LinkedIn is a great business portal for professionals. Hence it is different from other social media sites, such as Facebook or Instagram.
Your LinkedIn avatar is your digital identity in front of users. This square image is the first thing that your prospects see when they come upon your profile.
According to LinkedIn, profile images with a clear headshot are visited 14 times more than the others.
Striking a perfect balance between other social media sites and a professional business platform like LinkedIn can be tricky.
So we have some best tips and advice for you regarding how your profile picture should be and how you can attract others with your LinkedIn avatar.
Here we go!
Tips to Get the Max From Your LinkedIn Profile Picture
The first thing to remember is your LinkedIn profile picture shouldn’t be dull or boring. Don’t ignore the factor at any cost!
We will show you some creative professional profile pictures later in this read but for now, let’s looks at some tips to get the most out of your LinkedIn profile image:
- Use a clear, high-resolution pic for your profile. Ensure that your profile photo acquires at least 60% of the frame.
- Don’t use group pictures.
- Look approachable.
- Be original.
Most of you will argue that some of these are quite obvious, but not many people get it right. Luckily, getting the right LinkedIn profile picture is not that difficult.
Let’s discuss these one by one.
Use a clear and high-resolution image.
Again this is obvious, right?
The perfect size for a LinkedIn profile picture is 400×400 px.
But you can also use larger file sizes up to 8MB. Plus, you can crop and edit your image on LinkedIn. You can also use various filters and adjust pic’s brightness, contrast, and more.
Furthermore, if your image looks blurry, don’t use it and use the fresh one instead.
As a general rule, your profile photo should give your network a clear understanding of how you will look if they meet you tomorrow.
Apart from it, your picture should be up-to-date and reflects your daily look.
High-resolution profile pictures are also recommended because your background will be much clearer than the others. Lastly, your LinkedIn profile image should match with your LinkedIn’s banner photo.
Ensure that your profile photo acquires at least 60% of the frame.
Using an image of yourself standing beside a clear or natural background is recommended for many social media networks. But that’s not the case when you are talking about a professional social media site like LinkedIn.
For example, using a profile image of yourself when you are at a business event or speaking conference works flawlessly for LinkedIn.
Such pictures establish you as an authority on the platform. Moreover, by showing your workplace with a crowd, you are expressing and proving that the crowd listens to your advice and expertise.
However, while doing so, ensure that your face is clear in the picture. Similarly, please don’t take the picture from far away as it will not be clear, and the effect will vanish.
If you intend to use a professional headshot picture, consider cropping the image up from your shoulders.
However, using a professional headshot picture as your profile image is not the only way, but it is your safest bet and works for any industry.
Some other guidelines that you should follow are as follow:
- Keep your face straight and look straight.
- Don’t use multi-color background.
- A sweet smile is necessary.
- Be original and wear something that you usually wear at your workplace.
Be the only person in the picture.
Again comes the most obvious tip, but it is worth stating at this point.
Maybe you love to show your funny side or collaborative nature to others. Or you have many pictures of you shaking hands with any industry expert or famous influencer.
No matter what the case is, all these types of pics will not be an appropriate choice for LinkedIn. Instead, use the image that includes only you nothing else. It will look more professional, and you can get the maximum benefit from your LinkedIn profile image.
Another benefit of using a solo pic of you is that it leaves no doubt about your appearance.
In our opinion, use a solo image for your profile, and if needed, you can use a group picture for your banner picture instead. This combination works better.
However, before finalizing the pic, make necessary adjustments, such as color contrast, brightness, and cropping.
You should look approachable.
Some of you might argue with this but cool down; we will show you some examples later in this read, which will make things clearer. In short, your profile picture should not look as stiff or awkward.
While there is no harm in a single-color background for your picture but ensure that you look original, natural, and approachable.
At times, staring into the camera with a forced smirk looks too awkward.
So, relax, cool, and look genuine, not too serious.
Keep in mind that blue background is the best for professional images. Besides, a grey-color background does not work that well. If you want, you can use a natural background, but it should be relevant.
Take pictures with different angles, keep experimenting, and you will undoubtedly get the perfect click for your profile picture.
Be yourself and be original:
Last but not least, to make your first impression the best one, you need to be yourself!
