People often ask me what the first step is to build a lucrative personal brand. 

Without fail, I say, “Target audience identification.”

This response shocks most individuals, as they assume you’d naturally start with the person behind the personal brand (i.e., what makes you unique, your experience and qualifications, etc.) However, the most effective personal brands in the world are successful because they are dutifully committed to providing value to a specific target audience. In exchange, they win respect, trust, loyalty, and ultimately, a living by doing business with that audience.

More simply said, a personal brand can’t exist without a target audience. Sure, you could market yourself to “everyone,” but you’ll soon incur burnout from lack of resonance, engagement, and results.

So, how do you begin to identify and attract your target audience?

Here are 3 proven methodologies

1. Look 2-3 years behind you.

When you’re just starting to build your personal brand, it’s likely that the voice speaking the loudest is your feelings of imposter syndrome:

“I don’t have anything of importance to say.”

“I’ve only just begun this career or business.”

“I don’t have a ton of proven case studies.”

These thoughts are all understandable and incredibly human. (Trust me, I’ve worked with the world’s smartest and most accomplished people who grapple with imposter syndrome, too.) In this case, I always advise people to consider speaking to an audience 2-3 years behind you in your journey. This works for a few reasons:

You come off as highly relatable.

People just starting or a few years behind you in your field can more easily relate to your experiences and struggles. This relatability is crucial for building a loyal audience because it fosters understanding and connection.

You enjoy boosted credibility.

To someone who is just beginning, your achievements and the knowledge you've gained over 2-3 years can be inspiring and informative. Think about it. Even a recently hired junior staffer has insights about the interview, hiring process, and life after college that a college student would want to know. And, because they aren’t so far afield, your recent experiences can be particularly relevant and actionable.

You’re naturally more authentic.

When you share with people behind you in your journey (rather than your peers or aspirational mentors), you’re more likely to share successes and failures because you are more focused on helping and less worried about impressing. Sharing both is important, as your audience will appreciate your transparency and can learn as much from your mistakes as they can from your successes. This authenticity helps build a strong, engaged community around your personal brand.

You grow as a result.

As you help those behind you grow, you also position yourself for growth. Teaching others reinforces your own knowledge and can highlight areas where you need further development. Additionally, as your audience progresses, your content and brand can evolve to continue meeting their advancing needs, helping ensure the long-term relevance of your brand.

2. Weigh 3 critical factors.  When I look at niching my audience down, I always consider three important factors: 1. Size of the market 2. Purchasing power 3. Do I enjoy working with them  Ultimately, if a market is too small, you may tap out on audience members and your future earning potential. That said, aside from targeting a particular neighborhood or zip code, most target markets you aim to serve will be sizeable enough for you to make a good living. Don’t believe me? Sell 100 people a $10,000 offer. You’ll make $1 million. However, those people must be willing and able to spend their money on your product/services, which leads me to item two, purchasing power. Purchasing power means this audience has the desire and ability to buy your products and services. Sure, I could work with college students to build their personal brand, but I’m going to have a much harder time selling them services than a manager with disposable income. Finally, do you enjoy serving this audience? For me, this type of person is someone I would gladly invite to my house for dinner, and the work I do and the value I provide to them aligns with my idea of fulfillment. Trust me, there are times I saw a wide open market to sell my expertise to, but found the type of individual that occupies that market to be someone I had no interest in serving and spending time with. Ultimately, if you're monetizing your personal brand, you’ll spend a ton of time with your audience, and you can’t put a high enough price tag on enjoying them.   3.  Interview, interview, interview. Once you’ve identified your target market, interview, interview, interview. Spend as much time as possible trying to understand their challenges, fears, setbacks, and goals. My team and I do this thorough research every quarter, and I’m amazed by the results.  These valuable insights will help you create more relatable and beneficial content and, ultimately, sharpen your offers so they are as valuable as possible to your audience. Need help on which questions to consider?  Grab this free worksheet.

The Recap

You can’t build a successful personal brand (i.e., resonant and profitable) without first identifying your target audience. To do so, consider:

 1. Marketing to those 2-3 years behind you.

2. Weighing the 3 critical factors of a powerful market.

3. Interview, interview, interview

You’ll find your personal brand and revenue take off when you do this.