Author: Chima Mmeje
AI is great, but it creates a problem of ‘sameness.’ Anyone can hit a button and publish 100 blog posts daily, adding to the echo chamber of poor-quality content.
To bypass the noise, folks are turning to thought leaders they trust for information, making it essential to have a personal brand as a vehicle for your thought leadership.
In this article, I’ll share my quantifiable and reproducible step-by-step process for building a personal brand that positions you as a thought leader and helps you stand out.
Table of contents:
My 8-step process to build a personal brand for thought leadership
This is the process that worked for me, but I encourage you to make it your own and experiment with new ideas or tweak this list in a way that works for you. Also, the results are not immediate as it took me a year to get steady traction, so approach personal branding as a long-term effort.
Define your personal branding goals
Find your unique voice
Identify your core topics
Find your target audience
Choose your content vehicles
Create content that establishes authority
Repurpose your content
Distribute forever
Step 1: Define your personal branding goals
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is thinking they can ‘wing it’ with their personal brand. If you go in without a plan, you’re far more likely to quit before reaching your brand’s full potential.
At an overarching level, my goals for personal branding include:
Being top-of-mind for relevant audiences before they even start their search journey
Becoming the authoritative source of truth for ONE thing
Monetizing my brand
These are lofty goals, so I broke them down into smaller, quantifiable goals to enable me to track progress and stay accountable.
For example, here are some quantifiable goals I started with and how I applied them strategically:
Quantifiable goal | Execution |
Grow LinkedIn followers by 32% in 90 days | Create a mix of helpful content (that positions me as an authority) and personal content (that shows my humanity and relatability). Do this every day without fail. |
Generate 10 organic leads within a month | Identify a problem many content marketers struggle with and explain my process for solving this problem. Attach screenshots showing results as social proof. |
Boost referral traffic by 30% via guest blogging | Identify websites getting at least 100K monthly traffic in the SEO/digital marketing niche and pitch a relevant topic they haven’t covered. |
Step 2: Find your unique voice
You’ll get lost in the crowd if you model your personal brand after someone else’s. There is no personal brand without YOU, which requires you to show people your authentic self.
For example, I like to think that I am funny, casual, edgy, and entertaining. I swear a lot, I like to educate, and I am not afraid to go against the grain.
My content mirrors my unique voice and attracts like-minded folks.
Dedicate some time to reflect on your personal traits and tone. Consider asking ChatGPT to read samples of your work and tell you what tone of voice it’s picked up on.
I encourage you to embrace your quirks, whether you use humor to connect with your audience or share bold opinions.
Step 3: Identify your core topics
I’ve had multiple viral posts on LinkedIn, with one post getting over a thousand engagements.
Guess how many leads these posts generated? Zero, zilch, nada!
It’s easy to lose sight of priorities and give into the temptation to create content solely for relevance or engagement. But I’ve learned that, while it may provide some validation and dopamine, engagement without meaningful results doesn’t get you where you want to go and, worse yet, can skew your sense of progress.
The best way to stay on track is to identify your core topics and use the 80/20 principle for social content.
For example, my core topic is content marketing. Hence, 80% of my social content is about content marketing and 20% features my other interests, such as the FCDC, social justice, and humor.
Here’s what I want you to do:
Brainstorm a list of topics you want to be known for — What do you want people to associate you with? For example, when I think of Anu Adegbola, PPC comes to mind, and when I think of Lily Ray, Google algorithms are the first thing that pop up.
Break down topics into clusters to create a cohesive brand narrative — There’s a lot going on under my core topics that make them seem vague and intangible. It becomes easier to see my expertise when I divide my core topics into clusters. For example, under content marketing, I talk about:
Topic clusters
Content writing
Webinar/podcast strategy
Content distribution and repurposing
Product-led content audits
Etc.
The most important thing is to drill down to the ONE thing you want people to think about when they hear your name and consistently create content around it to reinforce your authority.
Step 4: Find your target audience
Content that isn’t seen doesn’t exist. Knowing your audience lets you identify where they spend time and create platform-specific content (which will better help you engage the right folks).
