How important for a seller is the profile pic?

[cazzac]

Don’t laugh but I’m wondering how important it is to have a profile pic of yourself on Fiverr as a seller, rather than for example a logo or something else? My problem is that I’m (a) old and (b) “puffy” due to health problems - so I’m not very photogenic, to say the least! I did try to touch up a photo of me and made it look something like acceptable, but I’m sure that would have been putting potential buyers off rather than attracting them - lol!!



I don’t have a logo for my business (perhaps I might be better getting one?) and I’ve now decided to use a stock image clip art thing which is an approximate representation of me (or more like how I’d prefer to look at this age!).



So what do you guys reckon, is it really important to have a real photo of yourself as a profile pic - no matter what you look like - or would you recommend something else? All the stuff I’ve read about selling on Fiverr seems to say that a real photo is best - but then everybody else seems to look attractive except me! :-B

[cazzac]

Oh no! It seems to still be my “touched up” real photo which is showing above too!!

[nirob_19]

I always like to use my own pictures…

[fonthaunt]

I’m a buyer and a seller and I use a re-touched and “artful” photo of myself (taken when I was a bit younger and less puffy - LOL) because of what I decide after making some purchases myself. I felt like a lot of the profile pictures I saw were either really fake (typically attractive stock photo of a female or stock businessman) and that made me worried about getting ripped off. A first time buyer might pic one of those, or someone who had ordered from that seller before and liked the work. I think most seasoned buyers have learned to be cautious about stock photos, though.



For me, logos were also a letdown unless they were just amazing in thumbnail and regular size. I found myself just feeling more comfortable and trusting of what I thought were real photos and if they were clearly re-touched it wasn’t off-putting for me. If I hated my photo more than I already do, I would probably hand it off to a professional for some really nice work, since I can then re-use it for other places I might publicize my work. That’s about the best I can offer as someone else who is probably in the same boat as you are!

[avidblogger]

I decided not to use a photo of myself, not because I dislike my photos so much as I wanted to appear neutral and somewhat ageless. I have tried to convey in my bio and via my pic that I am a writer who can write on topics across the spectrum. I didn’t want to appear too young or too old, or too motherly or too trendy. Rather, I was going for timeless and accessible so I picked an avatar that I hope conveys that (you be the judge, I’m not sure). I’ve been on for two weeks and have had 30 orders. I’m quite happy with that level of sales, but have nothing for comparison.

[Guest axisis345]

Great Topic cazzac, I like to have something that sort of represents represents what I do

cartoons, characters, illustration, animation. It could be anything from my portfolio but it would probably be best to have a character, It seems very subjective to me.



For me on a site like fiverr something kinda friendly/non-serious would fit nicely to gain peoples attention .

But on something like Linkedin, it would be much better to have a more professional impression. That could also go for some people on fiverr as well, but its all down to what your services are.

[fonthaunt]

I want to add something to this thread in case others posting it are having any issues or others reading it have the same idea. I received an inbox message after posting in this thread and the person was a seller who wants me to buy their services to edit my photo. I let the person know that I do not buy from sales messages sent to my inbox and that I seek sellers on my own. I am happy to leave it at that unless they persist and then I will consider it spam.



If you are a seller reading this thread and thinking of spamming other sellers, I personally think it is in poor taste. You can always add a post to the Gigs forum advertising your services since many people who read the forum glance at most topic headings and might seek you out if they need you. I’m sorry if this comes off as rude to anyone and I don’t mean it that way but I think the forums have a lot of this activity already.

[fonthaunt]

Reply to @avidblogger: I can see your point and I probably went for something similar by editing a photo some and I’ve been reasonably happy with my sales like you for a starting point. I would definitely still buy from someone with an avatar over an obvious stock model photo. I think what makes me have trust issues is when I see a written language or country flag that indicates one thing and a model photo that indicates something very different. It isn’t just nationality either, I’ve seen someone claim 20 years of experience and write it well but post a picture of a 16 year old attractive girl for their profile pic. 🙂

[edwriter]

I struggle with the same issue at times, but I feel my avatar fits the services I offer. Maybe in the future, I might test it out and see if there’s a difference.

[freelancemm]

Honestly, I don’t think the avatar plays all that much of a role as most buyers find your gig directly rather than through your profile. In general though, I have heard that it does seem to increase the chances of being picked as a top rated seller if you use your own personal picture as your avatar.

[zeus777]

One thing I can say for sure is that using some actress or model’s photo is something you should NOT do. I have seen sellers using photos of the Twilight girl, some random model in a bikini, Zack Effron (how the heck do you spell his name?), and other Hollywood people, and their gigs are something like “I’ll write a professional article” or stuff along that line.



I guess for some sellers they think that using a famous/sexy person’s photo is a way to get attention, but at least for me, that looks like a cheap trick, FAR from being professional.



I’d say you don’t have to use your own photo, but as long as represents you or what

your sell here, I guess it’s OK! 😃

[jonbaas]

Reply to @zeus777:

I completely agree. I’ve actually had a buyer or two compliment me for using a real photo of myself. They’ve said it was nice to see who they were working with. Apparently, for them, it inspired trust. And, to be honest, for me, trust is one of the biggest elements I try to bring to my services here on Fiverr. 🙂

[cazzac]

Many thanks for all your responses/thoughts on this folks! I must admit I considered the “stock photo of a young business woman” idea and then thought better of it. And I certainly wouldn’t use a photo of a model/actress! I do agree that that kind of thing is really off-putting and makes you feel the person might be untrustworthy.



I think I’ll just experiment and see what happens. I’m torn between the altered photo of me which seems to be showing up on my posts in this forum, and the cartoon-style pic which I’ve now changed to on my gigs.



Thanks again for your thoughts. 🙂