There’s a lot that goes into building a strong personal brand. And one of the most important elements of a personal brand is a brand statement. Just like brands and businesses have a statement that says something about themselves and their values, you need a strong statement of who you are and what you can do.
What is a Personal Brand Statement?
Your personal brand statement is basically a catchphrase that says something about your expertise and what makes you unique. It gives people a quick glance into what you can do, so they’ll be able to understand how you can be of benefit to them. And if it’s catchy enough, that’s how people are going to recognize and remember you.
It can be challenging to come up with a compelling personal brand statement. It has to be strong, descriptive, short, and catchy all at the same time. People reading the statement should know exactly what you can do and what you specialize in. It should also spark their curiosity and make them want to know more about your services.
Let’s say you’re a motivational speaker and career counselor. Your personal brand statement could be something like this:
Or perhaps you’re a marketer who works with small businesses. Your personal brand statement could be something like this:
You need to carefully choose the right words and arrange them the right way to get your message across effectively. But most of all, your personal brand statement should reflect your brand’s identity and values. In other words, it should be a reflection of yourself and your abilities.
While we could go on and on about what you need to do to create a great personal brand statement, the best way you can learn is through examples. So let’s take a look at eight of the best examples of compelling personal brand statements that you can learn from:
8 Examples of Individuals with Compelling Personal Brand Statements
1. Ann Handley
“Empowering ridiculously good marketing.”
Ann Handley is a pioneer in digital marketing. She is also a writer and a speaker who helps other marketers scale up their marketing businesses to deliver exceptional results. Her simple tagline says that she empowers, “ridiculously good marketing.”
This personal brand statement is short and to the point. It also contains the words, “ridiculously good,” which are casual yet powerful. This personal brand statement stands out because not a lot of marketers would use these terms to describe themselves or their business.
This statement gives you an idea of just how good Ann is at her job. It also gives you a fair idea of how approachable and relatable she is because the tone is casual.
In a more descriptive explanation, Ann says that she inspires other marketers to, “create marketing magic.” This gives you the idea that she helps other marketers do something that they once thought was impossible.
2. Joe Pulizzi
“Content marketing evangelist.”
Joe Pulizzi is a self-proclaimed content marketing evangelist. This clear and concise self-description serves as a personal brand statement. And it works because of the word, “evangelist.” Sure, you’ve heard of content marketing experts. And you’ve heard of content marketing pioneers. But who has heard of a content marketing evangelist?
Joe sets himself apart with that simple yet powerful term. If you look it up in the dictionary, the direct definition of an evangelist is someone who tries to convert people to the Christian faith. But in this case, the addition of the word behind “content marketing” makes all the difference.
It gives you the idea that Joe isn’t just an expert or an enthusiast in the field. He doesn’t just intend to educate people or provide them with his services. As an “evangelist,” he is someone who seeks to help others develop a passion for content marketing.
3. Pam Moore
“Half geek – half marketing – 100% social nut!”
Pam Moore is a marketing consultant and social media speaker. She is the founder and CEO of Marketing Nutz. Everything about her personal brand statement says that she’s a fun and dedicated expert in marketing and social media. She claims to be half geek, and half marketing, which together make her a 100% social nut.
You can tell a lot about who she is from the kind of words she chooses and the way she puts them together. There’s a lot of individuality in the statement, which strengthens it and makes it unique. By unabashedly calling herself a “geek” and a “nut” she is unapologetically being herself.
4. Sujan Patel
“I grow companies.”
Sujan Patel is a leading digital marketer who boldly declares that he “grows companies.” This makes for a strong personal brand statement because he’s not just saying that he assists in the growth of companies. He says that he is the one responsible for the growth of companies. Being a bold statement, it immediately catches the eye and intrigues readers.
He goes on to explain that not only does his marketing agency help companies with their growth; he also builds and grows his own SaaS companies. He then mentions some of the companies whose digital marketing strategies he has developed. This says a lot about him, his expertise, and his credibility.
5. Brian Fanzo
“Translating the geek speak & simplifying the complex!”
