The 10-Second LinkedIn Fix That Could Double Your Leads

Josh Hannen is the go-to LinkedIn coach for Fractional Executives. Backed by a decade spent growing global audiences for celebrities and brands, he teaches fractionals how to consistently attract clients from LinkedIn. His LinkedIn Lead Engine program recently helped a fractional COO drive 11 qualified leads after just 5 weeks in the program.

If you want help building your own LinkedIn Lead Engine, book a free strategy call (link here) this month & he’ll walk you through how it works.

If you opened LinkedIn right now I guarantee you’d see one thing:

Incredibly smart & experienced people burying themselves with headlines that could belong to anyone. 

You’ve probably seen them.
You might even have one yourself. 

“Fractional COO | Strategy | Growth | Leadership 🚀”
“Fractional CFO | Finance | Profitability | Advisory”

You’d never know one of them scaled 3x SaaS companies to $20M.
You’d never know another helped a founder save $1M in wasted ad spend last month.

All that credibility, lost in one forgettable line.

Let me explain why your headline is so important… plus the 10-second fix that could double your leads.
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Why you shouldn’t f*ck up your headline 

• It’s the first thing everyone sees (in comments, DMs, and on feed)
• It’s the hook of your entire brand story (if it’s off everything falls flat)
• It decides whether someone clicks your profile or scrolls past you
• It’s the only part of your profile that sells for you 24/7
• It sets the tone for your positioning
• It takes less than 10 seconds to fix

Your headline is the smallest line on your profile, but has the biggest impact on whether people choose to ignore you or not. Your LinkedIn headline is basically your dating bio for business. If it’s vague, generic, or full of buzzwords, no one’s swiping right.

For example:

“Fractional COO | Strategy | Leadership | Growth 🚀”

It looks credible and says what you do, but it doesn’t tell me why I should care.
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The 3 biggest headline mistakes

1. Relying on Titles Over Transformations

People aren’t paying for a “Fractional CFO.” They pay for financial clarity, a clearer understanding of their profitability and peace of mind.

2. Sharing Skills Not Solutions/Outcomes.

“Growth | Strategy | Leadership” are just keywords. Beyond that they mean nothing to your dream client. On the other hand, “Fixing broken ops so SaaS founders can scale faster” is much more intriguing.

3. Impressing Peers Instead of Prospects

If your headline impresses your peers but leaves clients confused, it’s not doing the job it’s supposed to. Stop seeking validation and provide clarity to the audience you’re trying to sell to. 
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The 10-Second Fix

Rather than spending hours crafting a headline, think of it as a filter.

Use this simple formula:

Headline = who you help + the problem they face + the outcome you create.

Examples:

❌ “Fractional CFO | FP&A | Profitability”

✅ “I help $5–30M founders turn financial chaos into clarity”
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❌ “Fractional CMO | Brand Strategy | Demand Gen”

✅ “Helping SaaS founders turn content into consistent pipeline”
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❌ “Fractional COO | Growth Systems | Leadership”

✅ “I help eCom founders fix broken ops so they can scale faster”

When you do this, people don’t just see you, they understand you. And when they understand you, it’s easier to build trust. 

Now for the 10-second fix.

Try this right now.

Step 1: Open your profile.

Step 2: Read your headline out loud.

Step 3: Time yourself for 10 seconds. Can a stranger understand:

• Who you help
• What problem you fix
• The outcome you create

If not, rewrite it today.

Because that one line is currently losing you potential leads.
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The real lesson

Your headline is the only ad that runs 24/7 (for free!!!).

It either filters in your dream clients or pushes them away.

A strong headline will get you noticed, but it’s your content, positioning, and DMs that convert the attention into opportunities.

That’s exactly what we share inside The LinkedIn Lead Engine, my 1-to-1 coaching program for Fractional Executives. 

If you’d like help building a client-winning LinkedIn system, book a free strategy call this month and I’ll walk you through how it would work for you.
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👉 Book here by 16th November to claim $600 off the full program if you move forward after the call (Fractional Jobs exclusive).

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