How A New Headshot Could Help You in 2026
Here are three ways a great new headshot could help you with your professional and business goals in 2026.
A Great First Impression
We all clean up for important events. The bride adorns herself for her wedding day. The eager graduate dons his best suit for his interview. The entrepreneur carefully chooses his outfit for the breakfast meeting with a high-caliber potential business partner. Why do humans do these things? Because we know the importance of a first impression. We know from experience and we know from ourselves how a split second first impression sometimes makes or breaks a transaction before a single word is spoken. For better or for worse, we judge by appearance.
If we all know this, why do so many people tolerate low-quality photos as their social media profile pictures? Maybe it’s because we don’t think it matters. Maybe it’s taking the time investment necessary to get a nice headshot. Or maybe it’s simply not knowing where to go.
ROI
Most people think perhaps of education or investments when they hear of ROI. But a new headshot, if it adds positive perception to your brand or services, can also be viewed in terms of ROI. If a well-taken and professionally edited headshot or portrait photo helps you attract and land new clients then the initial investment will likely have been worth it.
Think about it like this. How many times have you changed your plans because of bad perception. You walk up to a new restaurant and you are met by greasy windows, sticky floors, and an offensive bathroom. You’re obviously not going to order the special. You’re walking out. Restaurants have one shot at a first impression. And if they took the steps and paid the price necessary to maintain cleanliness and a professional appearance, it wouldn’t be a surprise that they got a return on their initial investment. The same can be said about a great headshot. Paying the price for a clean and professional headshot can yield many real business benefits.
Convey Expertise
There are so many people that do great work and know their subject matter very well. There still truly are professionals out there. One problem we have is finding them. We click one link and see an outdated picture and a dinky looking website. We click off. But what if the dinky website is actually the expert we really needed. I believe this does indeed happen. And one of the reasons this happens is due to a failure to properly convey expertise.
If you are a professional. If you take your work seriously. If you want to help your potential clients with their problems. Then maybe a good place to start is to make it easier for them to find you. Maybe what you need is a profile picture, a headshot that screams expertise, trust, and professionalism. Maybe the reason people aren’t clicking is because they don’t see an indicators that you know your stuff.
Maybe what you need in 2026, is a high-quality headshot!
