Follower counts only get you so far. What matters more is how much the people who follow you trust you.
Trust, in the Manifesto, is the understanding that a person has good intentions, will follow through, and makes claims that are accurate. Credibility is built through the consistent exchange of influence: other credible people and outlets speaking for you.
Every opportunity can be judged on two measures: visibility, how large the opportunity is, and edification, the quality of the endorsement it carries.
Credibility is built through the consistent exchange of influence through forms of edification.
Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence, Second Edition, 5.4
The moves ISIA, the engine behind the Brand Audit, draws from this part of the doctrine. Each one is something you can do this month, and the reason it matters.
This page is a summary. The subchapter itself goes further, with the reasoning, the stories behind it, and the exercise that closes it.
Through visibility and edification: association with credible people, testimonials, earned media, and accomplishments that demand attention, such as a book, a program, or a business.
No. The Manifesto is explicit that purchased followers and paid placements dressed as editorial coverage are not credibility. MCG's standard is that editorial coverage is earned, never bought.
Advice Isaac Mashman has given on his own shows and in interviews on this subject, from the same library MCG consultants work from. Each one keeps the words he said it in, and links to the transcript where there is one.
Go through every number and claim on your profiles and ask whether you could show how you earned it. Remove anything you could not defend in front of the people it was meant to impress.
“you cannot fake credibility”
Unrivaled Results with Mashman Ventures, “UNRIVALED: Personal Branding Training”, April 13, 2022
Remove expert, guru, or master from your bio unless your hours and results back it. Describe your experience in plain, checkable terms instead.
Read the transcript ↗ (opens in a new tab)“are they really experts”
Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, “Are You A Business Owner Or Unemployed With A Title?”, July 13, 2020
If most of what you publish is motivation or mindset, add pieces that show practical expertise: methods, breakdowns, results.
Read the transcript ↗ (opens in a new tab)“i have to discuss things that show that i'm credible”
Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, “Selling The ROI, Not The Price | FRIDAY FIRE #7”, November 13, 2020
More executives are becoming the public face of their companies. The ones who do it well build a presence before a crisis or a stock price asks them to.
Capital is plentiful; trust and access are not. An investor's personal brand decides which rooms they are invited into and which deals find them first.
Clients buy a consultant before they buy the service. A personal brand with evidence behind it is what lets you charge for your judgment.
By compiling wins, future successes become easier to obtain. A record that speaks for you does the convincing you once had to do yourself.
Every endorsement is an extension of your good faith and your influence. Research before you attach your name to anyone or anything.
The subtitle of the Manifesto names the two forces that decide what a personal brand can accomplish. Reach without trust is empty, and trust without reach stays small.
Engagements are accepted by application and seats are limited each quarter. Tell us who you are, what you are building, and the position you intend to hold.
