Your featured section is your portfolio. Here's what to showcase in 2026 for maximum conversions.
7 min read 1 prompts 5 steps beginner
Most LinkedIn profiles tell people what you do. The featured section shows them. It sits near the top of your profile, visible before anyone clicks 'see more,' and it loads with images, links, and documents that do the talking for you. If yours is empty, or filled with random posts you liked two years ago, you're leaving real opportunity on the table.
A recruiter or potential client lands on your profile and scans it in seconds. The featured section is the first place they can see proof of your work, not just claims about it. That difference matters more than most people realize.
3x
More profile views
Profiles with a completed featured section get roughly 3x more views than those without one, according to LinkedIn internal data.
7 sec
Average profile scan time
Recruiters spend an average of 7 seconds scanning a profile before deciding to read further.
Top 5%
Profiles that use featured well
Most users leave the featured section empty or use it incorrectly, making a well-optimized section an immediate differentiator.
The basics
What the featured section actually is
A quick orientation before you start pinning things.
The featured section appears below your About section and above your Experience. It accepts four content types: posts you've published or shared, external links with a preview image, media files like PDFs and presentations, and articles written on LinkedIn.
Each item displays as a card with a thumbnail, a title, and a short description you can edit. Visitors see the cards in a horizontal row on desktop. The first card is what most people see without scrolling.
The four content types in your featured section
Posts
LinkedIn posts you've writtenPosts you've been tagged inShared posts with strong engagement
Each type serves a different purpose. Choose based on what your visitor needs to see.
5
key insight
You control the thumbnail and title
When you add a link or media file, LinkedIn lets you edit the card title and description. Most people skip this. Use it. Write a title that tells the viewer exactly what they'll get, not just the name of the document.
Helpful?
Know your audience
Who visits your profile and what they want
Your featured section should answer their question before they ask it.
Your featured section is not a highlight reel for you. It's an answer to the question your visitor already has in their head. That question changes depending on who's looking.
Three types of visitors land on most profiles: recruiters, potential clients, and collaborators. Each one wants something different from your featured section.
#1
Recruiters and hiring managers
They want proof you can do the job. They're looking for work samples, measurable results, or credentials.
Good:A PDF of a project you led with a clear outcome described in the card title
Bad:A post you liked or shared from someone else's account
#2
Potential clients or buyers
They want to know if you've solved their problem before. Case studies, testimonials, and service pages work best.
Good:A link to a case study showing a client result, with the outcome in the card title
Bad:A link to your homepage with no context about what they'll find
#3
Collaborators and peers
They want to understand your perspective and whether your work aligns with theirs. Thought leadership content and articles perform well here.
Good:A high-performing LinkedIn article or post that shows your point of view clearly
Bad:A generic company announcement you were mentioned in briefly
The decision guide
What to pin and what to skip
Not everything belongs here. Here's how to choose.
The featured section holds up to a handful of items, but visitors rarely scroll through all of them. The first two cards carry the most weight. Pin your strongest proof first.
Pin this
Skip this
A PDF case study with a specific result in the title
A post you liked from someone else's account
A link to your best-performing article or blog post
Your company's homepage with no personal context
A short video intro or talking-head clip
A certificate image with no description
A free resource or lead magnet your audience actually wants
An award announcement that's three years old
A testimonial PDF or screenshot formatted cleanly
A generic press release that mentions you once
A post where you shared a strong opinion and it sparked discussion
A post with two likes that you wrote last week
The 'random liked post' mistake
LinkedIn lets you feature posts you've liked or shared, not just ones you wrote. Many people accidentally pin someone else's content here. Check each card and confirm you're the creator or that the content directly supports your professional story.
Copywriting
How to write card titles that get clicks
The thumbnail gets attention. The title earns the click.
When you add content to your featured section, LinkedIn pulls the page title or file name as the default card title. These are almost always wrong for your purposes. A file called Q3_CaseStudy_Final_v2.pdf tells a visitor nothing.
You have two lines of text to make them want to click. Use them to name the outcome or benefit, not the format or the date.
#1
Lead magnet or free resource
Name the outcome the reader gets, not the format.
Good:How I cut client onboarding time from 3 weeks to 4 days (free PDF)
Bad:Onboarding Guide v3.pdf
#2
Case study or project
Lead with the result, then name the context.
Good:How we grew organic traffic 180% in 6 months for a B2B SaaS client
Bad:SEO Case Study — Client Project 2023
#3
Article or post
Use the core argument or the question the piece answers.
Good:Why most LinkedIn profiles fail in the first 7 seconds
Bad:My thoughts on LinkedIn optimization
Rewrite your featured section card titles
Claude / GPT-4
I'm updating the card titles in my LinkedIn featured section. I'll give you my current title and a short description of what the content actually covers. Rewrite the title so it clearly states the benefit or outcome a visitor gets from clicking. Keep it under 12 words. Make it specific. Do not use hype words.
Current title: [paste your current card title]
What this content covers: [describe the content in 2-3 sentences]
My target audience: [recruiter / potential client / collaborator]
Give me three title options ranked by clarity.
Setup
How to set up your featured section
It takes about 15 minutes to do this properly.
1
Open your profile in edit mode
Go to your LinkedIn profile. Click the pencil icon or 'Add profile section' button. Scroll to 'Recommended' and select 'Featured.' If you've never added anything, the section won't appear on your profile until you do.
2
Choose your content type
Click the '+' button inside the featured section. Select from Posts, Articles, Links, or Media. For external URLs, paste the link and wait for the preview to load. For files, upload directly from your device.
3
Edit the card title and description
After adding your content, click the pencil icon on the card. Change the title to something that describes the outcome or benefit. Add a one-sentence description that tells the visitor what they'll get. Save.
4
Reorder your cards
Drag and drop cards to change their order. Put your strongest item first. On desktop, cards display in a row, so the leftmost card is what most visitors see first without scrolling.
5
Check how it looks to others
Click 'View profile' to see your profile as others see it. Check that thumbnails load correctly, titles are readable, and the first two cards represent your best work. Update any card with a broken image or missing thumbnail.
19
key insight
Thumbnail quality matters more than you think
LinkedIn generates thumbnails automatically for links and posts. If the image is low quality or irrelevant, create a simple branded cover image in Canva and upload it as a media file instead. A clean, readable thumbnail increases click-through significantly.
Helpful?
Quantity
How many items to feature
More is not better here.
Three to five items is the right range for most profiles. Fewer than three looks sparse and suggests you don't have much to show. More than five dilutes attention and pushes your best work off screen.
The number also depends on your goal. If you're job hunting, two to three tightly focused work samples beat five loosely related items every time. If you're building a client pipeline, four items that each address a different buyer concern can work well.
Job seekers
Ideal count
2-3 items
First card
Best work sample
Second card
Measurable result or credential
Third card
Strong opinion piece (optional)
Freelancers and consultants
Ideal count
3-5 items
First card
Case study with outcome in title
Second card
Testimonial or social proof
Third card
Free resource or lead magnet
Maintenance
When to update your featured section
A stale featured section works against you.
Most people set up their featured section once and forget it. That's a mistake. Outdated content signals that your profile is not active, which is exactly the wrong message to send to someone considering hiring or working with you.
A simple rule: review your featured section every 90 days. Ask whether each card still represents your best current work. If a case study is two years old and you have a newer one with better results, swap it out.
A card links to a page that no longer exists or returns a 404 error
The thumbnail is broken or shows a generic grey placeholder
The card title is still the default file name from when you uploaded it
The content is more than two years old and you have newer, stronger work
You're featuring a post with very low engagement when you have better-performing ones
The first card is about a role or project you no longer want to be known for
Put it together
Your featured section audit checklist
Run through this before you consider your section done.
Most LinkedIn profiles tell people what you do. The featured section shows them. It sits near the top of your profile, visible before anyone clicks 'see more,' and it loads with images, links, and documents that do the talking for you. If yours is empty, or filled with random posts you liked two years ago, you're leaving real opportunity on the table. In 2026, LinkedIn profiles with active featured sections see 40% more profile views from recruiters and 35% higher engagement from potential clients. A recruiter or potential client lands on your profile and scans it in seconds. The featured section is the first place they can see proof of your work, not just claims about it. That difference matters more than most people realize.
The featured section appears below your About section and above your Experience. It accepts four content types: posts you've published or shared, external links with a preview image, media files like PDFs and presentations, and articles written on LinkedIn. As of March 2026, LinkedIn also supports featured video content and case study documents with interactive previews. Each item displays as a card with a thumbnail, a title, and a short description you can edit. Visitors see the cards in a horizontal row on desktop. The first card is what most people see without scrolling—making card order critical to your conversion strategy.
Your featured section is not a highlight reel for you. It's an answer to the question your visitor already has in their head. That question changes depending on who's looking. Three types of visitors land on most profiles: recruiters, potential clients, and collaborators. Each one wants something different from your featured section. Recruiters in 2026 prioritize case studies and measurable outcomes. Potential clients want to see portfolio work or client testimonials. Collaborators look for published research, speaking engagements, or collaborative projects.
The featured section holds up to a handful of items, but visitors rarely scroll through all of them. The first two cards carry the most weight. Pin your strongest proof first. LinkedIn lets you feature posts you've liked or shared, not just ones you wrote. Many people accidentally pin someone else's content here. Check each card and confirm you're the creator or that the content directly supports your professional story. As of 2026, LinkedIn's algorithm deprioritizes featured sections with third-party content, so original work performs 2.8x better.
When you add content to your featured section, LinkedIn pulls the page title or file name as the default card title. These are almost always wrong for your purposes. A file called Q3_CaseStudy_Final_v2.pdf tells a visitor nothing. You have two lines of text to make them want to click. Use them to name the outcome or benefit, not the format or the date. In 2026, featured cards with outcome-focused titles (e.g., 'Increased Client Retention by 28%') receive 3.2x more clicks than generic titles (e.g., 'Q1 2026 Results').
Three to five items is the right range for most profiles in 2026. Fewer than three looks sparse and suggests you don't have much to show. More than five dilutes attention and pushes your best work off screen. The number also depends on your goal. If you're job hunting, two to three tightly focused work samples beat five loosely related items every time. If you're building a client pipeline, four items that each address a different buyer concern can work well. Sales professionals and consultants see the highest conversion rates with exactly four featured items.
Most people set up their featured section once and forget it. That's a mistake. Outdated content signals that your profile is not active, which is exactly the wrong message to send to someone considering hiring or working with you. A simple rule: review your featured section every 60 days in 2026. Ask whether each card still represents your best current work. Swap out older case studies for recent wins. Replace outdated posts with fresh content. Profiles updated quarterly show 2.1x higher recruiter engagement than those updated annually.
