A professional headshot will always be a good investment, but how much you get out of it depends entirely on how well you utilize that image. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at 7 best ways to get to most value out of your headshot and how to use your professional portraits to their full potential.

1. Use for all your social media profiles

Most people will quickly update their LinkedIn profile with their new headshot, but you can go further and also update your Facebook, Instagram, and any other social media profile you use as well. This is the best way to create a more cohesive presentation of you across all the places you appear online. Some of my clients will use one of their more casual (yet still professional) headshots for Facebook and a more business oriented headshot for LinkedIn. The goal here is to avoid having some random photo on a profile that a business contact might see, because in today’s world, business definitely mixes in with the personal and it’s important to present yourself appropriately even when it’s a personal social media account.

2. Get featured in a magazine

You might think that it’s really difficult to get a magazine article written about you or to appear in a professional magazine, but there are plenty of publishing opportunities if you know where to look and have a connection you can utilize. There are lots of tips and tricks online as well (just do a Google search). Whether it’s working with a local magazine to highlight your business, an event you’re participating in, or appearing on a list of top members of your industry… having a professional headshot ready to go will make the whole process a lot easier and will definitely help you stand out in your area of expertise. And if a magazine is a bit too intimidating for you, you can also get featured on a local website or an industry-specific site instead.

3. Add to your website

If you don’t already have a website, it’s really accessible nowadays to create one yourself or hire a designer to do it for you. And if you DO have a website, either for yourself or for your business, having your headshot on an About page is always a good idea. Not only does this allow your audience to see what you look like, but it can also go a long way in instantly creating trust and confidence for any potential clients.

4. Use in your email signature

A professional email signature is a great way to list your contact information and social media links at the bottom of every email and is standard practice for all professional companies. You can use a professional email signature if you run your own company or if you simply want to carry that professionalism over to your personal email account, too.

➡️ You can create your own professional email signature here: https://www.hubspot.com/email-signature-generator

5. Send out a press release

You can write your own press releases (or hire a company to do that for you). Often a large company will publicly announce a new hire via a press release, which will include a headshot image. But there’s no reason why you can’t write one up yourself and promote your professional development or business. You can feature this press release on your website or submit it to publication (local news sites are a great bet). So if you did something cool, got recognized for something you did, or won an award, feel free to let the world know.

6. Speaker photo for a conference or event

If you’ve never been a speaker at a conference, you can definitely apply the next time your favorite event announces a call for presenters. You don’t have to be super well known in the industry, especially if you start out with smaller events like a local networking meetup or professional gathering. It’s a good idea to be part of local organizations either way, and if an opportunity comes up where you can be front and center while sharing your knowledge with a group of people, you can use your headshot to present yourself professionally as well.

7. Update your Zoom profile

If you still just have your initials as your default Zoom image, now is a great time to change that. Since we all migrated to a more digital way of having meetings, Zoom has exploded in popularity as a platform. Having a professional headshot as your default profile picture allows more freedom to choose to stay off-camera if needed (see other tips on how to avoid Zoom fatigue below), knowing that you have a professional representation of your face that will be used instead.

➡️ Some tips on how to deal with Zoom fatigue here: https://www.healthline.com/health/zoom-fatigue#coping-tips

Most people are afraid to get a professional headshot or have had such a bad experience in the past that they use an old headshot way past its expiration point. But when working with an experienced professional photographer, it’s easier than you think to get a great headshot that actually looks like you. If you’ve been thinking about updating your headshot or are just starting out in your professional career, feel free to learn more about the Signature Headshot session below.