Setting up your online presence can be an onerous task.
There is a long list of to-do’s between setting up your website, optimizing your social media outposts and creating compelling content that not only resonates with your current readers but draws new visitors to your site.
And typically, the most significant movements forward come from concentrating on the big stuff and avoiding just-one-more-little-tweak syndrome.
When first starting out, most of us are overly susceptible to this condition because we don’t have a hierarchy of importance for tasks – we don’t have enough experience to determine what is critical for building momentum, and what are simply time-wasters.
What makes it even tougher?
Occasionally it is a small thing that can end up making a powerful difference in your ability to stand out, get noticed and build your author brand.
Here is one of those super-effective small things: your Gravatar.
What is a Gravatar?
As you’ve been busily commenting away on influential sites in your genre or niche (you have been implementing a comment strategy, right?), I’m sure you’ve noticed the small images that accompany people’s comments or discussions on the various sites.
These images are called Gravatars, which stands for ‘globally recognized avatars’.
A Gravatar allows blogs, sites and forums to use an avatar (an image, icon or graphic that represents you or your brand online) that you only have to set up once, rather than having to upload an image each time you comment.
Once set up, your Gravatar will be attached to an email address that you provide. So, when you leave a comment on a site that supports Gravatars (there are millions) using the email you’ve linked to the Gravatar, your photo or graphic will show up next to your comment.
If you leave a comment and your Gravatar has not been set up, you will often see a default generic mystery man image, a custom logo that the site owner has created, or if you’re commenting here on YWP, an alien. 🙂
How a Gravatar Can Help You Build Your Writer Platform
Some of you just dipping your toe into the pool of the online world, feel the need to embrace web anonymity–and tend to go deep into stealth mode.
But when it comes to building a platform, covert commenting, having an obscure About page or posting anonymously is clearly counterproductive.
Whether it’s a throw back to your writer ‘nom de plume’ roots, or a fear of revealing too much online, you must avoid secrecy and shoot for transparency, if getting noticed is what you seek.
This means putting a name and a face to your comments so you can develop relationships with both the owners of the sites you are commenting on, as well as like-minded readers who tend to travel in similar circles.
Here are some key ways a Gravatar will help you build your platform:
- Build your author brand. The consistency of your image and identity across different sites, forums and groups increases your brand visibility and authenticity. Your image and words will become reliably linked to the useful and thoughtful comments you make. As people continue to see your image and comments on articles they read, they’ll begin to relate to the person, as well as the brand message you share.
- Increase your influence and authority. Linking your thoughts, insights and expertise with your image increases your credibility and helps develop reader loyalty. Interactions with blog owners and other commenters, the depth and usefulness of your comments, and you ‘visually’ being everywhere, contributes to the perceived influence and authority you wield in your niche or genre.
- Drive traffic to your site. Comments linked with an image, stand out. And what stands out gets noticed. As readers begin to recognize you for the valuable contributions you make to discussions in the comment area, they are more likely to click though to check out your site. As blog owners note the quality of your input and the benefit you add to the conversation, opportunities–like guest posting, which can drive additional traffic–may arise.
Remember, your views and how you express them are very important when commenting on blogs or adding to the discussion in groups and forums. Even the snazziest of Gravatars will not entice a reader to click through if your comment is simply: ‘Great post!‘.
But a highly identifiable image linked with a perceptive response or a unique angle will–if used consistently and as part of a strategy–grow awareness for your work and author brand.
How to Create Your Gravatar in 7 Simple Steps
Step 1: Before you can set up your Gravatar account, you need to create your picture or graphic. Here’s some tips to ensure you have an image that pops:
- If you’re not a photoshop professional, try PicMonkey to edit, resize or otherwise tweak your image. (For a video tutorial on using PicMonkey to edit images, try this post on creating powerful images.)
- Use a clear, professional image that stands out. (For example, too much white tends to fade out on white backgrounds.)
- Consider how your image ties in with your branding as well as how it will be perceived by your target audience. For example, an avatar of you and your kids might work if you write children’s books; not so much if you write steamy romance novels. 😉
- Don’t be afraid to show some personality!
- Make sure it still looks good when reduced to Gravatar size.
- You can use a graphic or icon if it fits with your branding, but readers will tend to want to connect with real people, not a graphic or ‘business’.
- Keep in mind that images for Google Authorship need to be of your face; not cartoon characters, graphics or over-zealously photoshopped).
- Use an image that is easily identifiable as you (or represents your author brand) and try to use it across all platforms. This image can also be used on your About page or in your bio box at the end of your posts (and if applicable, in your bio for guest posts).
Step 2: Go to the Gravatar site to set up your free account, and click ‘Create Your Own Gravatar’.
Step 3: Enter the email address you want associated with your avatar and your comments (You@YourSite.com, for example), and enter a username and password. Click ‘Sign up’.
(If you are a WordPress.com user, click ‘I already have a WordPress.com account!’).
Step 4: You will receive a confirmation email, click on the link provided in the email, and then click ‘Sign in to Gravatar’ to continue with your Gravatar set up.
Step 5: On the Manage Gravatars page, click ‘Add one by clicking here’ and then click ‘my computer’s hard drive’ to choose your file. Click ‘Next’ to upload.
Step 6: If necessary, crop your image, then click ‘Crop and Finish’.
