How can you use the hero's journey to tell your personal brand story?

People resonate a lot with struggle and motivation. Hero's journey is something that summarizes this. To stand out in your journey, plot what you have been doing. How do you start it? What hurdles did you face? Who came to your rescue? What has been the biggest challenge in the journey? Who was the biggest motivator? When you add these aspects in your content creation journey, people resonate with you and reward you with their appreciation. My journey started as a college student who was trying to find internships but somehow started writing on LinkedIn. Eventually, completion of graduation, took an oath to start it again If I get a job. And it happened because I chased and worked for it. If I can use my story, you too can express.

In the context of a tragic hero, the journey’s pretty much the same, except the transformation often involves the hero’s downfall due to a fatal flaw. They’ll gain some self-awareness, but usually too late to prevent tragedy. It’s powerful stuff, emotionally compelling, and a great tool for brands to create epic narratives.

My Hero's journey in building a amazing personal brand: I am building my personal brand to build myself from zero to hero Here is how I am doing it?? ??I Describe my journey back from the start, and the insights my gained during this phase. ?? I Explain how I emerged transformed from the journey, both personally and professionally. ??I Discuss what I have to offer to my audience, clients, or community as a result of my journey. ??I Ensure that the Hero's Journey aligns with my personal brand's values, message, and goals. You are the hero of your brand, so make it big ?

A story always has a hero and a villian. Always. A story without these two isn't a story, it's a statement of facts. Here's an example of the power of story: As a job seeker, share in your resume or interviews how you were drawn to your profession, or how your skills/courage came to the rescue during times of economic uncertainty. As a self employed professional, use these same prompts, and talk about how you went from zero clients to multiple 5 or 6 figure months. When you use your story, you are relatable. Hero's Journey is a tool and can be shared in the right context, but it doesn't have to be complicated. Hero and villian can be people or even personal characteristics (fear) or external circumstances (recession, bankruptcy).

Every great story has a hero and a villain. Personal brands can use this dynamic to establish the brand as the hero that slays the client’s villain-the problem that’s keeping them up at night. Communicating this properly should be the focus of their marketing. To do this they must clarify what makes the brand unique (their why) and the transformation that their clients experience as a result. Instead of talking about what they do and how they do it, brand messaging should focus on how the brand solves a real problem. This requires empathy and a deep understanding of how they are uniquely equipped to help their clients. When a brand authentically and effectively communicates its power to slay their client’s dragon, they become a hero.

Here is why: ?? Your personal journey can inspire others who are on similar paths. ?? It demonstrates that with determination and resilience, one can overcome obstacles and achieve their goals, which can motivate and inspire your audience. ?? Your personal brand story can remain relevant and compelling over time, helping to sustain your brand's impact.

The key thing to understand when using the hero's journey for your brand (personal or corporate), is that you aren't the hero of the story. Your ideal customer is. In the narrative that is the hero's journey, they are Luke Skywalker and you are Yoda. They are Katniss and you are Haymitch. Too often we try to position ourselves as the hero and the message will always miss its mark because consumers want to know "how does this help me?". A good heroic story acknowledges the hero's current state of being, establishes what their future desired state of being is, then presents the "big bad" that's stopping them from achieving it. Your brand should help them conquer their "big bad" so they can achieve their future desired state of being.

You are more than your skills and expertise. While it's necessary to showcase them, it's not enough. People love seeing other people. They have their views, struggles, stories, mistakes, experiences, opinions. All these combined together makes your personal brand talk like you. Everyone has their struggle, and they love to know that they're not alone. When you show them the not-so-glamorous part of your story, they resonate with you. They feel validated. And a hero's story makes them feel better about themselves. They see a part of them in that hero. It gives them hope. It gives motivation. It keeps them going. So the next time you worry about sharing your stories, remember, your audience is made of people, and not robots!

Universal Appeal: It taps into archetypal plot elements that resonate with broad audiences. Showcases Growth: It inherently has elements of challenge, overcoming obstacles, and personal development.

What I've found is that the heros journey is more and more becoming the default narrative template people are using. As a result, this becomes a template that people easily understand and connect with due to its becoming the norm. So by using this template, you're letting it do the heavy lifting, and can focus instead on your brand.

Per the framework of hero's journey I shared above, it is very simple to map your personal brand story as journey is about YOU! So you have list down the questions or situations your audience can relate to or is expecting to learn from you. ( You can use tools like answerthepublic to get insights based on search results ) Once you define the topics, its about curation. Curating a well crafted journey is very important while building a personal brand. Every story you tell has to have an element of reliability and authenticity which will make the user believe in your story and make them equally curious to know what next. And during this journey, you will keep getting insights from the audience on what they want to know about you.