For example, my target audience includes:
Hiring managers — Directors of content, heads of content/SEO/marketing, digital marketing agencies
Peers — Content marketing managers, copywriters, email marketers, SEO and conversion specialists
Verticals — Product marketers, web designers/developers, growth marketers, and demand generation managers
Founders — Bootstrapped SaaS founders about to launch a product (or those who run a lean team), founders of digital marketing agencies that work with freelancers to execute large-scale projects
If you have trouble identifying your target audience, consider the following people:
Folks who would hire you if you were applying for a freelance or in-house role
People with a similar job title to yours or those you would work with in the same department but with a different job title
Verticals that work closely with your team to execute cross-functional projects
Outsourced agencies that work with freelancers in your industry
C-suite executives in your industry
Once you’ve identified your target audience, you can connect with them on LinkedIn. I’ve noticed that LinkedIn offers a one-month free premium subscription every other year.
You can use a free trial of LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator to filter potential connections by job title, industry, company headcount, and location. I usually aim for folks with at least 1,000 connections who have been active on LinkedIn in the last 30 days, as they’re more likely to see my content.
The goal of sending targeted requests is to populate your network with a niche audience rather than connecting with everyone.
Do not send a DM or spam your new connections with promotional offers because they don’t want to be sold to. Instead, create helpful content that encourages your connections to engage with your content and spend some time interacting with their content to nurture the relationship.
Step 5: Choose your content vehicles
The right platforms amplify your message for maximum impact. They also allow you to create channel-specific content that will more effectively engage the right audiences.
Here are a few options to explore:
LinkedIn
Public speaking
Webinars
Podcasts
Website/blog
LinkedIn fast-tracks the timeline for building topical authority and establishing a personal brand. That’s why I started with LinkedIn in 2019, when I first decided to invest in my personal brand.
I advise you to spend a few months observing content creators to understand content that gets high vs. low engagement and how to strike a balance.
If you need more guidance, this article has tips to help you optimize your LinkedIn profile.
Public speaking
As you build a presence on LinkedIn, look for digital conferences that accept first-time speakers. It’s a good starting point because online conferences don’t generally have a live audience, and you can use the video as a sample when you apply for in-person conference speaking sessions.
When you’re ready to speak at live conferences, I recommend starting with smaller, local meetups to practice your speaking skills and then pitching to larger conferences when you’re more experienced/confident.
Webinars
Right now, webinars are one of the strongest ways to build authority. Pitch a topic to your employer, a relevant agency, or a professional community to attract more advanced professionals, as they will likely include the decision-makers you want to build your brand amongst.
I run the Practical Marketer Webinar series at Moz, and most people attending our monthly webinars are decision-makers looking for practical tips to make their work easier.
The goal here is to make your session practical enough that your expertise comes through, and that the decision-makers watching the webinar will want to hire you to implement the solutions you discussed.
Podcasts
While there are many podcasts out there, it can be very rewarding to join one with a highly engaged audience.
For example, a podcast appearance resulted in a lead with a $20K project spend. The trick is to cover a topic everyone cares about from a unique angle so people have that ‘aha!’ moment of learning something new.
Website/blog
In my experience, folks find me through social media, engage with my content, click through to my website, browse a few pages, and convert on my contact form.
If you don’t have a website, you can easily build one with Wix Studio. I also encourage you to publish thought leadership content (typically via your professional blog) to reinforce trust with your audience.
Step 6: Create content that establishes authority
If you’ve made it this far, congrats. You’ve laid the groundwork and it’s time for the fun part.
Content is the lifeblood of your personal brand. It’s how you get in front of your audience, build connections with the people who matter, and create ‘stickiness’ that ensures they remember your name when looking for a solution.
However, understanding storytelling is key to writing engaging social content.
Here’s a clear structure that might help you:
Grab attention with a hook — People read the first two lines, and you want them to stop mindless scrolling and read the rest of your content.
Follow up with a strong statement explaining why the problem is important.
