To build sustainable business value, you start with the goal, then earn the reputation that makes it possible.

At Reputation Sherpa, we guide CEOs and leadership teams to work backwards from their growth targets to define the reputation they need to achieve them. Then we help make it real.

Clients have attributed nearly half a billion dollars in added business value to this process.
Because when your reputation is clear, every path to growth gets easier:

--> Clients choose you faster
--> Employees stay longer
--> Investors see greater value

Using our CARAT framework (Credibility, Attention, Relatability, Authority, and Trust) we help turn your invisible wins into visible credibility.

Our frameworks are built on more than 15 years of research, psychology, and results across sectors from professional services to tech and infrastructure.

The outcome is a stronger reputation, inside and out, that amplifies your brand, builds stakeholder confidence, and increases the future value of your business.

If you’re ready to start with the goal and build the reputation that gets you there, let’s talk.

For insights on proactive reputation building, or to start a conversation, let's connect.

Jo Kinner

It takes around two months to climb Mt. Everest. 

I must admit that's longer than I thought. (I mean, how hard can it be? 😜 !!)

Some guides offer "fast track" expeditions, but they're riskier. It takes time to acclimatise to a higher elevation.

After weeks of trekking to base camp, climbers ascend gradually, build a higher camp, come back, rest and recover. When they set off again, they're better prepared. And each time they start from a higher place.

It's the same with organisations that succeed long-term. They don't overextend by pushing too hard too soon.

The clients I've helped reach their particular summits 
--> better quality clients
--> new revenue targets
--> first customers in a new market
--> investor confidence
--> a sale or acquisition 
didn't get there in one go either. 

They pushed ahead toward their reputation goal, then paused. When they called me back in (sometimes two years later), they were ready to go again.  

The pause is vital. CEOs and teams need time to acclimatise to internal changes and consolidate their resources. Then they set off from a higher place than before. 

If you're aiming for your next peak and are promised a rapid ascent to the top, think about the risks of overextending. 

Why is it that we always chase the promise of fast results, when we know a controlled climb is the best way to get where we're going?

----
I'm Jo from Reputation Sherpa. I help business leaders use reputation as a strategic tool to build long term value in their company and brand.

Take your business further with a higher reputation | We guide you | Founding Partner at Reputation Sherpa

Any organisation that's thrived for 30 years creates significant value.
But it's so often buried under layers of words no one is reading.

For HCB Group, their reputation was already strong in one market. It just wasn’t transferring into a new geography with a different industry culture. 

After a session with their UK and Australian teams, we surfaced the gems in their offer. Then we created clear, value-based positioning and messaging for their internal team to roll out.

Of course, there’s more to be done. Reputation is a journey. 
Knowing where to start and what to do next makes for an easier climb.

Thank you Jim Harris, Derek Perkins 🇦🇺 and the HCB team. Working with people this kind and committed is always a pleasure.

Why are some women reporting a massive boost in reach by switching their profile gender to "male?" It seems the use of AI is compounding the issue.

I dug into this and here's what I found:
--> LinkedIn doesn't filter content by demographics like gender or race
--> Its algorithm ranks and recommends content based on “quality”
--> Higher quality content is then amplified to test for engagement

So the first question is: What counts as "quality" to an algorithm? 
It appears to use leadership signals as filters. It ranks for topic authority, network size, job seniority, engagement levels, and language style.

On a business platform, that makes sense. But there's a problem. 

Algorithms aren't neutral. They absorb social and cultural patterns from the world. Those patterns have bias baked in. 

Research shows the algo rewards a direct, decisive language style. Writing that's more tentative or reflective gets filtered out. Not because readers reject it. Just because they don't get to see it.

AI content is reinforcing this dominant style. 
-->More people use AI to write posts 
--> those posts sound like 'leadership' and get amplified
--> AI tools learn what 'works' on LinkedIn and generate more of it. 

So no, LinkedIn isn’t suppressing content based on a gender switch. It doesn’t need to. The data is encoding what business leadership looks and sounds like and dishing up more of that, whether we like it or not!

Who else has experimented with this? Keen to know what you found.
---
I'm Jo. I usually post about reputation but sometimes deviate.

--> "Reputation is dead!" 
--> "You don't need brand trust."

I've seen some spicy takes on LinkedIn lately.

