f*ck authenticity, if you want a "personal brand" (yawn) that gets you anywhere
By Sophie Miller · November 4, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
f*ck authenticity, if you want a "personal brand" (yawn) that gets you anywhere you need to start treating it like a brand ˖⁺‧₊˚🥱
we spend so much time on the “personal” part, being relatable and showing up as ourselves, and almost none on the “brand” part, and then wonder why the views never turn into anything.
getting seen isn’t the hard part anymore, because you can hack your way to views or go viral by accident, but none of that means anyone will remember your name next week, let alone pay you.
and most people don’t have a visibility problem, they have an opportunity problem (mic drop yes you can read that again !!!!)
I think a lot of it comes from being scared that *strategy* will make you less *authentic*
I spent years treating Pretty Little Marketer as my personal brand (before now pivoting into a media community and business in it's own right) - andand now that I’m stepping back from being the face of it I’m building sophiemiller.com the way I’d build any brand I’ve worked on, with a clear point of view and a clear idea of who it’s for.
it’s still completely me, I just know what I’m making and why.
so if you want your visibility to lead somewhere, be a lot more bullish about it:
→ know what you’re known for, so people can explain what you do and why it has to be you
→ know who it’s for, because the people you want to work with should see themselves in your content
→ know where it leads, whether that’s a job, a client, a booking or a brand deal, so every post is building towards something
→ give it a home you own, like a website or a newsletter, so it isn’t tied to one platform or one employer
strategising your personal brand won’t take the authenticity out of it, it just makes it a lot easier for the right people to choose you !!! (trust me, this pays my bills)