Putting the Personal into Personal Branding

Personal brands are supposed to be built so that people remember, trust and actually give a sh*t about you. The ones that do that are the ones that feel human and slightly rough around the edges. Because no one really connects with perfect.

We’re all a bit messy in our own way, so why are we pretending otherwise online?

This isn’t about oversharing your entire life or turning your feed into a diary. No one needs a play-by-play of your day. It’s about being intentional with what you show. Letting people see your personality, your values, your quirks, and the real context behind what you do.

Why you can’t build a personal brand without getting personal

Most personal brands don't fail because the person isn't interesting. They fail because the content has no substance. It's the same recycled "how to beat the algorithm" advice, the same five tips for productivity, or the same hot take that isn't actually that hot. Nobody's saying anything. They're sort of just filling a content calendar and hoping it counts.

There’s a weird tension in personal branding. Everyone wants one, but a lot of people don’t have what it takes to actually be personal. They want the benefits of personal branding: visibility, authority, opportunities but without the vulnerability. So what do they do? They default to safe. Clean, professional content that’s boring as f*ck.

The “personal” bit is what makes someone distinct. It’s what gives people something to latch onto. It’s why someone remembers you after scrolling past 200 other posts about “scaling impact” and “driving synergy” from people who all sound the same.

No personality means no recall. And no recall means no brand.

And to be clear, we’re talking about personal with a small “p”, not a capital “P”. Small “p” is your take on things, shaped by your experience. Big “P” is your deepest, darkest secrets. No one’s asking for that.

What “being personal” actually looks like

Being personal isn’t about oversharing for the sake of it. It’s about letting people see a bit more of the human behind the brand. That means sharing thoughts, real experiences, or behind-the-scenes moments that you don’t have to post, but choose to. That extra layer is what makes it feel genuine instead of staged, because it shows you’re not just chasing impressions or stuck in “professional mode” 24/7.

But let’s be clear. Getting personal doesn’t mean dumping your life online or turning your feed into a therapy session. It still needs to make sense for your brand.

There’s a difference between intentional openness and oversharing.

Intentional openness looks like:

• sharing lessons you’ve actually learned, not just wins

• showing work in progress, not just finished outcomes

• letting people see how you think, not just what you’ve done

Get this right and your expertise lands properly. It feels real, not performative and that’s what builds trust.

Show the life beyond professional

If your entire personal brand exists within your job description, you’re missing the point.

People don’t just connect with what you do. They connect with how you live, what you care about, and what shapes your perspective.

That’s where the “personal” earns its place.

This could be:

• candid photos from your day, not just staged content

• routines that actually keep you sane

• hobbies that have nothing to do with your job

• environments or communities that influence how you think

Less polished content always works better here. It feels more honest. More human.

The goal isn’t to look messy, it’s to look real.

You are more than your job title

Making your job your whole personality weakens your brand.

If your personal brand can be summed up entirely by your job title, it’s sh*t. Simple as that.

Job titles are generic. Replaceable. There are thousands of people with the same role as you, saying similar things, targeting similar audiences. So if your entire identity is wrapped up in that title, how exactly are you expecting to stand out?

You’re not competing on your job title. You’re competing on everything else that makes you, you: personality, perspective, and presence.

That’s exactly why we don’t lead with ours. For example, even on LinkedIn, our headlines look like this:

• Jordan Stachini: 💥The ROI obsessed, Guinness loving, least fluffy marketer ever | Founder: co&co💥

• Sophie Kimmance: 💥The OG of community & space activation | Director: co&co💥

The job title is still there. It just isn’t the main event because it doesn’t define us.

What people remember isn’t your role. It’s how you think, what you stand for, and how you show up.

Knowing your stuff makes you credible. Personality is what makes you memorable. If all you bring to the table is your role, you’re interchangeable. And interchangeable brands don’t get remembered.

The bit most people can’t see (and why they get stuck)

The truth is, most people are way too close to their own story to see what actually makes them stand out. We see it all the time in workshops.