After my initial 𝘱𝘧𝘧𝘵𝘴, I decided to actually read the posts. The points were valid. They just looked at the issue from a different frame of reference. 

It's true that not all brands need to build trust equally. 
They only need to meet the baseline level of trust for their category. And that baseline varies widely.

You don't need to trust a hammer brand the same way you trust a car brand. And a barber doesn't rely on reputation the same way a financial adviser does.  

For low-involvement categories, the baseline is simpler: safe, effective, available, fairly priced. 

As price and complexity increase, so do risk and expectations. Expertise, honesty, compliance, and leadership all matter more. So does trust.

The more brand trust and reputation are 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 to your business, the more you need to invest in them. 

So when someone says, "reputation is dead," maybe they mean "reputation is less important to some companies than others." But that's not exactly a scroll-stopping hook! 😜

What's been called “dead” in your industry that might just need viewing from a different angle?

----
I'm Jo from Reputation Sherpa. I help business leaders use reputation as a strategic tool to build long term value in their company and brand.

I had a different post planned for today. But after reading the news, I couldn't write about business reputation. 

All day I've been thinking about the reputation of people. 

In particular, individuals willing to stake their personal reputation on the belief that power and privilege will protect them, no matter what.

So they deny, distract, and deflect, waiting for the expected protections to kick in. 

But as my mum always used to say, "truth will out." (Shakespeare might have said it first, but it holds up whatever). 

And when that happens, the repeated lies -- and the arrogance and entitlement that accompanies them -- make everything worse.

I watched the interview the late Virginia Giuffre gave to journalist Tara Brown. 
She talked about that infamous photo of her with the former Prince. She described the room, the girls, the power dynamics, the dehumanisation. It was a hard listen. 

Of course we've all heard the denials: I've never met her, I don't remember, the photo might be doctored, those aren't my fingers. 👀 🫱 Deny, distract, deflect.

Now we see evidence of the pleading for protection, asking others to deny everything, complaining their lives are being ruined. The pattern of believing a title will make everything uncomfortable disappear.

The point is, whether you run a country or a company, your reputation isn't protected by privilege. Reputations are built on trust and protected by truth.

The first rule of crisis communication is: Don’t make it worse.
But those who believe they’re untouchable do exactly that. And their personal reputations, rightly, pay the ultimate price.

Back to normal business programming shortly. 🤨

Open article: 'I can't take any more': Former prince Andrew emailed Epstein for help by abc.net.au

'I can't take any more': Former prince Andrew emailed Epstein for help

A financial services CEO told me their clients didn't care about brand. 

We were about to interview their stakeholders and brand is one of the dimensions we explore. 

Sure enough, the first two clients said "brand doesn't matter." They were happy this firm flew under the radar. To them, a known brand just meant higher prices. 

Interesting, I thought. These were loyal clients in their traditional niche.
-->they already trusted them
-->they knew the quality of their work
-->they'd experienced promises kept 
--> it was a close-knit industry where word of mouth travelled.

They didn't care about brand. They already had the evidence they needed.

Then I spoke with newer clients and referrers in the larger growth market they saw as their future. They loved my client's service, but said:
--> their website didn't look professional
--> they wanted materials to share that explained the firm's value
--> their own clients preferred to deal with a recognised name

This firm was highly regarded and didn't need a major overhaul.
We clarified their positioning, refreshed their visual identity and produced a strong company profile informed by their clients' perspectives. Not long afterwards, they were acquired by a leading player in the new market.

If your current clients “don’t care about brand,” it’s likely because they already trust you. But future clients don't come with trust built in. How does your services firm make its value clear?

This report by Craig Badings and SenateSHJ on the Future of Reputation is timely reading for anyone leading through uncertainty. 

We're moving further into an era where disinformation, polarisation, and AI make it harder to know where to place our trust. And where, as Scott Sayres puts it, "it's never been easier to torpedo a company with half-truths and lies." 

Building an aligned reputation "from within," as Alan Chumley says, gives organisations a structural integrity that can resist many pressures.

The report dispels common misconceptions about what reputation is and isn't, and positions it firmly at the centre of business strategy (where it belongs!)

Thank you, Craig for undertaking this important work and for inviting me to take part. Thanks also to the many leaders featured who've advanced our collective understanding in an area I am passionate about.
Look forward to learning with and from you.

