Essential Guide to Freelance Branding for Beginners

It only takes 7 seconds to make a first impression in real life, and online isn’t much different. A quick glance at your profile can win you a client or lose one. If you’re a freelancer asking yourself whether you need a personal brand, the answer is a definitive yes. A freelancer’s personal brand works like a company’s brand, but centers on the person. 

For this article, I've teamed up with Kate Klishina, PR manager, networking expert, author of the Networking Guide, and event critic. Together, we'll show you why you can’t ignore personal branding and how to build one to grow your business. 

What is a personal brand? 

A personal brand is not just your logo and the brand name you chose. It’s how you position yourself and how others — clients and peers — perceive you. A personal brand consists of: 

• Purpose and values. These answer the “why” behind your brand. Clear purpose and values make your image easy to understand and relate to.
• Expertise and skills. By showing what you’re good at, you build trust among clients, prospects, and the professional community.
• Authenticity. Kate believes it is your personality that attracts the right clients. Be yourself, and your audience will find you.
• Consistency. Your message, tone, and visual identity need to be steady so that it’s easier to remember you. 
• Unique value proposition (UVP). Your brand should be built around what sets you apart from other freelancers. For example, your niche experience and skills or a unique process. 
• Storytelling. Emotions are a huge marketing leverage because they make it easier for others to relate. Share your story in a way that makes your brand memorable. 
• Visual identity. Your logo, brand colors, fonts, and style tie everything together and make you recognizable across platforms. 
• Reputation and credibility. Build trust with testimonials, case studies, and endorsements.
• Understanding your audience. Know who you serve before you start broadcasting.

While this might feel like a lot, remember that your personal brand is a living organism. It takes time to grow and needs regular nurturing. 

When potential clients google your name, they should be able to have a clear picture of who you are as a professional and an individual. A personal brand is a trust accelerator and a gateway to new opportunities, no matter what field you’re in. Kate warns that with competition so fierce today, skipping personal branding is no longer an option. 

However, it’s not just about being known and trusted, but also getting ahead financially. Brand Builders Group found that 67% of Americans would be fine spending more on a product or service if they found that the founder’s values match their own. So, if you want to boost your freelance business, take notes. 

How can you build a personal brand from scratch? 

Here’s how you can start building a brand step-by-step: 

1. Define your goals. What do you want from your personal brand? Maybe you want more clients or to become known as an expert in your field. For example, if you’re a designer, maybe you want to attract startups. If you’re a writer, maybe you want to be a go-to healthcare content guru and start teaching other writers at some point. Knowing this upfront will help you create a clear plan.

2. Know your target audience. Think about who your ideal clients are. Look at the people you’ve worked with or want to work with. What industries are they in? How big are their companies? Where are they located? What problems do they have that you can solve? For example, if you’re a web developer based in Poland but want to work with American fintech companies, your brand needs to reflect your understanding of fintech and U.S. business culture. This way, you can tailor your messaging and portfolio to their needs.‍

3. Figure out your unique value proposition (UVP). A UVP is what makes you different from others in your niche. It’s different from just the functionality you provide (basic benefit) and additional features that are related to the functionality (extras). Here’s an example: 

4. Check out your competitors and specialists in related fields. See what other freelancers like you are up to — what social media they use, what kind of posts they make, and the events they go to. Also, look at people who work with your ideal clients but do different jobs, like marketers or designers if you’re a copywriter. This will help you create a targeted strategy.

5. Pick your visual identity. Decide what your brand looks like. Pick a logo, a color scheme, and fonts that represent you. Make them universal across the platforms you’re on. Here’s an example:

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6. Decide on your tone of voice. Think about how you want to talk to your audience. Should you be friendly and casual or more expert and serious? For example:

Whatever tone of voice you choose, keep it consistent across your posts and emails.

7. Gather social proof. Collect testimonials, case studies, and a portfolio to show you’ve done great work. Real stories and results make people trust you more. Place them on your website and socials and update regularly.

8. Plan your content. Decide what content you’ll make and where — blogs, LinkedIn posts, Instagram pictures, YouTube videos, you name it. If you did your research, you should already know what types of content your target audience likes to consume. Try to make content in advance so you always have something to post and stay consistent. 

Don’t forget to check if there are any limitations on the type of content you can put out. For example, you may not be able to publish in-depth case studies because of NDAs. Choose a topic or topics that will be at the core of your brand and sustainable to cover at the same time. 

9. Start small with your marketing. Pick 2 or 3 channels where your target audience is most active and start there. For example, a designer might stick to Instagram, Dribble, and Behance, while a business consultant might focus on LinkedIn, Instagram, and blogs. As you grow, you might explore other platforms such as a blog or newsletter. See what works and adjust as you go.

At first, I didn’t even realize I was building a personal brand. I joined LinkedIn to find international clients and began sharing my professional experience by writing about copywriting. Over time, I naturally began discussing networking — a topic I was passionate about — and those posts got far more engagement.
Noticing that networking content resonated most, I shifted my focus to 80% networking and 20% copywriting. Even though my audience saw primarily networking posts, it was clear from my profile I was a copywriter. That’s how I started receiving copywriting job offers.

