Essentially, a personal brand statement is a brief two-sentence summary highlighting your unique skills, attributes, and how you can add value to your industry. It helps your audience — whether a potential employer or your professional network — understand what you offer and who you are. Generally, your personal brand statement should include your unique skills, experience, and what you’re passionate about.
Creating a personal brand statement has many benefits and can help you receive new career opportunities, strengthen and build client relationships, and can even be used as a marketing tool if you’re a business owner looking to expand your company. In fact, the possibilities are endless.
Some benefits of creating a personal brand statement include:
- Control over your personal brand image: The way people view you and your brand are important, so a personal brand statement can help you create a slogan that will help others understand who you are.
- Helps you stand out from competitors: Whether you’re looking to have your personal brand statement help you improve your career or build a business, crafting something unique will help you stand out from the competition and give you a competitive advantage.
- Attracts new opportunities: A personal brand statement can also help you find like-minded individuals who want to help you succeed. It’s a great way to network and open doors for new opportunities in your industry.
How to Write a Personal Brand Statement
Now that you know what a personal brand statement is and how you can benefit from one, let’s go over the steps to take to craft yours.
1. Create a list of your skills
First things first, you should create a list of all your unique skills that are hyper-relevant to your specific industry. Of course, you want to come up with a list of skills that will help you stand out from others. So, consider adding buzzwords that are relevant to your industry, like any tools you use or software experience you have. Once you have a solid list, pick your top three skills to include in your statement. Remember, the more niche the better.
2. Determine who your audience is
Are you looking to advance your career? Or maybe you’re selling a product or service and want to use your personal brand statement to help market it. Whatever it is, you need to determine your audience so you know exactly who you’re speaking to when crafting your sentences. When you have a sentence that’s too general and doesn’t speak to a specific industry, it’ll make it harder to get noticed.
3. See what other people are saying in your industry
Do your research and see what other people in your industry are saying. Are there specific soft skills they’re looking for that you have? Are they using buzzwords that you can add to attract opportunities? See if there are any gaps in your industry that you can help fill with your skills and experience.
4. Start building your sentences
Though this is a short summary, your brand statement should tell a story of who you are and what you can offer. What problems do you think you can solve? What makes you stand out from others in your field? How do you want others to view you? Combine this with your skills into one or two sentences.
5. Make any necessary revisions
It may take a few times to really hone in on the right sentence, but keep revising until you nail down the right words. Simple is always better, so look for ways you can remove extra fluff and get straight to the point.
6. Market yourself
Once you’ve nailed down your statement, it’s time to start marketing yourself. Add your statement to your resume, LinkedIn profile, Twitter bio, your personal website, email signature, and any other place you find useful. And make sure your message is consistent across all platforms.
To take the guesswork out of building your personal brand statement, download this template to help you brainstorm and put together a statement that will help you stand out from the crowd.
Article guest written by Corey Doane. Corey Doane is a digital content creator and helps brands create helpful and compelling stories worth sharing. Her background in digital marketing and creative writing has led her to work with clients ranging from business to e-commerce to lifestyle.
Last updated March 16, 2023
