What’s the best way to handle feeling overwhelmed with building your personal brand? We asked industry experts for their tips on how to simplify the process of brand-building. Here are their actionable insights for transforming your brand into something genuine and influential.
- Focus on Authenticity
- Break Goals into Actionable Steps
- Start Small and Be Consistent
- Choose Authentic Platforms
- Embrace Authenticity and Strengths
- Share Real-World Experiences
- Prioritize Clarity and Consistency
- Be Honest About Who You Are
- Tell Stories, Don’t Promote Yourself
- Let Your Voice Build Connections
How to Simplify Personal Branding
Focus on Authenticity
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with building your personal brand, focus on authenticity above all else. Start by identifying your core values, strengths, and what genuinely excites you—this is what forms the foundation of your brand. Trying to emulate others or create a polished image that doesn’t reflect who you are will only add to your stress, and it’ll come across as stiff. Simplify the process by narrowing your focus to one or two platforms where you feel most comfortable sharing your story and engaging with others.
Consistency matters more than perfection, so begin by posting or sharing content that aligns with your values and expertise, even if it’s simple or imperfect. Remember, your personal brand is about connecting with others in a meaningful way, and authenticity is what will make your brand stand out and resonate with the right people.
Caroline Guntur
Organizing & Productivity Coach, The Swedish Organizer LLC
Break Goals into Actionable Steps
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with building your personal brand, start by breaking your big goals into smaller, actionable steps. Ask yourself, “What can I do today to move closer to achieving my goals?” Create a brain dump of tasks that will improve your personal brand and set a 30/60/90-day timeline for completion. This approach helps you track progress and stay motivated as you check off each task.
Begin by defining your elevator pitch and key messages, as this foundational work will streamline the rest of your branding efforts. Simplifying the process with clear, manageable steps can turn what feels overwhelming into a more focused and feasible journey.
Tiffany Knighten
CEO, Brand Curators
Start Small and Be Consistent
If you’re overwhelmed building your personal brand, start small. You don’t need everything done in one day. Break it into steps and focus on one thing at a time. For example, update your social profiles first, then move on to business cards or email signatures.
Also, be consistent. Use your logo, colors, and tagline everywhere—online and offline. Whether it’s your website, social channels, or printed materials, make sure people recognize it’s you. Small, steady progress beats trying to do it all at once. Keep it simple, and don’t overthink it!
Lastly, don’t forget to update your personal brand from time to time as things may change, like your personal photo.
Lisa Sicard
Small Business Owner, Inspire To Thrive
Choose Authentic Platforms
I believe personal branding is very important because if you do not brand yourself then others will brand you instead. Don’t let social media drive you crazy, you do not need to be everywhere, it does not matter which platform you choose just pick one or two that are authentic to you, it should look and sound like you and the brand you have built. Whether yours is polished or more informal, chatty or academic, humorous or snarky, it is a way for your personality to come through so that for the ones who would be a great fit for you they feel and keep a connection and you give them a reason to remember you so that they think of you first when they need your help.
In my experience, you need to be on LinkedIn so that you can be found. It adds credibility and transparency when the people you are meeting or working with know people in common. LinkedIn has become more than an online resume or Rolodex, it is the foundation for building trusted relationships in the digital economy. You do not need to blog or be on all social media platforms but make sure you are active on the ones where you are. If your customers do not use Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to find you then you do not need to make them a priority. For professional service businesses like mine, LinkedIn matters the most.
Paige Arnof-Fenn
Founder & CEO, Mavens & Moguls
Embrace Authenticity and Strengths
When I started building my personal brand, I felt like I had to do everything at once – post daily, network constantly, and craft the perfect online persona. It was overwhelming, and I quickly realized I needed to simplify. My turning point came when I decided to focus on one thing: authenticity.
Instead of trying to please everyone, I asked myself, “What do I want people to remember about me?” I leaned into my strengths: storytelling, connecting with others, and empowering people. I created content that reflected my real journey, struggles, and successes. It wasn’t polished or perfect, but it was real. Over time, my brand grew organically because it resonated with people. They saw themselves in my story.
My advice? Start small and stay true to yourself. Focus on one message or value you want to share, and let everything else build from there. The best brands aren’t built overnight—they’re built on authenticity and consistency.
Emma Sargsyan
Founder, CEO, Saege International PR Agency
Share Real-World Experiences
It turned out that documenting daily work was the best way to build your personal brand, rather than creating extra content. While managing our agency, I noticed our most engaging posts weren’t planned content, but quick insights from actual client problems we solved. Instead of writing theoretical advice, I started sharing real technical SEO issues we encountered each week.
