In today’s world, if you don’t have an online presence, then you almost don’t exist.
As great as a life of privacy and simplicity may be, if you’re trying to grow your career or escape the rat race, then staying offline probably isn’t the wisest choice.
Gone are the days of getting in the door of a profession just because you’ve got an expensive piece of paper.
That $25,000 university degree saying you can do something? Yeah, not as valuable anymore.
That resume filled with a bunch of industry jargon saying how you’ve ‘met and exceeded expectations’ at your previous role? Yeah, where’s the proof?
Now more than ever, people are craving authenticity.
Everyone has the skills. Everyone has a university degree or qualifications.
What sets people apart is who they are, their knowledge, their values and, most importantly, how they share this with the world.
The Rise of the Personal Brand
The creator economy is well and truly here. People around the world are making millions of dollars by sharing their lives and creations online.
This economy isn’t just benefiting beauty influencers, video game streamers or big YouTubers. It’s also changing the lives of everyday people who are putting in the work to truly improve their lives.
Over the past few years, there’s been a huge shift in the way creators are presenting themselves online. Instead of choosing a ‘niche’ and pigeonholing themselves as someone that does one thing, they are showcasing themselves as, well, them.
This is a personal brand.
What this essentially ends up becoming is their online resume. An online resume that can get them much better work, make them extra income on the side, or even become their full-time job.
What Exactly is a Personal Brand?
A personal brand is the unique blend of an individual’s skills, experiences, values, and public perception, all of which come together to establish credibility, attract opportunities and create more valuable connections over time.
Take me for example. I’m sharing my personal experiences online. My brand is me and my content is what I learn in life and what I think may help others.
Although I don’t make a direct profit on what I post online (yet), I’m starting to gain authority as a writer, and I’m already landing higher paying jobs/clients because of that.
Instead of writing what I can do on a resume, I’m doing it for real in a public space.
Put simply, creating a personal brand means building authority whilst being good enough or interesting enough to make people care.
Whether you’re a graphic designer, writer, videographer or photographer, it’s about creating content that’s unique to you and doing it in a way that helps others.
As good as this new career path sounds however, it certainly doesn’t come without its challenges.
Posting Online As An Introvert
I understand that it can be incredibly difficult to take the plunge and start posting your life online for people to see, especially for people who like to keep to themselves.
Let’s break down the top three things that I know will hold you back (based off personal experience):
1. You Value Your Privacy
I completely get that. I’m a private person, and sharing deep, personal stories online has been quite scary for me.
But you know what’s even scarier? The thought of staying in a 9-5 office job for life, working for someone else because I didn’t have the courage to get out of my comfort zone and create for the new economy.
You can choose what you want to post and do it in a way that still keeps your privacy intact. And when you actually start creating things that are personal to you, trust me when I say your life will change in the best possible way.
2. You’re Afraid To Look Silly To Others
I sent my first newsletter to two people. I started posting on X to 0 followers and writing blogs that I knew no one would even find. Those numbers have improved, but I’m still writing to a considerably small audience.
You’ll never grow if you’re too afraid to position yourself as the beginner. Even if people don’t take your work seriously, it will only be for two seconds until they scroll onto the next thing in their feed.
You might look silly until you succeed. But you’ll never succeed unless you start.
3. You Think You’ve Missed The Boat
It’s incredible how often we are put off from starting something just because we think the opportunity is gone.
Social media and the online world is like nothing we’ve seen before. Someone can blow up overnight on TikTok or Instagram and their life could change forever.
Never tell yourself that it’s too late to start. Because that’s never the case, and deep down you know it.
Creating Online Goes Beyond Getting Better Job Opportunities
The benefits of creating your personal brand go far beyond becoming more employable.
I wrote an article recently on searching for purpose and, in particular, how important it is for millennials and Gen Z to find work they deem ‘meaningful’. I also mentioned earlier in this article how now, more than ever, people are craving authenticity.
This means there are true opportunities for you to create things you’re passionate about and to make a living doing it.
In fact, I recently sold one of my blog posts to an Australian lifestyle magazine. It was this article about my travels through Europe. Something so incredibly personal, that I never would have had the courage to post in the past, is actually going to make me money.
When you’re creating from a place of authenticity and vulnerability, that’s when you have the opportunity to change someone’s life.
This is why half of Australia is going nuts for Taylor Swift at the moment, because she’s authentic and vulnerable in her songs and her audience can relate to them. They each feel a deep, personal connection with her.
You can do the same with whatever you create. But it will be uncomfortable at times.
So, What Next?
I could take this article in so many different directions from here.I could talk more about posting online as an introvert and how to overcome this. I could give my recommendations for the social platforms I’d use and how to build a great website.
But I think all of these points need their own individual article where I can expand and really dive deep into each topic.
For now, I hope reading this article has created a little spark in your brain that maybe it’s possible to change the situation you’re in.
This stuff can really change your life. I’m nowhere near succeeding, and it’s already changing mine.
Stay tuned.
