LinkedIn, the renowned professional networking platform, recently bid adieu to profile videos, leaving many users, especially photographers as myself, contemplating the impact of this decision.
In this blog post, we explore the reasons behind LinkedIn’s closure of profile videos and its implications for professionals looking to showcase their talents on the platform.
1. Limited Adoption and Engagement:
LinkedIn observed underwhelming adoption and engagement rates for profile videos. Unfortunately, the community did not fully embrace this feature as anticipated. The lack of widespread usage may have influenced LinkedIn’s decision to prioritize resources elsewhere.
2. Alignment with Professional Branding:
While profile videos offer a dynamic medium, they sometimes clashed with the professional nature of LinkedIn. Balancing self-expression with maintaining a polished image proved challenging for photographers seeking to present their work. LinkedIn’s focus on a standardized approach may help solidify the platform’s reputation as a business-oriented network.
3. Accessibility and Inclusivity Considerations:
Profile videos may have inadvertently disadvantaged users without access to professional equipment or technical expertise. Hence why we were here! LinkedIn’s decision to remove this feature tries to ensures a level playing field, allowing all users, regardless of resources, to showcase their skills and accomplishments equally.
4. Emphasis on Core Features and User Experience:
LinkedIn’s priority lies in optimizing core features, refining the user experience, and delivering value to its vast user base. With profile videos retired, the platform can focus on enhancing essential elements like job listings, recommendations, and content sharing—features integral to photographers’ professional growth.
The Future of Professional Branding on LinkedIn:
While profile videos are no longer available, LinkedIn can still leverage existing features to establish their personal brands on LinkedIn.
Optimizing the “About” section with a striking executive portrait, detailing experience and education, and sharing compelling articles and posts allow professionals and thought-leaders to create a strong online presence and connect with industry peers.
LinkedIn’s decision to discontinue profile videos aims to streamline the platform and improve user experience. Although photographers that helped clients with their profile videos may lament the loss of this feature, LinkedIn remains a valuable tool for building professional networks and showcasing talents. By leveraging available visual features, professionals can continue to forge meaningful connections and establish their brands within their business community on LinkedIn.
This new feature from LinkedIn is one of the most interesting features to be released in the last couple of years - the 30 seconds video resume from LinkedIn. This new product will shake up the head shot landscape and get you hired FASTER. Read until the end for a special offer.
One fresh spring morning, I received a link from my friend Alex , a business consultant and Agile expert, about a new feature that appeared on his LinkedIn Profile. Alex, always being a first adopter of anything, immediately jumped on the occasion and asked my opinion on the matter.
Tell me…what is exactly a LinkedIn cover story?
Released in March 2021, the cover story is a 30 second vertical video of you, explaining who you are and what you do. It opens a lot of possibilities to express who you are to potential leads and hiring managers. On top of making sure you have a great headshot (you can book your appointment here), the cover story will be a great supplement to send a great elevator pitch that will create an impact and get you your next job or contract.
What I learned in making a cover story
Because it was my first cover story, I spent a lot of time with Alex prepping his script and how the video will look.
There are a few things that I learned while creating this for him:
It’s not a resume: Let’s be clear here, the cover story is a pitch. Listing your jobs and that you are available sends the wrong message.
First Look: An orange circle will appear on your profile picture. When you have a visitor, the video will automatically start playing a 3 seconds preview of it.
Mobile first : from the design of the feature, this seems to be designed for mobile first .
Learn how to build an elevator pitch: The typical elevator pitch is like sending a tweet. You should be able to describe who you are in a concise and fun manner. Try to focus on the core of the value you can bring and explain how working with you will bring to your client or future manager.
30 seconds is short: The video limit is currently 30 seconds. Some platforms are flexible and will allow 31 seconds but not LinkedIn. We tried to upload a 30.2 seconds video and it was rejected. Being concise in preparing your script is critical here.
TIP - this video is the first time people will hear you speak: rehearse a couple of times and don’t be scared to have a few takes - if movie directors take 10-30 times the same shot - you have permission to do the same. If you book your cover stories, we have solutions to help read your pitch naturally.
Absolutely yes! I am now offering this service to my clients as part of a better branding.
We are calling it “Portrait Story”.
Our “Portrait Story” service will have the following services available:
Script consulting
Concept consulting
Studio Session
On location recording session
Professional sound capture
Subtitles
Turnkey portrait story production (organizing everything)
And much more!
Watch an example of a “Portrait Story” - 30 seconds long
This video was shot, edited and realized by Yvens B. It features Alexandre Beaudry, MBA.
You made it up to here - good! Because we are launching this, we got a special offer - save big by behind the first to get your cover story done by us - just mention BLOG and we will discount the price by 33% !!! This is limited to the first 10 portrait stories we will do.
Got more questions or ready to book? Contact us below to schedule a 5 minutes phone call and be the first of your network to take advantage of this absolutely amazing feature!
**This is a re-share of a blog post I originally had on my previous website. I shared this in I thought it was too good of a story to not share it here!**
What is the return on investment of a headshot?
It is one of the questions I ask myself the most as a freelance photographer. How can I make sure my clients get a return on what they paid for? This is crucial for head shots as the stakes is your carrer. The story below highlights what can be obtained. Results may vary.
A freelance photographer, dealing with the Corona Virus Era
The news of the Corona Virus took the world by surprise. What started first as a bunch of memes about a distant disease (and a few beer ones) became very real when most of our governments decided to take preventive measures to stop the spread of the virus. I am all for prevention, especially when it is to avoid the unnecessary pain afflicted of our senior citizens and immuno-compromised fellows.
But on the flip side, I am self-employed. Being a business owner in this day and age is stressful (even before the virus). On top of our families, we wear many hats: marketer, accountant, salesperson, manager and many more. The addition of the Corona virus into that mix basically halts most businesses - and it’s hurtful. I am not 100% certain if any my bookings will be confirmed or cancelled (most likely the latter).
But I recently received a message that gave me hope.
A Bit of a Backstory
I shot these images of her back in October when she was just started to take theater lessons. From my conversation with Catherine, acting was fairly new and while she wasn’t sure if it would yield, but she knew that a head shot could get her bookings. So, she booked me and we created the beautiful image below. Catherine received tons of compliments for the photos we took, from friends and family (she is indeed ultra photogenic - I only helped a little :p). While this is always gratifying, being hired is much more important (sorry mom and dad).
The Message
While I was traveling for a photo conference in early March 2020 (when Corona became a very real issue), I received the following message.
The best part of this story is now she is getting acting gigs - and the head shot I created for her helped. If this isn’t what the goal of photography is, I do no know what it is. Sell more, get hired, get promoted, have an impact. I am now convinced I have to stay the course, even when the next few months are going to be difficult. I go back to testimonials like these to keep my head out of the water.
So, I hope the next few months aren’t too hard on you and your family - while we will ALL be practicing social distancing, I will be planning to have more and more stories like Catherine’s in my portfolio. (If you’d like to book Catherine for your television or movie casting, you can find her here!)
Remember, to book YvensB for your headshot, contact through my website! Sessions are back in full swing with all precautions taken.
Hope these challenging times will be easy for you and your loved ones.
