How to Write a Compelling LinkedIn Recommendation That Makes an Impact

As a social marketing expert, I can‘t overstate the importance of LinkedIn recommendations. These short testimonials, written by people who have worked with you, serve as powerful social proof of your skills, experience, and character.

In today‘s digital age, LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for professional networking and career development. With over 830 million members in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, it‘s a goldmine for building your personal brand, generating leads, and opening up new opportunities.

But simply having a LinkedIn profile isn‘t enough. To really stand out from the crowd and build trust with potential clients or employers, you need to showcase glowing endorsements from people who can speak to your strengths. That‘s where recommendations come in.

Think of them as the modern-day equivalent of a reference letter, but with the added bonus of being visible to your entire network. A few strong recommendations can skyrocket your credibility and make you magnetic to exciting professional opportunities.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll walk you through everything you need to know about LinkedIn recommendations, from why they‘re essential to your social media marketing strategy to step-by-step tips for writing an incredible recommendation. Plus, I‘ll share examples of stellar recommendations, advice for requesting them authentically, and insider insights to help you maximize their impact.

By the end of this post, you‘ll be able to harness the full potential of this valuable LinkedIn feature to build your brand, expand your influence, and achieve your career goals. Let‘s dive in!

Why LinkedIn Recommendations Are a Game-Changer

If you‘re not yet convinced of the power of LinkedIn recommendations, let‘s look at some eye-opening data. Research shows that:

• Profiles with recommendations receive 3x as many inquiries from recruiters and 6x as many profile views compared to those without.
• 70% of hiring managers trust what they read in LinkedIn recommendations and view them as a valuable resource in the hiring process.
• 87% of HR managers feel more confident about a candidate‘s ability to perform well on the job when they have positive recommendations on their profile.
• Sales professionals with recommendations on their profile generate 5x more opportunities and deals than those without.

The bottom line? LinkedIn recommendations are a major trust signal that can open doors and boost your professional reputation in a big way. They serve as credible, third-party endorsements of your capabilities and character, providing the social proof needed to influence key decision-makers.

But the benefits of recommendations go beyond just impressing hiring managers or landing clients. They also:

• Increase the search visibility and keyword density of your profile, making it easier for the right people and opportunities to find you
• Provide valuable feedback and insights into your strengths and unique value proposition, which can inform your personal branding strategy
• Strengthen and deepen your professional relationships with the people who recommend you
• Establish your authority and thought leadership within your industry
• Give you content to repurpose in your marketing efforts, like featuring testimonials on your website or in sales materials

Ultimately, LinkedIn recommendations are a powerful way to build trust, credibility, and social capital in the digital age. They serve as the currency of the modern job market and can be the deciding factor in whether you get that dream job, land that huge client, or become a respected leader in your field.

Now that you understand the immense value of LinkedIn recommendations, let‘s talk about how to write one that will make a real impact.

The Anatomy of an Amazing LinkedIn Recommendation

A great LinkedIn recommendation is more than just a few generic compliments. It‘s a work of art that paints a vivid picture of the person being recommended, backed by specific examples and insights.

Having written hundreds of LinkedIn recommendations over the years, I‘ve found that the most effective ones share a few key elements:

1. A Compelling Hook: The first sentence should grab the reader‘s attention and make them want to keep reading. Instead of something bland like "I recommend Sarah," try an opener like "Hiring Sarah was one of the best decisions I‘ve ever made."

2. Context for the Relationship: Provide a brief explanation of how you know the person and in what capacity you worked together. This helps build your credibility and provides valuable context for your endorsement.

3. Specific Examples: Generic praise like "great team player" or "hard worker" doesn‘t tell us much. The most powerful recommendations include specific examples and stories that illustrate the person‘s strengths in action.

4. Insights and Anecdotes: Share unique details that aren‘t obvious from the person‘s profile. Talk about their working style, problem-solving approach, or standout contributions. Give us a glimpse into what makes them special.

