21 Best Twitter Profile Pictures - How to make a great one

All of us want more Twitter followers. To attract them, you need a strong funnel. This funnel is made up of various pieces:

• The profile picture
• Your banner
• Your bio
• And your pinned tweet

Previously, we discussed how to write an effective Twitter bio. In today's post, we'll talk about what makes a great Twitter profile picture and see 21 examples.

Why is it important to have a great Twitter profile picture?

If someone follows you or not, it is mostly based on trust.

People trust people.

For people to trust you, they need to know what you stand for at first glance. Your Twitter profile picture is what will give them that first impression.

The focus needs to be on YOU. Specifically, your face.

Although it's understandable if this makes you uncomfortable, getting more Twitter followers means more exposure. It's part of the job.

Let's explore what makes a good profile picture 👇

Elements of a great Twitter profile picture

Here's what you should look for in a great Twitter profile picture:

• Either a head-to-shoulders or a head-to-waist photo
• Preferably, facing the camera
• Make sure that you are smiling
• Make sure you have good light
• Consider the background as well. In case you cannot get a clean background, you can simply add a plain color instead.

These are all the checkboxes you need to tick to make a good first impression. If you don't believe us, simply check these list of the Top 11 Twitter accounts to follow in 2022 and check their profile picture]

In case that's not enough, let's see a few more examples in the next point.

Examples of great Twitter profile pictures

Arvid Kahl (@arvidkahl)

Good picture. Front-facing, big smile, studio-quality, clear background.

Can’t do much better than Arvid!

Justin Welsh (@thejustinwelsh)

Justin is looking directly at us. He seems confident. Picture quality is great and the black background provides a lot of contrast.

A great Twitter profile picture.

Jeremy Moser (@jmoserr)

With a huge smile on his face, Jeremy looks at the front. His face is perfectly contrasted against the neutral color background. There is a vibe that you can already sense from the picture about who Jeremy is.

Blake Emal (@heyblake)

Blake is showing a funnier side here. He mimics the thinking emoji. You can tell that Blake has a humorous touch when you get to know him or read his content. The picture reflects just that.

Plus, it has a colored background that makes his face pop out more.

Cooopahtroopa (@Cooopahtroopa)

We aren't going to talk about NFT profile pictures specifically in this post, but Coopahtroopa's is worth mentioning. To get Twitter to display his picture with the diamond shape, he NFT'd his own profile picture. pretty smart!

About the picture, again, a plain color background contrasted with the picture. This time for the waist up. Super solid.

Steph Taylor (@launchmagic)

Steph’s picture is very similar to the ones we’ve already seen. She looks directly at the camera, has a nice smile on her face and looks like a studio picture. She checks all the boxes to make a good Twitter profile picture.

Alex Friedman (@heyalexfriedman)

Very similar to Steph's picture above. It looks like a study picture, with good lighting and a nice smile. You don't need much else.

Noel Dávila (@NoelDavila)

The expression on Noel's face here is a little bit more serious. He's kind of smiling without showing his teeth. It conveys confidence and trust. Plus, he adds punch to his picture with a colorful background.

Mustafa Khundmiri @mkhundmiri

As we have seen, not everything needs to be smiles. You have to think about the tone and the vibe you intend people to get from you. Mustafa has a plain color background with a more serious expression in this case.

Dan Koe (@thedankoe)

Black and white pictures are a classic. However, as Dan's example shows, they may still work. He is also not looking directly at the camera. Yet, this is a great profile picture that says a lot just by the pose and the choice of color.

Aadit Sheth (@aaditsh)

Who said you couldn't get a little creative? Aadit opted to colorize his old profile picture. This is cool since it adds an energetic tone to his picture while breaking up some of the patter on "real faces" on the feed.

Kurtis Hanni (@Kurtishanni)

Kurtis is a good example of how you don't have to look directly at the camera to take a good profile picture. The pose, the natural background, and his smile make this a really good Twitter profile picture.

Arnaud Belinga (@ArnaudBelingaCX)

Here is another standard yet pretty good profile picture of Arnaud. He is looking directly into the camera with a big smile and a plain color background. Very nice.

Pratham (@Prathkum)

Finally, we have Pratham with a simplified version of the front-facing profile picture. There is no need for fancy studios or colored backgrounds. Often, a simple white wall does the trick.

More examples of great Twitter profile pictures

By now, you may be wondering “Is it 100% necessary to show my face?”.

The answer is no. However, it is advisable.

In the world of Twitter, there are a lot of accounts gaining a large following without revealing their face or having an anonymous profile. It can be done.

If that's the direction you want to go, here are 8 more examples for you to get inspired:

Cold Email Wizard (@blackhatwizard)

The picture says it all. The Wizard is dressed in black. It's just another extension of his brand.

Art of Life (@Art0fLife_)

The Art of Life reps a Confuncious-like drawing that very much goes in tune with the account’s niche (insights on Life, Mastering your Mind and Becoming your best self).

Mind Amplifier (@MindAmplifier)

Mind Ampifier's picture is as simple as they come. It works, though. You don't always need complex drawings. A simple logo will do.

Mindset Machine (@Mindset_Machine)

Mindset Machine displays a similar vibe than The Art of life. A man is depicted looking up and thinking. The picture itself tells you what kind of Twitter account this is.

Humble Flow (@HumbleFlow)

Humble Flow’s account challenges us to think differently. What better way to show your "think" than to have an old Asian man with a white beard?

Babylon Ninja (BabylonNinja)

Babylon Ninja tweets about making money online. Ninjas don't seem to have much to do with that, but in this case it's all part of the brand

The Art of Purpose (@creation247)

The Art of Purpose’s Twitter profile picture is just one of those you gotta love. Why? His bio says the following “turning Twitter into my personal Art Gallery.”. The picture just goes perfectly with that

As you might have noticed, most of these accounts chose a profile picture related to the niche they are in. It makes perfect sense to keep it on brand, given that they are a bit more free to choose.

Your Twitter profile picture is way more than a picture

As we've seen in most of the examples, the profile picture serves as a way to show a little more about the person you are.

If you have a silly profile picture, for example, you are sending out a lot of signals. If you are looking for investors for your startup, maybe that isn't the best choice. Perhaps a black-and-white picture of you would be better.

If you think it's not important to think so much about Twitter profile pictures, then you are mistaken.

Remember that it's the first thing that people will see when they look at your profile. First impressions count. Even more so in Twitter, where our attention spans are shorter than ever.

After this, you should be ready to start your Twitter journey. To give you a bit of a head start, we'll leave you with these 30 Tips to Grow Your Twitter Audience.