In other words, don’t be a copycat. Your profile picture should reflect your brand and what it conveys. Then select your LinkedIn profile image accordingly.
For example, if your brand allows you to be quirky or funny in your profile photo, go with it. In this case, you can use vibrant and contrasting colors, wear something unusual, or use a vector image of yourself for your profile.
See what other people are doing in your niche, and try to do something unique to stay apart from the crowd!
However, if your brand is not that creative or all about business, you cannot use vibrant colors or unusual clothing. Instead, go with formal clothing and a business background.
Lastly, listen to your intuition, and decide if the pic looks and feels original to you.
Now, let’s move on and see some of the best LinkedIn profile image examples. This section answers what works for most people working in various niches.
The Best LinkedIn Profile Image Examples
Depending on your business’s goal and branding, your profile pictures might look different.
But that’s fine.
The examples below are all different styles and bring something unique to the table.
Madeline Mann – Talent Development Manager
Madeline Mann is working as Talent Development Manager at Inspire and helps others accelerate their careers.
There are a couple of things that anyone will instantly notice in her profile picture:
Lively, natural, and beautiful smile.
Sharp colors and a simple background that stands out from the rest.
The orange shade around the profile image and background looks unique, and it is something that you normally won’t see in other profiles on LinkedIn.
Thus, this pic will catch your attention in a crowd.
Don’t think much if you want to use contrasting colors and other similar elements for your LinkedIn avatar, especially if you are working in any creative industry.
Nick Kozmin – Helping SaaS and Service-Based Companies, Famous case study is: Salesprocess.io.
Nick Kozmin is another well-known personality in the digital marketing world. The founder of Salesprocess.io is also known as a sales accelerator that assists SaaS and various online businesses in scale-up.
Furthermore, the impression from his profile image matches well with his branding. The image is:
Totally professional with formal attire.
The simple and natural background and center of attraction is only Nick.
The banner image also demonstrates his expertise and presence in the industry.
The image is an ideal example of how a business professional’s LinkedIn profile should look.
Ian Naylor – CEO & Founder and Entrepreneur and Soapbox Racer
Ian Naylor is a brand himself. He is a CEO, an entrepreneur, consultant at Hyperise, and engaged in many other activities.
But in his LinkedIn profile image, the focus is only on him, his values, and soapbox racing.
This is a unique and interesting approach and pays off well. This is because there is nothing fancy in the pic and it’s a perfect example of ‘be original.’ By highlighting his personal side, Ian looks friendly and approachable in his LinkedIn profile image.
Just because LinkedIn is a professional platform, it doesn’t mean that you should look fully serious in the picture.
Andrei Zinkevich –Co-Founder @ Fullfunnel
Andrei Zinkevich is the co-founder of Fullfunnel.io and many other advertising projects.
Andrei utilizes a simple but clear profile picture with great lighting effects and a well-optimized LinkedIn profile. The adjustments and contrast make his face fully visible and sparkling.
Combined with a custom-designed cover image and a relevant headline, one can easily determine why Andrei has tons of connections on LinkedIn.
And as he is a LinkedIn expert, he knows the platform more than anybody and how to get the most out of the network.
FAQs
Below are some commonly asked questions about LinkedIn profile’s image:
The ideal size of your LinkedIn profile picture is 400×400 pixels. Apart from it, ensure it has high resolution with a crystal clear background. Ideally, the picture should reflect your brand and the message that it conveys to others. Keep these things in mind and adjust the pic accordingly.
Yes, it is, and you need to look like a professional. But you should also look welcoming and friendly, not dull. See the examples above to get an idea how your picture should look like.
As per LinkedIn, people with a proper profile image receive higher engagements and a much higher connection request acceptance rate. It’s a vital part of your LinkedIn profile and the first thing others see in your profile.
Yes, you can, but be cautious while doing so. Furthermore, ensure that your selfie is clear and high-quality. Plus, you need to look original in the pic.
Conclusion
So, we are coming to the end of this read. To recap, your LinkedIn profile image has all the ability to make or break your LinkedIn profile no matter how well it is optimized. Due to this reason, it is a vital part of your profile, just like other sections.
Hopefully, now you understand how your LinkedIn profile photo should be and how you can get the most out of it. Enjoy!
