10 personal brand statements to put all eyes on you

“Just do it.” “Because you’re worth it.” “All the news that’s fit to print.”

At least one of these phrases is probably familiar. You might even see corresponding products or brands flash before your eyes. 

Big brands carefully construct slogans, catchphrases, and mission statements that are so catchy they pop into your head too often. This is great branding in action. These phrases get stuck in your head and impact your decision-making, insert themselves into conversations so people remember them more, and affect what you purchase or use.

But brand awareness isn’t limited to big business — you can apply it to your career, too. Whether you’re a freelancer or mid-level manager, lawyer or content creator, marketing yourself with a personal brand statement helps you control your professional narrative.

What’s a personal brand statement? 

A personal brand statement is 1–3 sentences that clearly illustrate who you are, what you do, and what makes you unique professionally. It summarizes your skills, experience, and vision so readers quickly understand your value.

A great personal brand statement is snappy and attention-grabbing, demonstrates your personality, and balances professionalism and personableness. 

Think of it as an elevator pitch. If you had to self-promote to a recruiter, potential employer, or client, this statement tells them why you stand out and leaves them wanting to know more.

How to put your personal brand statement to use

You can use your personal brand statement in several professional materials and platforms. Anywhere you network, job search, or show off your brand is a great place to add your statement. This includes:

• Your resume or CV’s mission statement

• Incorporated into your personal value statement or career statement

• Any social media platforms where you have a professional online presence, like your Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn profile

• A professional website or online portfolio

Since your personal brand lives on many platforms, you may have to edit your statement to follow character limits on social media profiles or appeal to a specific target audience. 

Imagine you’re a graphic designer that makes design video tutorials to promote your work. Your selling points for a potential employer or client might not be as effective on your social audience. You’ll need to revise your statement to fit different requirements while maintaining a consistent brand image across platforms.

Here’s how your personal brand statement template might change from one platform to another:

Your resume:

“Award-winning graphic designer and digital marketing consultant with 15 years of experience. I’m insatiably curious, motivated by storytelling, and passionate about building impactful brands through the power of design.”

Your YouTube channel:

“I’m [name], an award-winning graphic designer, consultant, and teacher who wants to show you how to tell incredible stories through design. 

Let’s start creating!”

Your portfolio website:

“I build ridiculously good-looking brands. 

Hire an award-winning graphic designer and consultant who brings 15 years of storytelling expertise to your team.”

All three statements communicate the same important details, such as years of experience, job title, and reputation. Together, they build a strong personal brand that’s consistent and recognizable across platforms.

Benefits of crafting a personal brand statement

Successful entrepreneurs and professionals know there’s always an opportunity around the corner. Ensuring you have a good personal brand statement is an essential marketing strategy for leaving a good first impression on anyone that visits your website or scans your social accounts. 

Here are four benefits for crafting a solid personal brand statement:

1. Provides job opportunities: A good personal brand statement aligns you with the job opportunities that fit your skills and profile. Showing off your best self helps you catch the eyes of recruiters, hiring managers, and potential business partners. 

2. Increases your self-awareness: Personal brand statements require you to think about your career strategically, as if you were a small business. You can regularly revisit your personal brand statement to build self-awareness regarding your intentions, sense of purpose, and personal development goals. 

3. Controls the narrative: A personal brand statement allows you to tell your story and manage people’s impressions of you. You can choose the characteristics and accomplishments you want people to imagine when they think about you.

4. Helps you build your network: You never know when a networking opportunity will pop up. Having a go-to elevator pitch to introduce yourself in professional situations or creating online marketing materials that speak on your behalf will strengthen your potential for new relationships.

How to write a personal brand statement: 6 steps

Selling yourself in just a few sentences requires creativity, intention, and careful editing. To create your personal brand statement, start with these six steps. 

1. Define your target audience

First, you need to understand who’s tuning in. This involves defining different audiences across platforms, like your website versus social profiles. 

To understand your target audiences, consider what you’re selling, as this value should be the focal point of your brand statement. If your target market is potential customers, this is your product or service. If you’re trying to network, it might be your expertise and skill set.

2. Identify your value proposition

Consider what makes you special. An effective personal brand statement leaves your reader wanting more, so put yourself in your target’s shoes: what would inspire you to stop scrolling and keep reading?

Examine your past experiences and identify consistent accomplishments, personality traits, and accolades. Maybe a manager or coworker frequently points out some unique skills. These are what makes you distinct. 

3. Express your personality

Depending on your industry, job role, and experience level, finding the balance between professionalism and personableness can be challenging. To get your creativity flowing, pay attention to how other thought leaders and creators in your field represent themselves.

Then add some creative action words to showcase your accomplishments. Or think critically about your positive personality traits to find what makes you stand out.

4. Be concise

With a personal brand statement, less is more. Most people skim websites and socials, and hiring managers only spend seven seconds looking at a resume. Whether it’s a recruiter checking out your LinkedIn profile or a potential client skimming your website, clarity and purpose help your target audience make the snap judgment you want them to. 

5. Write like everybody’s watching

Chances are high that interested hiring managers pay attention to your social media platforms, even if your profiles don’t relate to your job search or position. Ensure that the catchphrases, profile bios, and taglines across your internet presence are consistent and professional. You could also keep your personal profiles private so your target audience only stumbles on brand-specific content. 

And be honest about yourself. The purpose of your personal brand statement is to accurately represent your skills, experience, and reputation. If you oversell your abilities, you may end up disappointing someone that reaches out and realizes the pitch isn’t the same as the product. 

6. Revise

Don’t wait until you start a job search to revisit your personal brand statement across different platforms. Check-in with your statement regularly, like when you write your yearly goals, update your resume, or hit a self-improvement milestone.

10 personal brand statement examples

If you’re unsure where to start, here are 10 examples of personal brand statements you can shape to fit your needs:

1. I’m a doctor and philanthropist who’s passionate about helping others. I’ve raised more than $5M for cancer research and can’t wait to share your organization’s cause.

2. I’m a ghostwriting professional that’s passionate about helping others bring their stories to the world. Let me use my five years of writing experience to help you complete your book.

3. Career coach with 10 years of experience helping freelancers, startup founders, and entrepreneurs kick-start their businesses. I’ve worked with small businesses and Fortune 500 CEOs. 

4. Let’s build the website of your dreams. I’m a self-taught programmer, YouTuber, and bonafide geek that loves everything web design. 

5. Detail-oriented copy editor and grammar nerd. I have experience in B2B and B2C SEO-driven content marketing. 

6. I’m [name], a maximalist graphic designer, illustrator, and lover of everything MCM with eight years of experience making brands of all sizes stand out in a crowd. 

7. Best-selling author, teacher, and public speaker. I’ve sold more than a million books. Check out [name of book], for sale at your favorite book-seller.

8. Lover of numbers. Organized accountant with 18 years of experience. I specialize in corporate taxes, budgets, and pricing. 

9. Communications expert and branding consultant. I build holistic branding strategies across web, print, and mobile that bring brands to life. 

10. I’m an economist with 20 years of experience in public policy and government aid for community outreach programs. 

It’s time to market yourself

Everyone has something that makes them a unique professional in their field. And the world deserves to know about it. 

Now that you understand personal brand statements and how having one benefits your career, it’s time to hit the drawing board. 

Start by understanding your value proposition and goals. Then write a statement that shows you off and is adaptable across different platforms. Just do it — you’ll be happy you did.