Personal Brand: Headshots

Why your face may be your logo.

A few weeks ago I wrote about how the selection and consistent use of fonts can be a key, if not often-overlooked, component of your Personal Brand. You can find that post here.

When I wrote that post, I didn't intend for it kick off a "series" - but I've been thinking alot about the concept of Personal Brands lately, so I figured I'd offer my perspective on another component of your Personal Brand - your headshot.

A few years ago, a nice headshot likely lived in just two places: a site like LinkedIn and, possibly, your resume. But since then, the professional world has become even more digitally connected and an increasing amount of touchpoints happen via chat applications (Teams, Slack, etc) and/or virtual meeting spaces (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, etc).

This means that next to every message you send or every virtual call/meeting you attend - the thumbnail of your headshot appears alongside.

I think this shift has moved headshots out of the "Here's a nice picture of me" space and into the "Logo for your Personal Brand" realm.

When you see a quick message from a colleague on a messaging app - while their name is displayed also - I'm willing to bet that you use the thumbnail of their headshot as a mental shortcut for who sent it. In that way, it serves you just as logos serve customers in the marketplace - it's a form of shorthand.

So, if you buy this premise (which you might not, that's ok), your headshot carries as much weight for your Personal Brand as a logo might for another brand. And yet, I don't think we often treat it as such.

A few examples and ideas of how to improve this:

First, not surprisingly, get a headshot that you really like (if you don't already have one). You can do some incredible things with just your phone camera - but hiring a professional is money well-spent. When you go to take the picture, think about what you're wearing - is that representative of the Personal Brand you seek to build? Think about where you're standing/sitting - does it convey the right tone/mood for your Personal Brand?

Second, apply that headshot consistently. Just like consistent use of a brand's logo - you should use the same headshot across your email platform(s), your chat platform(s), your professional networking pages (i.e., LinkedIn), your personal website, your resume (if you include one), etc.

Third, just like consumer-facing brands evolve through time, your headshot can and should too. Chances are good you've evolved your Personal Brand over the years - and your headshot should change to reflect that evolution too.

If your Personal Brand matters to you (it should!), then treating your "logo" with the care and attention it deserves is critical.

So here's the challenge: take a look at your headshot across platforms and see if it's reflecting what you hope to portray with your Personal Brand.

Thanks for spending time with me in my workshop,

Eric