How can you overcome skepticism from your audience when pitching your personal brand?

People are tired of the filters and fakeness. We are looking for authentic connections with real people. When it comes to your personal brand, don't be afraid to share your challenges and not so proud moments which you turned into learning opportunities. Share those lessons in the form of stories and let your audience know how they can apply them practically in their own lives. Avoid clichés and speak in a voice that is authentic to who you really are. Let them get to know YOU. People like to work with people who they LIKE, KNOW and TRUST. The key is to authentically share information that has VALUE and that positions you as a thought leader in your space.

If you're a personal brand or a brand in a general sense, knowing your audience better than they know themselves creates an instantaneous trust effect. Research is the most overlooked element when creating an effective cash producing campaign. "For once, I feel understood. They really grasp the challenges I'm going through."

Establishing trust and credibility for your personal brand is a continuous effort that demands unwavering commitment, steadfast consistency, and unwavering authenticity. As individuals observe these attributes consistently embodied in their actions over time, skepticism is likely to diminish, paving the way for a more robust and reputable personal brand.

In the early stages of building a personal brand, skepticism is normal. It takes time to gain the trust of your audience. Provide valuable and high-quality content that demonstrates your expertise. Whether it's blog posts, videos, social media updates, or other forms of content, consistently deliver information that benefits your audience. Actively engage with your audience and listen to their feedback. Respond to comments, messages, and emails. This shows that you value their opinions and are willing to engage in a dialogue. If you notice specific concerns from your audience, address them openly and constructively. Offer explanations or solutions to their doubts.

Listen. Provide ample opportunity for audience feedback. Be vulnerable without over-sharing. Use positive humor. And be concise.

Tell your story in your "voice." People respond to voices and stories that feel relatable. On LinkedIn it is far more important that you write in a relatable way than writing with the perfect grammar, sentence structure or punctuation. The more human you can be the better. In the age of AI perfection is easy. Be human and relatable. Don't just talk about how great you are. Talk about the struggles you've overcome.

share personal perspectives share personal experiences let your audience know it is personal back it up with data if possible feel free to disagree but keep things respectful add pointers / calls to action / actionables

Think of value in a broad sense. What kinds of things do you value about people? Humor, candor, and kindness are valuable things that people often overlook when they are wanting to provide value to their audience.

a great measure of value you are providing can be seen in the following - - likes - shares - engagement i wrote a very personal post about packaged food and how it lacks nutritional value - which has led me to start making food and snacks at home. it was nothing to do with my work - but its got some 50+ organic likes here on linkedin. so stay true to yourself and keep writing. you never know what may work.

how one addresses objections / contrary points of view is a measure of how well one knows the subject under discussion and how willing is one to listen to the other side. i'd say - - keep it simple - share numbers as proof - share examples keep it light if needed !

Being upfront about what they might object to is a good way to mitigate objections. When I started in digital marketing, I would be upfront about my inexperience in this field but that I would bring the sum total of my previous experience in financial services, project management and education. It’s important that you feel confident about your audience and you exude it.

Talk about the subject matter(s) with credibility ... without talking about yourself or how you came to have such deep understanding / working knowledge. The brand will elevate owing to your credibility without you turning the spotlight brighter...it will become self-evident.

your choices, posts, social shares, political views (especially) will all contribute to the impression that your audience has about you. so be doubly sure about what you say / share / comment on when online. and of course - in the real world.

"Pitching your personal brand" is not a one time thing or even a short campaign. You are pitching your audience with every post you share and every comment you make.