Hallie Warner shares 8 things to start doing today to build your personal brand
Love it or hate it, the conversation around building a personal brand is not going away anytime soon. In fact, creating and managing your personal brand is only going to continue to grow in importance. And that’s a good thing because it gives you more control over your career and your future.
The World Economic Forum named analytical thinking, creative thinking, leadership and social influence, curiosity and lifelong learning, and motivation and self-awareness as five of businesses’ top 10 skill priorities for 2027 – all of which can be demonstrated by building a personal brand.
Building a personal brand is attraction marketing at its finest. If you want opportunities to come to you, investing time and energy into building your brand just makes sense.
Don’t worry, it’s not only about social media, but it is about being intentional and strategic about your online presence. It’s about developing your overall thought leadership while maintaining authenticity to cultivate a personal brand that, if done well, will help you land promotions, take on new projects, and build your career on your terms.
Here are 8 things you can start doing today to build your personal brand.
1. Curate Your Input
Your thoughts, your mindset, your business acumen, and your ability to engage in multi-dimensional conversations with key stakeholders is all dependent on what you are reading, listening to, andd watching, as well as who you surround yourself with. Your output will only be as good as your input. So, what content are you currently consuming? Does it align with your career goals? Will it help you be a better leader and strategic partner? Does it provide you with insights and knowledge to prepare you for your next opportunity?
The first step in building a personal brand starts with building a solid foundation of lifelong learning and a laser-focused vision of what input will help you create the best output.
2. Lead Up
One of the best ways to establish your personal brand is by leading up to your executive, as well as to the rest of the leadership team or other key stakeholders. And with all this targeted content you’re consuming, you’ll be ready to go.
Simply identify articles, books, podcast episodes, etc. that are relevant to your executive or to the overall business goals, and share. A thoughtfully crafted email to your leadership team that clearly identifies a pain point in the company or brings forth a new business idea, coupled with a resource such as an article or podcast episode (bonus points for highlighting specific sections), goes a long way towards building your leadership skills and increasing your visibility in the organization.
3. Share Your Insights and Experiences on Social Media
Now, we’re going to take your insights to the proverbial streets. This is where you can really start putting the personal into personal brand. The stories about who you are and how you got to where you are today are your competitive advantage. What are you already known for? What are your three key areas of expertise? What stories inspire you? What do you wish you knew when you were first starting in your career? The answers to these questions are all clues to what you can, and should, be talking about and sharing on social media.
Start today by sharing your thoughts on a recent blog post you read, post a thought-provoking question to start a conversation with your network, or post a quote and include your comments about what it means to you.
Consistency is key here. To establish yourself as the go-to person in a particular area or to create interesting content that attracts future opportunities, you need to show up regularly over time.
4. Answer Questions – Everywhere
Whether it’s a direct email, a question on your company’s internal system, or a general question on LinkedIn or in a Facebook group, if you have the answer, can add value to the conversation, or can provide your unique perspective and advice to the person asking the question – do it! One of the easiest ways to be “that person” in whatever areas of your career or life you’ve identified is by answering questions and leaving comments.
Search for social media groups or other online forums that discuss the topics you are building your personal brand around. These could be general executive Assistant groups where you know you could provide immediate impact, a niche group like AI for Assistants, or a broader category of topics and industries that you are interested in like finance, non-profits, or entrepreneurship.
Join the groups that align with your goals and answer as many questions as you can, always leading with value. Provide fresh ideas and solutions and serve others first. When done consistently (yes, there’s that consistency again!), you’ll be surprised how quickly people start to identify you as a thought leader in that space.
5. Pitch Yourself for Podcasts
The ability to share your ideas in multiple formats is a skill. There are podcasts on virtually every topic, so use all of your unique attributes to do your research. For example, the following could all be angles to use to get your foot in the door to share your stories and expertise: Were you a college athlete? Are you child-free by choice? Have you authored a book? Have you competed in triathlons? Were you the first person in your family to attend university? Did you start a non-profit? Did you create an administrative alliance at your company?
Once you’ve decided on all the diverse topics and aspects of your brand that you can tap into, create a list of the podcasts that match. Listennotes.com is a great place to search.
Next, start sending emails to those podcasts and let them know why you would be a great fit for their audience. Include a few key topics or interview questions that they could use to guide the conversation. Aim to make it an easy “yes” for them.
The beauty of being on other people’s podcasts (aside from not having to do any of the production yourself!) is that once the podcast is live, you can maximize that one piece of content by sharing it with your network, further building your personal brand through social proof.
6. Host a Webinar or Training
Teaching about a subject that you are an expert on is a wonderful way to start to get your name and ideas out into the world. Whether you choose to host a webinar, a live weekend retreat, or a small training session at your office, the effect is the same – one more step towards building your thought leadership and personal brand.
What could you give a presentation about right now without any preparation? Start there.
7. Network with Intention
Networking is one of those concepts that needs a rebranding. Networking, in-person or online, can often feel invasive or salesy, especially when it’s clear that the other party is just looking for what you can do for them. Don’t be that person! Networking is a conversation, an exchange of values, and a commitment to building a relationship (which may last a week or a lifetime).
Just as you share insightful ideas, articles, thought-provoking questions or other content with your executive or leadership team, so, too, should you share with those you are emailing or messaging on LinkedIn. In addition, especially on LinkedIn, and other social platforms as well, many of the individuals you may be connecting with and asking questions of do that sort of advising and consulting for a living. Offer to pay them for their time if it’s an extensive question or request.
Building relationships is a key component of building your personal brand; just remember to provide value before you ask for something in return.
8. Schedule It
Building your personal brand and developing your thought leadership doesn’t happen by accident. If you are committed to getting a result, then commit to scheduling time to make it happen.
At the very least, I would recommend setting aside time in your calendar for the following activities: input (reading newsletters, blogs, and books, listening to podcasts, etc.), answering questions in target groups, creating and sharing content on social media, creating and sharing content with your leadership team. Those four activities, done consistently each week, will create momentum and lead to other personal branding ideas and growth opportunities.
Conclusion
Building a personal brand is a vital component of a career growth plan. Having a distinct viewpoint, never being indifferent to the ideas of the day, and consistently sharing your ideas and insights is all part of becoming a thought leader and positioning yourself for future opportunities. As Jeff Bezos said, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
So give them something to talk about – something you choose.
