Your LinkedIn cover photo is one of the first things people will see when they visit your profile. It’s a great opportunity to make a strong first impression and showcase your personal brand. But with so many options, how do you choose the right photo? Here are some tips on what your LinkedIn cover photo should be and how to pick the best one to represent you.
Showcase your industry
Your cover photo is valuable real estate to demonstrate your industry and role visually. Include imagery that conveys your field so visitors immediately understand what you do. Some ideas:
- Technology: Code on a screen or gadgets
- Healthcare: Doctors, nurses, or a hospital
- Finance: Stock charts, calculators, or money
- Marketing: Ads, social media, or creativity
- Education: Graduation, classrooms, or books
You can also showcase your specific job like engineers in front of a bridge they designed or accountants analyzing financial data. Avoid generic stock photos that could apply to anyone. You want your photo to be recognizable and memorable.
Display your brand colors
Incorporate your brand’s color scheme into the photo to reinforce your professional identity. Especially use your logo colors if they are distinctive at your company. Consistent visual branding helps people connect your photo to your organization and remember you better. Some ideas are:
- Take a photo in your office with branding colors on the walls or furniture
- Wear a company shirt that contains brand colors
- Include products, materials, or technology with signature colors
- Edit the photo background to match brand hues
Just make sure colors look natural and not overwhelmingly saturated. You want it to complement you, not distract.
Demonstrate company culture
Your cover photo can provide a peek into your company culture as well. Group shots of colleagues collaborating on a project or having fun at an event convey positive team spirit. You could also show an office space that reflects your values through words on a wall, decorative style, or architecture. Other cultural elements include:
- Community service or volunteering events
- Recreational activities like sports teams or games
- Company parties, celebrations, or milestones
- Philanthropy partnerships or donations
Showcasing culture gives visitors a sense of shared beliefs and personality at your organization. Just ensure any people pictured consent to having their photo used.
Feature your skills and expertise
The cover image also provides an opportunity to demonstrate your capabilities and authority. Include elements that reflect your skills, talents, and experience. For example:
- A scientist could feature lab work
- A designer might show an app interface
- An attorney could highlight a law library
- A finance banker might display stock data
Images should authentically represent your strengths, not capabilities you lack. You want to reinforce areas that make you a credible professional in your industry.
Align with your headline and profile
When selecting a photo, consider how well it complements your profile headline and About summary. Look for a cover image that visually connects to the impression you want to make based on those elements. For example:
- “Passionate educator” could show a teacher with students
- “Data analytics leader” may highlight charts and graphs
- “Creative problem solver” might depict brainstorming or solutions
This creates a cohesive narrative across your profile that visitors can instantly recognize. The photo should add meaningful context to the story you are telling about yourself through words.
Pick quality images
On a technical level, your photo must meet LinkedIn’s recommended specifications for visual quality:
- 1584 x 396 pixels
- JPG, PNG or GIF formats
- Minimum size of 2 MB
- Aspect ratio of 4:1
Higher resolution with vibrant colors and sharp focus is best. Also make sure the photo subject is clear and not too small at the reduced cover size. Pay attention to text or logos to ensure they remain legible when resized.
Display professionally
Because your cover photo is a critical first impression, it should portray you in a polished, business-appropriate manner. Some do’s and don’ts to look professional:
Do | Don’t |
---|---|
Smile and make eye contact with camera | Use selfies, inferior webcam photos |
Wear work attire or standard business casual | Look messy, disheveled, or informal |
Portray warm, approachable body language | Appear distracted, bored, or closed-off |
Maintain professionalism in your appearance, background, and photo styling. Casual pictures or party situations may not convey leadership or competence.
Showcase achievements
If relevant, incorporate elements that highlight career accomplishments like awards, published books, launches, patents, or media coverage. For example, a cover photo could feature:
- Certificates or trophies on an office wall
- Your book featured prominently on a desk
- Screens with the release of a product you developed
- A logo illustrating a patent you hold
- Magazine covers or articles about your work
Make sure achievements feel well-integrated rather than overtly boasting. You want to nod to successes without overshadowing your overall professional brand.
Consider a headshot
If you cannot think of a creative, distinctive photo representative of your industry and expertise, a simple headshot can still work well. Use a current picture with a solid neutral background. Elements to make it look professional include:
- A nice shirt and jacket or blazer
- Neatly combed hair and minimal jewelry
- Direct eye contact and a warm smile
- Confident and approachable body language
Avoid casual t-shirts, distracting background elements, or extreme closeups. Frame the headshot from chest up for ideal composition. A standard headshot beats random snapshots.
Display consistently across platforms
To strengthen your personal branding, use the same LinkedIn cover photo on other social media accounts if possible. This reinforces visual connections with your professional identity. Optimize the image as needed for different platforms, but pick ones allowing full banner sizes.
Some examples of cross-posting your cover photo include:
- Twitter banner
- Facebook cover photo
- Instagram profile photo
- Personal website banner
Consistent photos build familiarity and trust with your brand as people see the same image associated with you across channels.
Change it up over time
Although you want your cover image to remain reasonably consistent in the short term, update it every six months to a year to keep your profile looking fresh. Consider reflecting different seasons, achievements, or stages of your career. You can even tie new photos to milestones like work anniversaries, job changes, or new skills.
Maintain alignment with your brand, but give viewers new visuals to hold their interest. An outdated cover photo looks stale and disengaged.
Test options with a second opinion
Before selecting your final cover photo, get unbiased input from others. Ask colleagues, friends, or professional contacts which option makes the best first impression and represents you well. See if there is consensus around one or two images that appeal to a broad audience.
Also confirm with second opinions that your photo meets the guidelines above for quality, branding, expertise, and professionalism. It can be hard to objectively evaluate your own images.
Track your results
Use LinkedIn’s analytics to see how your cover photo is performing. Assess metrics like:
- Profile views
- Connection requests
- Engagement with your posts
- Mentions in comments
Strong cover photos will spark interest in interacting with you and your content. Monitor the impact after an image change to optimize accordingly.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn cover photo is invaluable for showcasing your professional brand. Use it to reflect your industry, culture, expertise, and achievements. Pick high-quality, consistent images that complement your profile content. Change it periodically to keep your look updated. With a compelling photo that aligns with your brand identity, you can make a fantastic first impression on LinkedIn.