{{Kate Klishina}}

Now Kate works in PR. And although her personal brand revolves around personal branding, clients come to her for PR services because she states what she does clearly on her page. 

This only proves you don’t have to post only about your work. You can talk about yourself as a person and things you care about, and people who resonate with your personality will come to you. 

Essential branding elements

These are the elements essential for branding, be it for a solo worker or a big company:

The goal of building your personal brand is to become memorable and trustworthy. Don’t overcomplicate things by choosing extra fancy designs or a long, hard-to-read brand name. 

What are the best channels to build a personal brand? 

The short answer: it depends on what you do and who you’re trying to reach. As mentioned above, you need to be where your people are. 

First and foremost, I recommend being both online and offline platforms. My favourite online platform for building a personal brand and network is definitely LinkedIn. 

As for offline channels like conferences, networking events, or broadcasts with other experts, I recommend doing it even if you’re not tied to one place. For example, if you’re a photographer, if someone who lives elsewhere loves your work, they might still hire you. Also, from my experience, an offline interaction usually replaces 2-3 interactions online in productivity. 

{{Kate Klishina}}

If you’re a beginner, Kate suggests not trying to be everywhere all at once and focus on 2-3 major platforms. 

Even if you’re not a freelancer, having social media is going to give you a better chance of getting hired.For example, in the UK,  91% of employers check candidates’ social media profiles in the hiring process. And 21% of them may even reject a candidate after looking them up on Facebook. 

It’s very important to make sure you can stick to building a personal brand long-term. That means that if you get completely burnt out, for example, from writing long posts for LinkedIn, find another format. 

How long does it take to build a personal brand? 

It depends on the goal you’re setting. From Kate’s experience, if you’re simply aiming to land a client or two, expect about two to three months of consistent effort. However, it all depends on the niche you’re in and how competitive it is, as well as how engaged you are in building your brand. 

If you want to become a recognized leader in your niche, you’re looking at a much longer, more intensive journey. Especially if you plan to go into a new niche, target a different audience, or work with larger clients. 

Your personal brand only works when you maintain it. Many people give up too soon because they don’t see instant results. Kate recommends dedicating extra time to brand-building when your calendar isn’t packed. Reach out, make new connections, and post several times a week across your platforms. Once you’re fully booked, switch to posting at least once weekly for visibility.

Example of strong personal branding

I’ve picked designer and lettering artist Lauren Hom as an example of strong personal branding. Let’s see what makes her brand stand out. 

Lauren’s website uses a signature color palette and typography. 

On Instagram, she shares behind-the-scenes glimpses of her process and features herself regularly. Posting yourself regularly builds trust as clients feel connected to the person behind the work.

Plus, Lauren sprinkles in personal-life posts and shares her political and life values openly. All this gives her audience a better idea of who she is and attracts the right followers. 

What else? Lauren keeps close contact with her audience through a newsletter and creative challenges (#HOMwork), where she shares exclusive expert content and materials. This close contact helps turn followers into paying customers, since it’s easier to trust someone who’s already shared value with you for free. 

That’s how she builds community around her brand, boosts engagement, and establishes herself as a thought leader in her niche. Consequently, she can promote her online courses, digital products, and workshops.

Lauren also expands her reach and influence through strategic collaborations. For example, she co-hosts a podcast with artist Rachael Renae focused on art and creative lifestyles. Both have substantial platforms. They help each other grow engagement and visibility by combining their audiences. Lauren also participates in interviews on niche YouTube channels, which brings exposure to relevant audiences. 

Mistakes to avoid when you build a personal brand

Consider these common pitfalls that could hinder your progress and reputation in the long run. 

• Mixed messaging. Make sure you keep your tone and visuals uniform. Details like using a single handle, profile pic, and logo across platforms will help you become more recognizable. 
• Nonstop self-promotion. Don’t try to convince someone to buy from you by pushing your services in every post. Share value first → build trust → people will come to you naturally. 
• Ignoring your audience. Writing for everyone means you’re writing for no one. Research your audience well and focus on how you can help them. For example, you’re a career coach. Instead of writing generic posts like “How to be successful in your career,” try topics like “How to prepare for behavioral interview questions” or “How to calculate your market value.”
• Lack of social proof. Start sharing testimonials, case studies, reviews, and portfolio pieces as early as possible. It’s one of the fastest ways to gain trust. 
• Burnout. Building a personal brand is a job. And it relies a lot on consistency. Don’t make the mistake of starting posting 7 days a week and burning out completely in 2 months. Make a reasonable plan by picking formats you enjoy and can sustain over time. 

Forewarned is forearmed. Avoiding these mistakes is easy once you’re aware of them and will save you a lot of heartache. 

A strong personal brand is the best way to promote your services. Building one may feel awkward at first, but persistence pays off. Don’t expect immediate results, stay realistic, and most importantly, be yourself. That’s how you’ll attract the audience and clients that truly resonate with your vibe.