You want to start creating content for yourself online. You’ve been thinking about it for a long time and have many ideas. And then someone asks you, “What do you want to be known for?” And suddenly you freeze and feel like you’re taking a branding test you didn’t study for. Months go by before you even consider sharing content again. But it doesn’t have to be this way!
Here are two things I’ve learned about personal branding:
- You don’t know have to know what you want to be known for to start creating a personal brand. In fact, you often discover what you want to be known for by creating.
- Thought leadership isn’t always clarity → content → personal brand → speaking/consulting/book deal, etc. It can also be content → clarity → different content → more clarity → different content → speaking/consulting/book deal, etc.
Action Brings Clarity to Your Personal Brand
You don’t have to start with clarity. You just have to start. Your voice grows as you create, publishing consistently is the fastest way to find your personal brand.
Having clarity and a clear through-line in your content will help you stand out and help people identify you as an expert. But it doesn’t have to be static. It can change and evolve with you. And as you work toward something, it will become easier for you to discern who you are and who you aren’t, and find clarity along the way.
Which Creator Type Are You?
Typically, I see three types of people holding themselves back from developing their brand and creating thought leadership content.
Type 1: The Visionary
You know what you’re all about and what your big goals are, but you just aren’t present on social media. People know you’ve got something to say, you just haven’t found the time to say it.
To start creating and supporting your bigger goals, you may just need a little help fine-tuning the language and messaging and maybe some gentle nudges to take action.
Type 2: The Creator
You share on social media all the time. You have a lot of big goals and dreams, and a busy life, and you share all of it with the world. People know you do something important, but they don’t really know what that is. You dream of being known for something, and you’re ready to talk about it once you figure out what that something is.
To find clarity, reflect on your content and identify any consistent themes that emerge from what you’re sharing. Try creating a series of posts about a single topic you’re interested in and see if it lights you up.
Type 3: The Dreamer
You have a deep desire to create something and share your gifts, but you’re still figuring out what those are and what your end goal is. There are so many options! People don’t even really know you have something to say. You’ve held yourself back from sharing because you don’t want to say the wrong thing or change your mind and be judged for it.
To find clarity, you must start creating. And through the content you create, patterns will emerge, and upon reflection, your intuition will guide you to clarity.
Personally, I was stuck for a long time. I dreamed of achieving big goals for my business and my side project, The Make Great Friends Blog, but I was overwhelmed, afraid of rejection and a million other little things. Then, a few months ago, I took a huge step forward on social media. I began sharpening my message and posting more. It took a village and an amazing community to help me get to this point. And some days I still don’t know exactly where I’m heading, but I am so glad that I started.
The Creation Loop: An Easy Way to Find Your Voice
Here’s a strategy on how to make creation part of the discovery:
Write
- Write 100 words about what matters to you right now. It doesn’t matter what that is. It could be what you love to make for dinner. It could be what you’re doing at work.
- Copy and paste those words into ChatGPT and work with it to create 5-10 posts based on your writing.
- Select the 3-5 posts that you connect with.
- Proofread and edit these posts. Use AI as much as you want to speed up this process, but don’t let it do all the writing for you. Here’s an article that will help you spot AI writing and write something that sounds like you.
- Set it aside for a few days, or as long as it takes for you to look at the writing with fresh eyes.
- Proofread and edit the posts again so that they feel authentic and in your voice.
- Publish your content as often as you’re comfortable with.
Reflect
- After publishing, take a second to celebrate the fact that you published something. Practice makes progress.
- Try not to get caught up in analytics, especially in the beginning.
- Instead, ask yourself: What themes are showing up in my content? What do people respond to most? What feels like me when I re-read it?
Repeat
- Do this exercise again for as long as it takes.
- Be consistent, hold yourself accountable and take time to reflect so that each time you create, you move closer and closer to your vision. Remember: what matters is forward movement.
If This Sounds Overwhelming, Get Guided Support
The sooner you start creating with intention, the sooner your message will reveal itself.
And if you’re already creating but don’t see the thread? I can help.
If you’re sitting on a dozen ideas and no clear “message,” I can help you find the gold and turn it into something that opens doors. Book a clarity coaching session on how to find your personal brand today.