In his excellent book The Brand Gap, Marty Neumeier wisely points out, “Your brand isn’t what you say it is. It’s what they say it is.”

While I generally agree, I’ve also found some interesting exceptions.

I ran an agency called SuperFriendly. Whenever I’d appear on podcasts or speak at a conference, people would introduce me as, “one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet,” or some variation of that. Most of these people have never met me before. I’d bet that it was because the word “friendly” was in my agency’s name.

If you follow me on Instagram, YouTube, or Threads, you might have noticed that my username is “danmallteaches” in all three places. Since starting these accounts only a year or less ago, people introduce me differently. I’ve noticed that many of them now say, “Dan is an excellent teacher.” Most of these people have never taken any class or course of mine.

If you want people to think of you a certain way, you sometimes have to start thinking of yourself that way and then saying it out loud a lot. Make it your username or add it to your email signature or put in the footer of your Instagram posts. Don’t be afraid to talk about yourself.

Join 50,100+ subscribers to the weekly Dan Mall Teaches newsletter. I promise to keep my communication light and valuable!