[NEW INSIGHT] Personal branding – what it is and what it isn't
Personal branding often defines leaders with true staying power. Those who are influential not just within their companies, but across the wider world.
Because of this, many leaders have sought to build their personal brands to stand out and outperform their competition.
However, even the most accomplished leaders, despite years of hard work, can fall into common pitfalls that weaken their personal brand and diminish their impact.
In this article, we’ll uncover the top personal branding mistakes leaders make and, more importantly, how to avoid them in 2026, so your voice remains powerful, authentic, and heard in all the right conversations.
Ever got frustrated about industry headlines, knowing that you have the answers? You have the power to shift the narrative in the right direction.
It can be easy to sit on a reputation you’ve earned over the years, leading companies and scaling them, when you have a solid client base, happy employees, and revenues that continue to keep shareholders happy.
Why not stick with the formula that got you here?
However, despite what you’ve achieved, there’s always room to do and be more. You’re a proven leader, a trusted expert, and someone worth listening to, after all.
Ask yourself:
Ever sat in a meeting and realised the room was waiting for you to speak, to decide where things go next? That’s not pressure. That’s influence you can use to build a legacy that extends far beyond the boardroom.
Ever got frustrated about industry headlines, knowing that you have the answers? You have the power to shift the narrative in the right direction.
Ever looked at a competitor’s rise and thought, “We were doing that years ago”, only to become envious at their growth? Innovation alone isn’t enough. The market rewards those who speak up, step out, and own the conversation.
It’s time to become a visible, outspoken leader. And you guessed it, through personal branding.
It’s not just a trend that promises to grow your following. It's a mindset shift that positions your voice above others, through every action you take, and in the right conversations that matter to you and your brand.
The core idea? Taking a proactive approach to reputational management, rather than a reactive one that leaves perceptions of you to chance.
Many executives, founders, and CEOs mistakenly think their company’s brand is enough to stay connected with key audiences and remain relevant, especially when backed by a robust comms team and a well-funded marketing budget.
But even if your company has a strong brand, thanks to the great work of your team, you still need a brand of your own.
On one hand, corporate branding no longer holds the same sway it once did. PWC reports that while 90% of business executives believe customers trust their companies, only 30% of consumers actually do.
On the other hand, partners and employees prefer to work with leaders who are visible. It's a key signal of trust and credibility that, in turn, drives productivity, retention, and long-term business performance.
So, the choice is this:
Rely solely on a corporate brand that hides your leadership and limits your influence.
Or, build a personal brand that amplifies both your impact and your company’s reputation.
This shouldn’t be a difficult decision to make.
The media landscape is fast-moving. It’s easy to be forgotten, lose control of narratives, and face intense scrutiny.
Spending just a few months on LinkedIn branding, media relations, and various speaking engagements will never build familiarity among key audiences, let alone drive influence.
In fact, a lack of commitment can suggest your efforts are tokenistic, whether you're trying to navigate a crisis, launch a new product, or attract fresh talent.
The media landscape moves quickly. It’s easy to be forgotten, lose control of narratives, and face intense scrutiny.
Yet, build your personal brand the right way and the momentum you earn leads to:
A thoughtful LinkedIn post that sparks conversation.
One trade article that earns another, eventually positioning you as the go-to comment source in your industry.
Standout headlines in nationals that catch the attention of a podcast host looking for credible voices.
A broadcast interview, putting you and your company in front of entirely new, high-value audiences.
This is how visibility compounds. One opportunity leads to another, building recognition, trust, and influence over time. But none of that happens without consistency.
Whenever you produce content across social media and for the media, you need to find a way to come back to your central message.
It’s easy to confuse consistency with constant content, thinking you always need to linger in your audience’s mind.
But if your messaging lacks clarity or contradicts itself, it won't be long until you lose trust. You need a degree of nuance, and more importantly, strategy.
First-of-all, this means crafting your personal brand with a clear idea of what you want to say as a thought leader (someone who shares their expertise with audiences to earn credibility and drive impact), so you have a clear purpose.
Second, whenever you produce content across social media and for the media, you need to find a way to come back to your central message in a way that’s relevant, feels natural, and most importantly, offers your audience value.
Say you’re a:
Tech founder who speaks about AI ethics: your posts, panels, and press quotes should return to responsible innovation, not just product updates or trends.
Finance exec focused on inclusion: you can't promote equitable access during interviews but remain silent on industry bias or diversity in leadership elsewhere.
Healthcare leader advocating for preventative care: your content should tie back to early illness intervention, not just policy or profit.
Sustainability expert focused on reducing waste: whether you're on social or stage, your message should consistently highlight practical solutions, not jump between vague claims that confuse your audience.
Lastly, you need to know when to hold back on commenting. While visibility is valuable, overdoing it can saturate your voice and turn your audience off.
It’s best to come up with a content calendar in a literal or mental sense, and stick to it. This might mean posting on social media 2 or 3 days a week, and contributing to a trending media debate once a month.
Having some organisation like this can go a long way.
Before you react to any disagreement, think twice. Is it worth arguing or better to simply thank them for their perspective?
Becoming a thought leader will be central to your personal branding campaigns. You’ll leverage your expertise to build credibility among audiences and build trust in your brand, ultimately becoming an expert voice in your industry.
