---
title: "How to create a Gravatar profile photo for commenting as a publisher"
updated: 2026-05-14
---

# How to create a Gravatar profile photo for commenting as a publisher

Gravatar is a free third-party service that links a profile image to your email address. Publishers can use a Gravatar as their comment avatar on beehiiv — if you haven't uploaded a profile picture to your beehiiv account, your Gravatar will automatically serve as the fallback, as long as it's registered to the same email address. No extra setup required.

Gravatar is only available as a fallback for publisher accounts. Subscribers who haven't uploaded a profile picture will see an auto-generated gradient avatar.

To update your beehiiv profile picture as publisher or subscriber, see [How to add or update your beehiiv profile picture](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4412594184599).

> **Tech Note**
>
> If you already have a Gravatar account, make sure that the email associated with your beehiiv subscription is added to your Gravatar profile. Then, follow the instructions below to update your profile photo, starting with step 5.

1.  [Go to en.gravatar.com](http://en.gravatar.com/) and click on the **Get Started Now** button.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/35573676618775)
2.  Enter the email associated with your beehiiv account in the text field, then click on the **Continue** button.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/35573676619415)
3.  Gravatar will send you a one-time code to create your account. Retrieve this code from your email, then enter it in the text field. Once added, click on the **Continue** button.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/35573661061015)
4.  On the next page, click on **Avatars** in the left panel, or click on the default profile picture to edit.   
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/35573661062167)
5.  On the left, click on the **Upload** button to select an image.   
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/35573661063447)
6.  Once uploaded, you’ll be given the opportunity to edit your photo. When completed, click on the **Done** button.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/35573661063959)
7.  You'll be brought back to the Avatars page where you'll see your Gravatar has been set up.   
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/35573661064983)

> **Tech Note**
>
> It may take up to 20 minutes for your profile picture to appear in beehiiv. Try refreshing your browser to confirm it’s updated. If it still hasn’t changed, try clearing your cache and reloading the page.