Let me guess.
You’ve been posting more. You’ve got the new headshot, the tidy banner, the “Open to Work” tag scrubbed (or freshly applied depending on the week), and you’ve even shared a few thought nuggets about your leadership style, your recent speaking gig, or the random Tuesday reminder to drink water and breathe. And yet…
Your LinkedIn is doing approximately jack.
You’re not building traction. You’re not building community. And most of all, you’re not building a brand.
Let’s be clear…it’s not because you’re unqualified or uninteresting (well maybe it is) it’s because you’re following the herd, trying to do what everyone else is doing, when what you actually need is to stop, pause, and ask:
The real problem with LinkedIn isn’t visibility, it’s conformity.
It’s become one giant megaphone of mimicry, where everyone’s trying to game the algorithm, use the “right” hook, the “right” hashtag, and copy/paste the exact same content strategy some influencer said worked for them.
It’s the social version of putting on someone else’s suit and wondering why you feel like a fraud in the mirror.
You post a thought. It doesn’t land. You go quiet. Then you post again because your calendar says “content day.” Then you wonder why your engagement is low. Then you buy a course. Then you copy someone else’s viral post. Rinse, repeat, rage-quit.
It’s not that people don’t care. It’s that they can’t find you in the noise. And that’s why LinkedIn personal branding isn’t about better captions — it’s about building actual connection.
And while we’re at it, stop using LinkedIn like it’s your resumé.
Seriously.
We don’t care about your 30 Under 30 list, your latest title update, or that time you got promoted after surviving another round of corporate layoffs. Unless you’re telling me why it matters, how it shaped you, changed you, or taught you something the rest of us need to hear, it’s just a humblebrag with no soul.
Your brand isn’t what you’ve done.
It’s how you think, how you show up, and how people feel in your digital presence.
That’s what a personal branding expert will help you uncover — not a fancy list of accomplishments, but the voice behind the title.
So if your whole feed sounds like a career fair pamphlet, don’t be surprised if it’s not lighting up your inbox.
Here’s what most people get wrong, they post because they think they should.
Not because they have something to say. Not because they’re contributing anything useful. Not because they actually give a damn about who’s reading it. They post because someone told them to post.
That’s the branding equivalent of talking just to hear your own voice.
Look, I’m all for sharing the behind-the-scenes. I’m all for being visible. But visibility without value is vanity. And nobody likes vanity unless it’s funny, honest, or deeply entertaining.
And by the way, “value” doesn’t mean shoving advice down my throat like a motivational speaker hopped up on Canva templates.
It can be a moment of clarity, a question, a shift in how you see something. Just give us something to chew on.
When you’re crafting a LinkedIn profile strategy, remember: clarity is only powerful when it’s personal.
Here’s where people love to throw around the word “clarity.” As if the problem is just a better tagline or headline. And sure, clarity matters. That’s part of the work I do with clients every day.
But clarity without you in it? It’s just another generic brand voice parroting ideas that don’t feel lived-in.
And now, thanks to AI, everyone’s content sounds vaguely well-written but spiritually vacant. Like a corporate ghost wrote it between Zoom calls and a ChatGPT prompt. It’s technically fine. It’s also dead inside.
We’ve become obsessed with formatting, frameworks, and formulas, so much so that we’ve forgotten the feeling. The very reason we bother with branding at all.
The truth is, your audience can smell AI from a mile away. Perfect grammar. Too many bullet points. A suspicious lack of actual experience. And worst of all? No soul. No you.
That’s why personal branding services aren’t just about “getting more followers” — they’re about helping you put your heart back in the game.
Soul doesn’t mean you need to write poetry or cry on camera.
It means your content has to feel like something. It has to sound like you. Like someone I’d actually want to talk to in real life and not avoid at a networking event because they look like a LinkedIn-generated avatar.
You don’t need another AI tool. You need to remember who you are.
You know what actually builds your brand?
Comments.
DMs.
Actual conversations.
You being a person instead of a profile.
Posting is only 20% of the game. The other 80% is connection. It’s reaching out to someone who moved you. It’s adding something thoughtful to someone else’s post. It’s sending a voice note instead of a pitch deck.
That’s branding. That’s memory-making. That’s how we build trust.
And when trust is there, guess what? Visibility follows. Not the other way around.
That’s how you build a personal brand on LinkedIn — by being human, not a headline machine.
So no, your LinkedIn isn’t broken. Your funnel isn’t broken. You’re not shadowbanned or too late to the party.
But your brand might be missing a heartbeat.
And I get it, standing out is terrifying. Putting your real voice on display is vulnerable. But if you want your brand to actually do something, like connect, convert, grow, you’ve got to risk being seen.
You’ve got to stop trying to get it “right” and start being more real.
Good question.
It’s easy to feel like you’re shouting into a void when you get five likes, no comments, and an inbox full of spam bots trying to sell you “done-for-you” lead gen.
I don’t have huge engagement either. You know what I do have?
Consistency.
Credibility.
Clients.
Because while the algorithm might not reward me with 1M views, the right people show up.
And speaking of LinkedIn’s Algorithm Update, chasing it shouldn’t be your goal. Real connection beats algorithmic tricks every time.
You don’t need mass validation. You need resonance.
You need:
You need branding before marketing.
Essence before execution.
Story before strategy.
You need to ask, “What am I trying to be here, not just what am I trying to do?”
If you’re tired of following someone else’s rules and ready to create a brand that actually feels like you, that connects, that builds relationships, that drives real growth, I’ve got something for you.
It’s part strategy, part identity work, part brand therapy. You’ll walk away with a message you can actually use, a voice that feels like home, and a brand you’re excited to share.
Let’s make your brand feel human again.
NOTE from REAL Human on my last workshop
I’m Deevo Tindall…photographer, brand whisperer, strategist, and certified no-bullshit coach. I’ve spent the last 15 years helping founders, creatives, and brilliant misfits stop hiding behind “what they do” and start building from who they are.
I don’t do fluff. I don’t do formulas. And I sure as hell don’t do performative branding.
What I do is help people get dangerously clear on their message, embody their brand like it’s second skin, and build something real, something with soul, strategy, and some serious staying power.
Because the truth is…you are the brand. Not your logo, not your Canva color palette, not the clever tagline someone AI-generated for you last week.
You.
Your voice. Your values. Your messy, magnetic truth.
And the world’s just waiting for you to stop playing small and show up.
The Brand Storyteller is a Charlotte-based branding agency that helps purpose-driven leaders, entrepreneurs, and businesses build powerful, authentic brands. We specialize in brand discovery, messaging development, content creation, and fractional CMO services—all designed to help you connect with your audience and grow with purpose. Led by Deevo Tindall, a nationally recognized branding expert and master storyteller, our team works closely with clients to craft meaningful narratives, clarify their brand voice, and develop strategies that stand out in today’s competitive market.