THE BLOG

If you want to make it in business, you’re going to need balls of steel, grit like sandpaper, and a personal brand that doesn’t make people roll their eyes.

That’s probably the most valuable lesson I’ve learned since 2016 when I first started navigating the online space (other than “don’t waste money on courses that promise 6-figures in 6 days” but that’s a story for another day 😉).

But let me tell you something – personal branding in 2025 looks NOTHING like the polished, filtered, perfectly-curated feeds of yesteryear. And thank goodness for that.

The Death of the “Perfect” Personal Brand in 2025 (And Why We Should Celebrate)

Remember when having a personal brand meant:

• Professional headshots that cost more than your first car when all said and done
• Perfectly color-coordinated Instagram feeds
• Caption templates you bought from some expert
• Canva templates you got in a lame membership
• Content pillars that felt like homework
• That weird corporate-casual tone that nobody actually uses in real life

Yeah, we can officially declare that approach DEAD.

Just look at this perfect example from @theschoolof_ai that captures the shift perfectly:

View on Threads

On the right: The 2020 approach with its perfectly curated, overly filtered aesthetic. On the left: The 2025 reality – unfiltered, genuine, and so much more engaging.

In 2025, the algorithms have evolved. The market has matured. And your potential clients? They can smell manufactured authenticity from a mile away.

The truth? People are exhausted by perfection. They’re craving real humans with real thoughts and real personalities. They want the behind-the-scenes messiness. They want to see you thinking out loud, changing your mind, and occasionally dropping an F-bomb when warranted.

The Day I Broke All The “Rules” (And It Actually Worked)

I remember the exact moment I realized that being authentically myself was my most powerful marketing strategy.

It was early 2021. I’d already been in business for a few years, primarily doing done-for-you work. I had discovered I was wicked good at something most business owners dreaded – selling in the DMs. Like, really good.

I decided to package up this skill and launch my first course, DM to Dollars®. But here’s where things got interesting.

At that time, the “proper” way to launch an online course was practically scripture in the digital marketing world. You needed:

• A professional-looking webinar with 60+ slides
• A 3-week email sequence with carefully timed “cart open” emails
• A strategically engineered 10-day runway
• Sales copy that followed the exact formula of [insert guru name]
• A launch “war room” with multiple team members

It was the playbook that everyone swore by.

But something about it felt… off. Not like me. Too ridged, too rehearsed, too… someone else.

So I did something that made my marketing-obsessed brain very uncomfortable: I threw out the entire playbook.

I actually talk a lot about it in this episode with Andrea:

Instead, I created a simple checkout page in Thrivecart with the core concept I would be teaching. No fancy sales page. No elaborate email sequences.

Then I just showed up on live video, completely myself – tangents, occasional cursing, and all – and talked about how DM sales had changed my life after I quit my job. I shared real examples, unpacked my actual process, and just… talked. Like I would to a friend who needed help.

The result? I sold a handful of spots. Not earth-shattering numbers by “launch guru” standards, but real sales from people who connected with me, not my funnel.

I did it again a few months later. Same authentic approach. More sales.

That’s when I realized: the more “me” I allowed my marketing to be, the better it worked. Not because I’m so special, but because authenticity creates clarity. When you show up as yourself, you attract people who actually want what you’re really offering, not what your marketing persona is pretending to offer.

And in 2025, this approach isn’t just nice to have – it’s essential. In a world saturated with cookie-cutter courses and carbon-copy coaches, your unique personality is the only moat that competitors can’t cross.

Why Most Personal Brands Fall Flat in 2025

Let’s be honest – most personal brands still suck. Not because they’re unprofessional, but because they’re trying to be professional in a way nobody actually responds to.

Here’s why they’re failing:

1. They’re playing copycat Following some influencer’s “personal branding roadmap” is the fastest way to become forgettable. If your strategy could be applied to literally any other business owner in your industry, it’s not a personal brand – it’s a template.

2. They’re hiding their quirks That weird hobby you have? Your slightly unpopular opinion about your industry? The fact that you got hit by a car while riding your bike? (True story for me!) These are the details that make you memorable. Hiding them is like throwing away marketing gold.

3. They’re afraid of being polarizing Trying to appeal to everyone means connecting with no one. The most successful personal brands in 2025 have clear opinions – and they’re not afraid to lose followers over them.

4. They’re confusing “professional” with “boring” Professionalism isn’t about sounding like a corporate robot. It’s about delivering consistent value and respecting your audience’s time and intelligence.

