The New Year is Coming – is Your Business Ready?

As business owners, heading into the new year means getting a ton of things ready. And not just your finances, and your tax receipts!! It’s also a great time to audit the way you approach other aspects of your business, like your promotion, your social media, and your website. And one of the things that would be great to take a little look at, is how you highlight yourself and your other staff on your website!

Why AI Headshots Aren’t the Way

We’re in a new age now, where customers are getting more and more discerning – I mean, you’ve seen all of the TikTok and Facebook Reels about AI generated products, and how disappointing they are, right? Well, the same kind of vibe applies to your headshots, too.

I know I’ve talked about this before, but when it comes to the headshots you use for yourself on your website, AI just ain’t it. If it was, I would tell you, because I’m all about efficiency, and all about “easy”. I want your promotion, and your business in general, to be as stress free as possible for you. But AI headshots? They just don’t fit the bill yet. You’ve seen them, they’re still “too perfect”. They smooth too many lines, maybe even get rid of that one mole you have on your cheek that makes you look like YOU.

And in this age of customer discernment… AI headshots? They raise questions, and they raise them fast. People want to buy from people – they care that you’re REAL. And if your headshot looks like it was created by AI, your customers or potential clients can’t tell whether that AI headshot is of a real person (you), or of a fictional person a business has created to make them look like they have a full staff. Which sounds super gross as a business practice, I know. But that “grossness” is why it’s NOT the way!

Your Headshots Need to be Uniquely You

The headshots you use to show yourself to your people need to be uniquely branded to your business, and they need to be real. They’re part of your strategy, whether you want to believe it or not. And they’re an important opportunity, because ANYthing that goes front and center to your customers is an opportunity. Just like your intake forms, or welcome guides, or social media content!

If you take this branded approach to your headshots, they can do so much more for you than just sit on the About page on your website, too! They become something you can integrate into your social media schedule, to feature you or your staff, too! And highlighting real people is a big mood for 2026.

Just like 2025, it’s getting increasingly and increasingly important to focus on authenticity. And there’s nothing more authentic than using your staff’s headshots to share intros to them on your social media – plus, it gives you content ideas to pad out your schedule! It’s a win-win-win in my book.

You Can Book Into the Jessica Strobel Photography Calendar Yourself

Remember what I said about me wanting things to be easy? And how AI headshots are so tempting because they FEEL like they’re going to be easy? Well, I’ve got some things in my process that make working with a photographer JUST as easy as trying to prompt a system to output an image that actually looks like you.

The first, is that you can book yourself into the calendar, with no stress at all! It’s easy, and takes just a few clicks. You don’t have to worry about a whole thread of emails to book, or trying to match up schedules… all you have to do, is head over to my booking page, and grab a session time that works for you.

You get Options, too!

If you only need a handful of images, that’s totally fine. But if you want more, that’s also an option! One of the downsides of trying to get AI platforms to create consistent images, is that they take every single request as a brand new instance. Meaning, even if you get ONE good image that you like… chances are you’re gonna have a rough time getting it to recreate that vibe perfectly for your other images.

When you work with a photographer like Jessica Strobel Photography, you don’t have to worry about consistency, or tweaking and modifying your prompts to get kind of sort of close to matching images. After your session, you’ll get a gallery with options to choose from – that match, align with your brand’s overall tone and messaging, and are overall UNIQUELY you. Without tearing your hair out trying to come up with prompts that make it happen on an AI platform.

Need more than just headshots?

Of course, saying all this, headshots aren’t the only images that you might need to update before the new year! And that’s why we offer full branding and headshot sessions TOGETHER here at Jessica Strobel Photography. If you need images of your products, we’ve got you. Hoping to do something like a website reset and rebrand the look and feel of your online presence in the new year? We’ve got you on that too.

We can work with you to create a unique set, that highlights your products or services in the perfect way! Outlined to line up with what your ideal clients want and are looking for in your content. These kinds of sessions are perfect for the lead up to a new year, because they’ll set you up to have social media content for ages, too. It’s all wins, all around, and it takes SO little effort at your end. We handle the planning, we handle the set design – and you get to show up and be who you are! Even though it involves coming into the studio in person, which I know AI doesn’t involve – it’s still going to be a million times more consistent, appeal to your people directly – and you get to leverage the experience of my team (not just me!) to create content that will actually help your brand grow.

Got Headshot Questions? I have Answers!

So if you’re wondering whether the headshots you’re using on your presence need an upgrade, let’s talk! I would love to make your life easier, make your promotion more seamless and effective, and help you prep for 2026 in your business. Because even though AI is at our fingertips, that doesn’t mean it’s the best option to show authenticity to your audience. And in 2026? Authenticity is what you need!

Bonus: Take a look at just a few results that my AMAZING team of collaborators and me have gotten for our social media management clients!