How do I add more personality to my brand?

Updated 23 July 2026 by Chanelle Segerius-Bruce

This covers how to add personality to your brand when everything you post sounds a bit like everyone else. It's for people who know their content is competent and forgettable. You'll get the five things that make a brand sound like a person.

People get stuck here because they think "professional" means "polished until there's no fingerprint left." So they strip themselves out to look credible, and they end up sounding like everyone else in their field. Think of TV chefs. They can all cook, but you'd probably rather spend an evening with Jamie Oliver than with someone dry and buttoned-up, even if the recipes are equally good. Same skill, completely different pull, and the difference is personality.

Why personality is the thing that sets you apart

There's guaranteed to be someone offering a similar service to yours. What they can't offer is you: your quirks, your history, the specific way you see the work. People want to work with someone they feel comfortable around, someone who feels like a real human rather than a logo. So the question worth sitting with is a simple one: what makes you, you? Then bring that to your brand instead of hiding it.

Find your niche and get specific about who it's for

Before you add any personal flair, get clear on who your clients actually are. The best place to start is inward: who do you genuinely want to work with, and who lights you up to serve? There's no sense building a business around people you'd rather avoid, because that's a fast route to resenting work you once loved.

Narrowing down lets you understand a specific group of people properly, which is what makes your content feel personal to them. Trying to appeal to everyone is the quickest way to feel like no one, because you can't bring a personal touch to a faceless crowd. Pick the people whose values match yours, and speak to them.

Make content that actually sounds like you

Content is king, the old line goes, but we're drowning in information now and most of it says nothing. Good content carries your real intentions, not just information anyone could publish. That's the difference between a feed that could belong to anybody and one that could only be yours.

This is worth investing in. When I built a personal brand for a client in the Seychelles, the work that moved the needle was the specific stuff: professional photography, video, and stories and copy written in her actual voice. My own Instagram is built the same way, aimed squarely at the people I want to reach. Investing in good photography, a solid website and the right words tends to pay you back, because it makes the personality legible.

Produce it yourself

Getting your work out into the world has never been easier, and that's a gift for personality. Writing a book used to mean years of chasing publishers before anyone deemed it worthy. Now you can write it and get it out quickly, with a freelance editor and a self-publishing platform. Video is the same. People record a five-minute clip on their phone and share it that afternoon. You no longer wait for a big break to tell your stories, and producing it yourself keeps the human edges on, the ones that make it feel like you.

Share your journey

Adding personality means letting people in. Share the history that brought you here, the experiment you're running, the ups and downs of doing this alongside real life. When you share your own story, you become relatable to the people who matter to you, and often a source of inspiration too. The accountability that comes with saying it out loud is a bonus.

You don't have to share everything. Share the parts that are true and that fit your brand, the vulnerability and the wins alike, and let the rest stay yours.

Know your why, and say it out loud

Your why is the engine behind everything you do, and showing people why you do this matters as much as showing them what you do. A photographer who genuinely loves capturing natural, heartfelt moments leaves clients feeling special every time, and you can feel that motive in their work. Someone running purely for the money tends to feel that way too. Say your why in your videos, your posts and your About page, and let it colour how you show up.

Frequently asked questions

What does it mean to add personality to a brand?

It means letting the real person behind the business come through in how you speak, what you share and how you show up, rather than hiding behind a polished, generic front. Personality is your quirks, your point of view and your story, made visible on purpose. It's what turns a brand people forget into one they feel connected to.

How do I make my brand more personal without oversharing?

Choose the parts of yourself and your life that are true and that fit your brand, and share those, while keeping whatever you'd rather protect private. Personal doesn't mean fully exposed. A single genuine detail, shared with intention, does more than a stream of unfiltered ones.

Won't showing my personality put some people off?

Yes, and that's the point. You're never going to please everyone, and if you somehow do, something's probably watered down. The people who don't click with you were never going to be your clients. The ones who do will feel like they've found their person, which is exactly what you want.

How is brand personality different from a logo or colours?

A logo and a colour palette are the visual dressing. Brand personality is the character underneath: your voice, your values, the way you make people feel. Visuals can look lovely and still feel empty if there's no personality behind them, and no palette can rescue a brand with nobody home.

Do I need professional photos and video to show personality?

They help a lot, because your imagery is part of how people feel about you, but they're not step one. Get clear on who you're for and what you stand for first, then let good photography and video carry that. Polished visuals on top of an unclear message just give you a well-lit blank.

How do I find my brand personality if I feel a bit generic?

Start with what makes you different: your history, your quirks, the opinions you hold that not everyone shares, and why you do this work. Ask people who know you what they'd say you're like. The material is almost always there already; the work is being brave enough to put it out front.

Key takeaways

• Personality is what sets you apart, because nobody else has your quirks, history or point of view.
• Get specific about who your brand is for; trying to reach everyone flattens your personality.
• Make and produce content that sounds like you, and invest in what makes it legible.
• Share your journey and your why, on purpose, in the parts that are true and fit your brand.
• It's fine to put some people off. The right people will feel like they've found their person.