What’s the fastest way to build a personal brand that can make you famous?
Start creating content.
Pick a topic that you are passionate about.
Choose a channel (social media, website, blog, newsletter, podcast, etc) that you are comfortable with.
Start publishing.
Do it consistently.
Watch your name and fame grow!
Let’s see some examples from basic to more advanced.
Riva, age 13, is passionate about marine conservation. She says “the greatest danger to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” She loves scuba diving, reading about the ocean, watching YouTube video and amassing as much knowledge as she can about the world under the sea. To share her passion with her friends and encourage them to think about their role in saving the oceans, she started an Instagram page Conserve The Ocean Now where she posts photos, reels and stories. She’s just getting started but has already built her personal brand in her circles and beyond. She happens to be my younger daughter and I’m incredibly proud of her.
Anand, 48, says he writes “to explore, understand and connect with my own heart” on his blog, Ananda Only, through which he shares his musings with the world. While Anand may not be seeking global fame, this has been a consistent way for him to build brand Anand and forge deeper relationships with his family, friends and business associates.
Judy Jackson is Global Head of Culture and Engagement at WPP. She recently started a 1-minute series on LinkedIn called “Lessons for my daughter” through which she hopes to strike an emotional connect with her followers. Going by the comments she has received, it is clear that she is strengthening her personal brand through creating this very relatable content to share with her network.
Sattar Khan, is a highly experienced brand strategist with over three decades of experience. He is passionate about visual thinking. In fact I’ve had so many wonderful conversations with him in which he waxed eloquent about the power of visuals. I was delighted when he created Strategygram, a series for The Economic Times in which condenses one strategic thought into one image creating a collectible series. I admire the humungous effort that goes into distilling complex ideas into easily digestible and practical prompts. Check out a few like The elasticity of affection and The strategy as a story. You can see Sattar’s brilliant collection of Strategygrams here. There are many brilliant brand strategists out there but by being a creator, Sattar has set himself uniquely apart by building his personal brand.
One more example is The English Nut, a YouTube channel started by one of my colleagues in WPP, SumantoChattopadhyay, a veteran adman. Sumanto is passionate about the English language with all its oddities and this clearly comes through in all his videos. He has built up over 140k subscribers on YouTube. What a powerful way for him to build up his credibility and expertise when it comes to words
So there you are - a range of examples to show you how you can easily do it!
By creating content on a topic you are passionate about or are an expert on, you can avoid talking about yourself. People don’t like to advertise their achievements but as you can see from the examples above, you can build a personal brand by showcasing and sharing your expertise, knowledge and passion.
Over to you now:
What topics are you most passionate about?
What do you think would be the benefits of sharing your passion with others?
Which mediums would be most suitable for you?