The LinkedIn Featured section has no item limit, but 3-6 pieces of content perform best for visibility and engagement. Each featured item allows approximately 200 characters for the title. Here’s the key insight: 80% of LinkedIn users leave the Featured section completely blank, making this one of the easiest ways to differentiate your profile from competitors. By strategically curating your best work, you instantly join the top 20% of profiles in terms of visual appeal and professional presentation.

This guide covers how to maximize your LinkedIn Featured section for career growth.

LinkedIn Featured Section Quick Reference

What to Feature on LinkedIn

Choosing Your Best Content

Selection criteria:

Not all content belongs in your Featured section. Choose pieces that:

• Demonstrate your expertise in your field
• Generated high engagement (likes, comments, shares)
• Showcase work you want to be known for
• Support your current career goals
• Remain relevant over time

Quality over quantity:

A curated selection of 4-5 excellent pieces outperforms 15 mediocre items. Recruiters and connections scanning your profile won’t view all items—they’ll see the first few and move on.

Matching Content to Career Goals

Job seekers:

• Portfolio samples showing your best work
• LinkedIn articles demonstrating thought leadership
• Posts about industry trends with strong engagement
• Links to published work or case studies
• Recommendations or testimonial posts

Entrepreneurs and consultants:

• Case studies showing client results
• Lead magnets or free resources
• Media appearances or interviews
• Speaking engagement videos
• Service overview pages

Thought leaders:

• High-performing posts on signature topics
• Published articles and guest posts
• Podcast or video appearances
• Research findings or original data
• Books or major publications

Executives:

• Company announcements with strategic vision
• Industry commentary showing expertise
• Speaking engagements and keynotes
• Board positions or advisory roles
• Major career milestones

Content Types Explained

LinkedIn Posts

What displays:

• Your original post text and image
• Engagement metrics (likes, comments)
• Click to view the full post

Best for:

• High-engagement content you’re proud of
• Posts that showcase your voice and expertise
• Content that sparked meaningful discussions

Tip: Feature posts that performed well and remain relevant. A viral post about an outdated topic doesn’t serve your profile.

LinkedIn Articles

What displays:

• Article title and preview image
• Publication date
• Reading time estimate

Best for:

• Long-form thought leadership
• In-depth guides in your field
• Content that demonstrates deep expertise

Advantage: Articles position you as a subject matter expert and remain searchable on LinkedIn and Google.

External Links

What displays:

• Link preview with title and image
• Website domain
• Custom title you can edit

Best for:

• Portfolio websites
• Published work on external sites
• Company pages or product launches
• Press coverage or media mentions
• Academic publications or research

Tip: Choose links with strong preview images. A broken or generic preview image undermines your professional presentation.

Media Files

Images:

• Certificates, awards, recognition
• Infographics you created
• Event photos (speaking, conferences)
• Visual work samples

Documents:

• PDF portfolios
• Case study summaries
• White papers
• Presentation decks (upload as PDF)

Videos:

• Speaking engagements
• Product demos
• Interview clips
• Educational content

Tip: Media files let you showcase work that doesn’t live online elsewhere. Use them for visual portfolios or proprietary content.

How to Add Items to Featured

Adding a LinkedIn Post

1. Go to your LinkedIn profile
2. Click “Add profile section” or scroll to Featured
3. Select “Add featured” then “Posts”
4. Browse your published posts
5. Click the post you want to feature
6. Confirm selection

Adding a LinkedIn Article

1. Navigate to your profile
2. Click “Add featured” in the Featured section
3. Select “Articles”
4. Choose from your published LinkedIn articles
5. Click to add

Adding an External Link

1. In your Featured section, click “Add featured”
2. Select “Link”
3. Paste the URL
4. Wait for preview to generate
5. Edit the title (up to ~200 characters)
6. Add optional description
7. Save

Adding Media Files

1. Click “Add featured” then “Media”
2. Upload your file (image, document, or video)
3. Add a title (~200 characters)
4. Write a description
5. Save to your profile

Editing Featured Items

To edit titles and descriptions:

1. Click the pencil icon on any featured item
2. Modify the title (keep under ~200 characters)
3. Update the description
4. Save changes

To remove items:

1. Click the pencil icon
2. Select “Delete”
3. Confirm removal

Ordering Strategy

How LinkedIn Displays Featured Items

Desktop view:

• Shows 2 items per row
• Users see first 4 items without scrolling
• Additional items require horizontal scroll

Mobile view:

• Shows 1 item at a time
• Swipe to see more items
• First item most critical

Optimal Ordering

Position 1: Your strongest piece of content. On mobile, this may be the only item most visitors see. Choose something that immediately demonstrates your value.

Position 2: Your second-best content. On desktop, this displays alongside position 1 as the initial view.

Positions 3-4: Supporting content that reinforces your expertise. Still visible on desktop without scrolling.

Positions 5+: Additional content for engaged visitors who scroll or swipe to see more.

