What Does Personal Branding Even Mean?
Personal branding is changing - and THIS is where it might be heading
Hey everyone,
I was recently browsing through my LinkedIn feed when I came across a personal branding expert. Decent content, big follower numbers, but what got me thinking more was the topic itself - “personal branding”.
What does that even mean nowadays, and how has it changed?
Back in 2021, around the time LinkedIn was peak, a lot of personal branding experts popped up. And I have to admit, I also took one or two coaching sessions back then (given that I’m very inactive on LinkedIn now, it wasn’t worth it lol). At that time, personal branding was all about framing yourself around a topic, engaging with others, posting 3–5 times a day, liking, and commenting. And all of a sudden, you were a personal brand for a topic.
Even nowadays, these experts still give the same tips. But looking at LinkedIn now, it has changed a lot. Reach is down, comments are full of AI slop, sales messages are everywhere, so how do you brand yourself around a topic?
I think it’s different these days. We have to build real connections, stepping away from endless commenting and liking. Things like Substack or writing in-depth content where people can genuinely connect will work for sure. But if I had to bet, in a couple of months or years, every personal branding expert will switch to events as the main lever for building your brand.
Events have all of this: visibility, real connection, and the opportunity to show your expertise.
And I already see this happening. Every month, in my day job, we bring founders, ecosystem leaders, and corporates into one room. They talk about their experiences, engage with people, and are remembered by the audience. At least afterward, people come up and say, “What was the name of the guy for topic XYZ?”
No content strategy in the world creates what one day of real conversation does.
AJ
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By Andreas Just