Show your face: do I need to be visible, or is showing my work enough?

You open the profile of a professional who is brilliant at what she does. You know she's brilliant, because you know her. The profile is tidy. A logo instead of a photo, pictures of finished projects, precise technical descriptions. On the "About us" page of her website it says "our team", and the team is her.

You scroll for five minutes and you still don't know what she looks like, how she talks, what she thinks about her own field. You've seen everything she's done. Of her, nothing.

A lot of good people present themselves this way. They show the work and hide the person. And then they wonder why the people passing by don't stop.

Do I need to show my face to get clients?

It depends on what you sell. If you sell something people can touch, try out and compare, your face helps but isn't essential. If you sell expertise, yes, you need it.

Economists have a precise category for this. Philip Nelson in 1970, and then Michael Darby and Edi Karni in 1973, distinguished three kinds of goods. Some you can judge before you buy them, like a pair of shoes. Others you can only judge after trying them, like a restaurant. And then there are credence goods, the ones you can't properly judge even afterwards, because you'll never know what would have happened with someone else. Consulting belongs there, along with medicine and car repairs.

When you buy a credence good, in the end you're buying a person. You ask yourself whether that person understood you, and whether they'll tell you the truth even when you don't want to hear it. And to ask those questions, you need a face to ask them to.

Why do people trust people more than portfolios?

Because the work shows what you can do, and the person shows how you'll do it with them.

A portfolio tells you a professional has done forty projects. It doesn't tell you whether she'll call you back, whether she'll explain things in a way you understand, whether she'll treat you like a number. You look for those answers elsewhere. In the tone of what she writes. In the way she talks about a mistake. In a sentence that makes you think "she's understood my problem".

There's another, simpler mechanism too. People follow those who recognise their own problem far more than those who are simply good. You read a list of skills and forget it. Someone who tells you how they went through the same thing, you remember.

In my book I wrote that at sixteen I was too embarrassed to speak into an intercom. For someone whose job is helping people make decisions, it seemed like the least clever thing to put in writing. I wrote it anyway, because without that intercom I'd have been just an author with some qualifications. With the intercom, I was someone who had been there.

How do I show up on social media if I'm a private person?

Showing your face doesn't mean telling the world about your private life. You can leave out your family, your holidays, your breakfast. Nobody's asking you to go live from your sofa.

It means something simpler, and harder. Being there with your name and your voice behind what you publish. A real photo instead of the logo. Your name under your articles. "I" instead of "we" when you work alone. An opinion of your own on something in your field, even if some people won't agree.

For a private person, the easiest route usually runs through the work, told in the first person. Instead of "we delivered project X", tell people what went through your mind when the client called and where you had a doubt. It's still you talking about your work. Only this time people can see who's talking.

If what stops you is the fear of looking arrogant, I take that apart here: How to Get Noticed at Work, Without Selling Smoke.

What does it mean to sign your work?

It means putting your name to it, and so answering for what you say.

A logo protects you. If a post goes badly, "the studio" wrote it. If a piece of advice turns out to be wrong, it was "our approach". A signature takes that shelter away. When you write with your name and your face, every sentence is a promise you make yourself, in person.

And that's exactly why people trust it. Someone who signs is saying "I'm here, and I'm staying". Someone hiding behind a logo, even without meaning to, says the opposite.

Think of a craftsman you know. The carpenter who built your bookcase, the tailor who altered your suit for a wedding. You remember them by name, not by their company name. If something's wrong you call them back, and they answer, because that bookcase carries their name even if it isn't written anywhere. It's the same deal you offer when you show your face. The client knows who to turn to, and you know that what you deliver represents you. A deal like that raises the bar, of course. But people who are good at their job usually aren't afraid of a high bar.

The enemy, for a skilled technical person, is a comfortable habit. Believing that quality is enough, that results speak for themselves, that putting yourself forward is for people with little to show. That way, the very people with the most to say stay invisible.

Here's something to try this week. Take the last thing you published and ask yourself whether a stranger reading it could tell who wrote it and what they think. If the answer is no, rewrite it in your own voice and sign it.

If showing your face still feels strange, and you want to work out how to do it while staying yourself, let's grab a coffee. Thirty minutes to find the way that fits you.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a profile photo on social media as a professional?

If you sell expertise, almost always yes. People choosing a consultant or a professional can't properly judge technical quality, so they decide who to trust. A logo doesn't build trust the way a face and a name do. A real, recognisable photo is enough; it doesn't need to be perfect.

How can I be visible online if I'm a private person?

Showing your face doesn't mean sharing your private life. It's enough to be there with your name and your voice: a real photo, your name under your content, "I" instead of "we" if you work alone, your own opinions on your field. Talking about your work in the first person is often the most natural route for private people.

Why do clients trust people more than brands?

Because with many services, clients can't judge the quality even after using them. Economists call these credence goods, and consulting is one of them. In that case people choose the person: whether they're reliable, whether they listen, whether they'll tell the truth. To get a sense of that, you need to see who's behind the work.

What does it mean to put your face to your work?

It means signing what you do and answering in person for what you say. Without the shelter of a logo or a vague "we", every piece of content becomes a commitment made in the first person. That's exactly what builds trust: someone who signs shows they're here and intend to stay, even when some people might disagree.