Partner at SenateSHJ, PRovoke Innovator Asia Pacific 2024. Passionate about building and protecting your reputation

What a privilege it has been to interview the 44 global experts on reputation, corporate affairs, communication and risk for SenateSHJ's Future of Reputation 2030 report.  

For anyone in an executive role that touches on communication, culture, risk or reputation, this is essential reading. Here is the link - go to the bottom of the web page and you can download the full report:  https://lnkd.in/gJGHwFji 

Unfortunately, I am limited by how many people I can tag below, but a massive thank you to the experts who took part:
Oliver Freedman, Anthony Larmon, Patricia Santa Marina, Tony Jaques, Stephen Waddington, Gary Davies, Paola Vallejo, Chris Savage, Trevor Young, Peter M. Sandman, Jo Kinner, Mike Abel, Dirk Aarts, Rod Cartwright, Dustin Chick, Kasper Ulf Nielsen, Emmanuel Goedseels, Michael Felber, Basil Towers, Tony Langham, Sandra Macleod, Peter Heneghan, Mark Hutcheon, Amy Binder, Scott Sayres, Lori Turner, Ron Culp, Ralph Jackson, Mignon van Halderen, Elliot S. Schreiber, David McCarthy, Karine Lohitnavy, Lida Citroen, Paul Stamsnjider, Rupert Hugh-Jones, Richard Tsang, Victoria Cross, Alan Chumley, Jason Laird, Helio Fred Garcia, Gerry McCusker, Stephen Thomas, Thomas Fife-Schaw and Will Hetherton

Are you looking for a digital marketing expert who can help you achieve your business goals? Look no further. As a skilled marketer with expertise in social media, Facebook and Google Ads, and video editing, I have a proven track record of delivering results for my clients.

With my social media campaigns, I have increased engagement, followers, and website traffic for numerous clients. My Facebook and Google Ads campaigns have also generated impressive results.

Additionally, my video editing skills have enabled me to create engaging and effective content that resonates with audiences and drives conversions. 

Now, let's talk about how I can help you achieve your digital marketing goals. Whether you're looking to increase brand awareness, drive conversions, or improve your overall digital presence, I am here to help. Let's connect and discuss how we can work together to take your brand to the next level.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to grow your business. Contact me today to schedule a consultation and let's get started.

Sheza Yazdani

The Focus Solutions

As Founder & CEO of The Focus Solutions, 

I help coaches, consultants, and business owners build profitable LinkedIn brands through strategic LinkedIn management, personal branding, and content that converts. 

My approach blends data-driven frameworks with tailored LinkedIn Growth strategies to increase visibility, establish authority, and attract high-ticket clients.

Core Services:
•	LinkedIn Profile Optimization – Transforming profiles into lead-generating assets.
•	Personal Branding Strategy – Positioning clients as trusted industry authorities.
•	Content Strategy & Ghostwriting – High-impact, scroll-stopping content.
•	Lead Generation Campaigns – Proven methods to drive inbound high-ticket leads.
•	Digital Marketing & Brand Consulting – Scalable growth systems.

Key Achievements:
•	Increased client LinkedIn engagement by 5x in 90 days.
•	Designed LinkedIn Growth strategies that improved visibility & search rankings.
•	Launched lead-gen campaigns for Personal Branding delivering a consistent pipeline of high-value inquiries.

Founder & CEO | LinkedIn Growth Strategist & Personal Branding Expert The Focus Solutions 

•	Designed and executed ROI dedicated social media marketing campaigns aligned with business objectives.

•	Specialized in lead generation, audience growth, and brand visibility.

•	Consistently boosted client engagement, Brand awareness, and conversions through data-backed campaigns.

Social Media Marketing Specialist

Jasmine Events

•	Managed paid and organic strategies, expanding reach to 8M+ followers across major platforms.

•	Did Omni channel Marketing, published 35+ weekly posts across multiple channels, increasing brand visibility.

•	Delivered 5K new leads by targeting content to different sales funnel stages.

•	Ran Instagram influencer campaigns with 22% ROI per $1 spent.

Digital Marketing Manager

World Wear

•	Developed and implemented marketing plans that increased brand awareness, traffic, and sales.

