The truth about personal branding (that no one tells you)
12/14/24 • Branding

The truth about personal branding (that no one tells you)

The truth about personal branding (that no one tells you)

Something happened to personal branding.

It used to be simple—shake hands, do good work, and let your reputation grow naturally. Whether at networking events or industry meetups, it felt authentic. And it was.

Today, “personal branding” has become this weird, artificial thing. Post three times a day! Use these hashtags! Follow this formula! Create this much content! It feels fake and forced. And honestly? It kind of is.

With the new year right around the corner, I’ve been having a lot of conversations with founders and creatives who feel stuck. They know they need to establish their presence online, but something’s holding them back.

(Btw, if you just rolled your eyes at “personal branding,” I get it. I did too when I first started exploring this stuff. It gets easier.)

But here’s the thing—you can’t ignore it. Your digital presence matters now more than ever. It’s your handshake before the handshake. Your interview before the interview. Your pitch before the pitch. And if you’ve been putting this off until “someday,” well… let’s make someday January 1st.

I’ve mentored a lot of founders and creatives, and I keep seeing the same pattern: The ones who figure out how to be themselves online—authentically, consistently, naturally—are the ones who win. And with a fresh year ahead of us, there’s no better time to get this right.

So let me show you how to do this properly.

The Foundation: Who are you really?

Not who you think you should be. Not who some “influencer” said you need to be.

Who. Are. You.

Start here:

Write it down. Right now. I’ll wait.

(Seriously, go write it down. This isn’t just filler text—it’s the foundation of everything else we’re going to do!)

Finding your “place”

Let’s talk platforms. And don’t worry, you don’t need to be everywhere. You just need to be where your work shines and your people hang out. That’s all.

Take LinkedIn. It’s having a moment right now. Really. It’s not just that stuffy place for job hunters anymore. It’s become this wild mix of opportunity and real conversation.

But maybe LinkedIn feels too corporate for you. Maybe you’re more of a Threads person, where sharp insights travel fast. Or Instagram, if your work has a visual story to tell.

Pick one. Master it. The others can wait. But if you want to be everywhere at once, tools like Typefully come in pretty handy (I use it personally and love it).

Your secret weapon is YOU

Here’s what most “personal branding experts” won’t tell you: Your quirks are your strength.

That weird way you explain complex ideas using pizza analogies? Keep it.
Your obsession with finding patterns in everything? That’s gold.
The fact that you geek out about the tiniest details in your work? People love that stuff.

Your unique value isn’t just what you know—it’s how you see things. How you solve problems. How you communicate.

That’s what makes you memorable. Not your perfectly curated feed or your carefully crafted “thought leadership” posts.

A simple action plan

Look, I could give you a 47-point checklist. But you wouldn’t use it. Instead, here’s what actually works:

  1. Pick ONE platform where your people hang out
  2. Show up consistently (2-3 times a week is plenty)
  3. Share what you know, what you learn, and what you think
  4. Help others generously
  5. Be patient (this is a slow-burn game)

That’s it.

No fancy strategies. No growth hacks. Just genuine content and expertise, shared consistently with people who need it.

Creating content that matters

So you want to create content that matters? The secret to great content is to write like you talk.

Forget about sounding “professional.” Just be yourself. Believe it or not, most algorithms are designed to reward authenticity. You don’t need to jump on every trend—the platform has enough people doing that already. Instead, share your:

And when you write, imagine you’re talking to one person. Not your “audience.” Not your “followers.” One. Real. Person.

The last thing you need to know

Your personal brand isn’t something you create—it’s something you uncover. It’s already there in how you think, how you work, and how you help others.

All we’re doing is amplifying that.

Remember: You don’t need to be the loudest voice. You just need to be the clearest voice for the right people.

And if you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to start? Well, a new year is coming. But more importantly—there’s never a time like the present.

The internet is waiting for your voice. Make it count.

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