A person using a laptop to research personal branding mistakes

Personal branding can be tricky business. It’s much easier to remain objective when you’re branding a business.

You are, after all, branding something separate to you (i.e. a product or service). Branding yourself is a whole other ball game. Of course you’re going to be influenced by your own thoughts and feelings about yourself. This can make it challenging to gain perspective. And a lack of perspective means you’re more likely to make mistakes. Check out these three all too common personal branding mistakes and make sure you’re not falling into the same trap.

Contents

Why personal branding is tricky

When you brand a business, you’re working on something separate from yourself, so it’s easier to stay objective and make clear-eyed decisions. When you brand yourself, all of that objectivity goes out the window. You’re too close to the subject. Your own insecurities, blind spots and assumptions get in the way, and that lack of perspective is exactly where the mistakes creep in.

The good news is that the most common personal branding mistakes are predictable, which means they’re avoidable once you know what to look for. Here are the three we see most often, and how to fix each one.

Who are you anyway?

People love a good inspirational story. And in the world of personal branding, not giving your audience some background is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Who are you? Where did you come from? What have you been through and how did you get to where you are now?

Don’t bog your audience down in insignificant detail (that’s a personal branding mistake in itself) but do provide them with relatable aspects of your story. This will position you as an expert in your field and strengthen your personal brand so that your followers feel confident that you will deliver on what you promise.

This is really about your brand story, just applied to a person rather than a company. The most magnetic part of your story usually isn’t the highlight reel, it’s the struggle, the turning point, the lesson learned. Share the parts people can see themselves in, and you give them a reason to care before you ever ask them to buy.

You’re getting caught up in your own pain points

If you’re trying to help people through an issue they’re facing, it can help to share with them that you’ve been through something similar. The personal branding mistake occurs, however, when you share your challenges without also showing how you’ve overcome them.

Sure, it’s great to be vulnerable. To show how we’re all in this together and no one has it all figured out. But you aren’t going to get people across the line if they don’t believe you’ll be able to help them overcome their challenges. And if you consistently appear to be stuck in your own pain points, you’re going to lose your audience’s trust. If you are going to share them, always show how you have personally overcome your challenges. Make sure you reflect on the message you’re trying to convey before sharing anything with your followers.

A simple rule of thumb: share from your scars, not your open wounds. Talking about a challenge you’ve come out the other side of is powerful and builds authority. Broadcasting one you’re still lost in tends to do the opposite. The story arc your audience needs to see is struggle, then turning point, then result, because that’s what convinces them you can guide them through the same thing and is a big part of why people choose you.

You’re not visible enough

For people to establish a meaningful connection with you (a person who they likely have never and will never meet in person), they need to see you. It may seem painfully obvious that being invisible is a mistake for a personal brand but it’s one that is all too common.

Don’t hide behind the polished and airbrushed finish of your branding. Get in front of the camera on your social channels and candidly speak to your followers. Don’t be afraid to be a little unpolished. People will connect more with you if they feel you’re just like them, if you show up with unbrushed hair or without a script from time to time.

It’s also important to make sure you have plenty of photos of yourself on your website and as part of your overall branding strategy. Consider getting a professional photo shoot with you in a number of outfits, in various locations and in a range of natural poses.

There’s a reason visibility works so well, and it has a name: the mere exposure effect. The more often people see you, the more familiar, likeable and trustworthy you become to them. Consistency beats intensity here. Showing up regularly as your real self does far more for your personal brand than one perfectly produced post every few months.

The 3 mistakes at a glance

The whole article in one quick reference:

The mistake Why it hurts The fix
Skipping your story Your audience has nothing to connect with and no reason to trust you. Share relatable parts of your journey, the struggle and the turning point, without the boring detail.
Getting stuck in your pain points You look unable to help, which quietly erodes trust. Only share challenges alongside how you overcame them. Share from your scars, not your open wounds.
Not being visible enough People can’t connect with someone they never actually see. Show your face, get on camera, post consistently and invest in real photos of yourself.

Building a personal brand that actually reflects you takes the same strategic thinking as building a business brand. If you’d like a hand with yours, our guide to establishing a personal brand is a good next read, and a free brand audit is a good place to start if you want an outside perspective. You can also explore our brand strategy work.

Leave your mark.

FAQs

What is personal branding?

Personal branding is the practice of shaping how you’re perceived as an individual, your reputation, expertise, personality and story, rather than branding a separate product or service. It’s how you show up online and in person so the right people understand who you are, what you stand for and why they should trust and follow you. Done well, it positions you as a credible expert and builds genuine connection with your audience.

What’s the most common personal branding mistake?

The three we see most often are skipping your backstory, getting stuck in your own pain points, and not being visible enough. If we had to pick one, it’s a tie between visibility and storytelling, plenty of people either hide behind a polished brand and never show their face, or they share what they do without ever telling people who they are and how they got there. Both leave your audience with nothing to connect to.

Should I share personal struggles in my personal brand?

Yes, but with an important caveat: share from your scars, not your open wounds. Talking about a challenge you’ve come through is powerful, it makes you relatable and builds authority. But if you only share the struggle without showing how you overcame it, or you appear permanently stuck in it, you’ll lose your audience’s trust. Always pair vulnerability with the turning point and the result.

How visible do I need to be for a personal brand?

More visible than feels comfortable. People can’t build a connection with someone they never see, especially if they’ll never meet you in person. Get in front of the camera on your social channels, speak candidly, and don’t be afraid to be a little unpolished. Consistency matters more than perfection here, thanks to the mere exposure effect, the more regularly people see you, the more familiar and trustworthy you become.

Do I need professional photos for my personal brand?

They help a lot. Alongside candid, in-the-moment content, having a bank of quality photos of yourself for your website and branding makes everything look more credible and consistent. It’s worth considering a professional shoot with a few different outfits, locations and natural poses so you’ve got plenty to draw on. The goal isn’t to look airbrushed and unreachable, it’s to look like a real, capable, approachable human.

How is personal branding different from branding a business?

The biggest difference is objectivity. When you brand a business you’re working on something separate from yourself, so it’s easier to make clear, strategic decisions. When you brand yourself, your own thoughts and feelings about yourself get in the way, which makes perspective hard to come by. The principles are similar, story, consistency, trust, but personal branding requires more self-awareness and, often, an outside eye to keep you objective.