I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again:
Personal branding is important. Often—gasp—more important than your company brand!
It’s also hard.
Because — despite my very practical suggestions on 5 ways to build your personal brand and how to get started on LinkedIn, both of which are even easier now after the AIpocalypse — I still get a lot of:
How do you do it?
I could never put myself out there!
I know I should but I just can’t press post.
It feels so cringey.
Here’s what I wish I knew before I started.
It’s not analytics or posting strategies.
It’s the personal side of personal branding!
1. It’s vulnerable.
The first time you post, it’s terrifying to hit send.
The second time you post, it’s nerve-wracking.
The 100th time you post, you don’t even think about it. 😂
And I’m not even talking about sharing your deepest thoughts.
Voicing professional opinions, learnings, or memories is still putting yourself out there.
So if it feels vulnerable, that’s okay, it’s normal, and it gets easier!
Because the other important thing is…
2. No one cares.
The first time you hit publish on something, you’re like, omg I’m going to have 100 trolls and everyone will make fun of me and I’m going to get fired because something I said with good intention is misinterpreted.
But only your 5 closest friends saw the post! Algorithm FTW.
Even when you’re posting regularly and getting some traction, people are still only skimming and thinking about their own lives.
Maybe they jot off a quick comment.
But they don’t notice “their” instead of “there,” your (always) wild bangs, or that you forgot to tag someone.
If they do, they forget one second later!
3. You control the controversy level.
I was sure the trolls would come for me.
One time they did.
But it wasn’t trolls.
It was…LAWYERS!
(Oh heyyyy nice lawyer friends who read this 👋👋 That was a JOKE! You’ll see where I’m going with this in a minute…)
I wrote this blog about keeping it scrappy on the legal front as a startup. In my LinkedIn post, I wanted to try out a little bit of 🔥🔥🔥 so I opened with:
Look at all that engagement:
But 90% was from lawyers telling me how terrible my advice was! Whomp whomp.
The marketing performance was amazing.
My personal stress levels were not.
It was the first post I ever wrote where people were kinda mean and angrily disagreeing.
I learned important lessons:
I don’t like being controversial.
You have control over how controversial you are.
Never argue with lawyers. 😂
Some people love to shake things up.
It’s powerful and interesting to have a contrarian perspective.
It’s also a great strategy for going viral and getting engagement.
I love that. I respect it. And it’s definitely not me.
But the good news is that I have very few (public? 😂) haters because it’s hard to troll someone who is generally positive.
So take that, haters! (jk jk jk. no controversy here.)
4. Other people can help you.
The 100% absolute best thing ever was working with Confetti Social.
I know and adore the founder, Evie Lutz. She “gets” me.
Confetti Social helps with ideas and copywriting for LinkedIn and Instagram based on blogs, photos, and other stories or insights I share.
Content gets scheduled and auto-posted.
I don’t have to decide which photos to use (a 30 minute task when left to my own devices).
I don’t have to agonize over word choice or other silly things that don’t matter because no one cares (See #2).
Having some separation from the go-live of a post helps a ton with speed, objectivity, and worrying about the performance of any single post.
Whether it’s AI, an intern, an agency, or pre-scheduling everything, creating some systems that give you emotional distance can be helpful for any recovering liberal arts grammar nerds perfectionists out there!
5. The cringe goes away.
Posting content on the internet — ESPECIALLY SELFIES — is cringey.
Agreed.
But now that I’ve:
done it 500x
connected with thousands of great people because of it
realized that I like other people’s photos so they probably like mine
added value to events, companies, and initiatives by sharing photos and stories about them!
I don’t feel cringey. It’s just the norm. Most people appreciate it. And those who don’t aren’t on social anyway!
6. Don’t be famous.
Luckily, I read this amazing article from Tim Ferris right before I became a global sensation:
11 Reasons To Not Become Famous
It’s easy to chase numbers without realizing what you want.
I am thrilled to have a kind community of folks who care about startups, the Southeast, tech, and wellness!
I want to know and be known by anyone who likes those things.
And since it’s not millions of people (yet), I can safely go to the grocery store without sunglasses and autograph requests.
Whew!
7. You have instant rapport.
I met a great founder who said:
“I know this sounds weird but I feel like I know you because I follow you on Instagram.”
A dream come true!!
No awkward “So what are you working on?” questions.
Just right into the real stuff because there’s a level of trust and comfort.
We can talk about money, compare notes on startup hiring, and trade kale recipes all within the first five minutes!
The downside, of course, is that sometimes I meet people briefly and forget their name or context.
But they can never forget me!!! (Even when they want to.)
I follow them around the internet with my face in their LinkedIn feed and The O’Daily in their Tuesday inbox.
Sorry in advance and please take pity on this tired mom brain and tell me your name again!
8. It works.
People did tell me this before I started.
(You were correct, Shannan Brooks!)
I knew it on an objective level.
But I didn’t really know.
I talk to people almost every day who will mention the blog, LinkedIn posts, or Founder Jog videos.
Or they’ll say, “I see you all the time in my feed” and then I jokingly but seriously apologize. (Also #sorrynotsorry that’s the algorithm y u clicking if you don’t want selfies and momjokes?!)
Here’s the magic:
It’s a conversation starter.
A connection point.
A way to stay in touch.
Be helpful.
Make “investors” less intimidating.
Share trends or lessons I’m learning.
Answer common questions.
Talk about special events or great founders.
And — most importantly — it makes the hard work of startups and life a little more fun! ✨
Thinking about posting more or building a personal brand? YES! I support you!
Would love to hear any other tips, learnings, or questions in the comments or reply to the email.
I’ll happily share any and all personal brand secrets.
(P.S. Biggest secret is…consistency over time. UGH. Laaaaame. 😉)
Your content always resonates with me and you also come across as genuine with the right mix of humor and humility, all qualities that it make a worthwhile read!