5 Ways to Use Branding Photos on LinkedIn

5 Ways to Get More From Your Branding Photos on LinkedIn

By Vanda Szabo, VS Photography

Is your LinkedIn profile creating the right first impression?

Would you like to stand out more?

Branding photos aren’t just for your website.

They can help you look professional, build trust, communicate your personality, demonstrate your expertise and make your content more recognisable on LinkedIn too.

So here are five ways you can use your branding photos on LinkedIn.

1. Your profile photo

When was the last time you looked at your profile photo through your ideal client’s eyes?

Your profile photo appears when you comment, send a connection request, appear in search results and when someone visits your profile, therefore it’s speaking before you do.

Take 2 minutes and carry out a profile photo review answering these questions:

• Do I have a profile photo? Is it clear and well lit?
• Do I still look like this today?
• Am I looking directly at the camera?
• Can people see my face clearly?
• Do I look friendly and approachable?
• Does the image reflect the level of professionalism I want to convey?
• Does it give people a sense of who I am?

Eye contact can create a feeling of connection and engagement, so whenever possible, choose an image where you’re looking at the camera.

2. Your LinkedIn banner

Think of your banner as the billboard above your digital shop window.

It can communicate what you do, who you help, your personality, your brand or simply the feeling you want people to associate with you.

A few practical tips:

• Check it on both desktop and mobile as your banner can display differently across devices.
• Remember that your profile photo sits over the banner so don’t put important information, contact details, your logo or your face underneath it.
• Consider placing your photograph on the right-hand side.
• This can leave more space on the left for your message while avoiding the profile photo.
• And finally, keep it simple.

One clear message is usually more effective than trying to fit your entire business onto one banner.

3. Your LinkedIn posts:

Your LinkedIn posts don’t always need to be:

Text + the same smiling headshot.

Your branding photos can become part of your content strategy.

Writing about a difficult lesson you’ve learned?

Use a thoughtful portrait.

Talking about working with a client?

Use an image of you actually working.

Sharing a business milestone?

Use an image that captures your personality and energy.

Talking about something personal?

Use a relaxed lifestyle photograph.

The photograph doesn’t have to illustrate every word in your post.

Sometimes its job is simply to make someone curious enough to stop scrolling.

4. Your LinkedIn newsletter or articles

If you’re already sharing valuable content on LinkedIn, consider turning some of it into longer-form content.

A LinkedIn newsletter gives you somewhere to explore your expertise in more depth and build an audience around a particular topic.

You could write about:

• practical advice
• client stories
• lessons you’ve learned
• behind-the-scenes experiences
• answers to common client questions
• books or podcasts you’ve found useful

And don’t forget your photographs.

Use a strong image at the beginning to introduce your story, break up longer sections with relevant images, and finish with a strong portrait alongside your call to action.

The more consistently people see your face, your personality and your visual identity alongside useful content, the easier you become to remember.

5. Your Featured section

If you haven’t looked at your Featured section recently, go and check it.

It’s one of the most useful areas of your profile and allows you to highlight things you want visitors to see, such as:

• your website
• a lead magnet
• a case study
• an important post
• an event
• your newsletter
• a podcast interview
• a guide
• your services
• a testimonial

Your branding photographs can help make these items visually appealing and recognisable.

A few tips:

• Choose images that make sense with the content.
• Don’t use five almost identical headshots.
• Think about the whole section together.
• Use your strongest images for the things you most want people to notice.

Think of it as your LinkedIn shop window.

Bonus tip: Organise your branding photos

Don’t use the same photo repeatedly.

If you ever had a branding photoshoot, you might have 20-100 images available but very likely you only tend to use a few.

Go back to your gallery and organise your images into simple categories:

• Stories – personal experiences, lessons and storytelling.
• Education – teaching, presenting and demonstrating your expertise.
• Behind the Scenes – what happens behind the scenes of your business.
• Sales – strong, confident images for offers and promotions.
• Personal – lifestyle images that show the person behind the business.

Then, when you’re writing a post, you don’t have to scroll through 100 images wondering which one to choose.

An action to take today:

You don’t need to change everything today.

Go to your LinkedIn profile and choose ONE thing from this article that you would like to try.

And if you’re wondering whether your LinkedIn profile is visually communicating the business you want to attract, I’m offering a few free LinkedIn visual audits.

I will look at your profile through the eyes of your ideal client and give you a few practical suggestions for making your visual presence stronger.

Send me an email to if you’d like one.