Creating a dynamite-looking profile picture on Instagram is where it all starts.
Actually, it is the first thing that you’re going to be asked to do, and second, it is absolutely essential if you want to make a great first impression and a ton of followers.
But even the profile picture needs to be created following certain rules to make it create an amazing first impression.
And that’s exactly what I’m going to show you how to do in this blog post. So, are you ready to begin? If so, let’s dive in…
Personal Brand Or Corporate?
There is going to be a big difference between how the profile pic is going to look like when you create it for a personal brand or a normal company.
When you create a profile picture for a personal brand, then it is obviously going to be your headshot. This is the simplest way people are going to identify it is you and it is going to make a great first impression.
However, it will have to be created using the following tips, or it is not going to work well.
Second, there is a corporate profile pic and that should obviously be your logo. Not your product, not a photo of your store…just YOUR LOGO.
Your logo is going to make it easy for people to identify your brand and it will also have a special meaning for them based on your brand’s values.
Just like Apple. And that is why it is super important to use it as your profile picture on Instagram…
But now, let’s move on to the actual steps NECESSARY for you to create the best profile picture you can for your Instagram.
High-Quality Image
This is extremely essential.
The recommended size for a profile picture on Instagram is 110x110px but this in the end isn’t the quality you should use.
First of all, you’re not going to use your profile picture just as your the image that appears on your profile, but you will use it for content creation and outside of Instagram itself.
That means, if your profile picture has a little size, it will look pathetic whenever used for something different than just Instagram profile picture in settings of your profile.
To make it clear, your profile picture can be for example used at the last slide of Instagram carousels…
If the profile picture would have just 110x110px then the look would be terrible as the image would be pixelated.
So, make it high-quality and never, ever use less size than 500x500px. Instagram will crop it for you, so there is no worries when you will be adding it as your legitimate profile picture on Instagram through settings.
Another thing that you must remember is that if you are a brand and you use a logo as your profile picture, then it MUST be clearly visible. In other words, you must use high-contrast background to the logo itself.
Here is an example of how a high-contrast logo looks like as a profile picture on Instagram…
This is from my Grand Acceleration Marketing™ Instagram page, and it is a great example of how it should look like. It’s just a logo.
And it should be the same for you. No text, no crazy designs, just a logo that you are going to use to represent your company.
Alright, but now let’s move on to the next point…
Take A Professional Photo
Now, if you are going to build a personal brand on Instagram and it is going to be a necessity for you to take a headshot, make sure it is done professionally.
DIY profile pics are great but in the end, your profile picture on Instagram is going to represent you.
So, not that only you want to take a professional photo that is going to represent you on the highest level, but you should also, if you are bad at it, hire somebody to design it.
It might cost a few bucks, but sometimes you need to change the background, have somebody to play with it, so that it really looks great.
Of course, you don’t have to. If you can remove the background and do a few edits in Canva, then you are fully capable of creating a great profile picture for your Instagram by yourself.
But if you don’t have time, or never designed a thing in your life, it is a good idea.
Keep Everything In Your Branded Style
There is one thing that you must always have on your mind. The profile picture that you are going to use is going to be your “Instagram ID Card”.
Your dream customers will use it to find out who the content is from in a microsecond when they see it.
They will know from the profile pic sooner than they will from the username. And that is why keeping it in your branded style is essential as well.
You have certain branded colors and you want to use them.
If you are selling real estate, the background of the headshot can be a building. Or it can be just a wall if it doesn’t look well.
If you have merch, you might want to put it on so that people see it. And on and on.
When you keep stuff in your branded style, it will be way simpler to identify who the content is from.
And of course, it will also help you turn more of your profile visits into followers, so, don’t neglect it.
And that is everything I have to say about creating dynamite-looking profile pictures on Instagram.
Hope you found this helpful, and if you want to take your following to a whole new level…
Filip Konecny 