The irony doesn’t escape me. You can craft the perfect narrative for your CEO, secure challenging media coverage, and mediate complex stakeholder relationships.

But when it comes to communicating your value online, it feels cringe and totally out of your comfort zone.

Why your personal brand matters:

• It speaks when you’re not in the room. People make decisions about you based on what they see and hear, not just what you do.
• Opportunities come to those who are known, not just those who are capable. Visibility builds trust, and trust leads to conversations, which lead to offers.
• In a crowded field, your brand is your edge. It helps you stand out from other talented professionals with similar experience.

Why brilliant communicators struggle to communicate their own value.

• You’re not meant to be the story, because you’re responsible for making other people look good. So being in the spotlight can feel uncomfortable.
• You’ve been conditioned to believe good work speaks for itself. But no one else is going to do your personal PR for you. I spent years in comms myself before realising that visibility matters as much as ability, if you want to get ahead.
• You’re overthinking it. Your internal narrative (“I sound like I’m bragging”) doesn’t match how others perceive you (“She knows her stuff!”).
• Articulating your value isn’t bragging. If you’re the solution to the problem your reader is suffering from, explain how you can take their pain away.

How to take control of your personal brand:

• Define your message. What are you known for? What problems do you solve better than anyone else?
• Share your work, ideas, or wins – on LinkedIn, in industry groups, at events. But do it helpfully. What have you learned from those experiences or wins that others can benefit from.
• Speak up, strategically. Post regularly about topics you know well. Your voice builds authority.
• Collect receipts. Save testimonials, results, and compliments. Use them to back up your value.
• Practice your story. Be able to explain who you are, what you do, and why it matters – in two confident sentences.

Try this: Write down your achievements as if they belong to your best friend. Notice how the language changes? That’s the voice you’re looking for.

If you want to be able to talk confidently about your achievements and nail your next job interview, register for my FREE interview masterclass (it’s a recording, which runs every 15 mins). Here’s the link.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how comfortable do you feel talking about your successes?