Ordering by Goal

Job seekers:

1. Portfolio or work sample
2. High-engagement post showing expertise
3. Article demonstrating thought leadership
4. External link to published work

Business development:

1. Lead magnet or free resource
2. Case study with results
3. Testimonial post
4. Company service page

Thought leadership:

1. Signature content piece
2. Media appearance or interview
3. Published article
4. Speaking engagement video

Refreshing Your Featured Section

Review monthly:

• Remove outdated content
• Promote recent high-performers
• Align with current goals

Seasonal updates:

• Job searching? Feature portfolio and articles
• Launching something? Feature related content
• Speaking at conferences? Add event content

Industry Examples

Software Engineers

Featured content mix:

• GitHub project showcase (external link)
• Technical blog post with high engagement
• Open source contribution highlight
• Conference talk recording
• Architecture diagram or system design document

Title examples:

• “Building Real-Time Data Pipelines at Scale: A Technical Deep Dive”
• “My Open Source Contribution to React: 50K+ Downloads”

Marketing Professionals

Featured content mix:

• Campaign case study (PDF or link)
• High-engagement post about marketing trends
• Article on industry strategy
• Podcast appearance discussing expertise
• Portfolio of creative work

Title examples:

• “How We Increased Organic Traffic 300% in 6 Months”
• “The B2B Content Strategy That Generated $2M in Pipeline”

Consultants and Coaches

Featured content mix:

• Free resource or lead magnet
• Client testimonial compilation
• Framework or methodology overview
• Speaking engagement video
• Published book or guide

Title examples:

• “Free Guide: 10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Business Coach”
• “Client Results: How Sarah Doubled Her Revenue in 90 Days”

Sales Professionals

Featured content mix:

• Customer success story (with permission)
• Post about sales methodology
• Industry trend analysis
• Company announcement with strong engagement
• Award or recognition

Title examples:

• “How Our Solution Helped [Company] Reduce Costs by 40%”
• “Why Consultative Selling Outperforms Product-Pushing Every Time”

Healthcare Professionals

Featured content mix:

• Published research or studies
• Patient education content
• Speaking engagement on specialty topic
• Professional awards or certifications
• Media interview on health topic

Title examples:

• “New Research: Early Detection Strategies for [Condition]”
• “My Approach to Patient-Centered Care: A Discussion with [Publication]”

Common Mistakes

Featuring Too Much Content

Problem: 10+ featured items overwhelm visitors and dilute your message.

Solution: Curate 3-6 of your absolute best pieces. Quality signals confidence.

Outdated Content

Problem: A featured post from 2019 about trends that have since changed.

Solution: Review featured items monthly. Remove anything that no longer represents your current expertise or relevance.

Irrelevant Content

Problem: Featuring a viral post about something unrelated to your professional goals.

Solution: Every featured item should support how you want to be perceived professionally. Save the fun content for your feed.

Poor Preview Images

Problem: Broken images, generic stock photos, or blurry thumbnails.

Solution: Before adding an external link, check how the preview appears. Use a different link or upload media directly if the preview doesn’t look professional.

Generic Titles

Problem: “My latest article” or “Recent post” as featured titles.

Solution: Write specific, keyword-rich titles that explain the value of the content. You have ~200 characters—use them strategically.

Leaving It Blank

Problem: No featured content at all.

Solution: Even one or two strong pieces dramatically improve your profile. Start with your best-performing post and add from there.

Wrong Ordering

Problem: Your best content is buried in position 5 or 6.

Solution: Put your strongest, most relevant content in positions 1-2 where it’s immediately visible without scrolling.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many items should I feature on LinkedIn?

While LinkedIn has no maximum limit, 3-6 items perform best. This provides enough variety to showcase your expertise without overwhelming visitors. Most users won’t scroll past the first 4 items on desktop or swipe through more than 2-3 on mobile.

What’s the character limit for Featured titles?

Featured section titles allow approximately 200 characters. Use this space to write descriptive, keyword-rich titles rather than generic labels. A title like “Building Scalable APIs: A Complete Guide” outperforms “My Article About APIs.”

Can I reorder items in my Featured section?

Yes. Click and drag items to reorder them. Put your strongest content in positions 1-2 where it’s most visible. Review your ordering whenever your career goals shift.

Should I feature external links or LinkedIn content?

A mix works best. LinkedIn-native content (posts and articles) keeps visitors on your profile and shows engagement metrics. External links demonstrate breadth of work and can drive traffic to your portfolio or website. Balance both for maximum impact.

How often should I update my Featured section?

Review monthly to ensure content remains relevant and aligned with your goals. Remove outdated posts, add high-performing new content, and adjust ordering based on current priorities. Active job seekers should review weekly.

Why is my Featured section preview image broken?

Broken preview images usually come from external links where the original image has moved or the website doesn’t support link previews properly. Solutions include uploading the content as media instead, using a different source link, or contacting the website to fix their Open Graph tags.

Key Takeaways

• LinkedIn Featured section has no item limit but 3-6 pieces perform best
• Featured titles allow approximately 200 characters for strategic keyword use
• 80% of LinkedIn users don’t use the Featured section—using it sets you apart
• Position 1-2 are most critical since most visitors won’t scroll further
• Match featured content to your current career goals
• Mix content types: posts, articles, external links, and media files
• Review and refresh monthly to keep content relevant

Conclusion

The LinkedIn Featured section offers unlimited space to showcase your best work, but strategic curation matters more than quantity. With 80% of LinkedIn users leaving this section blank, simply having 3-6 well-chosen pieces instantly elevates your profile above most competitors. Focus on content that demonstrates your expertise, aligns with your career goals, and makes a strong first impression in positions 1-2. Update your Featured section monthly to keep it relevant and aligned with your current objectives. Try our free letter counter → to craft compelling featured titles that maximize your ~200 character limit.