Step 7: Choose a rating for your image. (For those of you who are a little more risqué, please note that the x-rated rating will limit the use of your image on a number of websites). 😉
For more ways to beef up your Gravatar, check out these helpful links:
Test Your New Gravatar
Final step: Lets stop the ‘alien invasion’ on the YWP blog! Leave a comment below to test out your fancy new Gravatar, and so we can all see who’s leaving such valuable feedback and positive comments!
(After this post, I shouldn’t be seeing any more aliens in my comment section!) 🙂
Good luck! And feel free to share this post with friends, colleagues and followers who are commenting incognito via the ‘mystery man’…
[ois skin=”Ebook Bottom of Post”]
Original top photo by hotblack
I did it–let’s see if it works
Looking good, Yehudit! 🙂
Thanks for this post! I think this is one of the best articles on the importance of using Gravatars I’ve ever read.
My pleasure, Stavros! I appreciate the compliment, and I’m glad you found the article useful.
I just wanted to say thank you for another great article Kimberley. Your resources have been gold to me as I’ve been completing my book and setting up my platform. I finally have the framework for my site complete and it’s time to start adding content. The shear volume of things to do can all be overwhelming at times but, bit by bit, things get completed. I really appreciate all the great information, advise, and links you have provided. It seems like every time I search for the answer to one question or another I end up back here.
Thank You!
Happy to help if I can, Eric, and I’m glad you find YWP to be such a useful resource for you. 🙂
Kudos to you for finishing up your book and getting a head start on your platform. Yes there is a lot to do, but you’ve got the right approach: one step at a time!
Good luck!
Thank you! I love how you point out sometimes the little things are big. It IS hard to know what to focus on when you’re first getting started. I would have needed your help if WordPress hadn’t made things super easy for me from the get go! 😀
BTW, I’ve heard conflicting advice on using a “professional” photo. As you can see, my Gravatar is a formal shot, but I heard Google+ works best with a more relaxed, outdoory look. So now people searching Google run into my lakeside, breezy self instead.
I’m obviously the same person in both shots and I like the Google+ one, but is this discrepancy likely to affect my perception of expertise, or just make me seem more approachable?
Thanks
My definition of a professional photo is one that is clear and represents you well; an unprofessional photo is one where it’s obvious that you’ve (poorly) cropped someone out of the shot, it’s blurry, grainy or has some serious red-eye, or you’ve got a beer in your hand. 😉
I think having more than one avatar can work if you show some personality and they can be tied together visually – several different shots of you from the same ‘photo shoot’, for example.
The key, of course, is that people who don’t know you well (or at all), can recognize that each image is the same person, representing one brand.
Makes sense. Thanks. 🙂
Your welcome, Cheri!
Thank you for this wealth of information. It was extremely helpful.
A pleasure, Howard! 🙂
I had long ago set up my Gravatar via WordPress but thought I’d just check to see if it’s working properly. Thanks for a great post!
Looks like it’s working just fine, Sherrey! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Very helpful! I’ll subscribe to your blog. Thank you for inviting us to try this out!
Happy to have you as part of the YWP community, Barbara! (And you’re welcome!) 🙂
How do I look??
Look’n good, Kat! 😉
Easy peasy, right?
How often should you change a gravatar do you think? My blog is very seasonal and I want to be able to capture that in my photo but wondering if it would be easier to just change it once a qtr?
The key with your Gravatar – as with any of your marketing – is that your brand is easily recognizable. For that to work, consistency across all media and platforms is super important.
I wouldn’t recommend frequently changing your Gravatar since it will take some time to build your reputation and brand around one image.
That said, if you want to incorporate seasonality into your image – and you are the face of your brand – consider only changing one thing about your photo at a time.
For example, the photo includes your headshot, with only the background changing. Or you may be posing differently in the image, but the background remains consistent.
And if you are changing your Gravatar image, you should also be changing your other profile images (on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to match.
That’s a lot of work, for little gain, and it may in fact make it more difficult for you to establish your brand.
What you might consider instead, is changing your Facebook cover image, or your Twitter background to reflect the seasonality in your blog. It will be easier, and you’ll likely see more results. 🙂
Thanks for the post. Well, I am glad that I at least have my own gravatar. I think it’s because I am a detail kinda gal. I still need to work on the rest of the SEO stuff. Thanks for the tips.
Ok, so my gravatar is not showing up. Now I have to figure that out. I guess it depends on what platform I am on (ie. WordPress). ;/
I see it now, Linda – looking good! 🙂
Kimberley, thanks for this very clear, helpful post. I’ve put off adding a Gravatar because in a way it seemed creepy & because I wasn’t really sure how to do it easily. I’m getting back into working on a blog, so I appreciate your help!
Blessings,
Vivi
Glad I could help, Vivi! 🙂
Great Article Kimberley, Lets hope Im not alien as I think I have everything set up from your directions. I will also check out those other links you gave us. Thank heaps!
Looks good, Di! Nice to see your smiling face! 🙂
Now Im checking to see if my other email address works as its not the photo that I though it would be… too funny. Ill go and check out my account now and see what I have done and then come back to your instructions. Thanks Kimberley
You bet!
Hi Kimberley,
Thanks for sharing. Is a gravatar automatically under copyright? I need to be sure for this but couldn’t find the answer yet.
Regards,
Ben
Hi Ben! I’m not a copyright lawyer, but I do believe that if you create your own original Gravatar you automatically own the copyright to it.