Build a Personal Brand That's Not About YOU

📖 Read time: 3 minutes, 7 seconds

Every creator knows it:

A personal brand is powerful.

But, in their attempt to build one, they harm it:

Personal brands that are set up like this:

• Here's me
• Here's what I do
• Here's what I'm so good at

Does it excite you when someone else only talks about themselves?

No, right?

Why should you do it then?

There's a better way of doing this.

Less you, more them.

Good personal branding looks like this:

✅ Here's your problem.

✅ Here's how I can help you.

✅ Here's how it improves your life.

Your personal brand should show how you help your ideal audience.

You want to position yourself as the guide of the story, not the hero.

Your audience is the hero of the story.

Here are 5 steps to building a personal brand that is focused on your audience ↓↓

Step 1: Figure out the problem you solve

Building a brand starts with solving a problem.

There are a zillion problems in the world, but which one do YOU want to solve?

What’s causing you pain, frustration or simply want to improve?

It could be anything.

But, not every problem is worth-solving.

You can find an exciting problem to solve, but if nobody has that problem..

Well..

What are you exactly solving then?

So, how do you find a problem worth-solving?

By asking yourself the right questions:

• What are things that cause you pain?
• What do those around you thank you for?
• What's the reason your audience follows you? (tip: you can ask them, on your public feed or through DMs)
• What makes you feel fulfilled or serving a purpose?
• What do friends/family/coworkers ask you for advice?

Answer these questions and you have a good chance of finding "your problem" at the intersection of those answers.

One that you're passionate about combined with actual real-life demand.

(Note: to get valuable answers, having an engaged audience is important. In this article for Shield, I break that process down)

Step 2: Define your "niche"

Mention the word "niche" and creators freak out.

There are three camps of "niche-ers":

1. A group that found their "niche".
2. A group that thinks a niche is bullshit
3. A group that's desperately searching for their niche

What if I told you, that neither of you ^^, does have to pick 1 niche?

Sounds good, right?

Figure out 2-3 topics you can speak about to address the problem you defined.

That way, you don't have to pigeonhole yourself and stick with one topic.

(I speak about that framework in detail here.)

You want to create content about this problem that:

A) Shows your expertise in solving this.

B) Teaches your audience how to solve it themselves.

Up to you.

Step 3: Teach, not preach

Help your audience solve their problem.

You want to show your audience how you did X, not tell how you think you do X.

A subtle difference can mean the difference between failed content or a viral hit.

You can't create content to help your audience go from 6 to 7-figures in revenue if you haven't done it yourself.

Teach your audience the things you've done yourself, but in a humble way:

"This is how I did X, and this is what it did for me"

You want to document your own journey, instead of trying to be the guru.

Then, it's up to your audience to take from it what they want ✋

Step 4: Tell the world what you're about

Cool, by now you know which problem to solve and how to talk about that.

Next up:

Position yourself accordingly.

That allows your audience to know what you're about.

This has everything to do with your personal profile.

I won't go into detail here, as I wrote the ultimate checklist for an optimized profile on LinkedIn here.

Step 5: Show up consistent

Consistency is required to build trust and credibility with your audience.

You can't be helpful for 2 weeks and expect your audience to trust you.

It takes time to build that.

They say: show up daily.

But, what does that even mean?

Let's break it down:

+ publish daily

+ enable the 🔔 of your favorite creators

+ interact with their content the moment it’s life

+ publish content to solve the problem of your audience

+ take connection one step further by reaching out through DMs

Sounds like a big deal, hey?

Spoiler: it is easier than it seems.

Do this long enough and you set yourself apart from 99% of the creators:

TL;DR:

1. Find a problem you’re passionate about
2. Validate your audience has that problem, too
3. Define 3 subtopics to create content about
4. Help your audience get better or solve their problem
5. Optimize your LinkedIn profile to attract a relevant audience
6. Take small, daily steps to become a consistent creator
7. Watch your personal brand transform into a lead-generating asset

That's a wrap for today.

We chat again on Saturday.

If this email was valuable to you, could you share it with a friend so they could also benefit from this email?

Thanks in advance 💜

Much love,

Your-creator-friend,

Jessie

Also: when you're ready, here are three ways I can help you...

1. Get the free Content Management System.
   ​More clarity, more focus, and better performing content. Click here.​
2. Unlock the LinkedIn Growth System.
   ​Grow your personal brand on the fastest-growing writing platform. Click here.​
3. Work with me 1:1.
   ​Turn your personal brand into a lead-generating asset. Click here.