A large audience is fame. Whether it buys, believes, or follows you to a new platform is influence, and that is the part a creator has to build on purpose.
The Manifesto's cautionary story is an influencer with millions of followers who launched a product and could barely sell it. Attention without trust does not convert. A creator's personal brand is the work of turning reach into influence.
Creators also carry the endorsement economy on their name. Influencer marketing is built around endorsements, so every deal extends the creator's good faith to someone else. The ones who last vet what they promote and have income that does not depend on any one sponsor.
The entire model of influencer marketing is built around endorsements.
Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence, Second Edition, 5.11
Creators move through the Hierarchy faster than most, because their work is built to be seen. The National Personality is within reach; staying there depends on influence, not only reach.
Where most stand: Tier 3, The Local HeroBuild toward: Tier 5, The National Personality
The tier measures how large a position is. How good it is, is measured by The Five Personal Brand Pillars. Read more about the six tiers.
The moves MCG starts with for creators and influencers, grouped by pillar, in order. Each one cites the subchapter of Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence it comes from.
Advice Isaac Mashman has given on his own shows and in interviews that applies to creators and influencers, 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.
If your content is mostly appearance or lifestyle, add pieces about how you got started, what drives you, and where you are going. Give followers a reason to align with you, not just watch.
“what drove you to this”
Unrivaled Results with Mashman Ventures, “UNRIVALED: Personal Branding Training”, April 13, 2022
Grow the number of people who know you before trying to command higher fees. Track how your rate moves as your audience grows.
Read the transcript ↗ (opens in a new tab)“the only way that you can demand that attention is by building that attention”
Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, “The Fundamentals of Personal Branding”, August 19, 2020
If you are an artist or a host whose audience is not growing, message a set number of new prospective listeners every day and keep it up.
Read the transcript ↗ (opens in a new tab)“send a hundred dms every single day”
Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, “Are You A Business Owner Or Unemployed With A Title?”, July 13, 2020
Before you launch a course or paid program, confirm it is in your core business and your proven expertise. Teach the side skills freely if you like, but do not sell them.
Read the transcript ↗ (opens in a new tab)“i would never sell you a course on something that i am not an expert in”
Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, “The Future of My Brand and Chase the Vision Podcast”, August 18, 2020
All consumed media educates, entertains, inspires, or connects. The Skyline Strategy asks for two pieces about your work for every one about your life. Here is one of each, for each purpose.
| Purpose | Brand Post | Personal Post |
|---|---|---|
| EducateTeach something useful. | Behind the scenes of how one piece was made. | Your setup and what it cost to start. |
| EntertainMake it enjoyable to follow you. | Bloopers from your last shoot. | A day with no content at all. |
| InspireShow what is possible. | The piece you almost did not post. | Why you started creating. |
| ConnectGive people a reason to reply. | Collaborate with a creator outside your niche. | Feature a follower's work. |
Draw a Week
Two posts about your work, one about your life, drawn from the ideas above.
Plan the ratio with the free Skyline Planner (opens in a new tab).
Research who built a product and who already promotes it. The Manifesto describes celebrities paid to promote coins with no intrinsic value.
If one platform disappeared, would you still reach your audience? Build a list you own.
Other revenue lets you withdraw a bad endorsement without looking like you are chasing a check.
Twenty-five questions, about seven minutes, free. Choose Creator / Influencer on the intake and the audit scores all five pillars, places you on The Hierarchy of Personal Branding, and returns the three moves that would raise your score most, each traced to the subchapter it comes from.
The content is what you make. The personal brand is you: the reason people follow you from one format, platform, or product to the next.
By building influence, which is trust, alongside fame. Specific stories, consistent values, and careful endorsements are what convert.
No. Each endorsement extends your good faith. Vet the company and the product first, and keep revenue that does not depend on any one sponsor.
A book or a talk is an extension of you, not the whole of you. Authors and speakers who are booked again are the ones whose name is the reason people show up.
A coach's personal brand is the proof of the method. People hire the coach whose life and results already show what they are selling.
Your company has a brand. So do you, and the two should grow together. A founder's personal brand opens doors the company cannot open alone.
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.
Every endorsement is an extension of your good faith and your influence. Research before you attach your name to anyone or anything.
The last thing you want is to pour your effort into work no one sees. Distribution decides whether it reaches anyone.
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.
Consultations are virtual or in person. See what each includes, and what is asked of you: Virtual or In Person.
