The Truth About Building a Personal Brand

Hey,

Last week, I asked what kind of account you’re building.

Over 50% of you said personal brand.

But here’s my question: Why?

Because if you can’t answer that...

You’ll either burn out,

or worse, build a brand you can’t stand.

To avoid that, here are 8 things you need to know.

1. A personal brand is not a business model.

It’s a traffic source.

If you don’t know where it’s leading, you’re headed towards a dead end.

Ask yourself:

• What’s the long-term vision?

• Is this aligned with your actual goals?

• Or are you posting because it feels like everyone else is doing it?

2. Who’s your audience of one?

If you’re for everyone, you’re for no one.

Get specific:

• What do they care about?

• What keeps them up at night?

• What makes them laugh?

Every post should feel like it’s speaking directly to them.

3. What’s your plan to monetize?

Even if you’re just starting out, map out your future.

• High-ticket: consulting, coaching, or courses

• Low-ticket: digital products, events, merch

• Sponsors: brand deals, affiliates, partnerships

• Funnel to a service or physical product

Your brand is the engine, but revenue is the fuel.

You need to have a plan.

4. What’s your story?

Most people think the market is too saturated.

But saturation only matters if you’re trying to copy others.

What you can do better than anyone else… is be yourself.

Your unique experiences, beliefs, and perspective are what make your brand worth following.

But if you don’t share that? You’re just noise.

We’re in the era of the interest graph — every post gets categorized and shown to people already interested in your topic.

I’ve seen people build audiences around:

• RC cars

• Eco-villages

• & Birdwatching

The fastest-growing creators are often the most specific.

Ask yourself:

• What journey are you taking people on?

• What belief or POV do you hold that others don’t?

• Why should anyone care?

5. Pick an archetype & repeatable formats.

Don’t try to do everything. Choose your lane and own it.

Archetypes:

• Yapper: Talking head and hot takes

• Builder: Behind-the-scenes of your work or life

• Expert: Curated insights, frameworks, & analysis

• Vibe Curator: Cinematic, mood-driven, & visual storytelling

Formats:

• Yapper → direct to camera

• Builder → b-roll + voiceover & carousels

• Expert → green screen or split screen

• Vibe Curator → music, motion, & expert editing

Pick formats that align with your skillset and perform well.

Experiment out the gate, but when you find what works — double down.

6. Obsess over hooks.

The first 3 seconds make or break your videos.

There are three pieces of a good hook:

• Verbal – the text on screen

• Visual – the first frame(s) they see

• Audio – the first thing they hear

If you don’t nail your hooks, nothing else matters.

7. Consistency is the cheat code.

Content compounds. I still get DMs from videos I posted months ago.

Too many people post once a week, give up after 2 months, and blame the algorithm.

But the truth is, most people quit before they get good.

Quality comes through quantity.

Commit for 90 days.

Study what works.

& Don’t quit.

8. Reframe your fear.

Worried about being cringe?

Afraid of what your friends might say?

This is normal.

But everything you want is on the other side of that fear.

The other day, someone I know admitted:

Now they’re building their own brand — and asking for help.

Here’s the truth:

If you’ve never done this before…you’re probably going to suck at the beginning.

Everyone does. It’s a part of the process.

But if you study the game, build a system, and block out the noise — you can build something real.

Millions of people are doing it.

And the creator economy is projected to hit $190B this year.

There’s room for you.

I hope this helps.

P.S if you want guidance — from story to strategy to systems — I’m running a small cohort soon.

I’m keeping it intimate so I can work 1:1 with each person.

Spots will go fast.

If you want early access, reply with “VIP” and I’ll add you to the waitlist.

Rooting for ya,

—Dodds