How to Write a Personal Brand Statement | Episode 4
Perhaps you’ve been faced with the challenge of writing a Personal Brand Statement. I know that writing about yourself can be one of the most challenging things to do. Sometimes it’s hard to get the words out right. I don’t know about you, but it brings me back to elementary school days, writing book reports and completing English assignments. But take comfort in knowing that it doesn’t have to be hard. This can be a relatively painless process if you approach it in the right way, with the right attitude. Step one, repeat after me: I am a good writer. You’ve got to believe it, baby. Believe it!
Alright, I’m going to share a few tricks to help you write your Personal Brand Statement in a way that’s accurate and compelling.
First things first, what is a Personal Brand Statement?
Simply put, a Personal Brand Statement is an outward-facing statement that tells people what you do. That’s it. No need to overcomplicate it. If you do something they care about, they’ll follow you. That’s how it works. It’s also important to note the difference between a Personal Brand Statement and a Personal Mission Statement. A mission statement explains why your personal brand exists. What’s the purpose of your brand? What are you trying to accomplish by having a personal brand and sharing your content with others? This is what a mission statement should address. Here’s an example of my statements.
Personal Brand Statement:
“I teach entrepreneurs how to build their personal brands.”
Mission Statement:
“To help entrepreneurs build authentic personal brands.”
Pretty similar, right? Yes, but the Personal Brand Statement is simpler. I’ve dropped the word “authentic” so I can get straight to the point and tell people what I do before their attention wanders. However, using the word “authentic” in the mission statement is important because it suggests that not every personal brand is authentic. There are personal brands that are merely fragments of the people they seek to represent. The purpose of my company is to help our students and clients build brands that are an accurate and holistic representation of who they truly are. See the difference? While your Personal Brand Statement is for your audience to see, your Personal Mission Statement is only for you to see. It’s like your North Star. It leads you in the right direction.
Your Personal Vision Statement is what happens when your mission has been accomplished. Writing this statement is an opportunity for you to think big and imagine a world in which your personal brand has fulfilled its purpose. Here’s mine.
Personal Vision Statement:
“That every entrepreneur knows who they are and lives that truth out loud.”
Lofty, right? But it’s supposed to be that way. When I imagine a world in which this statement is true, it feels like the fulfillment of my true purpose in life.
Start writing your Personal Brand Statement.
Now that you know what a Personal Brand Statement is, let’s start writing it. First, I want you to ask yourself this question, “What do I do?”
Pretty broad, right? But seriously, what do you do? Try to answer this question in the context of building your personal brand. If you’re a service provider, make a list of things you do in your business. How do you serve your clients? If you’re an executive, make a list of what you do at your job. What tasks do you perform? If you’re a creative, make a list of what you create and be specific. What do you share with others?
After you’ve made a list (it can be as long as you’d like), highlight the top 3 things that you do which are most important.
For example, I:
Help my students write their Personal Brand Statements
Teach my students how to build their personal websites
Write about personal branding, social media, and entrepreneurship
Create TikToks about my life
These are just a few examples of a very long list of things I do in my business. Now, tell me, what do you do at work? Make your list and ask yourself: “Am I missing anything? Can I be more specific?” Chisel that list down so it’s basic and elementary. If you’re having trouble getting more specific, ask yourself, “What do I mean by this?” And keep asking until you’ve narrowed down an answer.
Next, write your Personal Brand Statement by using language in your list. By looking at the list of things you wrote, you should be able to spot a common theme. In my list, I can see that the common denominator is helping people build their personal brands. Thus, my Personal Brand Statement is: I teach entrepreneurs how to build their personal brands. If I wasn’t working with a specific group of people like entrepreneurs, I could substitute it with the word “people” instead. Your only job is to write what’s real for you. That’s it! Don’t worry about impressing people making yourself appear a certain way. Just write what’s true.
Now, edit your Personal Brand Statement.
After you’ve written your Personal Brand Statement, condense it. Omit any words that do not serve a purpose. When I am helping my clients write their Personal Brand Statements, we go through every word one by one. I ask them to justify why each word belongs in their statement to ensure that it’s purposeful, clear, and correct. Remember, it is always better to be clear rather than clever. Save the witty, highly-personalized copy for your website. When someone is reading your Personal Brand Statement on your Instagram bio, you only have 5 seconds to keep them on your page and convince them that you’re someone worth following.
I recommend working with a Personal Brand Strategist or joining a program like Personal Brand Accelerator to help you crystalize your statement and incentivize potential followers to take action. The best thing you can do for your personal brand is to write clearly and effectively. Compelling copywriting will help your audience better understand who you are and what you do. Going through this process improves your speaking skills and helps you talk about you and your brand with more confidence, clarity, and conviction.