An optimal sensor placement (OSP) method based on structural subsection technique (SST) and model reduction technique was proposed for modal identification of truss structures, which was conducted using genetic algorithm (GA). The constraints of GA variables were determined by SST in advance. Subsequently, according to model reduction technique, the optimal group of master degrees of freedom and the optimal objective function value were obtained using GA in a case of the given number of sensors. Correspondingly, the optimal number of sensors was determined according to optimal objective function values in cases of the different number of sensors. The proposed method was applied on a scaled jacket offshore platform to get its optimal number of sensors and the corresponding optimal sensor layout. Then modal kinetic energy and modal assurance criterion were adopted to evaluate vibration energy and mode independence property. The experiment was also conducted to verify the effectiveness of the selected optimal sensor layout. The results showed that experimental modes agreed reasonably well with numerical results. Moreover the influence of the proposed method using different optimal algorithms and model reduction technique on optimal results was also compared. The results showed that the influence was very little.