personal brand? it’s not about you.
For some, personal brand becomes a bit of an obsession in both work and personal lives. It’s easy to get caught up in how we appear to others, especially with the role social media plays (if we let it).
I spend a limited amount of time each day on social channels and now share regularly. I’m often told I have a positive personal brand, and that’s great to hear. But it’s not about me. And your personal brand isn’t about you, either.
Here’s what I mean by that.
Endlessly posting about your achievements or opinions is a fruitless task. Eventually, it works against you, confusing or even annoying your audience. A strong personal brand is built by consistently focusing not on yourself, but on others. It’s about sharing content that’s interesting and useful to the right people. The less you make it about yourself, the more people will pay attention. Because when you focus on your audience, you deliver value.
meaning above metrics.
If you use LinkedIn professionally (and you should), you’ve probably noticed some people focus on engagements on their posts, or follower numbers, or posts going ‘viral’. Likes, comments, and shares are tempting to chase, and it’s easy to get caught up in the analytics or “what the algorithm wants.” But in my experience, that misses the point.
The goal isn’t to reach a lot of people. It’s to reach the right people.
And sometimes, if you only look at engagement or followers, you won’t have measurable proof that you’re making an impact. But that doesn’t mean you’re not.
On LinkedIn, the average engagement rate by impressions is said to be a tiny 3% -5%. That means around 95% of people who see your post won’t interact with it. But that doesn’t mean they weren’t influenced by it. Impact can be made without immediate evidence, and its made over time. I’ve lost count of how often someone has told me they love my posts on LinkedIn, despite never liking or commenting on a single post! It’s a powerful reminder to keep sharing and not get hung up on the metrics.
be useful.
When thinking about what to share, don’t ask, “What do I want to say?” or “What do I want people to think of me?” Instead, ask: “What would be helpful, useful, or interesting for someone else to hear?”
That ‘someone else’ should be the people you most want to connect with, whether that’s peers, customers, or future employers.
This shift in mindset, from ‘you’ to ‘them’, changes everything. Your content becomes a resource, not a showreel. You’re not promoting yourself; you’re contributing to the community. And that feels far more palatable to everyone, especially those who’d rather stick pins somewhere painful than talk about themselves in public!
How do I know? Well, I used to be that person.
Not long ago, the idea of posting on LinkedIn made me cringe. Sharing online, or worse still, speaking in public, was anxiety-inducing. But with encouragement and support, I pushed through and started doing just that. Now, it feels natural for me to offer insights that might help others, or be interesting, useful, or entertaining.
Whether it’s a lesson learned, a helpful contact, or a thoughtful question, sharing for your audience (not for yourself) turns your personal brand into a lighthouse for others navigating similar paths.
life goes on beyond social.
Social platforms are just one channel. Your personal brand is built mostly in real life, in calls, meetings, and in your everyday words and actions. That’s why authenticity matters. When people meet you, they should recognise the same person they’ve seen online.
I mentioned public speaking (once my greatest fear!) and industry events, for example, are powerful spaces to build your brand. Whether you’re on a panel or in the audience, focus on others in your interactions:
ask thoughtful questions or offer insights
help others solve problems
share your perspective with humility and clarity
ask people about themselves, and listen
I’m not saying don’t ever talk about yourself. People need and want to hear about who you are and what you do. But do it from the perspective of the person in front of you. What would they find useful to hear?
it’s okay to be unsure.
Just as I used to, many people hesitate to share publicly. They worry it’s self-promotion, they feel they don’t know what to say, or they fear they have nothing worth saying. So let me encourage you again…
If you’ve learned something that could help someone else, don’t keep it to yourself. Sharing isn’t showing off, it’s supporting. And although consistency is important, you don’t need to be loud or post daily to be valuable. Quieter, selective voices often carry the deepest insights.
So, start small. Share a tip. Reflect on a challenge. Recommend a tool. Ask a question. Your personal brand is built by serving others and sharing what matters to them, and you do it not for applause, but for impact. Someone out there might need exactly what you have to offer. And they won’t know unless you share it.