5. Measurable Results: Whenever possible, include concrete metrics or outcomes that the person achieved. Did they exceed a sales goal by 150%? Streamline a process to save the company $50K per year? Numbers are compelling and make the recommendation more credible.

6. Enthusiastic Endorsement: Close with a confident, unequivocal statement of support. Don‘t be afraid to gush a little! Phrases like "I wholeheartedly recommend…" or "Any team would be lucky to have…" make it crystal clear that you‘re willing to stake your own reputation on this person.

To illustrate, here‘s an example of a recommendation for a sales professional that hits all the marks:

"When it comes to rockstar account executives, Mark is in a league of his own. I had the pleasure of managing Mark for 3 years at Acme Inc., where he consistently blew past his sales targets. His ability to build rapport with clients and creatively position our offerings was unparalleled. In fact, Mark landed the biggest deal in company history, raking in $1.5M from a single client! Beyond his sales prowess, Mark was a beacon of positivity on the team. He went out of his way to mentor new hires and initiated several culture-building events. I can‘t recommend Mark highly enough. Any organization would be lucky to have him on board to drive revenue growth and build a thriving team."

See how this recommendation provides specific, results-oriented examples, along with a glimpse of Mark‘s working style and unique contributions? It‘s clear the recommender really knows Mark‘s work and is willing to go to bat for him.

Common LinkedIn Recommendation Pitfalls to Avoid

Of course, not all LinkedIn recommendations are created equal. I‘ve seen plenty of recommendations that fall flat or even raise red flags. Here are a few common missteps to watch out for:

• Being Too Vague: Recommendations that lack specific examples or contributions come across as hollow and insincere. Instead of "Sarah is great to work with," say "Sarah‘s data-driven approach to social media marketing helped our brand increase Instagram followers by 50% in just 6 months."

• Focusing Only on Personality: It‘s nice to highlight someone‘s positive traits, but a recommendation should also speak to their skills and accomplishments. Don‘t just say "Mark is a nice guy," but also share how his relationship-building skills helped close major deals.

• Coming Off as Insincere: Recommendations that are over-the-top or full of flowery language can seem disingenuous. Stick to a professional, straightforward tone and avoid phrases like "best ever" or "most amazing."

• Highlighting Irrelevant Skills: Make sure the achievements and skills you mention are relevant to the person‘s current goals and the roles they‘re targeting. A recommendation highlighting someone‘s bartending skills isn‘t super useful if they‘re applying for an accounting job.

• Lack of Credibility: Recommendations from random connections who don‘t seem to really know your work can raise eyebrows. Aim to get recommendations from people who directly collaborated with you and can speak concretely about your contributions.

• Grammatical Errors: Proofread carefully before hitting submit! Typos or glaring grammatical errors reflect poorly on both you and the person you‘re recommending. Use a tool like Grammarly to double-check your writing.

The key is to write recommendation that feel authentic, specific, and relevant. Put yourself in the shoes of a hiring manager or potential client reading this recommendation. Does it give you valuable insight into what the person would be like to work with and what they can achieve? If not, keep refining.

How to Request LinkedIn Recommendations Like a Pro

Now that you know what makes a captivating LinkedIn recommendation, let‘s talk about how to get some of your own. Asking for recommendations can feel awkward, but it doesn‘t have to be. Here are my top tips for requesting recommendations with tact and confidence:

1. Choose the right people: Make a list of colleagues, managers, clients, mentors, or teachers who have firsthand knowledge of your skills and achievements. Prioritize people who have worked with you recently and extensively.

2. Personalize your request: Instead of sending a mass request, take the time to write a personalized message to each potential recommender. Mention a specific project or experience you shared and why you value their perspective. A little flattery never hurts!

3. Make it easy for them: In your request, provide a few prompts or talking points to guide their recommendation. You might say something like "I‘m looking to highlight my project management and communication skills. I thought you‘d be able to speak to how I kept our XYZ initiative on track and built consensus among stakeholders."

4. Offer to reciprocate: If it‘s someone you‘ve worked closely with and feel comfortable endorsing, offer to write a recommendation in return. This makes it a mutually beneficial exchange and increases the likelihood they‘ll say yes.

