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Hey friend,
Some personal branding tactics build real trust, and some just fill your calendar. The goal is to spend your energy on the ones that compound.
This is a special newsletter edition of my series "Is It Working or Is It Not," where I take a popular marketing tactic and give you an honest rating. Today we're doing five personal branding tactics at once, because I know your time is precious and your to-do list is already long.
More isn't the strategy. Knowing what works for you is the strategy. So let's get into it.
Case study: when volume became the strategy
In Q3, I worked with a financial services team that struggled to get content out the door.
The challenge: The team overthought every post. Ideas were hard to come by, each one got second-guessed, and posting was inconsistent. Nothing tied it all together.
The strategy: We set a simple rule: at least 5 posts a week, built around a few set themes. The goal wasn’t perfection. It was momentum.
What happened: Posting got easier, fast. Once the question shifted from “what should we post?” to “let’s hit our number,” the team started sharing a much wider range of content: mission-driven posts, client stories, personality posts from team members, market updates and more.
The result: For the first time, they could actually see what their audience responded to. What people engaged with, what was a waste of time, and what deserved more attention.
The Q4 plan: Now we’re pulling back to 3 posts a week and making every one count. That means leaning into video, giving each post one simple ask, and making it fun.
The takeaway: Daily posting isn’t the goal on its own. But a season of higher volume can be a powerful test, as long as you use what you learn to post less, and better, afterward.
The ratings
1. Posting every single day
Rating: It depends (usually not)
Daily posting can work if you have a team, a content bank and a clear message. For most solo business owners, it leads to rushed content and burnout, and the algorithm rewards quality engagement more than raw volume.
What works better: three to four intentional posts a week, all tied to your signature message. Consistency beats frequency. A pace you can keep for a year will outgrow a pace you keep for three weeks.
2. Sharing personal stories (with a lesson)
Rating: Working
This is one of the strongest trust-builders available to you, and it's free. Stories make your expertise memorable, and they're what people repeat to friends when they refer you.
The key is the lesson. A story without a takeaway is a diary entry. A story with a takeaway is marketing.
3. Jumping on every trending audio or format
Rating: It depends
Trends can give you a quick reach bump. But if the trend has nothing to do with your message, you'll attract people who liked the trend, not people who need you.
What works better: only use a trend when you can connect it clearly to your signature message. If you have to stretch to make it fit, skip it. Another trend will come along tomorrow.
4. Being a guest on podcasts
Rating: Working
Podcast guesting is one of the most underrated personal branding moves out there. Listeners spend 30 to 60 minutes with your voice, your stories and your thinking. That's a level of trust a single post can't match.
Another pro? It gets you in front of an audience you would have never gotten before without it. If you find shows that have listeners that are similar to people that would use your product or service… it’s truly a match made in promo heaven.
It also helps you get found: show notes, guest pages and episode descriptions create links and mentions that search engines and AI tools pick up on. It’s great for SEO and AEO. Bonus: you can repurpose one great interview into weeks of content.
5. Engagement pods and follow-for-follow
Rating: Not working
These groups inflate your numbers with people who were never going to buy from you. Worse, they can confuse the algorithm about who your content is for, so it shows your posts to the wrong audience.
What works better: genuine engagement with ten accounts your ideal client follows. Leave thoughtful comments on their posts. It's slower, and it builds real relationships with real potential clients and collaborators.
The scorecard
Tactic | Rating | Try this instead |
|---|---|---|
Daily posting | Depends | 3–4 intentional posts a week |
Personal stories | Working | Always attach a lesson |
Every trend | Depends | Only on-message trends |
Podcast guesting | Working | Pitch 2 shows a month |
Engagement pods | Not working | Comment on 10 aligned accounts |
What this means for your growth
When you cut the tactics that aren't working, you get two things back: time and focus. Time to rest. Focus to do the working tactics well. That's where compounding happens.
You don't need to do everything. You need to do the right things, consistently, for long enough to see them work.
Your one next step
Look at every marketing tactic you're doing right now and ask: "Did this bring me a client, a lead or a real conversation in the last 90 days?"
If the answer is no for something, try pausing it for the rest of the year. Put that time toward one of the "working" tactics instead.
Talk soon,
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