personal-brand-strategy

name	personal-brand-strategy
description	Creates personal branding strategies with positioning, platform selection, content pillars, and visibility plan.
allowed-tools	Read Write Glob
metadata	{"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"}

Personal Brand Strategy

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Create a personal branding strategy with clear positioning and messaging
• Select platforms and content pillars for building visibility
• Design a visibility plan with speaking, media, and content tactics
• Differentiate yourself in a crowded market through intentional brand building

DO NOT use this skill for corporate branding, logo design, or social media content calendars. This is for strategic personal brand positioning — the foundation that drives all tactical decisions.

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Core Principle

A PERSONAL BRAND IS NOT WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT YOURSELF — IT IS WHAT PEOPLE SAY WHEN YOU LEAVE THE ROOM, AND STRATEGY MEANS DECIDING EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT THAT TO BE.

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Phase 1: Brief

Required Inputs

Input	What to Ask	Default
Who you are	"What do you do and who do you serve?"	No default — must be provided
Current presence	"Where are you visible today? (platforms, audience size, reputation)"	Minimal online presence
Brand goal	"What do you want to be known for in 12 months?"	No default — must be provided
Competitors	"Who else is known for this in your space?"	No default — must be provided
Unique angle	"What experience, perspective, or approach makes you different?"	No default — must be provided
Time budget	"How many hours per week can you invest in brand building?"	5 hours/week

GATE: Confirm the brief before proceeding.

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Phase 2: Positioning

Brand Positioning Statement

## Positioning Formula

[Your name] helps [specific audience] achieve [specific outcome]
through [your unique method/approach],
unlike [competitors] who [what they do differently].

Example:
"Sarah Chen helps solopreneurs build $10K/month businesses
through AI-powered systems and automation,
unlike most business coaches who teach hustle-harder strategies."

Content Pillars (3-4 maximum)

| Pillar | What You Talk About | Why It Matters to Your Audience |
|--------|-------------------|-------------------------------|
| [Pillar 1] | [Topic area] | [Connection to their goals] |
| [Pillar 2] | [Topic area] | [Connection to their goals] |
| [Pillar 3] | [Topic area] | [Connection to their goals] |

Platform Selection

## Platform Priority

**Primary (80% of effort):** [One platform where your audience is most active]
**Secondary (15% of effort):** [One platform for credibility or discovery]
**Archive (5% of effort):** [One platform for long-form content — blog, YouTube, podcast]

## Why These Platforms
- Primary: [Why this is where your audience hangs out]
- Secondary: [Why this supports your primary platform]
- Archive: [Why long-form content builds authority over time]

GATE: Present the positioning, pillars, and platform strategy for approval.

---

Phase 3: Build

Visibility Plan

## 90-Day Visibility Plan

### Month 1: Foundation
- Optimize all profiles (bio, headshot, links)
- Publish 3x/week on primary platform
- Engage with 10 accounts in your niche daily
- Write one long-form piece for your archive platform

### Month 2: Expansion
- Continue publishing 3x/week
- Pitch 2 podcast guest spots
- Comment on 3 high-profile posts daily
- Collaborate with one peer (co-created content or live)

### Month 3: Authority
- Continue publishing 3x/week
- Submit one speaking proposal
- Publish one original research piece or framework
- Pitch one media outlet or industry publication

Content Framework

## Weekly Content Mix

**Monday:** Teaching post — share a framework, process, or how-to
**Wednesday:** Story post — personal experience, lesson learned, behind-the-scenes
**Friday:** Opinion post — take a stance on an industry topic

**Monthly:** One long-form piece (article, video, or podcast episode) that anchors your expertise

Brand Assets Needed

## Essential Brand Assets
- [ ] Professional headshot (consistent across all platforms)
- [ ] Bio in 3 lengths: one-line, paragraph, full page
- [ ] Brand colors and fonts (even minimal consistency helps)
- [ ] Email signature with title, links, and headshot
- [ ] One-page speaker sheet or media kit (if pursuing visibility)
- [ ] Link-in-bio page with key destinations

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Phase 4: Polish

1. Brand Audit Checklist

## Cross-Platform Consistency
- [ ] Same headshot on all platforms
- [ ] Bio tells the same story (adapted for each platform's format)
- [ ] Content pillars are consistent (not random topics)
- [ ] Tone and voice feel like the same person everywhere
- [ ] Links point to the right destinations
- [ ] Contact information is current

2. Metrics to Track

## Monthly Brand Health Check
- Follower/subscriber growth on primary platform
- Engagement rate (comments and shares, not just likes)
- Inbound inquiries (DMs, emails, referrals mentioning your content)
- Speaking or media opportunities received
- Google search results for your name (are you showing up?)
- Brand mentions or tags by others

3. Annual Brand Review

Every 12 months, reassess:

• Is your positioning still accurate and differentiated?
• Have your content pillars evolved with your expertise?
• Is your primary platform still the right one?
• What worked best and should be doubled down on?
• What should be dropped?

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Example 1: Marketing Consultant Personal Brand

Positioning: "Helps B2B SaaS companies generate leads through content marketing that actually converts"
Pillars: Content strategy, SEO for SaaS, Conversion copywriting
Primary: LinkedIn (where B2B buyers live)
Secondary: Twitter/X (for industry conversations)
Archive: Blog (SEO long game)

Example 2: Business Coach Personal Brand

Positioning: "Helps first-time solopreneurs earn their first $5K month without burning out"
Pillars: Offer creation, Simple systems, Mindset shifts
Primary: Instagram (visual storytelling for early-stage entrepreneurs)
Secondary: YouTube (searchable how-to content)
Archive: Email newsletter (deepest relationship building)

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Anti-Patterns

• Trying to be known for everything — a brand that stands for everything stands for nothing. Pick 3 pillars maximum.
• Copying competitors — studying them is smart, mimicking them guarantees you are always second. Find your unique angle.
• All platforms, no depth — posting everywhere but engaging nowhere means you are invisible everywhere. Go deep on one.
• Inconsistent presence — posting daily for 2 weeks then disappearing for a month kills momentum. Consistency beats intensity.
• Avoiding opinions — vanilla content is forgettable. Take stances. Not everyone needs to agree with you.
• Focusing on vanity metrics — 10,000 followers who do not buy is less valuable than 500 who do.

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Recovery

• User does not know their unique angle: Ask "What do you believe about your industry that most people disagree with?" That contrarian view IS the angle.
• User is on too many platforms: Identify the one platform that generates the most business results. Cut everything else for 90 days.
• No audience yet: Focus on engaging with established voices in the niche. Comment thoughtfully, share their content with added insight, and build relationships before broadcasting.
• User has imposter syndrome: Start by sharing what they have already done, not claiming expertise they feel unqualified for. "Here is what I learned" is always authentic.