We ask people to write down three things we should know about them. First round, without fail, it’s full of job titles, responsibilities, and career highlights. Proper snooze fest.

Then we switch it up.

“Right, now give us three interesting things about you that have nothing to do with your job.”

Silence.

Actual panic.

You’d think we’d just told them to do something catastrophic. Because suddenly, they’ve all got nothing. That’s because they’ve boxed themselves so tightly into their role that they can’t see beyond it. They don’t know what they should share and what they should leave out. Which is why this process is hard to do alone. You can’t see what stands out when you’re living it every day.

You need someone to call it out. To say, no, that is interesting. That story, that perspective, that weird little detail you’ve dismissed, that’s the stuff people remember.

The deeper stuff (that most people skip)

Before you start posting, before you build content pillars, before you worry about algorithms, you need to figure out who you actually are. Ask yourself the following:

• What do you care about?

• What do you stand for?

• What do you actually enjoy talking about?

• What makes you different?

• What do you wanna be famous for? (Because one day, you might be)

That internal clarity is what makes your external presence feel consistent instead of forced.

Without that, you’re just guessing. And it shows.

Build from the inside out:

1. What you do professionally

2. What you care about personally

3. Figure out where those two overlap

That overlap is where your personal brand starts to take shape.

Why consistency matters here

Consistency is the bit everyone talks about, then completely ignores when it comes to actually doing it.

Showing up regularly, engaging properly, keeping your tone consistent, it takes effort and can feel like a full-time job. Most people either don’t have the time or don’t prioritise it. But consistency takes you places.

• More visibility.

• More trust.

• More opportunities.

• More inbound.

Consistency builds familiarity. Familiarity builds trust. And trust is what drives everything else.

Why you shouldn’t be doing this alone

A personal brand isn’t built in isolation.

It’s shaped by conversations, reactions, feedback, and how people actually experience you.

That means you don’t fully control it. But you do influence it.

And if you’re building it on your own, you’re guessing half the time.

Guessing what to say.
Guessing what matters.
Guessing what people care about.

That’s why having an outside perspective matters. Someone who can actually pull out what’s interesting, challenge what isn’t working, and shape it into something consistent.

You don’t need to do it all yourself. There are people there for you. That’s literally what we do at co&co. We can handle the heavy lifting. Strategy, ghostwriting, engagement, the full works. You still show up as you, just without the chaos behind the scenes.

So go on, what’s your excuse now for not doing it?

Online and offline both count

Personal branding is not only a content strategy. If your personal brand only exists online, it’s incomplete. How you show up in real life, offline, matters just as much, if not more.

Meetings. Events. Conversations. Podcasts. The way you follow up. The way you treat people when there’s nothing to gain.

That’s all branding.

Online personal branding content should reflect the real-world version of you. Not compensate for the lack of one. If there’s a gap between the two, people notice and it kills credibility fast.

Offline signals that shape a personal brand

• Reputation

• Word of mouth

• Presence in conversations

• Kindness and reliability

• Public speaking and networking

• Community involvement

Offline ways to build a stronger personal brand:

• Speak at events or panels

• Follow up with intent after meetings

• Be consistent in how you communicate in person

• Let your values show in decisions

• Build real relationships, not just an audience

You can’t fake this bit and you shouldn’t try.

The balance: personal, not performative

You should set boundaries without losing your personality because there’s always a line.

Personal branding should feel human, but not invasive. You decide what you share. You decide what stays private.

The goal isn’t total exposure. It’s selective honesty.

The best personal brands feel real because they are grounded in truth and consistency. Not because they’ve shared every detail of their life. So just be careful with that one.

Conclusion

A personal brand that only shows the exterior you isn’t a personal brand. It’s a performance.

The ones that actually work are built on identity, values, voice, and real-world behaviour. They show the human behind the work, not just the work itself.

When you bring personality into the mix, everything changes for the better. You become more credible, more distinct, and a hell of a lot more memorable.

People connect with people. So what are people actually taking away from you?

Need some help with your personal branding? You know where we are.