Why Personal Branding Sucks

Niche & Voice Masterclass #1

Today we get to talk about something that’s always pissed me off about social media..

Personal brands.

I hate them.

Humans aren’t brands. They’re humans. And to me, personal brands whitewash our own humanity, which is actually our most powerful asset to growing a meaningful following!

But…. we need one to succeed, right?

Look.. It depends on what success means to you. Does it mean growing a following of 10,000+, and making $100,000+ a year? If so, personal brands CAN be GREAT for that.

But personal brands are also great for burnout, unhappiness, and feeling like a slave to your own topic.

Who cares if you make $100,000+ a year (which is a longshot), if you hate every minute of it? Isn’t that what people quit the rat race for? Here’s a harsh truth..

Being unhappy every day isn’t worth any amount of money.

I learned that the hard way back in 2020. I made videos about the Philippines that got millions of views. I knew how to make viral videos like clockwork, but I just couldn’t bring myself to make any more after pumping them out for 2 years. I’d rather give up making all that money than make another video.

You might look at all this and go “Tom, that’s crazy. I’m taking the money!”

Yeah, you’d think so! Until you feel like a frail cow that’s been milked every second of every day for the last 2 years and you don’t have a drop left to give.

Trust me.. you don’t want to be there.

The good news is, there’s another way. There’s a way to create a “personal brand” organically that makes money, is fun, and doesn’t feel like a cage. And I’ll tell you how to do that in this article.

This is the first of four “Niche Discovery” masterclasses I’m doing this July. I hope you enjoy it.

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1. Your Brand IS You

Julia Roberts. Let’s talk about her. She rose to prominence in the 80’s and 90’s, and Pretty Woman is one of my favorite romantic comedies of all time.

There’s a scene in that movie where she bursts out laughing, and it’s legit laughter because Richard Gere did something unexpected.

I remember watching that moment and feeling like her laugh was so genuine, you know? It’s clear she wasn’t acting, and that the joy she radiates in that movie is, in part, real.

I asked ChatGPT if her infectious laugh helped her rise to prominence.. It wrote:

“Directors and audiences alike were drawn to the feeling that she wasn’t just playing joy — she was feeling it. That emotional transparency gave her a kind of magnetism that few actresses could replicate.”

In other words, people liked Julia Roberts because she wasn’t always acting.. She was being herself on screen.

I have this theory that the best personal brands are natural, not constructed.

Part of why we love Harrison Ford is because his dry sense of humor, often reflected on screen, is part of who he is in real life, too. Audiences can feel that.

So, therefore the most attractive personal brand you can ever have is just being yourself.

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2. Start From Joy, Always

In 2018, I started a Youtube channel. I made videos that meant a lot to me for months, but then somebody told me:

“Tom, you should make videos about the Philippines, you’ll go viral.”

That’s all I needed to hear. I made a video about the Philippines, and it got 80,000 views in 1 day. Suddenly I was the Philippines vlogger guy, and the views were too large NOT to chase.

You might look at this like a success story—and in some ways, it is—but this is actually where I made my biggest mistake.

I loved the Philippines, yes, but was I crazy on making videos about that country? Not really, honestly. And that was the fatal flaw that I made.

Eventually my heart couldn’t keep lying to itself, and I had to stop.

Let’s contrast that with my love of AI right now. I am legitimately fascinated about AI, and I spend a lot of time every day learning how to use it better.

That, in turn, makes my content better, you see, because I’m more knowledgable and excited about it! It turns out that loving your topic provides all the ammunition necessary to make some great content!

Speaking of finding what you genuinely love to create - want to discover yours right now? Try my IdentitySmith tool. It walks you through the exact process of finding your authentic creator identity by analyzing your personal stories, beliefs, and natural voice, and recommending a “niche” to write in that feels 100% organic.

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3. ‘Realness’ Stands Out Because Few Creators Are Real Online

People love Substack. Why? Because the internet at large is a cesspool. People LOVE Substack because most of the content we see online is so watered down, polished, and hollow.

Which is why being real is the best way to stand out.

A couple years ago on LinkedIn, I’d post videos of myself with my shirt off. Weird, I know, but I did it to thumb my nose at the LinkedIn “purists” who thought the platform had to stay professional.

“This isn’t Facebook!” they’d whine. I laughed every time I saw those comments.

But here’s the stone cold truth: People are terrified of being themselves online.

I mean, heck, most people can’t even post ANYTHING online without having an existential crisis.

What most don’t think about is, being real is your opportunity to stand out, because 99% of people are terrified of doing that online.

So by doing it, you automatically stand out. You automatically make a “personal brand” that people remember.

This personal branding stuff is easier than we thought, eh?

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4. People Buy Most From People They Love, Not Like

Here’s the coolest part.. People buy most from folks they love, not just like. That’s my thesis, anyway. And people LOVE folks who they can identify with deeply—who they feel like they can go grab a beer with.

And what’s the best way to get people to love you?

Bingo. By being yourself. Your whole self. All the weirdness, humor, and hot takes you can muster. Give it all to people. It works because so few have the guts to do it.

That’s why Charles Barkley is one of the most successful TV personalities of all time. He says things live on air, for better or worse, that no analyst would DARE to say. It immediately sets him apart.

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5. Vulnerability: The Final Piece That Few Have The Guts To Use

It’s not enough to just “be yourself,” online. The real surprise is to share something most people wouldn’t dare share about themselves.

This not only sets you apart from everyone, but it can be wildly therapeutic—both for you and your readers.

In a sentence? People will never forget it.

Followers will never forget that one time you stood up, with bravery, and said something that was risky. Because it’s a heroic act! One that few have the guts to do.

Will you make enemies? Sure. But they weren’t your audience anyway.

And we’re in the business of turning readers into fans, and fans into superfans. One of the only ways to create a superfan is to get vulnerable—and it’s also a great way to stand out, because few have the guts to do it.

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Look. Can you build a successful personal brand without doing all that? 👆

Absolutely. People do it all the time..

But what they DON’T tell you is how boring and bland it is, and how unhappy they are pumping out the same garbage every month.

The good news is, you can build a “brand” that defies rules, keeps you happy, aligns with your personality, and that audiences LOVE.

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I built something to help you

Sick of the tacky personal brand advice from LinkedIn bros that makes you want to throw up in your mouth? Yeah, same. That’s why I built the IdentitySmith tool.

It’s a friendly chatbot trained on 10+ years of insights growing my personal brand to 10,000+ followers on 7 different platforms.

How it works: You get a complete creator identity and business strategy in 20 minutes that feels 100% authentic to who you are.

In 20 minutes, you’ll get a defined target audience, 3-4 content pillars, a monetization strategy, 10 specific content ideas, and clarity on your core message and unique voice as a writer, just talking to it about your life’s story!

It’s like having a $500/hour personal branding coach in the palm of your hand.

Sign up for a free trial here to get 3 credits, or 3 messages, you can send to the IdentitySmith.

Fair warning: 3 credits will give you a taste, but to get the full IdentitySmith experience, you’ll need more credits.

Become a paid subscriber to this publication for $20/month or $160/year to get 50 monthly credits to use the IdentitySmith, NoteSmith, TitleSmith, and all my AI tools in the Writing Long Game Lab. 50 credits is plenty to get the full IdentitySmith experience right now.