What Is the LinkedIn Featured Section?
Founder of ContentIn — I've built LinkedIn tools since 2023 and test every competitor with a real account.
Key Takeaways
- The Featured section lets you pin selected content near the top of your profile, below the About section.
- You can feature four content types: your posts, LinkedIn articles, external links, and uploaded media.
- Featured items stay visible until you change them, unlike feed posts that scroll away.
- You can reorder, edit, or remove Featured items at any time, and everyone who can view your profile can see them.
- It is one of the few profile spots where an external link doesn't trigger a reach penalty.
How the LinkedIn Featured Section Works
The Featured section is a curation slot on your profile. It appears high up—just below your About section and above your experience—so whatever you place there is among the first things a visitor sees. Unlike your feed, where posts scroll away within days, Featured items stay put until you change them, which makes the section prime real estate for evergreen content you want every visitor to notice.
You add items from the "Add profile section" menu, then choose Featured. From there you can pull in your own posts and articles, paste external links, or upload media directly.[1]LinkedIn Help. "Add your profile content to the featured section." View source Items display as cards with a thumbnail and title, and you can reorder them so the most important sits first. You can also edit or remove any item at any time; the section is entirely under your control.[2]LinkedIn Help. "Featured Section on Your Profile - FAQs." View source
Everyone who can view your profile can see your Featured section, and it renders on both desktop and mobile, though the layout differs—on a phone, visitors swipe through the cards horizontally and many see only the first one or two before moving on. That is exactly why the order matters as much as the choice of items.
What You Can Feature
LinkedIn lets you feature four kinds of content:[1]LinkedIn Help. "Add your profile content to the featured section." View source
- Posts — your own text posts, carousels, or video posts, useful for pinning a piece that performed well.
- Articles — long-form articles you have published on LinkedIn.
- Links — external URLs, such as your website, a booking page, or a lead magnet; LinkedIn pulls in a preview image and title.
- Media — files you upload directly, like a PDF, a slide deck, or an image.
Because links are allowed, the Featured section doubles as a quiet call to action: it is one of the few places on a profile where you can send visitors off-platform without the reach penalty that outbound links carry inside feed posts. The strongest Featured sections are curated, not exhaustive. Three to five items is plenty; more than that and each card competes for attention and the section stops feeling deliberate. Pick items that do a job—prove competence, show social proof, or move the visitor toward contacting you. A stale link to a two-year-old webinar does the opposite and signals neglect, so the section rewards occasional maintenance.
Example of a Featured Section
Say a freelance UX designer wants her profile to convert visitors into leads. She fills the Featured section with three items in deliberate order: first, a link to her portfolio site; second, her best-performing post—a case study that earned 12,000 impressions; third, a PDF one-pager of her services. A hiring manager who lands on her profile from a comment she left now sees proof, popularity, and a next step within the first scroll. If even 5% of 400 monthly profile visitors click the portfolio link, that is 20 warm visitors a month she did not have to chase. The specific numbers are illustrative, but the structure—proof, then popularity, then a clear next step—is what makes a Featured section earn its place.
The Bottom Line
The Featured section is the pinned, curated top of your LinkedIn profile, holding posts, articles, links, and media you choose. Because it sits high and stays put, it is the best spot to show proof of your work and point visitors toward a next step. Treat it as a deliberate shortlist of three to five items, not a dumping ground, and revisit it whenever your best work changes.
What people get wrong about the Featured section
Most people treat Featured as an archive—they pin whatever they happen to have, then never touch it again. That's backwards. The section is the highest-value, most-ignored real estate on a LinkedIn profile: it sits above the fold, it stays put, and it's one of the only places you can drop an external link without the algorithm punishing it. The mistake isn't using it wrong; it's leaving it empty or stale. If your Featured section still shows a post from two years ago, every visitor reads that as "this person stopped paying attention." Curate three to five items with a clear job—proof, popularity, next step—and refresh them when your best work changes.
| Featured Section | About Section | |
|---|---|---|
| What it holds | Pinned posts, links, and media | A written summary of who you are |
| Format | Visual cards you select | Up to ~2,600 characters of text |
| Best use | Show proof and a next step | Tell your story and positioning |
| How you edit it | Add, reorder, and remove items | Write and rewrite the copy |
Frequently Asked Questions
- What can you add to the LinkedIn Featured section?
- Four types of content: your own posts, LinkedIn articles, external links (like a website or lead magnet), and uploaded media such as PDFs, slides, or images. You can mix types and reorder them.
- Where does the Featured section appear on a LinkedIn profile?
- Near the top, just below your About section and above your Experience. It is among the first things a profile visitor sees, on both desktop and mobile.
- How many items should you put in your Featured section?
- Three to five is the practical sweet spot—enough to show proof and a next step, few enough that each card gets attention. More than that and the section stops feeling curated.
- Can you feature someone else's post on LinkedIn?
- You can feature your own posts and articles directly. To highlight someone else's content or an external page, add it as a Link—LinkedIn will pull in a preview image and title.
- Does the Featured section help with reach?
- Not directly in the feed, but it is the one profile spot where an external link doesn't trigger a reach penalty. It converts profile visitors rather than boosting post distribution.
Article Sources
ContentIn requires writers to use primary sources — official LinkedIn documentation, engineering publications, and original platform data. Learn more in our editorial standards.