Week #5: Get a New Headshot – Your New Image Starts with an Image

One of the most overlooked (literally) tactics that will help build you a compelling personal brand is to get a new headshot.

As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” so what thousand words (or handful) is your current LinkedIn profile picture or Twitter avatar saying about you?

According to some academic research, we can assimilate the information from an image 60,000 times quicker than the written word. That’s why cat pictures and food photos get so much traction on Facebook. And let’s not get started on the glories to be found on Pinterest and Instagram!

We love photos because they’re easier to understand and quicker to fuel an emotion. Your job as guardian of your personal brand is to make sure your photo/headshot/avatar solicits a positive reaction, as it’s often going to be the first thing people look at when viewing your social media profiles or reading your bio in a conference brochure.

Let’s Look at the Facts

Images are crucial to the way we view the world. But when we drill further, we find that LinkedIn claims that social profiles on the site that have a headshot photo get 14 times more views. That’s because when people are searching for you—or someone with your skillset—they are unlikely to click on a profile if it doesn’t have a photo associated with it.

Having no photo obviously says something about you - Maybe you're a bit lazy, you haven’t put much thought into your profile, you’re not really interested in creating the right impression, or you're technically inept and can’t figure out how to upload it.

That’s fine! (Well… it’s not, really…)

On the other hand, what does having the WRONG kind of photo say about you?

Here are some of the photos I’ve seen on LinkedIn  - using these as examples as LinkedIn is more for professional use - I'm not calling out individuals, but this is what I've seen photos of people doing recently: 

• Playing golf.
• Watching sparklers burning on a cheesecake in a restaurant.
• Hanging off the side of a mountain upside-down.
• Cuddling a dog.
• Cycling in full helmet and sunglasses beaming by the Golden Gate Bridge.
• Eating a donut.
• Drinking beer or cocktails.
• Smoking.
• Showing off a tattoo!

Tips for Likeable Profile Images Backed by Research

In a fantastic study carried out by PhotoFeeler, where 800 profile photos were rated based on 60,000 ratings of “perceived competence, likability and influence,” these were the recommendations:

• Don’t wear sunglasses or block your eyes. Wearing a pair of shades makes you less likable, whereas having hair in your face will bring down your competence and influence levels.
• Squinting (or ‘squinching’ as they call it in their study results) apparently makes us seem more confident and comfortable. Wide eyes make us look terrified.
• SMILE!!! Looking happy and approachable was “by far the most impactful” characteristic.
• What you are wearing is a major factor too. Formal (suit and tie or business casual but not jeans and t-shirt) makes us look more competent and influential.
• Don’t get too artistic. Cropped to head and shoulders (not zoomed in) and simply edited (not Instagram-filtered) are the best approaches.

Invest in Your Personal Brand’s Storefront

Many professionals need a new headshot. Something clean, professional and shows you care about the impression you make about yourself and the company you work for.

So let’s scrap the cropped vacation photos, in a bar, at a wedding, at a black tie event, with your friend/wife/boyfriend’s hand on your shoulder and invest in some nice photos of you that do your personal brand justice.

Getting professional headshots doesn’t cost the earth. I got my shots done through a charity here in Seattle – Youth In Focus – and they cost $250.

What’s $250 if it means you close more sales, get a new job with a 20% pay raise, get picked up by a national news show as an expert in your field, or simply look more trustworthy to someone you’re about to meet in a professional capacity?

Your profile picture is your storefront. Do you want people to come in and find out more about you? Or are you happy for people to simply walk past without getting a real understanding of what you have to offer?