In a recent LinkedIn post, Dan Sherrard-Smith outlines a cost-effective strategy for significantly increasing profile views within 24 hours, bypassing the need for a paid LinkedIn Premium subscription. Sherrard-Smith, who focuses on helping purpose-led founders achieve growth, shares actionable steps and even specific AI prompts to optimize a user’s profile and engagement tactics.
The core of his advice revolves around making a profile more compelling and discoverable. Sherrard-Smith emphasizes that a vague job title is a missed opportunity for connection and clarity. He states:
“Sustainability Consultant” is too vague.
He advocates for a more descriptive approach, illustrating this with an example: “I help purpose-led founders increase their profit by 10x while delivering on their scope 1, 2 & 3 commitments.” This refined headline, according to Sherrard-Smith, clearly defines the target audience and the specific outcomes delivered.
Optimizing the Headline and About Section
S স্থ Sherrard-Smith details how to craft an effective headline using AI. He suggests a prompt for tools like Claude:
“I help [audience] achieve [outcome] through [method]. Write me 5 LinkedIn headline variations under 220 characters. Lead with the benefit, not my job title. Avoid buzzwords like ‘passionate’ or ‘thought leader’.”
Beyond the headline, Sherrard-Smith addresses the importance of the ‘About’ section. He advises incorporating relevant keywords that potential clients might use in their searches. To identify these terms, he suggests using tools like Perplexity with prompts such as:
“What phrases and keywords do [job title / founder type] use when searching for help with [your niche] on LinkedIn? List the most common search terms.”
Once the keywords are identified, Sherrard-Smith proposes using another AI prompt, this time with Claude, to rewrite the ‘About’ section. The prompt includes instructions to focus on the ideal client, the delivered outcome, maintain a conversational tone, and stay under 300 words, while also incorporating testimonials and contact information.
Strategic Engagement Before Posting
A key element of Sherrard-Smith’s strategy is proactive engagement. He suggests commenting on five to ten relevant posts within one’s niche before publishing one’s own content. The goal, he explains, is to offer substantial contributions rather than superficial remarks.
To facilitate this, Sherrard-Smith provides an AI prompt for generating insightful comments:
“Here’s a LinkedIn post: [paste post]. I’m a [your role] who helps [your audience]. Write me 3 comments that add a new angle, ask a smart question, or share a contrasting perspective in a conversational tone, under 3 sentences each.”
According to Sherrard-Smith, this pre-posting engagement strategy is designed to pique interest, prompting users to visit the profile of the engaged commenter. Once on the profile, the clarity of the headline and ‘About’ section determines whether the visitor recognizes the potential for help.
In essence, Dan Sherrard-Smith’s approach offers a practical, low-cost method for enhancing LinkedIn visibility by focusing on profile optimization and strategic, value-driven engagement, all achievable without a premium subscription.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Dan Sherrard-Smith on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on May 1, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →