You don’t need to have a professional photoshoot or spend hundreds on a set of new images for Instagram, but you do need to pick something that stands out.

I find that when people are starting a new Instagram account or rebranding their old one, they spend hours, days and weeks agonising over the profile image. If you’re one of those people I’ve got great news for you – it doesn’t matter anywhere near as much as you think it does.

Your profile picture needs to be:

• high resolution – not necessarily print magazine ready, just not a grainy selfie
• clear – people need to be able to see what it is when it shows up super small on their feed
• professional – but what does ‘professional’ really mean? This isn’t LinkedIn so it doesn’t have to be a headshot, but you should look like someone who can be trusted to sell or carry out whichever service you’re providing
• tied to your niche – if you’re a beauty blogger, an image of you with a stunning makeup look is a great choice, or if you’re a fitness influencer use a picture of you in action. These are all visual messages that strengthen your branding and people will start to associate you with your niche

Can I use pictures I already have? 

If you’re just starting out, my advice would be to use the images you already have instead of spending money on new ones. You’d be surprised at how much you can achieve with a self-timer (or a long arm!) and an iPhone. Go through all the pictures you have, or shoot some new ones at home and choose whichever is the most professional looking and high res

PRO TIP: profile pictures with bright colours in them – either your clothes or the background are a great way to get people’s attention, and a plain background will make your shot look more professional

Shouldn’t my profile picture be my logo?! 

I love how creative you all are and I know (from looking through my followers) that y’all love a logo, but sometimes a picture of yourself is a better option. People connect with people, and corporate logos feel cold and impersonal.

TLDR: pick something high res and colourful to grab people’s attention

I hope this helped you! If you want to learn more about Instagram marketing and how to grow your personal brand on the platform, download my 14 day step-by-step personal branding course.