Twenty years ago, the best PR professionals were the ones you never heard about. They worked behind the scenes, invisible but essential. Today? The best PR professionals are the ones building thought leadership on LinkedIn, speaking at conferences, and sharing insights publicly. What changed? Everything.
And if you’re still operating like it’s 2005, brilliant but invisible, you’re playing a game that no longer exists. That’s the brutal truth about PR today: your personal brand isn’t vanity. It’s survival.
The Shift No One Warned You About
For decades, PR professionals operated in the shadows. We built brands for others—CEOs, companies, products—while staying deliberately invisible. The logic was simple: our job was to make our organizations shine, not ourselves.
But something shifted. Social media, particularly LinkedIn, democratized visibility. Suddenly, junior PR professionals were building audiences. Mid-level communicators were publishing insights. Senior leaders were sharing failures, not just wins. And employers noticed.
Edelman’s Trust Barometer shows peers often outrank CEOs in credibility. Translation? Your personal voice—authentic, consistent, visible—can enhance your employer’s brand. Or, if mismanaged, damage it.
When Personal Branding Works
Take Parag Agrawal, who built a reputation as a tech thought leader long before becoming X’s (formerly Twitter) CEO. His LinkedIn posts on engineering and product thinking weren’t promotional—they were educational. When X needed a leader, his personal brand signalled expertise, not just ambition.
Closer home, look at Sanjiv Mehta, former CEO of Hindustan Unilever. He built a personal brand rooted in purpose-driven leadership and sustainability advocacy. His LinkedIn presence wasn’t about corporate announcements—it was thoughtful commentary on business, society, and values. When he spoke, people listened—not just because of his position, but because he’d earned credibility beyond the corner office.
Here’s what they did right: they added value beyond their job descriptions. They shared insights, not self-promotion. They built trust, not followers.
When Personal Branding Backfires
But personal branding has a dark side. The line between personal opinion and professional representation is thinner than we think. When you’re visible, everything you say—every hot take, every like, every retweet—gets scrutinised. And in PR, where we manage reputation for a living, our own missteps are magnified.
Weber Shandwick research shows that nearly half of a company’s reputation is attributed to its CEO. Extend that logic: your personal brand, as a communicator, reflects on your organisation. If you’re credible, they benefit. If you’re controversial, they pay the price.
I’ve watched communications professionals damage their employer’s reputation through poorly timed political commentary or divisive takes on trending topics. Personal brand damaged. Employer brand? Collateral damage.
The Goldilocks Zone: Not Too Much, Not Too Little
So how do you navigate this? Here’s what I’ve learned: Be visible, but purposeful. Don’t post for the sake of posting. Share insights that add value—industry trends, lessons learned, thoughtful perspectives. Priyanka Chopra doesn’t post every meal. She posts purpose. Communicators should do the same.
Stay opinionated, but professional. You can have strong views without being divisive. Harsh Goenka, chairman of RPG Group, shares sharp business commentary on social media without alienating audiences. It’s possible to be bold and balanced.
Build your brand, not your ego. Personal branding isn’t about becoming an influencer. It’s about being known for something valuable—strategic thinking, crisis management, storytelling. When Faye D’Souza left TV journalism to build an independent platform, she didn’t chase virality. She built credibility. That’s sustainable.
Know when to stay silent. Not every trending topic needs your take. Some hills aren’t worth dying on. PR professionals, of all people, should understand message discipline.
The Bottom Line
Personal branding in PR isn’t optional anymore. But it’s also not a free-for-all. Your visibility can open doors – new jobs, speaking opportunities, board positions. But mismanaged visibility can close them just as fast.
The question isn’t whether to build a personal brand. It’s how—with intention, integrity, and an understanding that in PR, your reputation isn’t just yours. It’s intertwined with everyone you represent.
So yes, build your brand. Just make sure it’s one you, and your employer can be proud of. Because in PR, perception isn’t just what we manage for our organisations and leaders. It’s what we live with ourselves.
