4 Types of Stories That'll Build Your Personal Brand

Oh my god, another post about personal branding? I know, I know. You're probably thinking, "Please, not another lecture about becoming an 'influencer' or creating educational content that makes me want to crawl under my desk and never come out." But stick with me here, because I'm about to call out the biggest misconception about personal branding that makes me want to throw my laptop across the room.

Ready for it?

 "Personal branding is only for influencers or content creators."

NOPE. Not even close. Thanks partly to AI, personal branding is now for literally anyone with a pulse. Being an actual human person is suddenly a quality people check for when connecting online (what a time to be alive, right?).

Here's the truth bomb—you already have a personal brand whether you like it or not. And guess what? Staying a "ghost" online is ALSO a personal branding choice. So you might as well have some control over how people perceive you instead of just being that person everyone suspects might be a bot.

CONNECTION: THE CURRENCY AI CAN'T COUNTERFEIT

But this isn't about creating endless content just for the sake of it. That whole model is sooooo 2022. Content is out, and sharing stories is in.

Why? Because in this weird age where AI makes content cheaper than my coffee habit and everyone's default setting is "suspicious," connection is the most valuable currency we have as marketers, freelancers, and business owners.

Remember that whole "people don't do business with strangers" thing? They buy from people they KNOW, LIKE, and TRUST. And that is truer than ever now that the internet has become this bizarre minefield of fake everything.

The good news? This creates a huge opportunity for you to serve up a fresh dose of BIG human energy and attract those dream clients who are out there looking for you right now.

The more you connect with your audience by sharing your insights, experiences, and wisdom through storytelling, the more likely they are to trust you enough to hand over their credit card information.

ANOTHER MYTH THAT NEEDS TO DIE

Speaking of misconceptions, here's another one I hear constantly that makes me want to scream into a pillow:

"You need to be an expert with years of experience before building a personal brand."

This is just NOT TRUE.

Building your personal brand isn't only for "influencers or gurus." And it's definitely not about creating "educational" content that makes you look like an expert when you're not. In fact, most people can see right through that anyway. It's forced, cringey, and awkward. We've all seen it and collectively died inside.

I come across people with incredible personal brands every single day who aren't claiming to be experts at anything. They're simply passionate about something and have a unique perspective—and yes, in many cases, they have something to sell, usually a service of some kind.

Personal branding isn't about "faking it till you make it." It's about authentically highlighting your unique insights, skills, and experiences—eregardless of where you are in your career (whether you're just starting or have a full client roster).

And the best way to do that? Through storytelling. Stories resonate with us way more than any fact or useful tip ever could.

Stories create feelings of trust, compassion, and empathy. Stories connect us to each other in ways AI simply can't replicate (yet, anyway).

So as you work on building your personal brand this year, stress less about having the perfect listicle or educational post, and start thinking about the stories you could tell!

FOUR TYPES OF STORIES THAT'LL BUILD YOUR BRAND WITHOUT MAKING YOU WANT TO HIDE

#1. WHERE YOU CAME FROM

Your origin story should paint a clear picture of who you are and why you do what you do.

More specifically—your origin story is all about the events that shaped and molded you (aka your personal brand!) into who you are today. It's so much more than simply giving a dry and boring bio about yourself.

Let's look at some examples most people know—superheros.

Think about your favorite superhero. How did they get their powers? What was their life like before this defining moment? What is their personal struggle? What is their weakness? Who is the villain? What are they on a mission to achieve?

Superhero origin stories do something very powerful. They humanize the superhero and make this better, faster, stronger person seem somehow relatable.

Take Batman's origin story. Bruce Wayne might not be a very relatable character at first glance—he inherited a massive fortune from his parents and can basically do whatever he wants.

But when you examine his origin story, he becomes a lot more relatable. A wealthy boy who was orphaned when his parents were brutally murdered by street thugs. Their murder was the defining moment in the origin of Batman—when Bruce Wayne dedicated his life to fighting crime. BUT he does this because he's seeking revenge, not necessarily because he wants to help innocent people.