1. Write down your HIGHS-How did you achieve them 2. Write down your LOWS- How did you solve them 3. Create a List of MENTORS - Who helped you during both 4. What did you learn from both HIGHS & LOWS 5. What's the DIFFERENCE between your life Past v/s Present after those HIGHS and LOWS 6. Put it all together 7. Done!

For many your work is your hero's journey peppered in with personal highlights. Defining your definitive moments, those you've 'guided' along the way and your learnings are what you share in your branding - especially in a job campaign. Realizing you need to tell the story of your career is a breakthrough for many who perceive the job-seeking process (and the necessary personal branding it requires) as a separate adventure. Even your job campaign ah-ha's are part of the path of your journey. Make sure your stories are memorable and inclusive and punctuate your problem-solving skills.

Use the hero journey template Identify what incident or realization catalyzed your journey. Share the adversities you've faced in your career and how you've overcome them. Showcase what wisdom, skills, or unique value have you gained. While writing do not try to articulate from the start, just write what comes to your mind. Then articulate it into a powerful relevant story.

Yes and, I would say simple, powerful but not always easy. It’s one of the more extensive frameworks for new story tellers. Powerful for a keynote delivery.

An example: Hook: "Leaving my cushy corporate job was my 'Call to Adventure.'" Challenge: "I faced the ordeal when my first startup failed, but I learned the importance of market research." Reward: "Today, I’ve returned with the 'elixir'—a successful SaaS company that solves X problem for Y audience."

Elon Musk: Call: Interest in sustainable energy and space. Ordeal: Early financial struggles and technical failures. Elixir: Tesla’s industry-altering electric cars and SpaceX's pioneering space technology. Oprah Winfrey: Call: A passion for speaking and connecting with people. Ordeal: Overcoming poverty and societal prejudices. Elixir: Becoming a media mogul who uses her platform for philanthropy and social change. By adopting the Hero's Journey framework, you can construct a personal brand story that not only engages but also resonates with your audience, showing them that you've walked the hard path to gain the wisdom you now share.

I really like how John Hu, Founder of Stan, has used the hero journey that I have described above. He was a content creator who turned into an entrepreneur while solving challenges for his fellow creators and making a business out of it. The authenticity and transparency in his content and story have made the audience feel connected to him.

The reality is we can’t teach what we don’t know. That doesn’t mean, for example because you survived a divorce doesn’t make you an automatic expert, however, if one takes that experience and studies the process and therefore can help someone else then the experience will help others. Our shared experience can make a difference.

One of my favorites is David Tran, the man behind the Sriracha craze. Sriracha has become a fanatical household staple for decades since its inception - born from a Vietnamese refugee. The iconic condiment's company is named after the ship he travelled on to flee Vietnam.

Incorporating the Hero's Journey into your personal branding strategy is a powerful way to connect with your audience, create a memorable brand narrative, and establish a strong and relatable personal brand that resonates with your target audience.

A clear personal brand will frame their stories as themselves as the protagonist and the challenges/obstacles as the antagonist (use problems not people to villainize). The protagonist has shortcomings making overcoming difficult. But they also have strengths to deploy to overcome. In the end, their challenges are tools, not to be embodied, but a source of strength. They discover they had what it took after all.

In my journey as a brand strategist, I've learned that personal branding is about authenticity and resilience. To build a solid personal brand, it's essential to embrace your unique qualities and communicate them effectively. Understand your audience deeply, create a visual identity that represents you, and consistently share valuable content. Stimulate like-minded individuals, and seek feedback from your peers and clients. Remember that personal branding is a marathon, not a sprint, so have a long-term vision and be ready to adapt along the way.

Don't underestimate the power of the heros journey as a top-level narrative structure. Disney reuses it in almost all its movies, without boring audiences. What is important is to then add the ground-level information, which comes from your life and experiences.

The one tip I can give for someone who does not yet have a “classic hero journey” is - Don’t fake it. Yes, having a hero journey from rags to riches is going to create a buzz around your personal brand and possibly make you viral. But if it’s not true to you, your audience will catch on to it and sooner rather than later they will know the hollowness of your story. This is not the only way to build a personal brand. Sure it helps but it’s not necessary so don’t have the pressure of building something that’s not true to you.