You need to be on TikTok! No, wait, Instagram. Or maybe you should start a Discord server!
Don’t you want people to know who you are? Actually, you need a show on TruTV. Or…write a book!
Let’s start here: what is a personal brand, actually?
Here’s a definition I stole from Rory Vaden: it’s the digitization of your reputation.
Alright, my friend, now I know what you’re thinking: what the heck is the digitization of your reputation?
Well, I am glad you asked! It’s helping people know, like, and trust you at scale through the power of the interwebs.
Why Should I Worry About a Personal Brand?
From a study Rory’s team put together:
- 63% of people are more likely to buy from a personal brand.
- 58% would rather go with someone with a personal brand versus a large company that is well-known for this.
- 58% of people want their lawyer to have a personal brand (behind only doctors).
Makes sense, right? If you’re putting your reputation on the line day in and day out, you’re probably doing a great job (not like that company that sold me a defective couch and has no online reviews except on their website).
You’re giving people a chance to comment on your work with the pros and cons (hopefully mostly pros).
And you’re curating reviews and testimonials to prove that you can do it (be honest, did you do the Rob Schneider voice just now, or was that only me?)
So wait…you can get more people to want to hire you, prefer you to the McDonald’s/WalMart/Amazon giant firm in your area, and they want you to have one of these?
What’s the Catch?
The catch is two-fold:
- You have to actually do a great job, and
- It takes time, effort, and consistency.
Bro…did you even lawyer?
I know, I know. There are only so many hours in a day. But that’s what we are talking about: how can you create all the content you need for a strong personal brand in 1 hour or less?
With my super duper secret, never-before-released, often imitated but never duplicated AI-backed machine learning algorithmic trade secret.
Only $50,000, but I will give it away for the first 3 of you who sign up for $997.
Kidding! Please tell me you know I was joking. I would never pull that stupid thing on you, and I hope you don’t fall for it when other people do that crap.
Here it is, totally free, steal away:
Create a video show. Interview people. For 1 hour every week.
It Can’t Be That Easy, Can It?
Yes, yes, it can be. We launched our Exhibit A(ttorneys) show several years ago, and all it is is me (relatively smart, sort of funny, average looking) and a different guest each week (usually way smarter than I am, often times better looking, with a similar or very different audience).
And boom, here I am! Creating more content than I could ever use. For each episode, we get:
- The asset to announce the show
- The show itself on multiple platforms
- The post(s) about the show on multiple platforms
4-10. Shorter clips of particularly good comments made during the show for any platform
11-14. Quotes turned into graphics from the show for social media - A podcast by taking out the audio
- A transcript for our website for SEO value
- An amazing connection with the guest — who’s a client, potential client, referral source, potential referral source, or just someone super smart who normally charges big money to share their knowledge
18-20. Blog posts from the major topics, written in a more organized format by copywriters and ChatGPT - An appearance on their podcast (John Strohmeyer calls this a Home & Home)
- And much more
In 1 hour of time, every week.
Yes, I have a team that supports me. Yes, my CRM does auto-booking and reminder emails to guests. Yes, I have an audience that hopefully wants to watch the show. But guess what? On day one, I didn’t have any of these things, so start now and grow it.
FAQ
How do I find guests?
A client, potential client, referral source, potential referral source, or just someone super smart who normally charges big money to share their knowledge. I will be your first guest if you launch a podcast or live show because of this newsletter. Also, a lot of my prior articles on finding referral sources make sense here.
What topics should I talk about?
Think like your ideal client (or audience). What do they care about? Often, I just ask: what do I care about? What do I want to learn about? Go from there.
But what questions do I ask?
You’re a lawyer. You know how in a deposition or trial you ask questions and follow-ups? It’s like that. Only your guest also wants to sound smart and likable, so they aren’t ever hostile.
What technology do I need?
Start with a Zoom account that lets you stream to social media. Go live! Or record and post later (record in speaker and gallery view — you will want both). Hire a VA to cut clips. For audio and transcript, use Otter.AI or Descript. Canva is great for quotes and images.
What other questions do you have?
Reply to this email, and I will have you covered.
In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend!