The Simplest (and Most Effective) Way to Develop Your Personal Brand as a Writer
An authentic, human-centred approach for authentic humans.
Writers should get paid for doing what they love, which is something few people are truly capable of: entertaining, educating and inspiring others through the written word. Become a paid subscriber to How to Write for a Living for just £8 a month and unlock every article and resource in our archive.
How often have you heard the term “personal brand” used online in the last couple of years?
For a while, the phrase seemed to be everywhere on social media. Every man, woman, child, and pet chihuahua seemed to have their own personal brand (the chihuahua brands were sometimes the best of the bunch).
But what exactly is a personal brand? And why might you need to develop yours as a writer in 2024?
I like how
explains it:We are in a transition period in business.
When you meet with someone, what do you do beforehand?
You look them up online.
What do you do after that coffee meeting?
You look them up online.
What do you do when you’re trying to figure out how you can work together?
You look them up online.
What do you do when you’re choosing between working with one person versus another person?
You look them up online.
Over the next few years, this is only going to become more ingrained into the way we do business. We can’t help it. We make decisions based off what we see, and if all we see is an outdated presence online, we’re going to assume that person is outdated.
As authors, our personal branding is more important than ever.
We need to constantly remain aware of how we present ourselves online, especially on social media. Potential readers will automatically create a mental connection between, for instance, David McIlroy the Writer and David McIlroy the Very Average Human Being.
If they don’t like the latter or believe it’s influenced the former, they’ll be less likely to hit the Buy button on our book’s product pages, or subscribe to our mailing lists, or upgrade to our paid subscription tiers.
You might not like the sound of that (I don’t really like it myself, either), but it’s an unfortunate reality in today’s hyper-connected world. We all have more access to others, and are more accessible ourselves as a consequence.
It’s the dark side of the massive promotion capability of the internet.
There is good news, however, especially if you’re an introvert (like me).
Justin McLaughlin writes:
explains how he uses personal branding to build trust with his audience:There are tangible steps you can take to build a personal brand without draining your introvert social batteries or causing too much stress if you are dealing with imposter syndrome.
I share my journey online. I documented everything online and was honest and vulnerable about my experiences. The good, the bad and the ugly.
People resonated with my journey.
They could see themselves in the mistakes I made, the imposter syndrome I felt, and the challenges I’ve had to overcome.
They buy from me not because I’m the best, but because I’m relevant.
Not outdated. Not false.
Relevant. Real. Human.
(Read the rest of those articles, by the way - they’re super helpful).
Imagine if we, as writers, shared the nitty-gritty side of our journeys as often as the “Hey, read this post!” and “Buy my book!” content we’ve been conditioned to believe is the best way to reach people.
Imagine if we garnered trust and rapport with our audience over a period of time by talking about our real selves instead of hammering them with constant offers and promotions.
Personally, I know I’m more inclined to want to support the people I feel connected to, even if that connection only exists in the digital realm.
It’s why I respond to photos of their pets or the view from their kitchen window. It’s why I feel comfortable sharing those things myself.
If you want to develop your personal brand as a writer, find ways to connect with your audience on a human level.
Share your hopes and dreams, your fears and struggles, your motivations and inspirations. Share what you want, not what you feel you have to.
Let your readers walk with you in the rough times as well as the good.
And arrive at the story together.
Does the term “personal brand” give you the heebie-jeebies?
Can you share any tips you’ve picked up on how to develop one?
A little something extra from Medium
Make Money Every Day With This Simple Medium-Substack Ecosystem
3 Reasons to Stay on X/Twitter in 2024 (and 3 Reasons to Leave)
Thanks so much. I enjoy your writing and knowledge and information. Im from Portugal. Writing in Portuguese. Thanks for your tips. I will going to follow you, and very probable do your course. Wish you a great day.
I'm actually setting up an anonymous experiment running in the opposite direction of a personal brand. I have the framework all set and execution is just around the corner but I REALLY want to see how far a person without an identity can go. I've seen a few very successful faceless brands and it's intriguing enough that I want to try it.