Ignore Traditional Branding Advice — This Is How You Authentically Stand Out in a Noisy World

Build your reputation by running your own race.

I’ve been a full-time content creator for the past three years.

I built an audience of over 70k followers on Medium, serve 35k subscribers through my newsletters, and run a community with over 10k writers.

Just like most creators, I didn’t build any of this by following a masterplan. It happened step by step.

I started to share my thoughts, knowledge, and expertise online because I was curious. I wanted to see if content creation could be my thing, and writing felt like the right medium to explore.

I didn’t have a job in marketing or previous experience that helped me make smart decisions, so I built my business and brand by making lots of mistakes along the way.

When we talk about branding, most people think about logos, slogans, typography, or packaging, but that’s not what branding is. At least not for creators and creative entrepreneurs.

For us, part of branding is the sum of impressions we make on our (desired) audience.

According to Marty Neumeier, author of The Brand Gap, your brand is a result:

“It’s a customer’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company. It ends up in their heads and hearts. They take whatever raw materials you throw at them and they make something out of it. THEY are making it.”

He emphasizes that you’re not creating one brand but millions of it — depending on how many people you reach. Everyone who consumes your content has a different brand (aka perception) of you.

According to this definition, your brand is your reputation, which clarifies why different people might think differently about you and your business.

As content entrepreneurs and creators, we’re creating mini impressions of who we are and what we do all the time.

The nature of our businesses is content, so we give our (preferred) audience a lot of insights to process and create a brand (aka gut feeling) of who we are and what we do.

Why do you do (and love) what you do?

Let me start by sharing two truths about building a content business in 2023 and beyond:

• Creating content has never been easier.
• Standing out as a creator has never been harder.

The online world is crowded and starting out with a following of zero people and no experience is scary.

If you analyze creators who’ve built huge audiences, you’ll always discover that they’ve been in the game for a long, long time.

If you’re a beginner, you’re inevitably competing with everyone who’s creating content. You have microseconds to convince internet users that your content is worth paying attention to. It’s tough.

But wanna know what makes the journey a whole lot harder?

Being generic, wanting to be perfect, or trying to be just like someone else.

The days of building huge audiences through copy-paste content are gone.

People want personality, depth, and imperfections.

Your audience won’t just follow you because your content is great. They’ll follow you because you are uniquely you.

We want to feel a sense of connection with the creators we follow and support.

We want to feel like we know them and agree with them.

We’re not looking for gurus but for friends who gently support our journey, inspire us, or just entertain us.

Sahil Bloom shares videos of his son to constantly remind his audience of one of his core messages: Being a “time billionaire” to spend time with your loved ones before it’s too late.

Justin Welsh does nothing but talk about Solopreneurship, which represents his idea of a perfect business that allows him to live without taking care of anyone but himself:

When you allow yourself to talk about what matters to you, you’re not putting on a mask or costume. You’re being authentically you and speaking to people who might think and feel the same way.

Your energy is your biggest magnet.

To grow a significant audience, you need to know who you want to attract and create content that’s appealing to your target audience— over and over and over again.

The good news is, that’s it.

You don’t have to pretend to be someone you’re not.

You don’t have to get everything right.

You don’t have to be present on every social channel that exists.

The easiest way to attract an audience that’ll resonate with your message is by being unapologetically you.

There’s room for loud, aggressive brands, just like there’s room for calm, thoughtful, and shy personalities.

You don’t have to be loud to stand out. You don’t have to be omnipresent to build a thriving content business.

Building a memorable creator brand isn’t black or white. There are nuances. And you’re allowed to decide what’s right for you.

Creative director Hillary Weiss describes herself as a Godzilla of a personality stomping off a screen, and shares that message on her website:

There are people who love her big, loud, aggressive energy and who happily pay for her advice, and there are people who’d run away screaming for help when they see Hillary’s website. And it’s not just her — this is true for anyone.

In 2015, Tai Lopez created one of the most popular ads in internet history, saying:

“I’m here in my garage, just bought this new Lamborghini.”

Millions of people hated to see the ad pop up every time they used YouTube:

And yet, there was nothing wrong with the ad itself or Tai’s brand — he attracted the right audience with the right content.

He was speaking to those who wanted to be just like him, and it worked so well that eight years later, he’s still selling educational programs by talking about how he bought his first Lamborghini.

It’s all a matter of energy and knowing who you’re talking to.

My friend Michael Thompson hates most parts of the internet. He hates the noise, he hates the incessant online bragging in an attempt to get attention, and he hates that he sometimes has to think about things like creating consistently or updating his newsletter strategy.

Instead, he writes content on topics like how to quietly get people’s attention in a noisy world.

His claim is simple, yet powerful:

“I help smart and thoughtful people to break through the noise to ensure their voice is heard and their words are read.”

Instead of using flash banners, pop-ups, and huge call-to-action buttons, he writes the following on his website:

“If interested in staying in the loop, sign-up for my lightweight newsletter while receiving a free eBook that houses 12 of my best writing and storytelling tips.”

Whether you feel attracted to Hillary, Tai, or Michael doesn’t say anything about whether their marketing or branding is “good.” It says a lot about you as the consumer of their messages.

Each of them has a different energy.

Their content communicates different messages and attracts different people.

Someone who’s compelled to spend money on Tai’s courses might find Michael’s style boring.

And someone who pays Michael for high-level consulting might puke while watching Tai’s ad.

People are different, and your job as a creator is not to be liked by everyone. You want to craft a message that’s helpful and valuable to some people.

Tell YOUR truth.

The most fun and rewarding way to build your brand as a creator is by communicating your truth.

What are the messages most people don’t share that really bother you?

What do you believe to be true and important in your field?

What can’t you stop thinking about?!

My friend Zulie Rane has built a banger business by staying true to herself and her message.

In 2021, she stopped wearing makeup in her YouTube videos and wrote about the consequences.

Her brand colors represent the kind, no-fluff tone of her content:

While social media gurus were gearing up to sell courses on “How to make money on Threads” a week after the platform went live, Zulie took the opposite route and wrote about why she’s not joining Threads (and most other platforms):

Another example I adore is this video by Corrie Who Writes:

As most creators were discussing how to pass AI detectors, Corrie talked about why she doesn’t care about AI detectors.

While most beginners are obsessed with their brand colors and logos, the truth is that your messages are shaping your brand as much as anything else.

People create a mental image of who you are and what value you create for them based on what you share and how you share it.

And frankly, allowing yourself to be authentically you just makes the journey more fun and rewarding.

We’re in 2023, friends. You can’t build a creator business just by copying others anymore. The space is too crowded for that. The only way to stand out is by bringing something new and fresh to the table, so don’t be afraid to:

• Tell us why you do what you do (and why you genuinely care).
• Use your natural energy as a magnet to attract those who feel drawn to you.
• Don’t be afraid to tell your truth, even if it’s controversial.

I’ve been writing on Medium for 5 years and recently published an ebook sharing everything I learned. Grab your free copy now. 📘