How to Perfect Your Personal Branding Statement

Before you scroll down to the bottom to see the personal brand statement examples, I should probably let you know that you probably already need to rework your personal branding statement.

I know— how insulting, right? You could have a killer personal branding statement. One that has been working for you for the last five to ten years!

However, with the rise of work from home jobs and the congestion in the digital market as a whole, it’s important now more than ever for your personal brand to stand out.

Most people think they have their business all figured out. But while you may know your ideal client and your area of expertise, you may be pitching your brand as too vague or even too niche.

For example, there are plenty of personal branding strategists like me out there. If a potential client or an investor asked me about my business, I would never simply state my job title. In fact, I probably wouldn’t bring it up at all because what does a personal branding strategist do anyway?

Instead, I pitch myself by explaining what I do, who I help, and how it solves a problem. This is the exact formula I will be showing you today so that you can curate and perfect your own brand statement. One that will perk up the ears of your target audience and one that will instantly pique the interest of your potential investors. 

RELATED: Choosing A Personal Brand Logo & Examples of Personal Branding

What is a Personal Brand Statement?

You see personal brand statements all the time. Experts will place it everywhere— on their website, in their social media bios, and even in some of their graphics. It’s their introduction, their greeting. If you are at a networking event and someone comes up to you to introduce themselves, this statement is what you will pull out while shaking their hand.

A personal brand statement is short and sweet. It should be longer than a slogan but shorter than your elevator pitch. That happy medium should be able to spark your ideal clients’ interest.

The problem with establishing your brand statement is that it takes some serious consideration. The first sentence that comes to mind when you think of your personal brand probably shouldn’t be your final statement. You really need to narrow down what it is about your business and your brand that makes you completely different from your competition.

How to Craft Your Own Statement

There are three aspects you want to address in your statement: Your Action, Your Target Client, and Your Solution.

To put it simply, follow this equation to think of your personal brand.

Your Action + Your Target Client = Your Solution

It doesn’t necessarily have to be in that order. You can rearrange this equation to Your Action + Your Solution = Your Target Client. As long as all 3 are addressed in your statement, you are on the right track.  

Before we get into personal brand statement examples, let’s define what each of these factors needs to accomplish (it may seem tedious but, trust me, it’s important).

Your Action

This portion isn’t going to address what you do in detail. In fact, this portion of your statement is going to be very, very vague.

To give you an idea of how you can begin your statement, you can use superficial phrases such as:

• “I help…”
• “I build…”
• “I create…”
• “I turn…”

What you want to do here is pinpoint the verb that truly encapsulates what it is you do. Notice how all of these words are action verbs. This helps your personal branding statement become alive and energetic. It says that you are actively helping your clients solve their problems, and you’re doing it with passion and vitality.

Once you have found the perfect verb to begin your statement, you need to dive right into your ideal client and their problem.

Your Target Client

You don’t necessarily have to get specific on your target audience in your personal brand statement. You can simply refer to them as one of the following:

• “Customers”
• “Clients”
• “Startups”
• “CEOs”
• “Entrepreneurs”

If you really have a handle on your target client, then you can add in a few adjectives so that it appears that you are personally speaking to them. For example, you can say:

• “Freelance entrepreneurs”
• “Large e-commerce companies”
• “Tech startup founders”
• “Women in LA”
• “50 small business owners”

A great way to really grab your ideal client’s attention is to include some proof in your statement. You want them to believe that you can provide the ultimate solution enough so that they are curious to know more. For example, you can use numbers to advertise just how many clients you’ve already helped. This proves your expertise while simultaneously giving the impression that you are in high demand. You can also add a location (i.e. “women in LA”, “men in New York”, etc) if you have a brick and mortar business or a strong presence in your local community. 

RELATED: How To Stay On Top of Trends For Your Brand

It’s completely fine if you use fewer words to describe your ideal client in your statement. If your business helps out a wide variety of people, then, by all means, keep it simple. If you’re a fitness coach, you don’t want to ostracize your potential male clients by saying that you “help females in LA.”

So, so far we have Your Action+ Your Target Client. Let’s use the fitness coach as an example. If a fitness coach’s ideal clients are women who live in Los Angeles, their personal branding statement should be beginning to look something like this:

“I help + women in LA…”

Your Solution

So what is it that this fitness coach helps women in LA do? This is the selling point. This is what you do that nobody else offers. A personal brand statement example that is too vague would be something such as, “I help women in LA get into shape!”

Well, of course, they do. They’re a fitness coach. It’s not a very strong selling point, right?

No— you want to really drive the point home at the end of your branding statement. Your personal branding statement should make your ideal client feel something. They should feel excitement or a sense of relief because they have finally found the expert that can help them solve their problem.

Your Solution should address their problem while simultaneously offering a solution. For example, this fitness coach’s personal branding statement could end with:

“I help women in LA commit to a healthier lifestyle in just 90 days!”

Do you see the different parts of the personal brand statement equation? “I help + women in LA + commit to a healthier lifestyle in just 90 days!” 

Mix It Up!

Additionally, you can mix up your statement by using the equation Your Action + Your Solution = Your Target Client. An example of that might look like:

“I create + 90-day health plans for + women in LA who are looking to commit to a new lifestyle!”

If we stopped this personal brand statement example at “women in LA” it would leave too much to the imagination. While the 90-day health plan might be enough to spark your ideal client’s curiosity, the last portion speaks solely to your target client. Plenty of online fitness coaches sell X-Day plans, but yours can help them commit. They’ll ask themselves, “What is it about this 90-day plan that will finally get me to commit to a healthier lifestyle?”

And that’s when inquiries will start flying in.

6 Personal Brand Statement Examples

As simple as this equation may be, there are still some entrepreneurs who don’t get it quite right. If you are too generic, people are going to roll their eyes.

“Another product that will help me with my diet? Sure, okay,” they’ll think.

On the other hand, if you’re too specific, you are going to cut out potential customers. Plus, it will be a mouthful to get a simple message across. Can you imagine introducing yourself by saying, “I’m a coach who helps men and women in LA find the perfect workout and diet routine so they can lose weight in just 90 days!”? Probably not, right? Not only does it make you sound like a used car salesman, but it’s way too long. You won’t leave them with any guesswork. Therefore they won’t ask you more about your business.

Terrible Personal Brand Statements

I’m not going to give you real-life personal brand statement examples that I’ve seen online (though, there are quite a few). Instead, I’m going to create a few and point out one thing in each statement that has the potential to drive your customers (or investors) away.

1.“I have a tech startup.”

If you asked someone what they did for a living and this was their answer, wouldn’t your immediate response be, “And?”

People don’t want to have to dig for information. That’s why the equation I developed for you comes in handy. Tell them who you are, who you help, and why your solution isn’t like the rest.

2. “I help entrepreneurs by producing their online content such as blogs, video, and photography!”

While this does hit all the key points, this personal brand statement example doesn’t leave anything to the imagination. Plus, there are plenty of content creators out there— what makes your blogs, video, and photography so special? Likewise, if your personal branding statement can be used as a template for any other person in your field, you definitely need to consider a rewrite. No two personal brands should be the same, so your personal branding statement should be just as distinguishable.

3. “I’m a real estate agent who helps people buy and sell homes in Santa Monica, California.”

In this example, the personal brand is too broad. There are plenty of real estate agents in Santa Monica. This statement also just defines what a real estate agent does. The statement should be highlighting why this personal real estate agent is different from Mr. Real Estate Agent next door. Do they specialize in foreclosures, first-time home buyers, or luxury properties over $500K? This personal brand needs a little bit more personality in order to get their target client to like, know, and trust them.

Excellent Personal Brand Statements

I am going to use real personal branding statement examples for this section. These people have been in business long enough to know exactly who their target audience is and what solutions they are looking for.

1. “Helping You Succeed Through Online Marketing!“

Neil Patel’s personal branding statement is highlighted right in his homepage SEO. Google “Neil Patel” and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

While this may seem too broad, once you have notoriety on par with Neil Patel, you can afford to be a little more liberal. It still follows my formula of Your Action + Your Target Client = Your Solution.

While he negates the word “I” and his target audience is simply “you,” he still makes sure people know that he helps them find a solution (“success through online marketing”). He takes it a step further once you click on his website by immediately asking his viewers, “Do you want more traffic?”

This hook on his website further specifies how he can help you succeed through online marketing. It makes people stop and analyze their business, thus encouraging them to work with him.

2. “I help entrepreneurs grow social platforms.”

This comes directly from Jasmine Star’s Instagram bio (the perfect place to showcase your personal brand statement). With nearly half a million followers, it’s clear that her personal branding statement works like a charm. On her website, she clarifies what she does a little bit more by saying that she is, “A Photographer & Business Strategist who empowers entrepreneurs to build a brand, market it on social media, and create a life they love.”

3. “Helping my clients build compelling personal brands to skyrocket their business and sales.”

Yes, this is my personal branding statement. Not to toot my own horn, but as a personal branding strategist, I do know what it takes to get my ideal client’s attention.

Because my business is digital, I’m not locked down by demographics like gender or location. I also make sure I let people know that I help by building compelling personal brands. By using that adjective, “compelling,” I’m letting my potential clients know that their personal brand will break the mold. My personal brand statement then explains that by using my services, their business and sales will skyrocket. So, I’ve ended my statement with a solution to their problem: getting more sales with their personal brand. 

RELATED: What is Personal Branding and Why You Should Care

Conclusion

Your personal brand statement is going to be plastered everywhere you present yourself and your business. That’s why it’s so important that you get it right.

Granted, there are plenty of different ways you can use my formula to create your statement. If you’re not sure if you’ve got it right, you can always call your favorite personal branding strategist (that’s me) for a free consultation. Just make sure you know how to address these three fundamental sections so that we can build you the best statement that speaks to your unique personal brand:

1. What do you do that no one else does?
2. Who is your ideal client?
3. What problems are you helping them solve?

Originally posted on https://clairebahn.com/personal-brand-statement-examples/