Take a look at this ugly mug but don’t click on it:
(Did you click on it? Be honest)
If you’re on my list there’s a good chance you’ve seen this picture and yep, it’s me. It helps if you look cheerful because nobody likes a grumpy guy or gal.
Some people will never see it of course, depending on how they have their email client setup, but a good number will and that’s great, but I don’t include a picture of myself for vanity.
Reason 1 For Including A Photo (Even If You Love Your Privacy): Authenticity and Audience Connection
Have you ever bought anything from a marketer?
Unless you’re brand new to online business/internet/affiliate marketing, the chances are you have.
I’m not trying to sound weird right now, but do you know what they look like?
Chances are, if you’ve bought something from an internet marketer, you have probably seen at least one photo of them, somewhere along the line.
If you’ve been doing this for as long as I have, you can close your eyes and picture their face, which is a scary thought indeed.
If you sell products/services or you are affiliated with any, it’s a good idea to make sure your audience can see you in their minds eye when they are considering buying anything you’re talking about.
Don’t just take my word for it. I had a chat with AI about this earlier and this is what it said:
Personally I’d just go for a good old fashioned photo of yourself, but an avatar is another option. Voiceovers don’t work in emails (lol) so scrap that idea.
Reason 2 For Including A Photo: People Click On Them
Did you know if you put your pic in an email you’ll really click with your audience 🙂
I know it’s bizarre isn’t it, but I’ve tested this and people click on photos in emails even when the photo is just of yourself with no clear call to action. For this reason alone it’s a good idea to have your photo link out to something such as an about me page or another online asset that relates to you, such as your blog.
Admittedly even I have overlooked doing this on some of my lists, but I am about to change that on future outgoing broadcasts.
As for image size, button sizing would be fine so go with something along the lines of 125×125 pixels which is the industry standard size for a button ad. Speaking of button ads, I have those available as an advertising option on this blog along with other ad formats.
Below that include some links to other assets such as social media profiles, YouTube and your blog (etc).
If you do this people will trust you more, you’ll get more clicks and you’ll end up making more sales. You heard it here first 🙂
Thanks for reading. See you in the next one…
Todays tune is “Human After All” by Daft Punk:
