1. “Be a unicorn in a sea of donkeys.” – Larry Kim

In the search marketing world, Larry Kim’s name is forever synonymous with unicorns.

The founder of Wordstream and Mobile Monkey is playful but gets his message across: “Be different.” In the marketing industry filled with companies promising you results, many fail to deliver. But there’s always that magnificent unicorn that shows up now and then, so better ride it.

True enough, Larry’s statement being different from his peers make it a “worthy” unicorn to be included on this list.

Takeaway: Be unique. Aim for your personal brand to stand out from the crowd because that’s the whole point of creating your own brand.

2. “Empowering ridiculously good marketing.” – Ann Handley

Here’s another example of being unique.

Ann Handley, WSJ best-selling author and a digital marketing pioneer, chose to describe her work casually, empowering “ridiculously good marketing.” Not many marketers would dare craft their personal brand statements like how Ann did, and this is exactly the point why she’s on this list.

Ann delivered her statement in an unconventional way—with a casual tone—which makes her stand out. She does not only make it clear that she’s good at her job, but she also hints at how comfortable it is working it with her.

Takeaway: Pay attention to the tone of your statement. It can dramatically affect how people will perceive your message.

3. “Create less content. (It’ll be fine! I promise!)” – Brittany Berger

Challenging popular ideas is another way to stand out. Clearly, content marketer Brittany Berger knows this, which she applied to her personal branding statement.

In digital marketing, you’d often hear experts advising brands to create more content. But Berger thinks otherwise.

She understands how exhausting thinking about filling in a content calendar. So, rather than creating new content and getting caught up in the content creation treadmill, she promotes creating less content. She encourages her audience to effectively use their existing content instead to get more success from less effort.

Takeaway: Swim against the tide when you have different ideas that you can actually justify.

4. “Do you want more traffic?” – Neil Patel

A personal branding statement doesn’t have to be a statement. It can take other forms too, like a question. Just look at how Neil Patel, one of the leading online marketers today, did his statement.

In marketing, asking questions is arguably one of the most powerful ways to pique people’s curiosity. It appeals to your audience’s desire to learn and understand, to improve and grow, and most importantly, to solve problems.

Neil’s statement may be a simple question, but it works because it appeals to his audience. This is especially true given his reputation to get his clients more traffic.

Takeaway: Spark curiosity. A personal brand statement needs to catch attention, and one way to do it is by piquing your audience’s interest.

5. “I build and grow SaaS companies.” – Sujan Patel

So far, we’ve seen unique and creative personal branding statements work their magic. But there are times a straightforward approach works too. Sujan Patel’s statement is a good example.

Sujan is a reputable marketer focusing on growing SaaS companies from the ground up. That’s what he does best, and that’s basically what he wants to tell everyone who visits his site.

His statement is direct but bold. He makes it clear that he does not only help in the growth of SaaS companies. Rather, he’s responsible for the growth of those businesses.

Takeaway: Tell what you do best and be bold about it. This kind of personal brand statement is easy to understand while immediately catches attention.

6. “Real life on a budget.” – Jessi Fearon

Jessi Fearon’s brand statement is short, but it’s clear and concise enough to send the message.

Running a personal finance and budgeting blog, Jessi aims to help people plan their budgets more effectively. And she takes her advice from her real-life failures and successes with money to share with everyone. Thus, her personal branding statement.

Sometimes, personal brand statements don’t have to be long and overly creative. Even a simple statement has its own charm.

Takeaway: A short and clear statement works. Properly conveying the message should always be the priority.

7. “Practical help for freelance writers” – Carol Tice

Carol Tice is a six-figure freelance writer who founded the writing blog, Make A Living Writing. The tagline on her website is simple, concise, and straight to the point.

But what makes her statement great is it targets a specific audience: freelance writers.

By mentioning a specific audience, Carol’s personal brand statement makes it clear who will benefit from the “practical help” she offers. Her choice of words also makes it apparent what she can bring in to your table. In this case, actionable tips for struggling freelance writers.

Takeaway: Make sure to target a specific audience. The best personal brand statement resonates because it’s directed to the intended audience.

8. “I believe in you… Now you must believe in yourself.” – Dave Nelson

A personal branding statement isn’t always about you. It is also about your audience. So, talk about them. Talk to them.

Dave Nelson’s statement just did that. As a personal trainer who struggled with obesity, he taps into his audience’s deepest concerns: lack of self-esteem. Then, he encourages them to believe in themselves.

