Why Personal Branding Gets Uncomfortable Right Before It Works

Building a personal brand doesn’t just show what you know... it shows what you avoid.

Author

Glenda Carnate
February 03, 2026

Read time: 2.5 minutes

Posting on LinkedIn initially came off as having a lack of visibility. I wasn't sure if it was bad timing, if it was the algorithm's fault or if I just wasn't being consistent enough.

Someday, I started seeing some trends. My quicker posts were more generic, while the delayed ones turned out sharper, more specific and quieter with risk. Eventually, I learned that while personal branding wasn't doing much to help me amplify my ideas, it was, however, helping me see which ones I couldn't support completely yet.

How Personal Branding Actually Reveals Things:

1. Generic content doesn't give us a strategy, it sends a signal.

When people use vague content, it feels safe for them because they're usually not yet done thinking about it.
Insight: Generic content usually shows people don't know where they stand on an issue.

2. You must publicly own your specific ideas.

When you become clear about your ideas, the stakes rise, and you begin to hesitate.
Insight: By staying generic, you also avoid commitment.

3. Posting at low risk leads to low-risk decision-making.

The things you are afraid will be "too bold" to post are probably the things you are afraid to fund privately.
Insight: Your posting behavior reflects your investment behavior.

4. Visibility does not create conviction; it tests it.

Posting does not create strong ideas... rather, posting reveals what ideas are already strong.
Insight: Resistance to your post is feedback, not failure.

5. Personal branding is a thinking tool rather than a marketing tool.

If a thought is something you would keep to yourself, then you probably aren't going to throw too much of your life into that thought.
Insight: Public clarity must come before private commitment.

💡Key Takeaway: 

Creating a brand for myself did not make me visible; It made it easier to understand my thoughts. My generic content communicated my vague beliefs... my specific content communicated what I had finally decided to believe.

👉 LIKE this if posting has ever made you confront what you really believe.

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