5. Give them an out: Not everyone will have the time or feel comfortable writing a recommendation. Give your request an easy out by saying something like "I know you‘re super busy, so no worries if you don‘t have the bandwidth right now. Just let me know!"

6. Send a gracious thank you: When someone takes the time to recommend you, send them a heartfelt thank you note. Mention something specific you appreciated about what they wrote. A little gratitude goes a long way in strengthening the relationship.

Here‘s an example of a concise, compelling recommendation request:

Hi Amy,

I hope you‘ve been doing well since we wrapped up the big product launch last month. I so enjoyed collaborating with you on that project and was blown away by your copy writing skills.

I‘m currently looking to expand my freelance business and would love to feature a recommendation from you on my LinkedIn profile. I thought you‘d be able to speak to my ability to translate complex technical concepts into engaging, user-friendly web copy. No pressure at all if you‘re too busy – I know how swamped you are. But if you‘re willing to write a brief recommendation, I‘d be so appreciative.

Let me know if you need any other info from me. I‘m happy to return the favor and write a recommendation for you as well!

Thanks so much,
Tom

See how this request is personalized, specific, and low-pressure? It also offers a bit of well-placed flattery and an offer to reciprocate. This approach is much more likely to result in a glowing recommendation than a generic "Can you recommend me?" message.

Leveraging LinkedIn Recommendations for Maximum Impact

Garnering an arsenal of impressive recommendations is a big win – but the benefits don‘t stop there. To fully capitalize on your hard-won recommendations, you need a strategic plan to showcase and leverage them. Here are a few ideas:

• Curate your recommendations: LinkedIn allows you to select which recommendations show up on your profile and in what order. Feature the most relevant, impactful ones at the top of the list, especially those that speak to the key skills and experiences you want to highlight.

• Showcase recommendations on your website: Repurpose your LinkedIn recommendations as testimonials on your personal website or online portfolio. This extends their reach beyond LinkedIn and provides valuable social proof to visitors.

• Integrate recommendations into your job search: When applying for jobs, reference your LinkedIn recommendations in your cover letter or interview. You might say something like "Several of my former colleagues have attested to my leadership abilities on my LinkedIn profile. I‘d love to bring those same skills to this role."

• Share your recommendations on other social platforms: Got a stellar recommendation that makes you blush? Share a screenshot on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook to extend its impact. Be sure to tag and thank the recommender!

• Use recommendations to inform your personal branding: Pay attention to the themes and strengths that come up repeatedly in your recommendations. These can help you define your unique value proposition and refine your personal brand messaging.

• Continue to build your recommendation roster: Landing a few great recommendations is fantastic – but don‘t stop there! Regularly add fresh recommendations to your profile to show that you‘re continuously making an impact and delivering value.

Remember, LinkedIn recommendations are a powerful currency in the digital economy. The more you can collect and strategically deploy them, the greater your visibility, credibility, and opportunities will be.

Key Takeaways and Next Steps

Phew, that was a lot of ground to cover! Let‘s recap the key points about crafting and leveraging LinkedIn recommendations:

• Recommendations serve as invaluable social proof that can lead to exciting professional opportunities
• The best recommendations include specific examples, vivid anecdotes, and measurable results
• Common pitfalls include being vague, irrelevant, insincere, or grammatically sloppy
• Requesting recommendations requires a personalized, tactful approach
• Showcasing your recommendations across multiple platforms amplifies their impact

If you take away nothing else, remember this: LinkedIn recommendations are a powerful way to build your credibility, strengthen your network, and open doors to new possibilities. They‘re worth the effort to both give and receive.

So what are you waiting for? Start crafting glowing recommendations for your colleagues and gracefully requesting your own. Your future self (and your skyrocketing LinkedIn profile) will thank you.

And if you found this guide helpful, I‘d be honored if you‘d leave me a recommendation on my own LinkedIn profile (just kidding…kind of).

Now get out there and start reaping the rewards of this underrated LinkedIn feature! Your career will thank you.