But while most thought leaders inevitably gain a following and earn respect, things can quickly turn sour when you overstep your mark.
What do we mean by this?
Stretching your authority beyond your actual experience may gain short-term attention. But sooner or later, audiences will catch on. And any credibility you’ve earned will erode fast, potentially even hindering future thought leadership efforts.
Making false or exaggerated claims might not seem risky initially, but spreading misinformation or inflated promises can pose a huge reputational risk. Always cross-examine your statements.
Not following through on statements might be unintentional, but your audience will always remember you for it. You’ll be seen as performative and opportunistic, and your company’s performance, as well as your leadership, will be questioned.
Disregarding others’ perspectives isn’t always done maliciously, particularly when you're passionate about the issues you campaign about. But before you react to any disagreement, think twice. Is it worth arguing or better to simply thank them for their perspective? After all, a debate is healthy. A public argument is a distraction.
As a core principle, consider this: Your audience doesn’t expect perfection. But they do expect integrity.
Never lose sight of the fact that authentic engagement and genuine understanding of your audience’s needs are essential for long-term, fruitful relationships.
Becoming a more vocal leader with personal branding doesn’t mean overly focusing on your objectives. It's about balancing what you want to say with what your audience needs to hear.
The consequence of ignoring this? Your content may come across as self-centered, you might choose the wrong channels, and valuable time could be wasted, along with any potential to drive meaningful change.
This is why you need to consistently place yourself in your audiences' shoes.
Ask yourself:
What challenges are they facing? Potential talent may be seeking a company that upholds DEI values.
Where do they consume information? Customers and clients often trust broadcast most.
What value can you offer them? Investors value long-term evidence of impact and sustainability that give them additional reasons to back you.
What steps do you need to take to deliver for your audience? Regulators want accessible, authoritative content that demonstrates a commitment to transparency, helping to reduce skepticism.
This is all about coordinating the right messaging, in the right places, at the right time. And that also means adapting to feedback, such as by limiting jargon that causes confusion.
Never lose sight of the fact that authentic engagement and a genuine understanding of your audience’s needs are essential for long-term, fruitful relationships.
The moment you spread your messaging across every single channel, you dilute whatever is you want to say.
Though we’ve already touched upon this, it’s worth reiterating the importance of leveraging the right channels during a personal branding campaign.
And again, this is another case of more isn’t always better.
Why? The moment you spread your messaging across every single channel, you dilute whatever is you want to say, reducing its impact and giving the impression that you’re desperate to be seen everywhere.
Other than any messages failing to resonate, journalists won't want to work with you again if they’ve lost the exclusivity of a story, while a professional message catered for LinkedIn might look out of place on Twitter or Instagram.
This doesn’t mean you can’t use multiple channels during a campaign. You just need to be aware of what works best for impact and authenticity with each message you share.
As a good rule of thumb:
In depth and complex arguments should be shared with the media and broken into key points for social posts.
Breaking news about you or your company should initially feature exclusively for a reputable outlet.
Short updates, comments, and non-newsworthy stories should be shared on social media and blogs only.
Profiling pieces, while acceptable in some publications, should be prioritised for podcasts and multimedia. These platforms portray you more authentically.
Though there are many other examples we could give, once you start producing content, you’ll increasingly get better at it spotting what works and what doesn't.
Capturing high-quality multimedia, regularly and in abundance, should be a core part of your personal branding strategy.
Ever heard the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words”?
When it comes to personal branding for executives, this couldn’t be more accurate.
A strong photo is highly versatile. It can elevate a bio, add authority to a media feature, or bring a social post to life. It also helps shape first impressions among key audiences, including investors, potential clients, and guest bookers.
Videos go even further. They allow you to show up as more personal, more human, and more memorable.
For instance:
Video posts on LinkedIn generate 1.4x more engagement than other formats.
This likely explains why video use in marketing campaigns has increased by 61% over the last 12 months.
The takeaway? Capturing high-quality multimedia, regularly and in abundance, should be a core part of your personal branding strategy. Not an afterthought that weakens everything else you’ve worked hard to build.
Don’t track data, and you risk flying blind, making decisions based on assumptions again and again.
The smartest thing you can do? Pay attention to data at every stage of your personal branding journey.
This means:
Numbers of media coverage you achieve (that rank online).
Numbers of invitations you receive to roundtables, conferences, and other events.
Impressions and follower counts on LinkedIn (and other relevant socials).
Surveys and feedback to monitor audience sentiment.
Website visitors and conversions.
Tracking this data allows you to measure the effectiveness of your personal branding campaigns and their impact on your reputation and your company’s objectives.
This not only helps you stay motivated and on target, but also gives you tangible insight to present to your C-Suite so they remain confident in your leadership.
Don’t track data, and you risk flying blind, making decisions based on assumptions again and again.
They've almost become the currency for success. And it all begins with you.
Remember: Leadership in 2026 isn’t just about results. It’s about how you’re perceived and the legacy you leave behind.
By refining your personal branding strategy the right way, you build a profile that helps you proactively protect and enhance your reputation, helping you earn meaningful, lasting benefits for you and your business that extend far beyond improving your bottom line.
You’ll earn trust and credibility, qualities that today distinguish a successful business from one that shapes industries and the wider world for decades to come. They've almost become the currency for success. And it all begins with you.