5 Tips to a Stellar Speaker Headshot

If you are a speaker, you need a professional headshot. It’s an integral part of your speaker kit. And yet, I am sure that you have seen LinkedIn profile by someone who claims to be a speaker with a photo taken with their cell phone in the bathroom mirror. If you want meeting planners to take you seriously, you need to invest in a professional headshot.
1) Your headshot is your logo – No one requests your logo to put in a program or on a banner. They want your headshot. You should keep it consistent, so your followers can spot you.
2) You should keep your headshot current – Your headshot should be updated every two years. I have had experiences where a speaker sent me a headshot and when she arrived, I didn’t recognize her, because she was 20 years older. She was still lovely, but her headshot was not a good representation of who she was at the time. As much as I don’t love the aging process, it is a reality.
3) Your headshot should be versatile – Since your headshot will be used in many different ways, it’s important to get your image in different formats. Your photo may need to utilized in a vertical crop, a horizontal crop, a panoramic crop for a banner or a round crop for a program. You should have it in different types of files for different purposes; jpg, png, tif, gif.
4) Your headshot should be clean and simple – Even if you are a wild and crazy guy and your brand is unique, keep your headshot clean and simple. “Simplicity is the ultimate of sophistication” – Leonardo Da Vinci
5) Your headshot should be identifiable – Sometimes people get a bit too creative with their headshots. You should be well lit, looking into the camera, and in focus. It’s job is to get you recognized!
Engaging Speakers has professionals that can help you get a stellar headshot. You can learn more at https://engagingspeakers.com/ .

Gail Brown, Founder of Engaging Speakers, gail@engagingspeakers.com