I spent an hour downtown with photographer Eliza Kommer taking pictures this week. My website imagery is old, and my main corporate headshot is a selfie I took on the subway. So, it was time for a rebrand. Before we started shooting, Eliza gave me two tips. One, don’t be afraid to pose a bit—moving your head and changing balance can make a lot of difference. The second tip? “Think about the image of yourself that you want to project.”
I told her, “You might not like this, but I’m afraid the image I need to project is that I’m a bastard.” As in, I’m a cold-hearted corporate beast. Why?
Well. Many of my clients are the chief executives of nonprofits and good causes. They like my down-to-earth style and the fact that they deal with me direct, not with a team of 20-somethings. I don’t rely on my clients to train my staff (which is the business model for most modern PR and communications). I’m there. I’m in the room.
But the source of my business, if it’s not word of mouth, is more often from board chairs. They see something I’ve written, they send it to the chief exec, then the chief exec gets in touch. (Because they must). Board chairs have a lot of experience. They know that a good strategic communications person won’t take any b.s. from the press. They won’t, also, waste time kissing-up to the CEO. They’ll be a straight shooter who rolls up their sleeves, gets stuck in, and tells it like it is. Board chairs want this first impression of a strategic communications consultant: Bastard. Or at least a bit of a bastard. Even in the new age of woke social justice, as a white guy. It’s still what they want from me.
So: Gone are the smiling selfies. The generous and understanding eyes. My new corporate photography — unveiling here soon — is going to be all about the nastiness. I wish we lived in an era where people trusted that a nice consultant was giving them good value, but they don’t. People need to know that the person they’re bringing in to sort things out is serious. That’s the guy who gets paid and we’ve got bills to pay. Brace yourself.
Much of my other content cuts against that image. If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while you’ll know that I’m an open book. I have days when I’m very interested in being serious and days when I’m funny. I can write poems about being a new dad and parse the motivations behind press strategies. But the core audience for my website imagery is new prospective clients. Those are folks who are gut-checking me before getting in touch. If you’d like a nice communications consultant, the good news is that I can do that. But don’t tell anybody, okay? We’re talking first impressions, here!
On that score, what image do you need to project for your core audiences? Have you had corporate shots done recently, and if you have, what image do they convey? It’s a good moment to stop and think about your broader strategy for content production. Yes, you need to get a variety of images of yourself across, but let’s say you’re trying to get a bill through the Senate. What does your image need to be, then? Do your corporate imagery and headshots, as well as your content, reflect that image? If not, let’s talk! I promise not to live up to my new first impression. At least, not totally.
Also: Get in touh with Eliza if you need creative corporate photography done in New York. I met her at Open Squash where she’s taken incredible images of the world’s best players recently. Please tell her I sent you as I’m always proud to be a source of referrals to good people.
—Matt Davis is a communications consultant and writer for a wide variety of clients. He also teaches yoga and lives with his wife and son in New York.
