Comments on: 3 Ways to Ensure Your Photo Works for Your Personal Brand

By: yinka olaito

yinka olaito — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:49:04 +0000

I quite agree with you Katie, but having a hand on your face, cheek may not necesasry be bad, The picture I use mostly was taken to project me as a thoughtful person wh is goal oriented? Is anything bad about that?

By: Mohammed

Mohammed — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:01:24 +0000

I do the same. Check my twitter.com/brandmycareer

But I just put very small personal photo in the about owner page.

We can use professional photo whenever have big audience and attend seminars, webinar, etc.

By: Mohammed

Mohammed — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:36:17 +0000

Great Feedback!

According to what you said, I am using my personal photos at my blog and other social media websites but I should now incorporate my professional pic. to strength mu personal brand.

Thanks,

By: Steven Savage

Steven Savage — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:16:32 +0000

Good advice. I also recommend a professional photographer if not a talented amateur (something I have to do soon as my current picture is dull.).

I am also experimenting with using art of myself on my personal site (since I work in media), with an actual picture in my contact section. So far I’ve had positive reactions, but part of my “brand” is being in media, gaming, and being a “professional geek”.

By: John Heaney

John Heaney — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:29:11 +0000

Some other quick tips:
1) never use a webcam photo. these never look good, are obviously taken with a webcam and are simply unprofessional. If you can’t have a professional photo taken, at least take your shot with a good quality digital camera in a well lit space with a neutral background.
2) don’t include kids, pets, props in your shot. Just you.
3) over dressed is better than underdressed. If you have any question about what to wear, dress up, not down. What’s the worst that could happen? Viewers think you’re too professional?

BTW, I think you meant to write “Wear clothes that complement your brand” for #2

By: Faryal Humayun

Faryal Humayun — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:24:47 +0000

I use the company logo everywhere they ask me to upload an image. On a few websites such as Myspace and Twitter, people have advised to upload a photo to gain more attention. But I still believe words can be more powerful. what do you think?

By: Katie Konrath

Katie Konrath — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:33:32 +0000

@Mohammed It’s your choice if you want to use a photo or another image to represent yourself. However, using your pic can help you with your personal branding because then people associate what you’re doing with you (as a real person). It also helps people feel more connected.

In some cases, you absolutely need to have a professional image to represent yourself. If you’re a contributer to a blog, or are doing a webinar, or anything else like that, you’ll usually need to put up a picture of yourself.

A personal photo, by the way, is quite different from a professional picture. In a professional pic, you’re deliberately projecting an image of professionalism and the look you want for your personal brand. So it’s not as revealing as a personal picture.

It obviously depends on what you want to do with your personal brand, but you shouldn’t completely disregard how helpful it can be to let people see your face.

By: You are your best PR person when it comes to managing your online reputation | Karen’s Public Relations Blog

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:38:08 +0000

[...] (ex. blog posts, pictures, etc.) are the ones that best represent who you are. Making sure that you have an appropriate profile picture that is happy, positive, and shows your personality is key. This profile picture can be used for [...]

By: Mohammed

Mohammed — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:55:49 +0000

Hi Katie,

I am not a fan of putting personal photos everywhere, I prefer to use my website logo instead.

Sometimes I use sketch image of my face in the about us page, is that OK?

Thanks,