The Main Character Energy Approach

I’m going to say something controversial: You need to become the main character of your marketing.

This doesn’t mean being self-centered or narcissistic. It means stepping fully into your role as the protagonist of your business story.

Here’s how to embrace Main Character Energy for your personal brand in 2025:

1. Identify your character traits What would people say about you if you weren’t in the room? Are you the straight-shooting truth-teller? The nurturing guide? The systematic problem-solver with a wicked sense of humor?

Make a list of 3-5 traits that are authentically YOU (not who you think you should be).

2. Develop your “only statements” Complete these sentences:

• “I’m the only one in my industry who…”
• “My clients say I’m the only person who…”
• “Unlike others in my field, I…”

These are your differentiators. They should be specific enough that most of your competitors couldn’t claim them.

3. Find your unique content intersection Draw three circles labeled:

• What your audience needs
• What you’re genuinely passionate about
• What you have unique expertise in

The sweet spot where all three overlap? That’s your content zone. Stay there.

The 3-Part Stacked Personal Branding Framework

Ready for something actionable? Here’s my 3-part framework for building a personal brand that actually gives you a structure:

Part 1: Consistent Visibility + Authentic Voice

Pick ONE platform where your people actually hang out. Show up there consistently (2-3 times weekly minimum). Use your real voice – the one you’d use texting a friend who’s also in your industry.

Write how you talk. If you wouldn’t say “embark on a journey” in real life, don’t write it in your caption.

Part 2: Perspective + Personality

Share your opinion on industry topics, but make it uniquely yours by adding:

• Your personal experience that shaped this view
• A story that illustrates your point
• The “why” behind your stance
• What you do differently because of this belief

Don’t just repeat what everyone else is saying. Add your specific angle.

Part 3: Value + Vulnerability

For every piece of content, ask:

• Does this teach something useful?
• Does this show my human side?
• Does this make a clear point?

If you’re only sharing value without vulnerability, you’ll come across as a textbook, not a person. If you’re only sharing vulnerability without value, you’re writing a diary, not building a business.

The magic happens when you combine them.

How to Audit Your Brand for “Personality Leaks”

Here’s a simple exercise: Look at your last 10 posts or emails and highlight the sentences that sound most like how you’d actually speak in real life. The parts that feel like “you leaked out” onto the page.

Those are your gold mines. That’s where your voice is breaking through.

Now look at the unhighlighted parts. Those are where you’re falling into generic marketing-speak. Rewrite those sections in your genuine voice.

The Anti-Trend Approach: Why Zigging When Others Zag Works

Look at what everyone in your industry is doing with their personal brand, and consider doing the opposite:

• If they’re all posting daily carousels, maybe you go deep with weekly long-form content
• If they’re all formal and professional, maybe you get more casual and direct
• If they’re all on Instagram, maybe you build a presence on a less saturated platform
• If they all sound the same, maybe you speak differently (more bluntly, more thoughtfully, more humorously)

Going against the grain makes you memorable. And in 2025’s attention economy, being memorable is the whole game.

Your 2025 Personal Branding Action Plan

1. Do a voice audit Record yourself talking about your business to a friend for 5 minutes. Transcribe it. Notice your natural language patterns, expressions, and energy. That’s your brand voice.
2. Create a “never say” list What phrases make you cringe when others use them? Ban them from your content.
3. Identify your content boundaries Not everything needs to be shared. Decide what’s off-limits for you, so you can be confidently authentic within your comfort zone.
4. Build a “unique perspective” document List 10-15 opinions you have about your industry that others might not share. These are your thought leadership seeds.
5. Schedule regular “real talk” content Commit to sharing something unfiltered and honest at least once a month – an industry frustration, a business struggle, or a lesson learned the hard way.

Remember, your personal brand isn’t something you create – it’s something you uncover. It’s already there in how you think, speak, and solve problems. Your job is just to let more of that shine through.

The Bottom Line

Building a personal brand in 2025 isn’t about portraying some “ideal version” of yourself. It’s about being so consistently, unapologetically YOU that your right people can’t help but be drawn to you.

Marketing has evolved beyond slick sales tactics. Today, your most powerful marketing weapon is your authentic self – with all its wonderful quirks, strong opinions, and hard-won wisdom.

The businesses winning in 2025 aren’t the ones with the biggest marketing budgets – they’re the ones led by people brave enough to be the main characters of their own stories.

Ready to build a marketing strategy that showcases your authentic brand and actually converts? That’s exactly what we do inside the Conversion Catalyst® Club.