Professional AI Headshots on a Budget: A Smart Move for Entrepreneurs

Last Updated: 

May 7, 2025

Artificial intelligence has become invaluable to countless companies. One of the newest ways that they are using AI is to create high quality headshots to support their branding strategy. Portrait Pal is one of the AI headshot services that many people have started using in recent months. 

They can be especially helpful for business owners that can’t afford to spend a lot of money on headshots. Therefore, they are becoming very popular these days, since the economy is headed towards stagflation and possibly the worst recession of the century. 

Key Takeaways on Professional AI Headshots

  1. AI headshots offer a budget-friendly solution: Entrepreneurs can access professional-looking portraits for a fraction of the cost of hiring a photographer.
  2. Marketing visuals matter more than ever: With branding being a key factor in business success, high-quality images help make a strong first impression.
  3. First impressions are lightning-fast: Research shows people form opinions within 100 milliseconds, making visual presentation critical for credibility.
  4. AI enhances photogenic appeal: AI tools use aesthetics based on thousands of optimised samples, often producing more flattering results than traditional photos.
  5. Customisation supports brand identity: AI headshots can be tailored with backgrounds or styles that reflect the business theme or industry.
  6. Speed is a major advantage: While photographers may take days, AI tools can generate headshots in just a few hours—ideal for time-sensitive tasks.
  7. AI headshots appeal to professionals: Studies suggest recruiters prefer AI-generated portraits, highlighting their rising acceptance in professional spaces.
  8. Perfect for remote entrepreneurs: AI-generated images offer brandin
Want to Close Bigger Deals?

More Entrepreneurs Are Discovering the Benefits of Using AI Headshots for Branding

Far too many business owners have fallen victim to the better mousetrap fallacy. They generally believe that as long as they produce a quality product or service that they don't have to worry about anything else.

Unfortunately, this misconception can ruin an otherwise promising business. The harsh reality is that marketing is essential for companies trying to stand out. Sadly, many businesses struggle to develop effective marketing strategies. One survey found that 73% of entrepreneurs believe that their marketing strategy is not successful.

This means that businesses need to pull out all the stops and do everything possible to make their marketing strategy as effective as possible. This is where AI headshots can come in.

Recent research shows that the average person makes a judgment about someone within 100 milliseconds of seeing their face. In other words, they have more or less made-up their mind about you in a tenth of a second.

This is one of the reasons that it is so important to have quality headshots to support your branding. Good headshots can be used on your company website, LinkedIn profile, resume, real estate listings (if you own a real estate business) and brochures that you send out to customers.

But Why Should You Use AI Headshots Over Headshots Taken by Professional Photographers?

You probably understand the benefits of using quality headshots as part of your branding strategy as an entrepreneur. However, you may understandably be skeptical that getting AI headshots would be better than just hiring a regular photographer for taking selfies with your phone.

Here are some of the primary reasons that AI headshots for a better alternative.

They Are More Affordable

If you are starting or growing a business on a tight budget, then using AI headshots may be the way to go. Some AI headshot services can create photos for under $40. You might have to spend ten times that much to get headshots from a professional photographer. This is a no-brainer for a lot of business owners that are struggling to deal with the crippling reality of inflation in the current economy. 

They Can Make You Look a Lot More Photogenic

Perhaps the single biggest benefit of AI headshots is that they come out looking so good. One survey found that slightly over three out of four recruiters prefer working with job seekers that use AI headshots rather than those taken by professional photographers. The explanation seems to be that AI headshots just look a lot better. This suggests that people following your brand as an entrepreneur would probably prefer them as well.

There are a lot of reasons that AI headshots tend to come out better than those taken by professional photographers. They have been trained on thousands of images to come up with the perfect aesthetics. You can easily incorporate your face into the templates that they have found to work the best.

They Can Be Customised Around the Theme of Your Company

Another major benefit of using AI headshots is that they can be personalised to match the theme of your company. For example, if you own a data warehouse, then they can have data servers in the background to give viewers an idea of what your business looks like. This can be ideal for people that can't easily take photos with these kinds of backgrounds, such as entrepreneurs that work remotely and don't visit the site very often. 

They Can Be Produced Quickly

Another reason that so many people prefer using AI headshots over those taken by regular photographers is that they can get their photos a lot more quickly. Some photographers take days or even weeks to get their photos to their customers. On the other hand, people that use AI headshot services can get their photos in as little as two hours.

For some people, the quick turnaround time is merely a pleasant convenience. However, for other people it is a necessity. Many entrepreneurs need headshot photos right away, such as those that need to start creating a new social media site for real estate agents that need headshots for a listing that they are trying to sell. If you simply can't afford to wait for headshots, then you might want to consider using AI instead of working with a photographer.

People Also Like to Read...