personal profile? 1584×396 pixels, a 4:1 ratio. Keep words in the centre and right, because your profile photo covers the lower left. ### What should I put in my LinkedIn banner? One short line about what you do or who you help, on a background that matches your posts. Avoid logos, contact details and long lists. ### How do I make a carousel on LinkedIn? Design the pages, export them as a single PDF and upload it to a post using the document option. Each page becomes a swipeable slide. ### What is a good LinkedIn headline? One that says who you help and with what, plus one specific detail, rather than repeating your job title. ### What size should LinkedIn post images be? 1200×1200 for square posts or 1080×1350 for portrait, which takes up more space in a phone feed. Shared links use 1200×627.