Why your grainy LinkedIn headshot isn’t doing you any favours

As someone who writes for much of her job, I truly believe that a picture is worth a thousand words. I’ve seen the power of a brilliant image and how far it can travel – from the front page of a newspaper or magazine to infinite places online. Pictures are powerful, so it’s important to get them right.

One of the most regular conversations I have with clients, or spokespeople at client companies, is to request a biography and headshot.

Any comment you make to a journalist, opinion article you author, conference speaking opportunity you agree to, event you attend or social media post about you – will (99.9% of the time!) require a picture of you. A good picture of you. Not your teeny tiny thumbnail grainy picture of your head cropped out from a picture of you on that holiday 10 years ago sitting on the beach in Malaga with a beer in hand.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been sent a slightly blurry picture of half of someone’s face – with the comment: ‘this is from my LinkedIn profile, will that do’. No is ALWAYS the answer!

Trade publications, broadsheet newspapers, consumer magazines and every website you’ve ever read is fuelled by good photography. They’ll reproduce the picture at a high resolution so if it’s not a good quality photograph, it will end up becoming so blurry you’re unrecognisable or they’ll crop it, so it looks like you’re peeking through a letterbox. Not a good result for you or the publication.

Research from Princeton University has shown that visual impressions form in as little as 100 milliseconds. In that brief moment, your headshot communicates volumes about your professional standards. A poorly lit, low-resolution image with a distracting background suggests a lack of attention to detail and professionalism. This visual first impression can override your actual expertise and qualifications.

What do I need for a good headshot?

Press outlets don't just prefer high-quality images - they require them.

As a business leader, you will need headshots need to be:

• Landscape (horizontal) not portrait – all press publications ONLY publish landscape images.

• It can’t be square, and we can’t crop out your dog, partner or mother.

• If you try to use a vertical picture it will be cropped so you look like you’re peeking out through a letterbox.

• Use professional lighting with clean backgrounds.

• The photograph should be of you from your waist up, standing in front of a neutral background.

• You need to be wearing business appropriate attire.

• You should be looking directly into the camera – not up or down at it. And definitely no bathroom selfies. Or props please!

• Ideally a few different options / poses. E.g. sat down, standing up etc.

• Minimum 1MB 300 DPI resolution (your LinkedIn selfie is likely 72 DPI).

• Proper file formats e.g. JPEG or PNG file.

• Multiple cropping options to fit various publication formats – this is especially useful for social media posts.

Journalists and editors work under tight deadlines and won't waste time trying to make your low-quality image work. When they're looking for an expert to feature and must choose between you and someone with professional-grade visuals, guess who gets the coverage? That pixelated headshot is essentially telling media outlets that you don't understand their requirements or value their time.

For PR purposes, your headshot needs to instantly convey authority, trustworthiness and competence - qualities that are nearly impossible to project through a hurried smartphone snapshot or cropped group photo.

Media professionals appreciate and remember experts who make their jobs easier. When you provide high-resolution, properly formatted headshots, you immediately position yourself as a media-savvy professional who understands industry needs. This positive first impression often leads to repeat features and recommendations.

If in doubt, get a professional photographer to take some pictures for you – these can range from around £200 or you can go to Snappy Snaps for £50. Keep in mind this is the image of you that you’ll repeatedly see – as will the world – so it’s worth investing in.

These are only a few considerations when it comes to images for use in PR. There are many more requirements for social media and business websites. A bigger feature article for a national publication in all likelihood would send its own photographer to cover a story, but it’s still best to have your own images too.

Where copy, press releases and articles are the lifeblood of your PR and marketing, images are its beating heart. EVERYTHING important needs to be visually represented. You, your product or service, location, company culture, offices etc. We’re visual animals and we like to see things – it’s an easy and quick way to understand something.

Remember, your headshot isn't just how you see yourself - it's how the world sees you. Make sure it's sending the right message.

Victoria Fairclough is a PR & Communications Consultant at Fair Communications. For more information, please visit: www.faircommunications.co.uk