The power of a great profile photo.

I got a message from a LinkedIn connection, Kevin Tseng. I had been connected with him for 11 months, with zero engagement besides him occasionally liking my posts.

This time he decided to say hello by sending me a direct message. He told me that he was fond of my posts, and urged me to keep it up. This was supposed to be an introduction, but the thing is, I already knew Kevin.

I knew him because of his profile picture. The first time he popped up in my notifications, I remember thinking how bright his picture was, and how energetic he seemed. 

In the picture, he’s wearing a bright yellow T-Shirt, a big smile with tip of his fingers holding up the front of his T-Shirt to draw your attention to the letters.

He’s wearing worker-gloves indicating he was probably volunteering somewhere with his firm, EY.

His picture compelled me to pause for a moment, and think to myself how interesting a person he could be. I formed a favorable perception of him very quickly. That analysis then lead me to subconsciously remember his name, and would go on to retain it months later when he eventually sent me a message. 

…and this was for a photo that wasn’t exactly in perfect focus nor “professional”, but I wasn’t hung up on those. It still stood out to me. 

We form impressions from photographs, and because of the pace and noise surrounding social media, we do so very quickly. 

When it comes to personal branding and differentiation, that picture is more valuable than most think. 

Below is an analysis of ideal profile pictures.

Riana’s picture is great - it’s clear, perfectly centered and in good focus as well. The picture has warm colors, and so does the header. The warm colors project trust, friendship, and of course, warmth. This looks like a person with whom I'd want to work.

Dennis’s is a classy-smiling professional photo — can’t go wrong with that. He looks dapper in a blue suit which compliments his skin tone. The color contrasts are great, as is the focus of the photo. I’d like it to be a bit more centered though, with his head not touching the top of the round picture frame — but that’s me being very picky. It’s still a 10x better than my current photo.

I especially like Dominique’s… a smile, colorful jacket on a white background will always standout. The pink and green contrast perfectly. It’s centered and in good focus as well. I see a high-achiever in this photo.

Uros picture is different; he’s got a slick model look going. I haven’t come across many people finely dressed like that in their photos, and I have 10k connections. I remembered him instantly. It works for all intents and purpose. 

Amanda is wearing darker shades on a warm background. Again, much like Riana’s, she makes a good first impression.

Fabio's is another one of my favorites because his photo is perfectly focused - not blurry. He projects confidence and competence which is important for a marketing professional.

Destiny’s is different. It’s casual, and for a school teacher that works in my book. She projects warmth and patience — I’d want her teaching my kids.

Rae’s is perfectly focused and adequately centered. This one needs no more commentary as it speaks for itself.

If you care about making an impression, your photo is the most important part of your profile. People receive what you project, thus if your photo is dark, blurry, a half-face selfie or none at all, then that's exactly what they see.

Think about the image you want to project, and take your time in doing just that.

Disclaimer: All participants gave permission to use their name, image and critique their photos where necessary.