The Formula for Personal Branding

You could be the โ€œnext big thingโ€ in your industry.

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

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My forยญmula for perยญsonยญal brandยญing is different.

Thereโ€™s no shortยญage of online advice on estabยญlishยญing and mainยญtainยญing your perยญsonยญal brand.

But my perยญsonยญal brandยญing forยญmula is difยญferยญentโ€‰โ€”โ€‰itโ€™s actionยญable.

Here we go:

Formulas for Personal Branding

There are plenty of sugยญgesยญted forยญmuยญlas for perยญsonยญal branding:

Jennifer Holbus sugยญgests the 3 Cโ€™s: Clarity, Consistency, and Constancy. Kimberly Moniz sugยญgests the 5 Pโ€™s: Personal, Pointed, Prioritised, Purposeful, and Profitable. Abida Malik sugยญgests the 4 Cโ€™s: Clarity, Consistency, Content, and Connection. 1Holbus, J. (2018, October 24). The Three Cs of Personal Branding. Linkedinโ€‹.com. https://โ€‹wwwโ€‹.linkedโ€‹inโ€‹.com/โ€‹pโ€‹uโ€‹lโ€‹sโ€‹eโ€‹/โ€‹tโ€‹hโ€‹rโ€‹eโ€‹eโ€‹-โ€‹cโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹pโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹sโ€‹oโ€‹nโ€‹aโ€‹lโ€‹-โ€‹bโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹dโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹gโ€‹-โ€‹jโ€‹eโ€‹nโ€‹nโ€‹iโ€‹fโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹-โ€‹hโ€‹oโ€‹lโ€‹bโ€‹uโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹mโ€‹bโ€‹aโ€‹-โ€‹cโ€‹lโ€‹sโ€‹sโ€‹mโ€‹bโ€‹bโ€‹-โ€‹cโ€‹cโ€‹mp/ 2Moniz, K. (2023, October 4). Crafting Your Impactful Personal Brand: The 5 Pโ€™s Unveiled. Medium. โ€ฆ Continue readยญing 3Malik, A. (2023, August 9). Unveiling the 4Cs of Personal Branding. Linkedinโ€‹.com. https://โ€‹wwwโ€‹.linkedโ€‹inโ€‹.com/โ€‹pโ€‹uโ€‹lโ€‹sโ€‹eโ€‹/โ€‹uโ€‹nโ€‹vโ€‹eโ€‹iโ€‹lโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹gโ€‹-โ€‹4โ€‹cโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹pโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹sโ€‹oโ€‹nโ€‹aโ€‹lโ€‹-โ€‹bโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹dโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹gโ€‹-โ€‹aโ€‹bโ€‹iโ€‹dโ€‹aโ€‹-โ€‹mโ€‹aโ€‹lโ€‹ik/

Linda Evans sugยญgests a frameยญwork where the first letยญters are not identicยญal: Authentic, Compelling, Relevant, Cohesive, Trustworthy, and Consistent. 4Evans, L. (2021, April 29). 6 Attributes of Effective Personal Brands. Linkedinโ€‹.com. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/6โ€‘attributes-effective-personal-brands-linda-evans/

Thereโ€™s a strong case being made for consistency:

Brand Consistency in Social Media = Followers subยญscribe now (todayโ€™s brand perยญformยญance) on faith (tomorrowโ€™s brand perยญformยญance) via trust (yesterdayโ€™s brand perยญformยญance).

I found these sugยญgesยญted steps in the sciยญentifยญic litยญerยญatยญure: Introspection, Understanding, Developing, Mantra, Crafting, Digital Footprint, and Communicating.

โ€œPersonal brandยญing can lead to proยญfesยญsionยญal sucยญcess by definยญing yourยญself proยญfesยญsionยญally through six steps: introยญspecยญtion, underยญstandยญing, develยญopยญing, manยญtra, craftยญing, digitยญal footยญprint, and comยญmuยญnicยญatยญing.โ€
Source: Medical Reference Services Quarterly 5Philbrick, J., & Cleveland, A. (2015). Personal Branding: Building Your Pathway to Professional Success. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 34, 181โ€‰โ€”โ€‰โ€ฆ Continue readยญing

That is interยญestยญing, but where do you go from here?

