Episode #231. Worldbuilding. Stop boxing yourself into a niche. Invite People Into Your World

Personal branding isn’t about putting yourself into a smaller and smaller niche. It’s about building a personal brand that is recognisable for something, without becoming restrictive. In this episode, we explore why you are not your niche, and how to build a personal brand around a wider world of ideas, interests, influences and experiences.

For years, “find your niche” has been one of the most repeated pieces of personal branding advice. And while having a clear niche can help with positioning, your niche shouldn’t become the boundary of your identity.

Instead, think about personal branding through the lens of worldbuilding. Your expertise may be the central thread, but your interests, hobbies, influences, taste, rituals, references, relationships and experiences create the world around it.

We’ll explore how to build a personal brand without boxing yourself in, why context makes people more interesting and memorable, and how your content can reveal the person behind your professional positioning.

This episode also explores the psychology of identity and the End of History Illusion — and what it means for building a personal brand when you’re likely to evolve, change careers, discover new interests and become someone different from who you are today.

Your niche can tell people what you do. Your personal brand should give them a reason to remember you.

You are not the niche. You are the world around it.

0:00 Worldbuilding Intro

2:09 Worldbuilding and personal branding

8:58 Your content is your exposition

14:39 The End of History Illusion