Live Audit Lessons with Sherry Sutton
- Tamika Brunetti
- Feb 6
- 5 min read
If your LinkedIn profile feels like a digital receipt of your career, I want you to hear me clearly: that is not what it is.
Your profile is your digital introduction. And if it is not pulling its weight, it is not because you are not qualified. It is because your message is not landing fast enough for the way people scroll.
In Episode 3 of Presence to Pipeline™, I sat down with Sherry Sutton for a live LinkedIn audit. Sherry is a marketing mentor and personal brand strategist, and she also helped me bring this podcast to life. Which made this moment extra fun, because the mentor became the student for a day.
We covered what is working, what is not, and how to show up on LinkedIn with personality and clarity, without feeling like you are “performing” your life online.
This post breaks down the biggest takeaways from the audit so you can apply them to your own profile.
The real problem: your LinkedIn profile is not doing business work
A profile can look good and still do nothing. Many people have a profile that reads like a resume. Job titles. Responsibilities. A polite About section that says a lot without saying anything written in third person.
The goal is not to sound impressive. We need you to be understood.
When someone finds you on LinkedIn, they are deciding three things quickly:
Do I know what this person does?
Do I believe they can help?
Do I know what to do next?
If any of those answers are fuzzy, opportunity leaks. Not because you are not good, but because the profile is not designed to convert attention into action.
Start with the introduction card: make the first 10- seconds count
The fastest wins usually live at the top of the profile. Think of this like the front window of a store.
Here are the key areas we focused on during the audit:
Your banner image is a billboard, not decoration
Most people treat the banner like background art. You need to treat it like your personal billboard.
Your banner should reinforce what you do, who you help, and what you want people to do next.
If you have a current offer, an event, a lead magnet, a signature framework, or even a simple line that clarifies your lane, your banner is the place to show it.
If your banner is blank, generic, or outdated, you are leaving free real estate on the table.
Your headline needs to do more than list roles
Your headline follows you everywhere on LinkedIn. Comments, search results, DMs, suggested profiles. It is your constant context. So, if your headline is only a job title, you are making people work too hard to understand you. Or, giving them reason to move on.
In the episode, we talked about maximizing the headline with a simple structure:
Start with a short hook
Clarify who you help
Clarify how you help
Clarify the result
This is where Sherry’s profile was already strong on who and how. The missing piece was results. That last layer is what turns “interesting” into “I need this.”
Optimize for search, without sounding like a robot
Searchability matters, but stuffing keywords into every line is not the move. The key is to use natural phrases your people would actually type, like:
LinkedIn profile audit
personal brand strategist
marketing mentor
podcast strategy
mission-driven entrepreneur
content repurposing
You want LinkedIn to understand you, and you want humans to trust you. Both can happen when your writing sounds like you.
The power of podcasting: one conversation, weeks of content
Sherry shared something I love, because it is the opposite of hustle culture content.
One podcast can become weeks of visibility. We aren't talking spam. This is a smart, layered way. Like the phrase, "work smarter, not harder."
A single episode can turn into:
short video clips
quote posts
carousel lessons
emails to your list
a blog post
a pinned Featured link on your profile
This is how visibility stops feeling gross. Your content becomes a system, not a performance. And when you attach that system to a profile that converts, you stop leaking opportunities.
Your About section is your digital introduction, write it like you talk
This part matters because the About section is where people decide if they like your vibe.
If your About section is written in third person, dense paragraphs, or vague “I help people thrive” language, it creates distance. You want people to spend time with you and keep reading.
Here is the structure I recommend, and what we talked through during the audit:
1) First person, always
This is your voice. Your story. Your perspective. Write like you are talking to one person who could become a client, collaborator, or referral partner.
2) Make it skimmable
People are not sitting down with tea to read your About section. Help them skim:
short paragraphs
spacing
simple bullets
clear statements
3) Add a clear next step
If someone finishes your About section and thinks, “I need help with this,” the profile should tell them what to do.
Book. Subscribe. Message. Download.
Make it easy.
Featured section: your proof lives here
If you do nothing else after reading this, go add a Featured section.
This is your highlight reel. Your proof. Your “here is what I mean” space.
Featured can include:
your best content
a free resource
a case study
a podcast episode link
a speaking reel
a media feature
If your profile says you are great but your Featured section is empty, you are asking people to take your word for it. Show those receipts.
Location, rich media, and premium features: small shifts, big clarity
We covered a few practical details that are easy to overlook and easy to fix:
Location: make it searchable
If your city is not commonly searched, consider using the nearest major metro area people recognize. The goal is not to hide where you live. The goal is to get found.
Rich media: show, do not just tell
Rich media helps people understand faster. If you have interviews, PDFs, photos, links, or featured work, use it strategically.
Premium and business features: use what supports your goals
Premium features can add visibility and flexibility, but only if they support your goals. If you are using LinkedIn to generate opportunities, you want your profile to work like a clean, clear funnel.
Experience, skills, and recommendations: align the whole story
The bottom half of your profile should match the top half. If your headline says one thing and your skills say another, trust drops. Don't confuse the reader.
Two high-impact moves:
Skills: build a strong, relevant set
LinkedIn gives you space for up to 100 skills. Use them up by choosing skills that support what you want to be known for now, not only what you have done in the past.
Recommendations: your personal reviews
In the episode, I said recommendations plus skills are your personal Yelp review.
You do not need a thousand. You need a consistent flow. An easy approach: once a quarter, ask for one recommendation from someone you served well.
Maintenance: visibility gets easier when your profile stays current
A high-converting profile is not a one-time project. It is a living asset. A simple maintenance cadence looks like this:
quarterly headline check
quarterly About refresh
update Featured with your newest proof
add a recommendation
keep skills aligned with your current offer
That is how you stay visible without forcing it. Don't make it cumbersome. Make it doable and schedule it.
Want the full live audit?
If you want the full walk-through, the real-time questions, and the exact way we thought through Sherry’s profile updates, listen to Episode 3.
Watch it on YouTube or listen on your favorite platform. If it helps you, subscribe and share it with someone who needs a LinkedIn refresh.
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