The Power of Actionable Advice

Most online advice on perยญsonยญal brandยญing is excelยญlent and well-meanยญingโ€‰โ€”โ€‰but also self-evidยญent. What would be the alternยญatยญive to being authenยญtยญic, conยญsistยญent, and transยญparยญent? Disingenuous, inconยญsistยญent, and incomยญpreยญhensยญible? I bet most aspirยญing perยญsonยญal brands couldโ€™ve figured out as much.

But thereโ€™s a perยญsonยญal brandยญing lesยญson hidยญden behind all of these well-meanยญing but often non-actionยญable pieces of advice:

  • If you provide actionยญable conยญtent and some of your audiยญence gets (immeยญdiยญate!) resยญults, then those audiยญence memยญbers will be โ€œhooked.โ€

The โ€œimmeยญdiยญateโ€ part is critยญicยญalโ€‰โ€”โ€‰resยญults donโ€™t necesยญsarยญily have to be sigยญniยญficยญant. The interยญnet is littered with conยญtent telling people what to do in genยญerยญal terms. As a perยญsonยญal brand, you must find a way to break this cycle withยญin your niche.

Think about it briefly: In this blog post, Iโ€™ve givยญen you an overยญview of whatโ€™s been said elseยญwhere. Thatโ€™s all good, but what action can you take based on that informยญaยญtion? Iโ€™ve also poinยญted out that actionยญable conยญtent is more potent than informยญatยญive conยญtent, but howโ€‰โ€”โ€‰exactlyโ€‰โ€”โ€‰does that make your intenยญded conยญtent work for you?

It doesnโ€™t.

The Formula for Personal Branding

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Doctor Spinโ€™s Formula for Personal Branding

Hereโ€™s my actionยญable forยญmula for perยญsonยญal branding:

Stupid Majority + Smart Minority = PR Success

What do these conยญcepts mean?

Stupid Majority = a majorยญity of today that will steadยญily decline into a minorยญity of tomorrow.

Smart Minority = a minorยญity of today that will grow into a new majorยญity of tomorrow.

So, what do you have to do exactly?

Identify your Stupid Majority. For example, in my niche, the pubยญlic relaยญtions industry, there are plenty:

  • โ€œPR is all about pubยญliยญcity and media relations.โ€
  • โ€œDigital comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion is too techยญnicยญal for PR professionals.โ€
  • โ€œPR proยญfesยญsionยญals must talk using corยญporยญate platitudes.โ€
  • โ€œPR proยญfesยญsionยญals must send out shitty press releases.โ€
  • โ€œWorking with influยญenยญcers is marยญketยญing, not PR.โ€
  • โ€œPR will be okay once we figยญure out how to calยญcuยญlate ROI.โ€
  • โ€œThe PR funcยญtion should be repยญresยญenยญted at the Cโ€‘level no matยญter what.โ€
  • โ€œCorporate comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion and CSR must be โ€˜boomer borยญing,โ€™ cringe, and woke.โ€
  • โ€œPR proยญfesยญsionยญals donโ€™t have to know anyยญthing about web design, art dirยญecยญtion, or UIX.โ€
  • โ€œTo work with PR, you donโ€™t have to know anyยญthing about PR hisยญtory, acaยญdemยญic research, or theories.โ€
  • โ€œA PR strategy is the same as a PR plan.โ€

And so on. 

There are plenty of Stupid Majorities (and corยญresยญpondยญing Smart Minorities) everyยญwhereโ€‰โ€”โ€‰as long as youโ€™re willยญing to scratch the surยญface. You must brainยญstorm and proยญduce a list for your niche or industry to get started.

Once you start gainยญing tracยญtion, rememยญber that not everyยญone will love you. Thereโ€™s the paraยญdox of promยญinยญence and the Norman axiom.

Learn more: The Formula for Personal Branding

๐Ÿ’ก Subscribe and get a free ebook on how to get betยญter PR ideas.

