Or, how to be your own brand copywriter instead of using AI

Way, way back when humans used to write brand messages for professionals or companies instead of asking a generative AI app to define themselves, we had questionnaires like this.

This was one of the fun parts of writing new copy for websites. Learning about the brand as if it were a person (and sometimes, it was!) and crafting written copy with those answers.

1. If you run a business, share your origin story and how your business solves problems.

Nothing tunes people out more than just yapping on about features and benefits. I predicted six years ago that people would want to learn more about company leaders other than the Zucks, Elons, and Bezos’s of the world, and I think I’m right. White male billionaire (now trillionaire…puke) is starting to get real boring.

Here are some questions that will prompt these answers:

How did I get my start in this field?
What problem do I solve?
What can only I provide?
How do I do what I do?
What brought me to this point?
What am I known for?
What do I want to be known for?

2. Write about your motivations, desires, and more aspects of your personality.

If you have trouble with this, you can also ask a loved one to describe you. Sample questions:

How do others perceive me?
How do others describe me?
What are my needs?
What are my motivations?
What are my desires?
Where do I spend my time?
How do I spend my time?
Who do I follow online?

Are you:

Serious or playful?
Classic or trendy?
Approachable or premium?
Minimal or colorful?
Authority or a friend?
Calm or loud?
Conservative or unapologetic?
Innovative or traditional?

3. Write how you speak or behave in person as much as you can.

Similar to a book that doesn’t sound like how a leader speaks, having messaging that doesn’t sound like you can feel off and AI-generated. If you use the F-word in every other sentence like Gordon Ramsay does, then your copy should reflect that. Maybe with a lot of asterisks…

Ask:

What is my core message?
How do I speak?
How do I behave?

YOUR DIFFERENTIATION

How do I prefer to connect with others?

Are you one of these archetypes?

Caregiver
Creator
Explorer
Hero
Innocent
Lover
Magician
Neighbor
Outlaw
Ruler
Sage

4. Write about your audience and their needs, pain points, and motivations

Some feedback I even get is how much more I need to talk about my clients’ problems instead of myself.

Questions to ask about your audience:

How do they describe themselves?
What are their needs, pain points, and motivations?
Who else do they follow?
Where do you find them? What will be your touchpoints with them?

5. Weave in your top three to five values.

People gravitate to people who are like them. An easy way to integrate values into your messaging is to note your values and keep your top three to five values in mind. You’ll be integrating them into your online presence later.

If you find this difficult, just focus on: HOW DO YOU HELP PEOPLE?

If you answer from an honest place, I don’t think you can go wrong. There are many people who seem to have good values and the solution to changing the world…until a scandal occurs.

You don’t need to look even past this week’s headlines to find a leader who you thought was operating honestly and ethically but wasn’t.

If you genuinely want to help people with the skills and knowledge you have and are doing it from a place of service and not harm, that’s the best foundation for a good personal brand. You’ll just need to find different ways to express that to come up with your messaging. 😊

6. If you’re stuck, take online personality tests/assessments and integrate them into your message.

Yes, these tests can be imperfect, but if you really find it hard to describe yourself and what you’re here to do, these tests can sometimes enlighten and teach you something even you didn’t know about yourself. Some examples:

16 Personalities (based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator)
CliftonStrengths
The Predictive Index
Four Tendencies
Kaye Putnam’s Brandality Quiz
Human Design, Gene Keys, astrology tests, etc.

I’m Sandra Nomoto, a personal brand manager for established ethical female leaders. Contact me if you need someone to manage and amplify your brand for the next 20 years. Or sign-up to my email list to get monthly whispers in your inbox.