Guide · Writing
LinkedIn Headline Character Limit & Formulas
The 220-character ceiling, the much shorter reality of where your headline actually appears, and a set of formulas that front-load the part people see.
The LinkedIn headline character limit is 220 characters. LinkedIn raised it from 120 some years ago, and a measurable portion of the internet still has not noticed — you can tell by the headlines that stop mid-sentence at 120 characters out of pure habit.
But 220 is the ceiling, not the target. In most of the places your headline appears, LinkedIn truncates it long before 220. The skill is not using the space; it is making sure the part that survives the cut is the part that matters.
Where your headline shows, and how much of it
| Placement | Roughly visible | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Your own profile | Full 220 | The only place the whole thing reliably shows |
| Feed posts and comments | ~60–70 characters | Truncated with an ellipsis |
| Search results | ~70–80 characters | Varies with layout |
| Connection requests | ~50–60 characters | The shortest, harshest cut |
Visible lengths are approximations — LinkedIn truncates by pixel width, not a fixed character count, so wide characters cost more.
Front-load or be forgotten
The practical consequence: your first 60 characters do almost all the work. In a feed, in a comment thread, in a connection request, that opening fragment is your entire headline. Everything after it is a bonus for people who visit your profile.
This inverts how most people write headlines. They lead with their job title and company — "Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at…" — and bury the interesting part at character 140, where no feed reader will ever see it. Put the outcome or the audience first, and let the title trail behind.
Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Acme Corp | Helping mid-market manufacturers modernise their supply chains
In the feed, this reads: "Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at…" — a title, no reason to care.
Helping mid-market manufacturers modernise their supply chains | SVP, Strategic Partnerships at Acme Corp
In the feed, this reads: "Helping mid-market manufacturers modernise their…" — the value shows before the ellipsis.
Five formulas that fit
You do not need to be original; you need to be legible at 60 characters. These formulas all put the load-bearing phrase first:
Step 1
Outcome first
"I help [audience] [outcome] | [role] at [company]". The classic. Works because the audience recognises themselves before the cut.
Step 2
Audience plus problem
"[Audience] come to me when [problem] | [role]". Slightly longer, more conversational, good for consultants.
Step 3
Plain title, sharp qualifier
"[Role] at [company] — [one specific thing you actually do]". For people whose title carries weight and just needs one concrete detail.
Step 4
The contrarian claim
"[Belief you hold that your industry argues about] | [role]". High risk, high reward. Only use if you can defend it in a comment thread.
Step 5
Proof first
"[Specific result] for [audience] | [role]". Works when the result is concrete and real. Invented numbers are detectable and fatal.
Headline checklist
- Under 220 characters total
- First 60 characters state who you help or what you do
- Job title and company come after the value, not before
- No keyword stuffing — it reads as spam in every placement
- At most one decorative separator or emoji
- Checked how it truncates in the feed, not just on your profile
Frequently asked questions
- What is the LinkedIn headline character limit?
- 220 characters. It was raised from 120, but most placements truncate the headline well before either number.
- How much of my headline shows in the LinkedIn feed?
- Roughly 60 to 70 characters before an ellipsis, varying with character width. Connection requests show even less, around 50 to 60.
- Should I put my job title first in my LinkedIn headline?
- Usually no. The first ~60 characters are what most people see, so lead with the outcome or audience and let the title follow — unless your title itself is the most interesting thing about you.
- Do emojis count toward the LinkedIn headline limit?
- Yes, and many count as two characters or more. They also take up visible width in truncated placements, so each one costs you twice.
Related tools
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