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โ€œTop 50 Over 50โ€

The example:

An industry colยญleague of mine noticed that our culยญture celยญebยญrates youth. If youโ€™re past a cerยญtain age, youโ€™re often regarded as โ€œtoo old.โ€

There are โ€œtop 30 under 30โ€ in the busiยญness world, but rarely โ€œtop 50 over 50.โ€ This is, of course, stupid.

This is the drum his perยญsonยญal brand has been banging on for the last decยญade: artยญicles, semยญinars, pubยญliยญcity, and social media updates. Even though heโ€™s made a difยญferยญence, the fight with the Stupud Majoritl conยญtinยญues. His perยญsonยญal brand is more relยญevยญant and in demand to this day.

At first glance, it is not apparยญent how โ€œage disยญcrimยญinยญaยญtionโ€ fits with a perยญsonยญal brand in the PR industry. However, on second thought, PR is all about busiยญness relaยญtionยญships and how the media porยญtrays the realยญity we all have to live in.

Next Stepโ€‰โ€”โ€‰Actionable Content

My perยญsonยญal brandยญing forยญmula is deceptยญively simple:

Stupid Majority + Smart Minority = PR Success

Identify your Stupid Majority and become a chamยญpiยญon by providยญing actionยญable conยญtent for your Smart Minority. How come this works?

If youโ€™re interยญested in going deepยญer, I sugยญgest learnยญing more about:

In closยญing, I wonโ€™t wish you Good Luck.
Iโ€™m wishยญing you a Happy Fight!

Signature - Jerry Silfwer - Doctor Spin

Thanks for readยญing. Please supยญport my blog by sharยญing artยญicles with othยญer comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions and marยญketยญing proยญfesยญsionยญals. You might also conยญsider my PR serยญvices or speakยญing engageยญments.

PR Resource: More Personal Branding

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Doctor Spinโ€™s Personal Branding School

๐Ÿ’ก Subscribe and get a free ebook on how to get betยญter PR ideas.

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PR Resource: More PR Theories

PR Resource: Language of Fascination

The 7 languages of fascination.
The 7 lanยญguages of fascination.
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The Languages of Fascination

Author Sally Hogshead creยญated the concept and the visuยญal repยญresยญentยญaยญtion of the lanยญguages of fasยญcinยญaยญtion. Discover more at howโ€‹toโ€‹fasโ€‹cinโ€‹ateโ€‹.com.

โ€œ80% of people behave difยญferยญently when theyโ€™re fasยญcinยญated by a brand. They do research, talk to friends. In fact, conยญsumers report speยญcifยญic physยญicยญal responses to fasยญcinยญatยญing products: a faster heart rate and โ€˜thrillโ€™ of exciteยญment.โ€œ
Source: Sally Hogshead 6Hogshead, S. (2024, October 10). How to Fascinate. https://โ€‹wwwโ€‹.howโ€‹toโ€‹fasโ€‹cinโ€‹ateโ€‹.com/

Hogsheadโ€™s modยญel is a helpยญful primer for copyยญwritยญing for perยญsonยญal brands in all types of industries.

The 7 Languages of Fascination

  • Innovation is the lanยญguage of creativity.
  • Passion is the lanยญguage of relationships.
  • Power is the lanยญguage of confidence.
  • Prestige is the lanยญguage of excellence.
  • Trust is the lanยญguage of stability.
  • Mystique is the lanยญguage of listening.
  • Alert is the lanยญguage of details.

Hogsheadโ€™s 49 Personality Archetypes

Learn more: Take Hogsheadโ€™s โ€œFascinate Assessmentโ€

๐Ÿ’ก Subscribe and get a free ebook on how to get betยญter PR ideas.