•	Tracked and analyzed marketing campaign performance using Google Analytics, LinkedIn Analytics, Meta Business Suite, SEMrush, and other data-driven marketing tools to optimize ROI and engagement.

•	Communicated brand vision to stakeholders, driving consistent market growth.

Marketing Manager

Focus Enterprises LTD

•	Expanded social following from 500 to 30K+ across major platforms.

•	Created a Facebook customer inquiry hub with 1-day response times.

•	Monitored engagement metrics and optimized SEO-friendly content for greater reach.

Assistant Media Planner

Allied Schools

Class Teacher

Habib Metropolitan Bank (Subsidiary of AG Zurich)

Marketing Intern

Helping CEOs and Founders Grow and Monetize Their Personal Brands on LinkedIn | $100K+ Results from intentional LinkedIn Growth Strategies | Personal Branding Strategist | CEO Focus Solutions

If you are here, it means LinkedIn isn’t working for you.

You’re posting, engaging, maybe even trying different hacks but nothing sticks. 

No new leads. 
No relevant engagement. 
No clients.

Maybe you’re a:
•	Business owner who wants to be seen as an industry thought leader.
•	SaaS founder looking for more qualified buyers.
•	Coach craving consistent sign-ups for your program.
•	LinkedIn ghostwriter who can’t seem to crack content that converts.

And it’s exhausting, isn’t it? 

You watch others grow, wondering why your profile isn’t pulling in the opportunities you deserve. 

You’ve tried the tips you’ve watched the gurus yet the needle hasn’t moved.

Here’s the truth:

Your audience is scrolling past you not because you’re not good enough, but because your positioning, messaging, and content aren’t working together to grab the right attention.

What you really want is simple:
•	A profile that commands authority from the first glance.
•	Content that actually speaks to your ideal client.
•	A strategy that generates warm, ready-to-buy leads on autopilot.
•	A personal brand that makes 6 figures a month feel like the baseline, not the dream.

That’s where I come in.

12 months ago, I was exactly where you are overwhelmed, second-guessing, and unsure what actually works on LinkedIn. 

Fast forward to today: I have scaled my following past 10K+, built my own business from scratch, and helped 30+ clients grow, monetize, and dominate LinkedIn.

Here’s how I’ll get you there:
•	Profile audit & revamp that makes people stop scrolling.
•	Laser-focused content strategy built around your audience’s pain points.
•	Outbound & inbound lead frameworks that convert without sounding salesy.
•	Engagement systems that win attention every single time.

The results?
•	Client accounts grown from 0 → 10K followers in <6 months.
•	1M+ organic impressions generated for client brands.
•	Consistent 4+ inbound leads per month without paid ads.

Your move:
A) Keep guessing, posting randomly, and hoping for a break.
B) Hand it over to someone who’s done it repeatedly and get a LinkedIn presence that drives leads while you sleep.

If it’s B, 

DM me “I’m ready” or book a call through my Featured Section. 

Let’s turn your LinkedIn into your most profitable business asset.
 
Talk soon

Most founders want content that converts. 

But they skip this one non-negotiable question.

And wonder why it’s not working.

Let’s fix that.

If your content isn’t converting, it’s not because:

✘ You’re not posting enough
✘ You don’t have the right hook
✘ You haven’t gone viral

It’s because your messaging isn’t bridging the belief gap.

Here’s the question every post should answer:
“What does my ideal client need to believe before they’ll buy?”

That belief is different for every niche:

→ Sales founder: 
“They need to believe that outbound isn’t the only path to revenue.”

→ Wellness coach:
 “They need to believe it’s possible to heal without hustle.”

→ Real estate expert: 
“They need to believe authority = faster closings, not more cold calls.”

You’re not just selling your offer.

You’re selling a shift in belief.

If your audience isn’t buying, it’s not their fault.

It’s your job to move them from skeptical to sold with strategic content that earns trust.

Quick Exercise:
Write down the top 3 objections your ideal client has.
Now flip each one into a belief your content needs to build.

That’s your content strategy starting point.

Partnering with CEOs Founders and Coaches to Build Industry Thought Leaders through Strategic Narrative Positioning and Content Architecture | CEO at Focus Solutions

LinkedIn SEO and Google both crawl:

Alt text

Caption text (hashtags + keywords in natural sentences)

Engagement signals (clicks, saves, dwell time)

So, you want human-readable hashtags that echo search-intent phrases — not the vanity ones (#growth #mindset).

