In this post: Personal brand–the Why and the How (lots of tips). 2-part mini-podcast. Bangers Only guest episode and featured clips. Headshot tips specifically for LinkedIn.

Start yesterday. Contribute continually. Let it compound. Lose your password (i.e. don’t monitor your short-term progress: it will be imperceptible.)

I’m not talking about money…

First, to qualify everything I’m about to share (i.e. why listen to me):

Since 2017 I’ve created two profitable businesses with a $0 advertising budget and no outside investment. I get paid five figures to speak on stages, without ever hiring a bureau / rep / agent.

One of the main reasons for all of it is that I’ve invested in my personal brand since I bought the domain emilybinder.com in 2010. Then, I had no real plan for it other than freely sharing ideas by creating content about marketing. I had no path to monetization but knew I wanted to lock in possibility.

Time is money. Energy is costly. So why spend time and energy giving away your ideas for free, as we do when creating content like this email?

Because ideas are a currency, audience is a high-leverage asset, and your personal brand is an investment.

Brand and audience are the most valuable assets any business has. By extension, they’re the most valuable assets you as a professional individual have too. Include network within or under the umbrella of audience.

Why? They create possibility. Everything and everyone you need can be more easily attracted, acquired, built, or funded if you have brand and audience. In kind, these are fragile; they’re easy to squander or ruin. And there’s no cheat code or shortcut to building them, much like building muscle just takes reps over time. Money can’t buy it (great song).

More about personal brand in the podcasts and videos below:

Mini-podcast (2 parts):

Part 1: June Roundup: Bangers Only with Tom Lydon, 2 Time-Saving Apps, and Speaking Volume Tip

Episode summary based on transcript (THIS summary part of the blog post is AI-generated. I will let you know anytime I do this.)

June Roundup: Boost Your Personal Brand with Actionable Tips and Tools

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In this episode, I explore key strategies for bolstering your personal brand, starting with essential tips and tools in today’s digital landscape. I underscore why crafting a personal brand is vital, drawing insights from the Edelman Trust Barometer, which shows individuals are more trusted over brands, particularly on LinkedIn.

Reasons everyone should enhance their personal brand through strategic actions and tools:

• Cultivate trust and create an audience through genuine interactions and content sharing (ideas hold currency)
• Maintain consistent engagement (allowing for audience activation and uncovering unforeseen opportunities in your network, like finding jobs or collaborations)
• Utilize strategic tools such as Dashlane (promo code) and Copy Clip to streamline online tasks, enhancing overall productivity.

I also delve into the nuances of audio communication, emphasizing the importance of consistent volume during recordings to avoid misunderstood messages, and share insights from the Bangers Only Podcast. This includes branding strategies that helped a CPA advisor rapidly grow their social media following through targeted video content (see UnPodcast case study).

Part 2: The Six Aspects of Personal Brand, Why You Need One, + LinkedIn Headshot Tips

In this episode, I double click on the importance of personal branding, starting with its six components. I emphasize why having a personal brand is crucial even for those in stable jobs or non-entrepreneurial roles.

Reasons everyone should create and maintain a personal brand through content and social media:

1. Build trust and build an audience based on real value exchange and sharing (ideas are a currency)
2. Stay top-of-mind (you can activate or monetize an audience later, you can tap your audience or network for ideas or win-win shares, you can find a job, you can find a candidate, you can find incredible things you haven’t even though of yet)
3. Create opportunities (both in the form of Invitations, and stimuli or openings for you to Respond to). *Note: Here I’m referencing the Human Design strategies of Projectors and Generators: Being Invited, and Responding (respectively). Look up Jenna Zoe for more on Human Design. Know your energy system and strategy, the rest will follow. I made a high-level overview video (under 10 minutes) about Projectors and entrepreneurship / how Human Design helps you identify the work most aligned with your gifts.

At the end of the podcast, I also share some nuances of maintaining personal brand visuals, particularly headshots and when it’s time to update yours.

Bangers Only (more on personal brand)

Related podcast & clips below:

My friend Tom Lydon has launched a fantastic new podcast, Bangers Only. I was a guest on episode 2 and we had a blast. I’m sure you’ll get something out of this.

Show notes: Upgrading Your Personal Virtual Brand (Episode 2 – Emily Binder) 

Be sure to subscribe free to Tom’s new podcast. It will be a hit for sure. He’s going to cover a variety of industries and aspects of business from ETFs to marketing, vesting, and even tequila! A source of inspiration and ideas. Thank you Tom for having me on!

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Listen to Part 2 (the 6/30/25 episode) at 08:40 for more but I’ll bottom line it like this.

Tips for your profile photo (LinkedIn etc.):

1. Should be the same pic you use everywhere e.g. X, TikTok, YouTube channel. Make recognizabilty of you as easy as recognizing the Swoosh or Golden Arches. Your profile pic IS essentially your logo. Unless you also have a logo (like I do on this site).
2. Should be up to date (I think about three years is the real max. I waited even longer but explain why on the pod. I finally got new headshots done this year. Yes we all age and you may love your original pic better, but bite the bullet.
3. Should be high-resolution. Not blurry in the least.
4. Mind the mise-en-scène: i.e. the compostion, background, cleanliness of the shot. Everything that’s put in place. No Diet Coke cans or messy desk objects.
5. No sunglasses. Obviously.
6. It’s okay to smile or NOT smile. You don’t need a toothy grin or to look “happy”. Sometimes less is more. A thoughtful expression is nice too. Be yourself. Don’t force an unnatural smile; we sense fake smiles easy in many ways but a dead giveaway is lack of wrinkles around the eyes. Geniune smiles usually have crow’s feet, FWIW. If the eyes don’t move it’s not genuine and in that case, you may look more authentic with a pleasant expressions but not smiling.

From new photoshoot, a headshot option I may use (2025)