Originally published in 2008. Updated in 2025 as part of the Personal Branding Blog relaunch under Brown Brothers Media.
I’ve been asked by a lot of people for an article that introduces personal branding. I went searching through my archives and realized I didn’t have a clear, high-level primer for newcomers.
More and more educators are interested in this space, and most of my posts assume basic knowledge and skills. So let’s talk about it — here are the essentials you need to start building your brand.
The history of personal branding
Tom Peters’ August 1, 1997 Fast Company article, “The Brand Called You,” reframed career development for the new millennium. Instead of relying on a company for direction, you take ownership of the brand called you. Back then the “free agent” idea was controversial; today it’s common sense.
Now, accessible digital tools make it easier to shape your brand intentionally.
How the modern web changed everything
Before today’s social platforms, standing out required traditional press, gatekeepers, and lots of luck. You might meet a handful of people at an event or in class, but your reach was limited.
The social and creator economy changed that. You can publish ideas instantly, connect across industries, and build visibility at low cost. What I once called “Me 2.0” still applies—only the toolkit is broader. Think LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, podcasts, newsletters, portfolios, and community platforms. With time and consistency, your voice can travel worldwide.
Why personal branding was inevitable
There are two main reasons why personal branding is becoming a core part of our culture. Sadly, it’s nothing revolutionary!
First, we are all being judged all the time, even when we’re sleeping (our online profiles are still up!).
Second, we have to constantly sell our ideas to teachers, managers, venture capitalists, our friends and family, to make things happen in our lives. We have to convince them to take action.
Personal branding defined
In 2007, I gathered a group of international brand and career experts to collaborate on a single definition for personal branding. After analyzing the definition and reciting it in a few presentations back then, I felt it was too long, thus no one could remember it.
So, here’s the short version I’ve used ever since:
Personal branding: how we market ourselves to others.
The personal branding process (DCCM)
1) Discover
The first thing you need to do is to figure out who you are, what you want to do in life, while focusing on your strengths, passions and goals. After that, you should create a development plan that aligns your short-term and long-term goals and, finally, a personal marketing plan.
2) Create
Build the assets that represent you.
Traditional: business card, résumé/CV, references, portfolio samples.
Digital: updated LinkedIn profile, a focused personal site or portfolio, professional headshots, selected work samples or case studies, and—if relevant—GitHub, Behance/Dribbble, Substack, or a short video intro. Use platforms where your audience actually is.
While you create your brand, ensure that the content, including pictures and text, are concise, compelling and consistent with how you want to represent yourself.
3) Communicate
After you’ve created your brand, it is only natural (and human instinct) that you want people to see what you’ve done.
Depending on your audience (hiring manager, teacher, clients), you may want to tweek your materials accordingly. To properly communicate your brand, through self-promotion, you need to have your story down pat and find the right sources that would be interested in what you have to say.
I would recommend promoting others before you promote yourself as well. Communication consists of thoughtful LinkedIn posts, guest posting on blogs, targeted podcast or newsletter pitches, selective speaking, smart outreach, and industry events (in-person or virtual).
4) Maintain
As you grow, the brand people see has to grow at the same time. For every new job, award, press article, and client victory (to name a few), everything you have created has to reflect that.
The reason is simple: You want to use what you did in the past to get what you want in the future.
Also, as you become more popular, your reputation will be knocked around and tossed throughout the web, from blog post, to tweet, to video, and more. You’ll want to keep a close eye on where your name is.
Personal branding by career stage
High school student: Admissions are competitive. Position yourself as worthy of a top program: strong grades, test performance (where used), authentic essays, alumni relationships, and a clean, purposeful digital footprint.
College student: A college student is interested in either getting an internship, starting a business or getting a corporate job upon graduation. They have to compete on experience and network extremely hard in order to get a job. They need to position themselves as superior relative to their peers. This means, becoming a leader in college organizations, meeting as many people as you can, forming a personal branding toolkit and starting when you’re a freshman are critical to your success.
Corporate employee: If you work for a company, and enjoy doing so, then personal branding becomes the cornerstone for how you move up the hierarchy and become recognized as a leader.
Entrepreneur: An entrepreneur needs to think about branding his or her company, as well as him or herself in the process of establishing a business. The entrepreneurs brand must reflect the company, yet be set apart from it simultaneously. The entrepreneurs brand is VERY important in securing venture capital.
Consultant: These individuals are obviously all about personal branding because it’s all they got. Many consultants brand themselves as masters of a specific trade (at least the good ones). They are able to track value and attribute it to the work they provide for clients.
Three laws of personal branding
1. Authenticity: You need to be yourself because everyone else is taken and replicas don’t sell for as much. Furthermore, you need to define your brand before someone else does for you!
2. Transparency: It’s better to be straightforward and honest, than lie and have your actions work against you.
3. Visibility: The notion that if you aren’t known, you don’t exist.
Five benefits of personal branding
- Promotions: Anyone who is ambitious and works at a company will want to move up. By building your personal brand, you become the best choice for a promotion.
- Happiness: By aligning who you are with what you do and appending goals to it, you can turn “work” into a “hobby.” You can position yourself on a topic you love, so you get paid to do what you would count as a hobby.
- Compensation: Personal brands command premium prices. Just like Apple and Gillette can charge more for products you can get for less, you can do the same.
- Business: People want to purchase from other people who they know, like, trust. When you make those people happy that they chose you, by giving them great results, they will refer you to even more people.
- Perks: Strong brands get perks. For instance, I get free books from authors and other bloggers get free products, such as limited edition Pepsi cans. Celebrities, like Halley Berry, don’t have to pay for anything because of who they are.
Conclusion
Personal branding is no longer optional. It’s the foundation of every professional path, whether you’re climbing a corporate ladder, building a business, or just starting out. Your name, reputation, and digital presence travel farther than any résumé ever could, and they continue speaking for you long after you log off.
The process isn’t about self-promotion for its own sake. It’s about clarity, consistency, and contribution. When you understand who you are, create assets that reflect it, communicate your value clearly, and maintain your reputation over time, your brand becomes an authentic extension of your work and character.
A strong personal brand helps you open doors instead of waiting for them to open. It turns your experience into influence and your goals into opportunities. Start small, stay genuine, and keep showing up. The sooner you take ownership of your brand, the sooner it starts working for you.
This article is part of Personal Branding Blog’s Legacy Series — highlighting timeless insights from our archive. Learn more about our story here.