Show value with the solution — This is where you showcase your expertise and how you solved the problem. It should be practical enough for anyone to implement.
End with a call to action — Tell the reader what you want them to do next (e.g., follow you for more tips, get in touch if they need a specialist).
Types of content to prioritize include:
Advanced how-to guides with practical tips to solve a relevant problem
Case studies showcasing real results and detailing the path from conflict to resolution
Opinion pieces on trending topics backed by data and logical argument
Original frameworks you created for solving a problem
Research reports based on topics with sustained interest
Step 7: Repurpose your content
It is exhausting to create fresh content every time. Repurposing helps you squeeze the most juice from your content without being repetitive; it also reinforces your brand and authority.
For example, here’s how I repurposed a presentation on personal branding:
Created a quick-fire version for Search London
Expanded on it for BrightonSEO
Made it super detailed and practical for MozCon with a fresh angle
Shared different variations at six more conferences
Presented parts of it as a podcast and webinar
Turned it into a blog post (that you’re now reading on Wix)
Another example is the webinars I host at Moz. I turned the episode with Mike King into four unique blog posts targeting different keywords.
I also created bite-sized videos to promote the content on social media. The webinar recording and accompanying blog were some of our most viewed content in 2024.
People engage with your content in different ways. Whether they prefer social content, blog posts, short clips, or longer videos, repurposing content ensures you meet a variety of preferences. It’s also a great way to create stickiness and reinforce your messaging until you rank in the user’s mind for that topic.
Step 8: Distribute forever
Content distribution ensures maximum reach and longevity for your personal brand. An excellent distribution strategy ensures that you show up with relevant content at the right place and time.
I’ve explored some options, and here’s what works for me:
Emails convert at the highest rate
Feature other experts to get more shares and views
Use social to stay top-of-mind
Emails convert at the highest rate
While building a targeted email list takes time, the ROI can be massive and worth the effort. The trick is personalizing your emails so they feel like you’re speaking to one person. If you’re using email for thought leadership, focus on providing value—not selling.
The best newsletters I follow have a few things in common:
Strong opinions on divisive issues
Vulnerability when sharing about professional or personal experiences
Excellent storytelling
Promotional content designed to be helpful and solve a problem I’m currently facing
Feature other experts to get more shares and views
If you’re writing blog posts, consider featuring subject matter experts. This is great for E-E-A-T and encourages your collaborators to amplify your content to their audiences.
To incentivize them, create a graphic for each contributor (as shown in the example above). I noticed that our content got more shares when I sent personalized graphics to each contributor, so this is definitely something to test out for yourself.
Use social to stay top-of-mind
When used correctly, social media is a great channel for content distribution. Sadly, many folks make the mistake of writing one or two lines of text and assuming it’s enough to drive engagement.
Instead, try this:
Think of the biggest problem your content addresses and identify the pain behind the problem. Use this as your opening sentence.
Highlight a statistic or quote an SME who has talked about this problem as a way to reinforce why it’s important and get people to care.
Break down the impact of not addressing this problem and tap into the emotions people have when this problem arises.
Introduce your content and how it solves the pain point.
End with an open-ended question that encourages discussion in the comments section.
Include a screenshot or graphic to help people visualize the problem and stop them from mindlessly scrolling past your content.
Plug the link in the comment section (for LinkedIn and Facebook).
Here’s example of what this looks like:
Building your personal brand: Have fun with it— otherwise it feels like work
To avoid feeling overwhelmed, start by defining your goals and commit to small, consistent actions. If you struggle with consistency, block one hour in your calendar every day to maintain discipline. Avoid the temptation to copy others, as that leads to sameness and dilutes your brand.
Most importantly, have fun. If it stops being fun, you’ll dread content creation and give up before you hit your stride.
Chima Mmeje is a content marketer and strategist at Moz, where she positions the company as the authoritative source of truth in the SEO industry. She's also the founder of The Freelance Coalition for Developing Countries, a UK nonprofit providing free resources and training for marketers of color. Twitter | Linkedin