Ditch Networking. Build An Authentic Personal Brand Instead. 2025

Key Concepts

• Personal Branding: Developing a reputation and influence, not just attention.
• Value-Driven Content: Providing substance and transformation, not just entertainment.
• Know, Like, and Trust: The foundation for building relationships and opportunities.
• Findability: Making it easy for people to discover you and your work.
• Force Multiplier: Personal branding as a way to amplify expertise and opportunities.
• Delayed Gratification: Building trust and value before asking for something in return.
• Authenticity: Expressing your true self and values, not just following trends.
• Impact: Measuring success by the number of lives you positively influence.
• Format, Subject, Delivery: The three key elements that determine content success.
• Relationship Building: Focusing on long-term connections and value exchange.

Personal Branding vs. Attention Seeking

• Matt expresses skepticism about personal branding, viewing "attention for the sake of attention" as worthless. He'd "rather have no money and be a starving artist" than do "stupid stuff for the sake of being famous."
• Chris counters that personal branding is not about artificial self-representation but about scaling expertise and knowledge.
• Matt worries about people with millions of followers on TikTok who have "very little influence" because they are "selling their soul to entertain people."
• Chris argues that follower count doesn't always equal influence and that there's a difference between chasing fame and building a valuable personal brand.

Pre-Social Media Networking Strategies

• Matt describes his pre-social media strategies for generating work as a freelancer:
  • Networking Events: Attending weekly events like "Glug" to meet potential clients and agencies.
  • Cold Outreach: Literally knocking on doors of agencies to offer freelance support.
  • Recruitment Agencies: Signing up with freelance recruitment agencies to get placed in temporary roles.
• He developed skills in figuring out what people needed and delivering value, even if they weren't ideal clients.
• Networking events provided community, learning opportunities, and leads, but Matt eventually outgrew them.

The Shift to Online Presence

• Matt notes that his online presence, particularly on LinkedIn, has replaced in-person networking.
• Chris points out that Matt is making an argument for personal branding by acknowledging the value of his LinkedIn following.
• The discussion highlights the efficiency and scalability of online presence compared to traditional networking.

Social Proof and Reputation

• Chris emphasizes the importance of social proof in building trust and credibility.
• Social proof includes markers like titles, agency size, years in business, and a strong body of work.
• Matt recalls Steven Bartlett's "reputation preceded him," even before he was well-known.
• Trust is "hard to build and easy to lose," so consistency and authenticity are crucial.

The Importance of Authenticity and Value

• Matt expresses concern about how to build a personal brand "properly" without "selling his soul."
• Chris argues that personal branding should be about substance and creating tangible influence, not just seeking attention.
• He emphasizes that people hire those they "know, like, and trust."
• To be found, you must be findable, according to Austin Cleon.

Traditional vs. Modern Marketing

• Chris describes his pre-social media marketing strategies for his agency:
  • Reps: Hiring exclusive representatives to pitch to advertising agencies.
  • PR: Engaging PR firms to get press coverage.
  • Outbound Sales: Having an executive producer do outbound sales and networking.
  • Advertising: Taking out ads in magazines and directories.
  • Competitions: Submitting work for awards and publications.
• These strategies were expensive and difficult to track, but considered necessary.
• Chris notes that "getting work, getting known requires a lot of work."

Borrowing Attention and Trust

• Matt suggests that "borrowing the attention and the trust of somebody that has already built it" is a cheat code.
• He acknowledges Chris's generosity in sharing his platform and audience.
• Chris explains that he values entrepreneurs and is willing to share his platform with those he respects.
• However, he now has criteria for podcast guests, including download numbers, to ensure a valuable exchange of time and audience.

The Goal of Personal Branding: Inbound Opportunities

• Matt wants more inbound opportunities and sees the potential of personal branding.
• Chris believes that personal branding can accelerate the scaling of expertise on a "one-to-many" model.
• He shares a story about Dan Martell being convinced by Alex Hormozi that personal branding is a "force multiplier."
• Hormozi realized that "you become rich because you're also famous" in today's economy.

