Title:11 Personal Brand Statement Examples You Need To See
Author:Hannah Morgan
Date:August 2021
Source:Career Sherpa - Reprinted with permission
Your personal brand statement is like a personal slogan. It helps people understand who you are and what you deliver.
In an economy where there is a lot of competition, a personal brand statement helps you stand out and be remembered.
Personal brand statement examples
You may see a personal brand statement on a website, in a LinkedIn headline, or email signature block. It's a simple sentence or two that explains what you do.
When someone reads or hears your personal brand statement, you want them to know exactly what you do, who you help and what problem you solve.
What Is A Personal Brand Statement?
Businesses have slogans and whenever you hear or see it, you instantly know the company.
- Just Do It — Nike
- Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands — M&Ms
- America Runs on Dunkin — Dunkin Donuts
Personal branding statements should work the same way. As people, we also have things we are known for, or a reputation.
Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room
Personal brand statements can also be referred to as a unique selling point (USP), value proposition or unique value proposition (UVP). No matter what you call them, these two-three sentences pack a powerful punch and clearly communicate what you are known for (or the value you deliver).
The best personal brand statement examples tend to contain three important pieces of information:
- What you do or what problem you solve
- Who benefits from this
- How you do it uniquely
As simple as these statements are, they can be incredibly challenging to pinpoint for yourself. Those catchy slogans above were written by masterful marketers. Consider your personal brand statement a work in progress.
So rather than let someone else decide what you want to be known for, take the bull by the horns and create the personal brand that fits who you are today.
Who Should Have One?
Entrepreneurs, freelancers, authors and speakers invest great time and effort developing personal brand statements that set them apart from the competition or position them in front of the right audience.
But even if you aren't one of these folks, you still need a strong message when you introduce yourself. Your personal brand statement is more than your job title and company. It's a powerful way to become a sought after resource internally or externally.
In job search, having a clear and easy to understand personal brand statement is incredibly important. You want people to easily remember what you do in case they hear of any openings or know anyone they should introduce you to.
Keep in mind that saying something, doesn't necessarily make it true. Your personal brand has to align with how you actually perform.
Where To Use It
Business owners and even job seekers, realize how critically important it is to have a personal brand statement that explains exactly what they deliver.
You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
Your personal brand statement is that first impression. You can use a version of it on your website, in your LinkedIn headline, at the top of your resume, in your social media profile and even in your email signature. You may even have a spoken version of your personal brand statement that is a bit more conversational.
As you can see from the samples below, personal brand statements are used in all those places. In fact, a version of the personal branding statement follows them around everywhere they appear, online and in-person.
Personal Brand Statement Examples
As you will see, personal branding statements are an important tool to humanise your business and help customers choose your service over competitors. A personal brand statement adds a recognisable face behind the product or service and provides a level of trust people want to invest in. Your business transforms from a cold, money-making operation to a warm, friendly entity.
The personal brand statement examples below come from recognized leaders and influencers (and some lesser-known personalities) who talk about leadership, marketing, entrepreneurship and the human condition. They are authors, speakers, trainers and business owners — each with a unique, money-making idea worth sharing.
Let's take a look at real personal brand samples and see how you can adapt them to create your own unique personal brand. And if you're thinking," I'm not a celebrity. How can I have a personal brand?" stick with me and give these a look first. It's actually quite easy to replicate or adapt your message based on these examples.
Simon Sinek
We imagine a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every day inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work they do.
Though this is written as "we imagine" it is based on Sinek's personal beliefs too. This may sound a bit like a mission statement than a personal brand statement but it's still a powerful example of how you can combine your personal mission or values with the work that you enjoy doing to create your own personal branding statement.
It addresses the problem Sinek solves: to help people wake up every day feeling inspired, safe and fulfilled. (Who doesn't want that?) Yet it is rare or uncommon for businesses to say that's what they deliver. And that is what makes this unique. It is genuine and not-so-common.
LeVar Burton
I've dedicated my life to the power of storytelling. Whether I'm acting, directing, writing or podcasting, I believe sharing stories is what I was born to do because storytelling is what brings us all together.
You may not remember Burton from Reading Rainbow, but you may have seen him in a role on Star Trek.
What Burton has done is simply put into words what he loves doing. He has found multiple outlets to focus on sharing stories. Perhaps you have found multiple ways to carry out your special talents.
