Your Profiles Are Either
Building Your Brand or
Killing It.
A complete step-by-step guide for authors to set up LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube profiles that actually work — with before and after examples for every element.
Before You Touch a Single Profile,
Get Your Visuals Right.
Every profile you build will live or die on one thing nobody talks about enough. Your photos and video. A bad headshot on a great profile still looks like a bad profile. Get this right first and everything else becomes easier.
Hire a Professional Photographer
One good shoot gives you everything you need across every platform for 12 to 24 months. Look for a photographer who specializes in personal branding or headshots, not just weddings or events.
- 3 to 5 clean headshots on a neutral background
- 2 to 3 lifestyle shots showing you in your element
- 1 to 2 wide shots for banners and covers
- Multiple outfit changes for platform variety
- High resolution files you own and can use anywhere
Shoot a Short Brand Video
A 60 to 90 second video of you speaking directly to your audience is the single highest-converting asset you can have. Use it on your website, LinkedIn, and as a YouTube channel trailer.
- Who you are and who you help
- What problem you solve and how
- What someone should do next
- Good lighting, clean background, stable camera
- Your personality — not a script being read
DIY on Canva — What You Need
If a professional shoot is not in the budget right now, Canva gives you everything to create clean, consistent brand graphics. Use the same template, font, and colors across all platforms.
- Pick two fonts max — one bold headline, one clean body
- Pick two brand colors that match your book and website
- Use Canva's platform-specific templates for exact dimensions
- Keep backgrounds clean — busy graphics look amateur
- Use a high-quality smartphone photo if no professional available
Brand Alignment Across All Platforms
Before publishing anything, open all three profiles side by side and ask: does this look like the same person built all of this intentionally? Consistency is perceived as credibility.
- Same profile photo on every platform
- Same name spelling and formatting everywhere
- Same core message — different execution per platform
- Colors and fonts that match your website and book cover
- Same bio tone — professional but human
LinkedIn Profile Blueprint
LinkedIn is the single most important platform for nonfiction authors, coaches, consultants, and experts. This is where your ideal reader and client lives. Your profile is your landing page. Treat it like one.
Element by Element Breakdown
What goes in each field and why it matters.
Before & After — Real Estate Agent Turned Author
Same person. Same experience. Two completely different signals.
- ✕Banner: Default LinkedIn blue. Zero brand presence.
- ✕Headline: Lists job titles. The emoji adds nothing. Nobody knows what she actually offers.
- ✕No book mention in headline. Most valuable credential buried or missing entirely.
- ✓Banner: Shows the book. Establishes credibility before anyone reads the headline.
- ✓Headline: Speaks to one specific person. Includes book. Includes proof. All in one line.
- ✓Book is front and center in both the banner and headline. Two placements before the About section.
Post Before You Perfect
A complete LinkedIn profile with consistent posting beats a perfect profile with no activity. The algorithm rewards showing up, not looking good.
Turn On Creator Mode
Creator mode adds a Follow button, shows your topics, and unlocks analytics. Turn it on in settings. It changes how your profile shows up in search.
Your About Section Is Not a Resume
Write it in first person. Start with what you do for the reader, not who you are. The story of why you wrote the book belongs here.
Add Your Book Under Experience
Create a separate entry under Experience for your book as if it were a job. Title: Author. Company: your book title. Add the Amazon or website link. It shows up in search.
Instagram Profile Blueprint
Instagram gives you 150 characters and a handful of visual elements to make someone decide whether to follow you. Every character has a job. Every highlight has a purpose. Nothing should be there by accident.
Line 2: Author of [Book] · [One credential]
Line 3: [Free resource or clear action] ↓
Before & After — Business Coach Author
Same person. 150 characters used two very different ways.
Passionate about helping entrepreneurs grow 🌱
DM me for coaching!
- ✕Username: The year and underscore make it look unestablished. Nobody searches that.
- ✕Bio: Three job titles and emojis. "Passionate about helping entrepreneurs grow" says nothing specific. Who specifically? Grow how?
- ✕Highlights: Travel and funny content. Zero connection to his expertise or book.
Author of Scale Smart · Forbes Contributor
Free scaling roadmap ↓
- ✓Name field: "Business Scale Author" is a searchable keyword. Shows up when people look for business authors.
- ✓Bio: Line one has a specific number ($500K). Specificity creates trust. Lines two and three add credibility and direction.
- ✓Highlights: Four highlights each doing one job. A stranger can understand his entire offer in under 20 seconds.
Name Field Is Searchable. Use It.
Most people treat the name field like a second username. It is not. It shows up in Instagram search. Put your name plus a keyword your ideal reader would actually type.
One Link. One Destination.
Linktree with five options creates decision fatigue. Pick one destination that captures an email and delivers value. A free chapter, a free guide, or a scheduling link.
Highlights Are Your Sales Page
Someone who finds you for the first time will click your highlights before they scroll your feed. Results and testimonials first. That order is intentional.
Reels Over Everything
Instagram distributes Reels to non-followers. Static posts mostly reach people who already follow you. If you want growth, post Reels consistently. Even simple talking-head video works.
YouTube Channel Blueprint
YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. For authors and experts with a message to share, it is the most powerful long-term platform available. But your channel page needs to tell someone in 10 seconds why they should subscribe.
New videos every [cadence] covering [topics].
Author of [Book]. [One credential]. Subscribe for [clear benefit].
Before & After — Leadership Author
How a channel page changes when it's built for the subscriber, not the creator.
- ✕Banner: Empty gray. No name. No message. No reason to stay on the page.
- ✕Description: "Videos about leadership, business, and life" — too broad. "Coming soon" signals inactivity.
- ✕No channel trailer. Non-subscribers land on the page and have no idea what to do.
- ✓Banner: Communicates the message, posting cadence, and book title. Someone knows exactly what this channel is before watching a single video.
- ✓Description: Specific audience, specific cadence, specific proof point. "Subscribe if you lead a team" tells the right person this is for them.
- ✓Channel name includes book title as a subtitle — searchable and memorable.
Your Channel Trailer Is Everything
Record a 60 to 90 second video that answers: who is this channel for, what will they learn, and why should they subscribe right now. This is the first thing non-subscribers see. Treat it like a book pitch.
Thumbnails Are Your Billboard
Create a thumbnail template in Canva and use it consistently. Same font. Same colors. Same style. Consistent thumbnails build recognizability in the feed before someone reads the title.
Put Your Best Video First
Organize your channel page so your featured video and playlists show your strongest content first. A new visitor who watches two good videos is more likely to subscribe than one who stumbles through random uploads.
Post Consistently Over Posting Often
One video per week published consistently for a year beats three videos per week for a month and then nothing. The YouTube algorithm rewards consistency over volume. Pick a cadence you can keep.
Run This Before You Publish
Anything Anywhere.
Open your profiles side by side and check every item. Be honest. These are the things that separate an invisible profile from one that converts.
YouTube
Brand Alignment Across All Three
Your Profile Should Be Doing
the Selling Before You Show Up.
If you want help building a complete author brand presence that works across every platform, that is exactly what we do at Rising Authors.
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