This story is one of the "anti-hero"—a character who does the right thing but is not always the shining example of perfection that superheroes are typically seen as. Which makes Batman a lot more interesting and relatable.

Or what about my personal favorite superhero—Storm? Storm is the descendant of an ancient line of African priestesses. When she was five years old, a bomb destroyed their home, and her parents were killed. She survived but was buried under rubble near her mother's body. This traumatizing event left her orphaned and with severe claustrophobia. For a while, she worked as a thief and picked locks—whatever she needed to do to survive.

It wasn't until years later, after feeling a strong urge to return to her ancestors' homeland, that her power to control the weather became apparent, and she was eventually recruited into the X-Men.

Superheroes are not perfect. They stole, cheated, made questionable moral judgments, and "did what they had to do" for a while. They struggled to come to terms with their power and didn't always use it in the best ways. This is what makes them so relatable.

In your own story, there are likely many imperfect moments—mistakes, lessons, or wake-up calls that might feel a bit hard to share but make you so much more relatable. Don't shy away from sharing truthfully about how you came to be where you are today.

#2. WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT

These are the stories where you're sharing your personal values, interests, and beliefs.

Even if your values and beliefs are completely unrelated to what you do, they are still an important part of who you are. Everyone has characteristics, drives, desires, values, and fears—these are the things that make up your personality. They shape the things you say, the things you do, and the way in which you do them.

And they might have absolutely nothing to do with your business. But it's an important part of who you are. Your audience wants to understand who you are as a whole, complete person. That, is what makes them feel connected to you. 

#3. WHO YOU HELP

Out of all the story types on this list, this one is probably the most obvious!

Customer stories are your chance to showcase your brand—and more specifically, what you can do and how you can help—through the eyes of someone else. Aka—your past and current customers.

Social proof is always more believable and persuasive. Hearing other people talk about how great you are and how amazing your product or service is is way more effective than if you were just talking about how great you are and why you're so amazing. I mean, obviously—right?!

Humans just love to hear stories about other people. Because, again, we relate to them. Just like with your origin story, we can picture our own story or circumstance in the story of the customer we're reading about. Our needs, desires, and pains are reflected back to us through what the customer was going through.

And when we see this customer eventually found a way out of their struggle and reached success with the help of you, your product, or service? Well, that's almost enough to make anyone want to buy.

To make these stories as powerful as possible, you really want to highlight the before/after transformation of your customers. Paint a detailed picture of the struggles they had before. These are likely many of the same struggles other people are dealing with. Then highlight what their life looks like now—after getting your help.

Keep these stories focused on the customer and their transformation. Of course, you can mention that it was your product or service that helped them, but the point is not to sell or promote here. That almost makes sharing the story feel less authentic and less true. All you need to do is share the story and let the story do the selling for you.

#4. WHAT YOU (REALLY) DO

"What do you do?" is the elevator pitch canned response you give to someone at a networking event.

"What do you REALLY do?" is the underlying mission or reason you do it. It's the unspoken sense of purpose behind your work that keeps you going, even when things get hard.

This goes far beyond your values and interests or what your skills/expertise are. These stories should also touch on the greater purpose of your business and the impact you hope to make. They are meant to get people fired up.

You want people to read these stories and feel a strong desire to support you—because they support and believe in the mission you're working towards.

NOTICE WHAT THESE ALL HAVE IN COMMON?

Notice how all of these are just stories?! They don't sell. They show and tell.

Now, if the thought of showing up online and sharing your stories with the world terrifies you a little... Maybe you're just starting out, introverted, awkward, or just straight-up repulsed by the idea of showing up online...

I get it, you are not alone. If you're feeling stuck, contact Winsome Marketing today for help with your personal brand or an audit. Our team can help even if you break into cold sweats at the thought of social media.