Make the Most of Your Photo and Banner?

Last week we talked about the third Essential for a magnetic LinkedIn profile, Writing Structure and Point of View.

The fourth Essential has to do with the first impression the reader gets when coming to your profile: your photo and the banner behind it.

No matter what the reader has come to your profile to find, the first thing she sees is your photo and banner, so it makes sense to polish these two features as brightly as possible.

Photo

First, you need headshots done by a pro. A headshot is a photo taken from the shoulders up, facing the camera.

What you’re going for with your photo:

• Looking straight into the camera, giving the feeling of straightforwardness.

• An inviting expression, preferably a smile, that says you are easy to work with.

• A blurred or plain background that doesn’t compete with your face.

• Use a professional photographer who knows how to pose and light you. Whether shot inside or outside, lighting is everything. A pro will know how to use outdoor or ambient light so you don’t have shadows on your face.

• A pro will also take advantage of touch-up apps like Photoshop. You want to look like you on your best, most rested day. We’re not going for a photo that looks nothing like you, i.e. 10 years younger.

What photos to avoid:

Any setting or activity that doesn’t have to do with your business:

• Photos that include animals (unless you're a veterinarian) and kids (unless you’re a pediatrician). Family photos.

• This is your profile, so only you should be in the photo.

• Photos of you hiking or some other activity that has nothing to do with your job.

• Photos taken by amateurs with you against a wall in bad lighting.

Banner

This is a lot of valuable real estate at the top of your profile, and again, one of the first things that people see.

Instead of wasting the space with LinkedIn’s default turquoise, make it count with keywords, graphics and your logo.

Again using Cathy as a great example, she has utilized this space with her logo and the theme, DREAM, for everything she does: helping women become all that they want to be in business and life.

Her blurred background photo is unique and eye-catching, plus her logo is right there. The combination of her gorgeously shot photo and her banner has a luxurious and got-it-together essence to it, which the reader can feel.

To recap, your photo and banner are the first things to catch the reader’s eye, so make sure they say excellent things about you.