Originally published in 2008. Updated in 2025 as part of the Personal Branding Blog relaunch under Brown Brothers Media.
Starting a blog for your personal brand can feel overwhelming at first, but it’s one of the most effective ways to build credibility, share your expertise, and connect with your audience.
Blogging gives you a platform to express your ideas, develop your voice, and establish trust in your niche. With a clear plan and the right tools, anyone can begin turning their story and skills into a recognizable online presence.
1. Learn about blogging
Before you even start a blog around your brand, introduce yourself to the concept. It helps to know what you’re getting into before you rush in and “only fools rush in” as they say.
If you want to know the difference between traditional media and social media, check out this New York Times article (static), followed by a New York Times blog post (dynamic) on the same topic. Notice the difference in formatting and how the blog has comments open but the regular article doesn’t. The blog is more opinionated, while the traditional news article is straight fact.
Both have sharing features, but today that usually means posting on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Threads instead of Digg.
Alltop.com or Feedly can help you locate the best blogs in several categories.
2. Listen to current conversations
In order to start a successful blog, you need to know what you’re getting yourself into and what has already been talked about in the blogosphere. Here are a few current tools worth exploring:
- Feedly: This free RSS reader helps you follow blogs, newsletters, and news sources in one place. Subscribe to your favorite topics from marketing and branding to leadership or entrepreneurship, and skim headlines daily. Save interesting pieces with tools like Pocket or Notion Web Clipper for reference.
- Google Alerts: Set alerts for your name, brand, or niche keywords. It’s a simple way to track how your topics are being discussed across the web.
- LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter): Follow hashtags and thought leaders in your field. Platforms like LinkedIn Pulse and Threads can give you real-time insights into trending discussions.
This daily habit keeps your personal brand current. When you engage thoughtfully — by commenting or sharing insights — you also expand your visibility and credibility.
3. Take a niche
After a few weeks or even month, you will have a thorough understanding of what people are talking about, how they are responding and how you can join in on the discussion. Find a way to take a niche of a popular category or trend. The tricky part is that you need passion and expertise to backup your niche. Once you can lock down what you’re good at and enjoy, then find some angle, application or topic that coincides with it.
4. Get your equipment ready
Believe it or not, the technical part of blogging is the easiest part. Many blogs have really bad design layouts, but with 5 star content and are extremely popular. Some choose poor platforms, while others are technically proficient so they can build their own. This post is for beginners though, so here is what I recommend.
- Domain name: Secure your personal domain — ideally yourname.com. If that’s taken, try variations like yourname.co or yourname.me. Use reputable registrars like Google Domains, Namecheap, or GoDaddy.
- Platform: WordPress.org remains the gold standard for flexibility, but beginner-friendly options like Ghost, Squarespace, or Wix also work well. These platforms include built-in SEO, analytics, and newsletter tools.
- Hosting: Services like Bluehost, SiteGround, or WordPress.com Pro offer reliable hosting with one-click installs.
5. Pick your logo and theme
There are thousands of modern templates available, but the principle is the same: choose something clean and easy to navigate.
Start by picking a theme that allows you to upload a custom header or logo, something that reflects your personal style. Tools like Canva or Adobe Express can help you design a banner in minutes.
Colors and layout matter, too. I still recommend right-sidebars since people read left to right, and you want your content to stand out first.
6. Create your “personal brand page”
Your “personal brand page” is more important than any post you’ll ever write. Everyone wants to know the credibility of a personal brand before taking his or her posts seriously. Think about it, if a 5-year-old kid is blogging about marketing and CEO is blogging about marketing, whose are you going to pay more attention to? Describe yourself to your readers before even posting; it will make or break your blog. When titling your page, don’t use “author,” but rather your own name.
Best practice:
- Name
- Personal brand statement
- Professional picture
- Summary of qualifications
- Short paragraph about personal life
- LinkedIn profile badge (as a resume)
7. Set up your RSS or newsletter feed
Back when this article was first written, Feedburner was the go-to. Today, tools like Substack, ConvertKit, or Beehiiv handle subscriptions far better.
Having a subscriber base is still essential for growing loyal readers and building a community.
Your RSS count is VERY IMPORTANT because perception is everything. I really don’t care what the critics say, your RSS subscription base is one of the most important blog statistics. Trust me, PR people aren’t going to pitch their clients to you if you have 3 RSS subscribers, even if they are Barrack Obama and Madonna. Subscribers remain anonymous, so the number matters. DO NOT promote your RSS chicklet (shows the # of subscribers you have) unless you have over 150 subscribers. Otherwise, by the law of social proof, people will automatically perceive your blog as being “just another blog” or “unpopular.”
8. Claim your blog
Instead of Technorati, the modern version of “claiming your blog” is verifying it through Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
This allows you to monitor who’s linking to your blog, how people are finding it, and how your authority grows over time. You can also use simple analytics tools like Google Analytics or Fathom to track engagement.
9. Widgetize your blog
Once upon a time, bloggers filled their sidebars with every widget imaginable: blogrolls, weather updates, tag clouds, visitor counters, and flashy clocks. It was part of the fun, a way to make your site feel “alive.”
But in 2025, readers are more discerning, and design standards are higher. Most visitors come from mobile devices, where sidebars often disappear altogether. That means your widgets need to earn their place. If they don’t serve a real purpose, like helping readers engage, navigate, or subscribe, they’re just clutter slowing your site down.
That said, the idea behind widgets isn’t dead; it’s just evolved. A few key widgets still make sense today: an email subscription form, a “related posts” section, and simple social-follow buttons. These tools guide readers to explore your content further and connect with you beyond the blog.
A short, well-chosen blogroll can still add value, too — not for SEO or backlinks, but for relationship-building. When you highlight other creators you genuinely admire, you’re creating community, not just collecting links.
If you do decide to “widgetize,” think strategy over style. Choose widgets that directly support your goals and keep them minimal. Check how they perform on mobile, and use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to ensure they’re not hurting your load times. A clean, functional sidebar can quietly enhance your reader’s experience, but a messy one can drive them away before they even finish your first paragraph.
Pro tip:
Use widgets to support one clear action, whether that’s subscribing, sharing, or exploring more of your content. Review them every few months and remove anything that isn’t actively helping your readers or your brand.
In short, widgets aren’t the secret to success they once were. But when chosen wisely and kept purposeful, they can still give your blog a polished edge and make your site feel more like a home than a billboard.
10. Write 5 remarkable posts
As a blog coach for a Fortune 500 company, I always recommend executives writing at least 5 posts before they publish a single one. I give this advice because no one wants to visit or read a blog with no content. A lot of people don’t trust blogs with only one or two posts. To launch your blog successfully and seriously, put some thought into 5 remarkable posts and then publish each one in a given week.
Conclusion
Building a personal brand through blogging is not an overnight process. It’s a journey of learning, consistency, and self-expression.
By following these ten steps, you’ll gain technical confidence and uncover your authentic message and audience. Keep refining your voice, engage with others, and stay true to your purpose.
Over time, your blog will become more than a platform. It will be your digital legacy.
This article is part of Personal Branding Blog’s Legacy Series — highlighting timeless insights from our archive. Learn more about our story here.