Brian Fanzo is the founder of the social strategy consulting agency, iSocialFanz. From his personal brand statement, you can immediately tell that he is dedicated to simplifying complex ideas and concepts for everyone to understand. He is someone who makes the “geek speak,” as he calls it, more understandable and actionable for people.
Like Pam Moore, his choice of words gives you an idea that Brian is someone who has a lot of individuality. And he has managed to infuse that individuality into his catchy and unique personal brand statement.
6. Jessi Fearon
“Real life on a budget.”
Jessi Fearon runs a personal finance and budgeting blog named after her. She produces valuable content that helps readers plan their budgets more effectively and understand how to pay off their debts. So her simple personal brand statement, “real life on a budget” has a strong and clear impact.
While the statement may be simple, it tells you exactly what you need to know. It gives you a clear idea of what Jessi Fearon specialises in – living a realistic lifestyle using the money you have. Having a limited budget doesn’t necessarily mean you have to live in poverty. So the words, “real life,” give you an idea of how her advice takes all of the real life events, struggles, and possibilities into consideration.
7. Sofia Crokos
“Sophisticated. Authentic. Timeless.”
Sofia Crokos is celebrity event planner based in New York. She and her team have planned the weddings of famous celebrities such as Robert Downey Jr. and Marc Anthony. Three simple words make up her personal brand statement. She wants people to know that her personal brand stands for sophistication, authenticity, and timelessness.
Based on this statement, you can immediately tell that she specializes in putting together luxurious events for the upper class. And if you read the description further, you can also tell that her firm makes this happen by establishing strong relationships with prestigious vendors on a global scale.
This strong personal brand statement helps you understand just how capable Sofia is at organising upscale events. It also gives you a clear idea of what she specialises in and whether or not she will be the ideal planner for the event you have in mind.
8. Dave Nelson
“I believe in you… Now you must believe in yourself.”
Dave Nelson is a certified personal trainer who struggled with obesity in the past. His personal brand statement encourages his audience to believe in themselves. This helps establish his brand because he overcame his weight issues by believing in himself. He put in a lot of effort into getting where he is and his strong belief in himself helped fuel his growth.
So he tells his audience that he believes in them and asks them to start believing in themselves to achieve their fitness goals. This is a simple but compelling statement, which fits perfectly with his brand’s goals. He needs to motivate people and help them gain a positive outlook on life so they can start working towards becoming healthier and fitter.
Over to You
These are eight of the best examples of people with compelling brand statements. Some statements are simple, others a bit more detailed. But all of them clearly state who the person is and what they do. Hopefully these examples will give you some idea of how you can create your own personal brand statement. Whatever you do, make sure that it’s clear and catchy, and infused with a lot of individuality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some examples of personal brand statements?
Your personal brand statement has to be strong, descriptive, short, and catchy all at the same time. Some examples include:
“I help individuals reassess their life choices to discover their true paths to success.”
“I develop sustainable business models and marketing strategies to fuel small business growth.”
How do you write a personal brand statement?
Creating the perfect and most effective personal brand statement can be tricky. Your personal brand statement is basically a catchphrase that says something about your expertise and what makes you unique. People reading the statement should know exactly what you can do and what you specialise in. You need to carefully choose the right words and arrange them the right way to get your message across effectively.
How do you write a personal statement for your resume?
Writing a personal statement for your resume is an important way to showcase yourself. Just like brands and businesses have a statement that says something about themselves and their values, you need a strong statement of who you are and what you can do. People reading the statement should know exactly what you can do and what you specialise in.
What is a well-written personal brand statement?
Your personal brand statement should be concise and reflect your abilities. Some examples of well-written personal brand statements include:
“Empowering ridiculously good marketing.”
“Content marketing evangelist.”
“Half geek – half marketing – 100% social nut!”
“I grow companies.”
How can you write a great personal impact statement on your resume?
Steps to a great personal impact statement for your resume include:
List all important actions you took
Determine action words for yourself
Tailor your personal statement to the job you apply for
Focus your statement around skills and measurable actions