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ANNOTATIONS
ANNOTATIONS
1 Holbus, J. (2018, October 24). The Three Cs of Personal Branding. Linkedinโ€‹.com. https://โ€‹wwwโ€‹.linkedโ€‹inโ€‹.com/โ€‹pโ€‹uโ€‹lโ€‹sโ€‹eโ€‹/โ€‹tโ€‹hโ€‹rโ€‹eโ€‹eโ€‹-โ€‹cโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹pโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹sโ€‹oโ€‹nโ€‹aโ€‹lโ€‹-โ€‹bโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹dโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹gโ€‹-โ€‹jโ€‹eโ€‹nโ€‹nโ€‹iโ€‹fโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹-โ€‹hโ€‹oโ€‹lโ€‹bโ€‹uโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹mโ€‹bโ€‹aโ€‹-โ€‹cโ€‹lโ€‹sโ€‹sโ€‹mโ€‹bโ€‹bโ€‹-โ€‹cโ€‹cโ€‹mp/
2 Moniz, K. (2023, October 4). Crafting Your Impactful Personal Brand: The 5 Pโ€™s Unveiled. Medium. https://โ€‹mediโ€‹umโ€‹.com/โ€‹@โ€‹bโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹dโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹gโ€‹wโ€‹iโ€‹tโ€‹hโ€‹kโ€‹iโ€‹mโ€‹bโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹lโ€‹yโ€‹/โ€‹cโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹fโ€‹tโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹gโ€‹-โ€‹yโ€‹oโ€‹uโ€‹rโ€‹-โ€‹iโ€‹mโ€‹pโ€‹aโ€‹cโ€‹tโ€‹fโ€‹uโ€‹lโ€‹-โ€‹pโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹sโ€‹oโ€‹nโ€‹aโ€‹lโ€‹-โ€‹bโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹dโ€‹-โ€‹tโ€‹hโ€‹eโ€‹-โ€‹5โ€‹-โ€‹pโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹uโ€‹nโ€‹vโ€‹eโ€‹iโ€‹led
3 Malik, A. (2023, August 9). Unveiling the 4Cs of Personal Branding. Linkedinโ€‹.com. https://โ€‹wwwโ€‹.linkedโ€‹inโ€‹.com/โ€‹pโ€‹uโ€‹lโ€‹sโ€‹eโ€‹/โ€‹uโ€‹nโ€‹vโ€‹eโ€‹iโ€‹lโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹gโ€‹-โ€‹4โ€‹cโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹pโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹sโ€‹oโ€‹nโ€‹aโ€‹lโ€‹-โ€‹bโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹dโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹gโ€‹-โ€‹aโ€‹bโ€‹iโ€‹dโ€‹aโ€‹-โ€‹mโ€‹aโ€‹lโ€‹ik/
4 Evans, L. (2021, April 29). 6 Attributes of Effective Personal Brands. Linkedinโ€‹.com. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/6โ€‘attributes-effective-personal-brands-linda-evans/
5 Philbrick, J., & Cleveland, A. (2015). Personal Branding: Building Your Pathway to Professional Success. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 34, 181โ€‰โ€”โ€‰189. https://โ€‹doiโ€‹.org/โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹.โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹8โ€‹0โ€‹/โ€‹0โ€‹2โ€‹7โ€‹6โ€‹3โ€‹8โ€‹6โ€‹9โ€‹.โ€‹2โ€‹0โ€‹1โ€‹5โ€‹.โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹1โ€‹9โ€‹324
6 Hogshead, S. (2024, October 10). How to Fascinate. https://โ€‹wwwโ€‹.howโ€‹toโ€‹fasโ€‹cinโ€‹ateโ€‹.com/
Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Kaufmann, Whispr Group, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.
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The Cover Photo

The cover photo isn't related to public relations obviously; it's just a photo of mine. Think of it as a 'decorative diversion', a subtle reminder that it's good to have hobbies outside work.

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Shareable:
You could be the โ€œnext big thingโ€ in your industry.
Shareable:
Personal branding is not rocket science.
Shareable:
My formula for personal branding hits differentโ€Šโ€”โ€Šitโ€™s actionable.
Shareable:
If you provide someone with content thatโ€™s actionable, and they take action, and they get (immediate) results from that actionโ€Šโ€”โ€Šthen you got them โ€œhooked.โ€
Shareable:
There are plenty of Stupid Majorities (and corresponding Smart Minorities) everywhereโ€Šโ€”โ€Šas long as youโ€™re willing to scratch the surface.
Shareable:
My formula for personal branding is deceptively simple.
Shareable:
Identify your Stupid Majority and become a champion by providing actionable content for your Smart Minority.
Shareable:
Do you need to boost your personal brand?
Shareable:
Anyone could benefit from having a strong personal brand.

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