The Dangers of Transactional Marketing

• Chris argues that many personal brand coaches are actually doing "social media marketing" focused on short-term gains.
• He quotes Hormozi: "You can be a millionaire... if you're willing to delay the ask."
• The mistake is making content transactional, with a constant "give you something, get something" approach.
• Chris emphasizes that his approach is about long-term value and transformation.

The Prize at the End of the Rainbow

• Matt asks, "What is the prize at the end of the rainbow?" if personal branding isn't about inbound opportunities.
• Chris responds that it's about:
  • Experiencing deep love and connection.
  • Leaving behind knowledge and a positive impact on society.
  • Knowing and expressing your truest self.
• He quotes Picasso: "The purpose of life is to discover your gift, and then the meaning of life is to give it away."
• The goal is to "be the you-est you you can be" and to have a positive impact on as many lives as possible.

The Missing Piece: Connecting Personal Development to Opportunities

• Matt feels there's a missing piece between personal development work and "having like a big following and opportunities."
• Chris suggests that if you are able to express yourself in your truest version, it means something. It means that you're not doing it with an agenda except for to express yourself.
• He notes that many "thought leaders" have a clear agenda to sell something.
• Hormozi initially gave value without an ask, which created suspicion but also built trust.

The Parallel Paths of Business and Personal Brand

• Matt questions how to balance giving away free content with building a business and employing people.
• Chris explains that Matt can make money as a consultant while building his personal brand as a thought leader.
• He uses the analogy of two trains, one from New York (performance marketing) and one from LA (personal branding), meeting in the middle to generate revenue.
• He recommends an 80/20 split, with 80% focused on personal branding and 20% on performance marketing.

The Importance of Meeting Basic Needs

• Chris argues that people need to meet their basic needs (Maslow's hierarchy) before they can focus on higher-level goals like personal branding.
• He notes that great philosophers often had their survival needs met, allowing them to think about bigger issues.
• He suggests that Hermozi's success came after he had already made a lot of money.

Give in Public, Ask in Private

• Matt suggests the idea of "give in public and ask in private," as taught by Taki Moore.
• This involves building a personal brand through valuable content and then making offers to those who have engaged with you.
• Chris agrees that this model can work, as it removes the agenda from the content itself.
• He quotes Marty Neumeier: "People hate to be sold to, but they love to buy."

The Art of Making Strangers Fall in Love with You

• Chris concludes that "personal branding is the art of making strangers fall in love with you."
• This involves building relationships, providing value, and creating a sense of connection.
• He draws a parallel to romantic relationships, where there's a courtship period before asking for a commitment.
• He contrasts this with transactional relationships, where you pay for what you want without any emotional connection.

Practical Steps for Building a Personal Brand

• Chris advises Matt to focus on a service he wants to provide and create content around it.
• He suggests that Matt's desire to be paid to speak in interesting locations is a good starting point.
• The goal is to create content that builds an audience that event organizers want to book.
• Chris emphasizes the importance of delivering value to the audience and building a reputation.

The Three Elements of Content Success

• Chris identifies three key elements that determine whether content gets a lot of views:
  • Format: The style and structure of the content.
  • Subject: The topic and theme of the content.
  • Delivery: The way the content is presented.
• He advises Matt to start with a subject he's passionate about and then experiment with format and delivery.
• He warns against trying to fit into someone else's definition of what you should be doing.

Homework: Finding Your Subject and Voice

• Chris assigns Matt homework:
  • Figure out what subject you really want to talk about long-term.
  • Ensure that the subject is broad enough to attract a paying audience.
  • Create content that reflects your authentic voice and values.
• He advises Matt to be mindful of the "sirens" who offer superficial tips and tricks.
• The goal is to "find your way to your country and find your home" by following your own compass.
• Chris wants to see work product, such as LinkedIn posts, to provide specific feedback.