With the explosion of AI tools, including generative headshot tools, you might be wondering if you can skip the cost and cheat. Sure AI headshots have their uses (blog and social media posts for example), but there’s still reasons for professional headshots, backed by science.

Faces build trust: the Mere Exposure Effect.

If you’re a professional or a thought leader at the top of your game, you’re dealing in trust. And people trust people they know. “The mere exposure effect describes the phenomenon that simply encountering a stimulus repeatedly somehow makes one like it more.” It’s a lot like advertising. You may not consciously acknowledge an advertisement for Coke, but in any given day you might be exposed to 10 advertisements for it and you’re subconsciously clocking them in your mind.

The same goes for your face. If your face is consistently shown across your email signature, your website, your company’s website, on a list of speakers for a conference, on your LinkedIn profile, in a newspaper article, people are more likely to respond favourably when they see your name.

Real headshots build trust in a sea of AI slop.

I can spot mediocre AI generated slop a mile off. It immediately turns me off to whatever they are selling or talking about. If you’re building a personal brand your currency is trust, so stand out with a human crafted headshot to act as an avatar for your personal brand.

No AI generator could have produced this portrait. It’s the result of a real human connection between two people, two minds.

Search algorithms like Google reward high quality headshots and photos.

Search algorithms are so smart now, they can spot quality headshots and photography and will prioritise them over inferior photos.

Don’t just take my word for it. “Search engines prioritize high-quality, high-resolution images. This means that the images should be clear and sharp, with no blurriness or pixelation.“

Building a trustworthy business or personal brand means every little piece must align with your core values. Are high quality headshots alone going to build a brand? Of course not. But think of Apple’s website. Every single element is about quality, from the images, the copy, the packaging, all building trust.

Future proof your career and be ready for opportunities.

Visibility equals opportunity. Imagine a journalist phones you at 4pm on a Thursday asking for a quote for a story in an international publication and they ask for a professional headshot. And now you’re scrambling to find something that doesn’t involve a cropped group photo from a wedding.

Be ready when opportunity comes knocking.

Your personal logo – a headshot is a branding asset you underestimate.

A headshot isn’t just a photo; it’s a branding asset. Just like a logo, it creates consistency across your website, social media, business cards, and presentations. I recently had a client who had resisted getting headshots out of fear of the unknown.

But after getting over her fear and getting them done, she could see the value of betting on herself, and the realisation she had a valuable asset she could use for her business and personal brand.

Conclusion.

A headshot is more than just a nice photo—it’s a valuable tool you can leverage to build your personal brand. Use it to build trust and make an impact. AI-generated images might be quick and easy, but they lack the human element.

Investing in a high-quality professional headshots now ensures that when opportunity knocks, you’re ready.