Your Blurry Selfie Will Outperform Your Professional Headshot. Here's Why.

I've noticed something strange on LinkedIn.

The posts with professional headshots and polished graphics? They get decent engagement.

The posts with blurry selfies and vertical videos shot in parked cars? They go viral.

This isn't random. There's real psychology behind why raw content wins.

Why raw photos stop the scroll

LinkedIn's feed is full of polished content that looks like polished content.

Corporate announcements with designed graphics. Professional headshots with perfect lighting. Infographics that clearly took hours to create.

Your brain processes these instantly: "This is marketing. Keep scrolling."

But a raw photo stops you. A vertical video that looks like someone just grabbed their phone and hit record? That triggers a different response: "This is real. Pay attention."

The term for this is "pattern interrupt." When everything in the feed looks produced, unproduced content stands out.

It signals authenticity

There's a deeper reason raw content works.

When someone posts a perfect photo, you assume there were 47 takes. You assume it was edited. You assume they're performing.

When someone posts a slightly blurry selfie with bad lighting, you think: "They just wanted to share something real."

That perception might not even be accurate. The blurry selfie could be just as calculated as the professional shot. But it doesn't matter. The perception of authenticity is what drives engagement.

Vertical Video Is Eating LinkedIn

If you haven't noticed, LinkedIn is pushing vertical video hard.

The format works for the same reasons raw photos work, plus one more: it feels native to how we actually use our phones.

Professional horizontal video says "I hired a videographer."

Vertical video shot handheld says "I had a thought and wanted to share it."

The second one gets watched. The first one gets scrolled past.

What This Means for Your Content

I'm not saying you should intentionally make your content look bad. That would be manipulation, and people eventually see through it.

I'm saying you should stop over-producing.

Instead of: Getting professional headshots for every post

Try: Using a recent selfie or candid photo

Instead of: Scripting and editing videos for hours

Try: Recording your take in one or two takes and posting

Instead of: Creating elaborate graphics

Try: Sharing a screenshot of something interesting

The goal isn't to look unprofessional. It's to look like a real person with a real perspective, not a brand with a content calendar.

What actually performs

From what I've seen:

• Screenshots of interesting emails or messages (with permission)
• Selfies taken right after something meaningful happened
• Vertical videos recorded in cars, airports, or walking around
• Photos of whiteboards, notebooks, or work in progress
• Behind-the-scenes shots that aren't perfectly lit

Notice what's NOT on the list: stock photos, professional graphics, highly produced video.

It all comes back to trust

LinkedIn is a trust game.

People do business with people they trust. They follow people they trust. They engage with people they trust.

Trust comes from authenticity. And raw content signals authenticity in a way polished content can't.

Every professional graphic says "I'm a brand trying to market to you."

Every raw photo says "I'm a person trying to connect with you."

Which one would you rather engage with?

How to Apply This

1. Lower your bar for "good enough." That photo you almost posted but thought wasn't polished enough? Post it.

1. Use your phone more. Professional cameras and editing software create distance. Your phone creates intimacy.

1. Share the behind-the-scenes. The messy desk, the early morning coffee, the work in progress. That's the good stuff.

1. Try vertical video. Even if it feels awkward. The format is being pushed by the algorithm, and it stops scrollers.

LinkedIn isn't Instagram. The content that wins is the content that feels real. The imperfect version of you is more compelling than the perfect version of a brand.

Want to see this in action? Read about why raw photos introducing a teammate crush it on LinkedIn. And if you're ready to try video, here's why vertical video helps on LinkedIn.