For example, when we discovered an unusual indexing problem on a client’s site, I wrote a quick breakdown of the issue and our solution. This five-minute write-up generated more engagement than our planned content because it addressed a problem others were actively facing. These real-world posts consistently outperformed our “thought leadership” content.
Our brand growth accelerated because we stopped trying to create perfect content and focused on sharing actual experiences. The authentic problem-solving content attracted better prospects because they could see how we think and work in real situations.
Matt Harrison
VP of Global Operations & Marketing, Authority Builders
Prioritize Clarity and Consistency
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the process of building your personal brand, my one piece of advice is to focus on clarity and consistency. Instead of juggling multiple tasks and approaches, simplify the process by breaking it into manageable steps, starting with the foundation of your brand identity. Here’s how to streamline it:
- Define Your Core Message – Start by answering one simple question: What value do I offer to my target audience? Focus on your unique strengths and the problems you can solve for entrepreneurs. This clarity will serve as the backbone of your brand and guide every decision you make.
- Choose One Area to Start – Instead of trying to tackle all platforms and strategies at once, pick one platform or space where your target audience is most active. For example, if your audience primarily engages with content on LinkedIn, focus on building a strong, consistent presence there before expanding to other channels.
- Create Scalable Content – Develop 2-3 types of content that are easy for you to produce but impactful for your audience. For example:
- Share quick tips or insights related to your expertise.
- Post thought leadership articles that showcase you as an authority.
- Highlight past successes or collaborations to build credibility.
- Stick to a consistent tone and posting schedule to maintain momentum without extra stress.
- Balance Personal and Professional Strategically – When navigating the blend of personal and professional aspects in your branding, think of your personal stories as a tool to humanize your professional expertise. Select key anecdotes or values that resonate with your audience without oversharing. This makes your brand relatable while staying purposeful.
- Accept Imperfection and Focus on Progress – Remember, personal branding is not about perfection. It’s about showing up consistently and refining your message over time. Start with what you have, and improve as you go.
By focusing on these key actions, you’ll have a clear path forward, reduce overwhelm, and build a meaningful, memorable, and manageable personal brand. Remember, the process takes time—stay committed, and the results will follow.
Julie Adams
Author of Brand Like a Girl
Be Honest About Who You Are
One of the biggest mistakes in business and personal branding is trying to project an image that isn’t true to who you are. Not only will people eventually sense the disconnect, but maintaining a facade is emotionally draining—it’s like living a lie. The key to a successful and sustainable brand is authenticity. I help my clients uncover their true story and then find creative ways to share it with the world. The bottom line: be honest about who you are. If you’re not satisfied with that story, the real work is to address and transform it—not mask it.
Mat Lien
Consultant and Coach, Brand Strategy | Storytelling | Creative Marketing
Tell Stories, Don’t Promote Yourself
People who build personal brands, please, tell stories, don’t promote yourself. Don’t try to present your personality polished to a shine, but share real stories and experiences that reflect your personal journey, lessons learned, values that you adhere to. This approach will create a very deep connection with the audience, make people empathize with you and thus they will remember you.
You will never feel overwhelmed if you feel a return from people. Such a relationship with the audience will provide you with a source of strength and inspiration to find broader methods of interacting with people and implement them in life. Be simpler, and people will be drawn to you!
Ulyana Shnitsar
Sales Manager & Bdm, Mgroup
Let Your Voice Build Connections
While visuals are the shiny, eye-catching parts of your brand, your voice is what builds the connection and keeps people coming back. Think about it: logos, colors, and aesthetics might grab attention, but it’s your voice that makes your audience feel seen, heard, and understood. It’s what turns followers into fans and customers into loyal advocates.
Your voice is what tells your story, communicates your values, and brings your personality to life. It’s how you write captions, craft blog posts, or even respond to emails. Without a clear, authentic voice, your visuals are just pretty pictures without depth. On the flip side, even if your visuals aren’t perfect, a strong voice can make your brand memorable and relatable.
The key is to align your voice with who you are and who your audience is. Are you fun and playful, or professional and encouraging? Once you nail your brand voice, you’ll find it’s easier to make decisions about everything else—because your voice becomes the foundation for everything from visuals to strategy. At the end of the day, your voice is the heartbeat of your brand—it’s what makes people feel something.
Abbey Oslin
Co-Founder, Duo Collective