Mark Manson
I am the #1 NYTimes Bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope. I write life advice that is science-based, pragmatic, and non-bullshitty — a.k.a., life advice that doesn't suck.
Do you have a straight-forward way of addressing problems? Manson provides life advice that doesn't suck.
Without needing to say who his audience is, his message resonates with those who don't mind profanity and are looking for science-based, pragmatic advice.
Sometimes the way in which you deliver a message or solve a problem is part of your personal brand.
PS: I'm not suggesting that you use profanity, remember, you're not a NYTimes bestselling author and probably can't get away with it.
Claude Silver
I'm Claude Silver and my life's purpose is to be of joyful service and unlock emotional optimism in all.
Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia (HR/People)
Silver has an unusual job title, Chief Heart Officer (CHO). And for those who may not know what that means, she spells it out in her personal branding statement. Her value is in unlocking emotional optimism in everyone.
While you may not think there's money in that or it's too general, she has found a way to make it work. It's almost like a teaser personal branding statement and it certainly speaks to her priorities and values in life.
Kim Garst
Make more money online with marketing strategies that work. Education & training that take the mystery out of building a profitable business.
What business owner do you know that doesn't want to make more money online? And for many, online selling is a bit mysterious. If you don't have a team of people designated to do this for you (if you're an entrepreneur or freelancer) then Garst's education and training may be appealing.
What Garst hasn't included is her personality/style or mission. It makes this a little less personal than the other personal brand statement examples on this list, but as you can see, it still is clear and easy to understand.
Amy Porterfield
Hi, I'm Amy.
I teach business owners, educators and entrepreneurs the profitable action steps for building a highly engaged email list, creating online training courses, and using online marketing strategies to sell with ease.
Porter clearly spells out who she serves with her services. And she addresses one of the major pain-points for business owners, educators and entrepreneurs... that her actions and ideas are easy!
As you see, Porter lists several areas of expertise — email lists, online courses and marketing.
You may also have several areas of expertise or specialty. Just make sure they are crystal clear and specific enough so people understand what you're talking about.
William Arruda
William Arruda's personal branding and social media keynotes, innovative training and influential Forbes columns have inspired millions of professionals to bolster their brand, up their social media savvy, deliver greater value to their company and have more fun at work!
Arruda provides personal branding advice in many different forms. And what makes this personal brand statement example different is that he talks about the outcome or results of his services — "bolster brand, increase social media savvy, value to company and more fun at work."
Who knew personal branding could be so valuable!
And while this isn't written in the first person, you can see how it could easily be converted to say "My personal branding... "
Donald Miller
Most companies struggle to talk about what they offer but if you confuse, you'll lose. My framework helps you clarify your message so customers place orders.
Miller's message is clear and concise. It should be, messaging is what he specializes in. His personal branding statement (in his Twitter bio) addresses the problem, his solution and the outcome.
Here's how you might use a formula based on Miller's personal branding statement:
This is the problem, and why it's not good. Here's my solution/fix and what the outcome will be.
Arielelle Hale
Helping service providers hit consistent $10k+ months w/o working 10k hours/month. 5 Systems Service Providers Need to Grow
I'll be honest, it was the name of Hale's company, Allergic To Hourly, that piqued my interest. Her personal branding statement is very specific and she knows exactly who her ideal client is, as she has clearly spelled out.
She is targeting service providers who need a system to help them maintain a consistent revenue without working tons of hours.
Niching, or specializing is a powerful way to serve your customers by giving them exactly what they need.
Andréa Jones
Helping socially inclusive brands impact & empower more people using social media.
I don't know exactly what a socially inclusive brand is, but if I was one, I would be interested. That's Jones' target audience. She helps them use social media to increase impact.
Here's an example of how concise may not always provide enough information. It's still good, but more detail might make it better.
Kassy LaBorie
Virtual Training is Here to Stay. Partnering With You to Lead the Way
You may not have heard of LaBorie before. But you know what she does. She's helping virtual trainers lead the way.
This personal branding statement sample is kind of catchy and it even rhymes. So if you are looking for another way to help people remember what you do, you may want to use clever word pairing or rhyming.
Final Thoughts
Businesses and entrepreneurs often hire consultants to help write and refine their personal brand statements, but you can borrow ideas from examples to help you spin your own.
Landing on the right personal brand statement is sort of like trying on shoes. You'll know it fits once it's on or done. In fact, your statement may shift, morph or change as you and your business grow.
