How to Build a Personal Brand That Gets Noticed

Building a personal brand is about intentionally shaping how the world sees you — your values, expertise, and personality. Unlike product or corporate branding, which focuses on messaging for a business or item, personal branding is about crafting your own story and presenting it consistently across platforms like your personal website, social media, email, and even in-person interactions.

Effective personal branding consists of a few core elements: understanding your targeted audience, creating content that reflects your experience and values, maintaining consistency in your tone and visuals, and showing up authentically over time. A personal brand isn’t just a logo or tagline — it’s how people perceive your value in the market, and whether they trust you enough to follow, hire, or buy from you.

What makes personal branding so powerful today is its ability to build emotional connections in a way traditional branding can’t. While corporate brands focus on scalability, creating a personal brand prioritises trust, relatability, and connection — especially in fields like coaching, content creation, consulting, and tech entrepreneurship. If you're a creator, solo founder, or someone looking to grow influence, your brand is your best asset.

Some of the most successful marketers are constantly looking for ways to improve their strategy. A great example of someone who excels at creating a personal brand is Noah Kagan.

His no-fluff approach, transparency, and willingness to experiment have made him a standout in the world of effective personal branding. By combining real-world experience with engaging content, Noah has built a personal brand that resonates with his targeted audience across multiple social media platforms.

Noah knows how valuable it is to own your audience. He prioritises growing his email list — one of the most powerful assets in any personal branding strategy — by offering genuine value in return.

When you visit his blog, you’re greeted with an instant offer — a free ebook packed with “Rogue Marketing Strategies” in exchange for your email. It’s a classic lead magnet approach that aligns perfectly with creating your personal brand while growing a personal and professional email list.

He promotes his join page regularly on Twitter to reach a wider targeted audience:

Noah also runs live streams with subscribers, reinforcing that his personal brand isn’t just about broadcasting — it’s about connection:

Noah understands that an engaged audience is a loyal one. To keep his readers coming back and build his personal brand, he often includes a giveaway at the end of blog posts — a smart tactic that encourages users to take action and become more involved.

These aren’t random giveaways either — they’re tied to Noah’s content and message, reinforcing the connection between value and participation. Here are some recent examples:

• 5 Yearly Licences for Powtoon → 106 Comments
• Dropcam Wireless Video Camera → 99 Comments
• Satchel & Page Bag → 152 Comments
• $25 Amazon Gift Card → 82 Comments
• A selection of Tom Bihn Products → 179 Comments

By rewarding activity on his personal website, he’s not only increasing traffic and comments but also building a reputation for delivering value — a key factor in building your brand.

He also takes things further by incentivising additional engagement with bonus entry actions. These encourage his audience to go beyond passive reading and actively support his content, whether it’s sharing, subscribing, or tagging others.

If we don’t ask questions how can we expect answers?

Asking questions is a simple but powerful tactic to create content that builds connection. Noah regularly uses this approach to engage his followers, encourage replies, and start conversations that bring value to everyone involved.

By opening up the conversation, he reinforces his online persona as someone approachable, curious, and always learning — a tone that strengthens his ability to build credibility.

If you're focused on developing a personal brand, don’t just talk — listen. Ask your audience questions. Show them you care about their opinions and stories. This builds a community that actively wants to support you.

One of the most engaging aspects of Noah’s content is that he doesn’t just talk at his audience — he challenges them. Whether in his emails or blog posts, he encourages readers to take real steps, track progress, and share results.

This kind of participation deepens connection and turns passive readers into an active community — a key trait of a successful personal brand.

When you’re building your brand, it's important to embed your personal story into how you inspire others. Challenges let your audience grow with you — and that’s how you keep them coming back.

If you're looking to create content that drives long-term value, think beyond information. Think transformation. Challenges are a great way to get there.

Noah’s background at companies like Mint and Facebook gives him real-world credibility — and he uses those experiences to fuel content that resonates. When you’re developing a personal brand, it’s crucial to lean on the personal and professional lessons you’ve learned along the way.

Rather than vague advice, Noah offers tactical breakdowns that show how real companies grew their user base. This level of transparency helps him build credibility and keeps readers engaged.

This is a perfect example of how to create content that’s not only useful but also positions you as an expert. Don’t just share what you know — share where you learned it and how it worked for you.

A great way to strengthen your audience connection is by setting clear, actionable objectives. Noah regularly gives his readers things to try — whether it’s a challenge, a reflection point, or a next step.

When you're working to build a personal brand, people don’t just want information — they want direction. Giving your audience objectives makes your content more memorable and drives repeat engagement.

It’s also a core part of strong personal branding strategies: turning readers into participants and participants into advocates.

If you’re looking to create content that drives action, clarity is key. Tell people what to do next — and why it matters.

One of the defining traits of a successful personal brand is the willingness to experiment. Noah is constantly testing what works — from blog headlines and CTAs to how he structures comment prompts and giveaways.

This mindset is key when you’re trying to build your personal brand in a crowded space. You have to iterate, listen, and adjust your message to meet your targeted audience where they are.

Testing different formats is also a smart way to define your online persona. It shows your audience you’re paying attention, and that you want to create content that actually helps them.

This is the essence of effective personal branding — not just putting content out into the world, but improving it through real interaction and feedback.

A standout trait of Noah’s content is that he isn’t afraid to admit when he’s wrong or when he learns something new. This honesty strengthens his personal story and helps him build credibility with his audience.

If you're focused on creating your personal brand, don't be afraid to show your growth. Sharing your own learning experiences makes your message more human, relatable, and trustworthy.

People don't just want experts — they want real people who are honest about the journey. Whether it's a mistake, an insight, or a new approach, being transparent about what you're learning helps you connect and inspire.

This is how you grow a loyal audience and a brand that resonates over time.

If you're ready to build your personal brand the way Noah has, Gleam can help. Our apps are designed to help you grow your audience, reward engagement, and create content experiences that stick.

Whether you’re just getting started or refining a successful personal brand, Gleam gives you the tools to incentivise followers, collect leads, and promote your expertise — all from one platform.

Our drop-in competition widget can be embedded in blog posts, on a personal website, or even shared via partners and publishers. It’s a smart way to build traction while keeping your efforts scalable and consistent.