Not only it is empowering, but he puts his audience’s struggles into his mind and connected with them. That is what makes his statement more compelling.

Takeaway: Talk to your audience. Your personal brand statement is your first (and can be your last) chance to connect, so make it speak with people.

9. “The world needs that special gift that only you have.” – Marie Forleo

From one inspiring statement to another, Marie Forleo’s personal brand exists to encourage people to build their dreams. Whether it’s creating a business or the life you love, you have that special gift that the world needs.

Her brand motivates people to create just about anything. And as a passionate entrepreneur, her statement is an inspirational message for aspiring entrepreneurs and creatives.

As the host of the award-winning show MarieTV, Marie sure does know how to use her wisdom to inspire her audience to become the person they most want to be.

Takeaway: Inspire your audience. Because the most successful individuals make a difference in the lives of their followers.

10. “Travel smarter, cheaper, longer. Where do you want to go?” – Nomadic Matt

In #9, we talked about the importance of involving your audience. Here’s another example to emphasize our point.

Nomadic Matt is a passionate traveler. In his blog, you’ll find tips and resources so you can travel “smarter,” “cheaper,” and “longer.” Because that’s exactly what his target audience wants to know.

Matt’s statement makes good use of his audience’s pain points to capture their attention. Followed by a leading question as a call to action, this personal brand statement is clearly intended to appeal to his audience.

Takeaway: Address your audience’s pain points. Use these pain points to highlight your brand’s value.

11. “Be a blessing.” – Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins is a renowned entrepreneur, life and business strategist, and NY Times author. But above all, he is a philanthropist. And his short yet clear personal branding statement perfectly sums up what he does: help people.

As a prominent life coach, he made it his mission to help transform lives. How? He guides his audience to live purposeful lives by being a blessing to others. This is because he believes that “The secret to life is giving,” and it translates well on all his social media profiles.

Tony’s statement is simple but clearly conveys his philanthropic message to everyone.

Takeaway: Be helpful. Personal brands sincerely aiming to help their audience creates genuine connections.

12. “50% Marketing, 50% Geek – 100% Social Business Results” – Pam Moore

Marketing Nutz founder and CEO Pam Moore’s statement tells a lot about her character. She claims to be half geek, half marketing, which lets you know she’s a dedicated marketing consultant who can deliver results. Also, the fun tone here hints that she’d be comfortable to work with.

This personal brand statement reflects Pam’s personality. By showing her personality in her statement, it makes her brand more relatable, authentic, and unique.

Takeaway: Show your personality. Personality creates individuality, which can make your personal branding statement unique.

13. “It’s time to unleash your epicness.” – Felicia Hatcher

“Epicness” may not be a real word, but it made Felicia Hatcher’s brand statement a real winner that deserves a spot on this list.

Just like how Felicia’s inspirational speeches touch our emotions, her statement also taps deeply into our desires of becoming epic. Why not? You know you can be epic, too.

With her careful choice of words, her statement conveyed a more impactful and memorable message. And it’s clever how this lone word was designed to appeal to the younger generation of innovators whom she hopes to inspire.

Takeaway: Choose your words carefully. Even a single word can make a huge difference in how effective your statement will be.

14. “Learn how to scale your influence at startup speed.” – Adam Enfroy

Adam Enfroy is a blogger who helps online entrepreneurs scale their influence at startup speed, which is clearly defined in his statement.

But what makes his statement even catchier is his use of numbers and social proof. Throughout his career, Adam has built a large subscriber base of 500,000 monthly readers. He knows it is impressive, and that it will help boost his credibility. Hence, he made the smart move of mentioning those numbers on his personal branding statement as social proof.

Takeaway: Use social proof and numbers. People are likely to perform your desired action if other people are doing it.

Bonus Statement: “Super charge your company’s brand. Grow reach. Build trust. Boost sales.” – Steven J Wilson

Finally, this list wouldn’t be complete without my own personal brand statement.

In this statement, I tapped on my target audience’s desire to improve their brands, i.e., grow their reach, build trust, and boost their sales. It is a simple and direct method to inform busy brand CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs about the value I offer.

Takeaway: Offer value. The best personal brand statement clearly tells how you can help your audience.

We hope the examples above have inspired you to write your personal brand statement and got your creative juices flowing. In the next section, learn how you can craft an attention-grabbing, memorable, and engaging statement.