🚀 2. Optimized hashtag cluster

This mix balances high-traffic hashtags (for visibility) with niche, rankable ones (for authority).

Primary (core identity):

#Ghostwriter

#PersonalBranding

#ContentStrategist

Niche authority boosters:

#LinkedInContent

#MessagingStrategy

#ThoughtLeadership

#FounderMarketing

#ContentThatConverts

#BrandVoice

#AudiencePsychology

Search-optimized long-tail (Google & ChatGPT discoverable):

#B2BPersonalBranding

#FounderGhostwriter

#LinkedInGhostwriter

#ContentForFounders

#BeliefGapMarketing

Use 5–9 total per post — too many can dilute authority. Rotate combinations to train the algorithm that you own these topics.

🪄 3. Keyword integration tip

In your post text (especially the fir

Most CEOs think personal branding requires volume.

This newsletter digs into a problem most founders never say out loud which is:

The more the world pushes you to “show up,” the less space you have to think.

It connects Josef Pieper’s old warning about the loss of silence to today’s reality, where CEOs are expected to post daily, be vulnerable on cue, narrate every move, and keep up with a content machine that drains more than it delivers.

Instead of telling leaders to do more, it argues for the opposite:

A brand built from clarity, not performance.

View newsletter: The Positioning Playbook

In 1985, philosopher Josef Pieper wrote Leisure: The Basis of Culture, where he warned of a world where work becomes so consuming, it eats the very si

Open article: The founder’s paradox: Everyone sees your business, but no one sees you. by Sheza Yazdani • 3 min read

The founder’s paradox: Everyone sees your business, but no one sees you.

I built a 13K+ audience, closed 10+ high-ticket clients without ads, and built a system that runs without me.

All through strategy, consistency, and a crystal clear personal brand.

But I didn’t start here.

When I first began, I made every mistake:

→ Posted too much value, got zero leads
→ Sounded like everyone else in my niche
→ Thought “consistency” = growth (it doesn’t)
→ Took on misaligned clients because my positioning was off

That’s when I sat down, studied what actually works, and built a system that now runs quietly in the background, generating trust, leads, and revenue.

And now?

I’m putting the entire system in your hands.

My Personal Branding Playbook is LIVE.

Inside, I break down:

✅ The strategy behind content that converts
✅ How to go from “just posting” to pulling in leads
✅ The funnel framework I use to build trust at scale
✅ Exactly how I built my authority without burning out

This isn’t another “post more” guide.

It’s the blueprint I use with CEOs, founders, and experts who want visibility that actually sells.

Comment “BRAND” to get the link + launch-only bonuses.

I’m dropping insights I’ve never shared publicly, this is your edge in 2025.

Let’s make your name the one that gets remembered.

Follow me Sheza Yazdani and repost it to help others win

A LinkedIn post by a personal branding strategist announcing the launch of their “Personal Branding Playbook.” The post begins by sharing results—building a 13K+ audience and closing 10+ high-ticket clients without ads—then contrasts it with early struggles like posting too much value and poor positioning. It transitions to offering a system that generates trust and leads automatically, introducing the Playbook as a detailed guide on strategy, content that converts, and building authority without burnout. The post ends with a call to action inviting readers to comment “BRAND” to get the link and bonuses

Everyone keeps saying “just be clear.”

But clarity is not the reason people remember you.

Clarity is why they understand you.

What makes them remember you is coherence.

A pattern. A worldview. A presence they can feel.

If your content is clear but still invisible, it’s probably not a messaging problem.

It’s a depth problem.

Here’s what to build instead (and why your brain is wired to forget the rest):👇

If your content is clear but still forgettable, this is for you. There’s a moment where every founder realizes that people understand what they do… an

Open article: Clarity is a trap. Here’s what to build instead. by Sheza Yazdani • 2 min read

Clarity is a trap. Here’s what to build instead.

“Visibility doesn’t just attract attention. It earns recognition.”

And today, I’m honored to share something special:

I have been featured in Titanium Magazine’s Top 50 Global Inspirational Women to Look Out for in 2026. 

From building a business while raising three kids.

To help over 80+ CEOs, founders, and experts build personal brands that create demand before the first call.

To lead Focus Solutions as CEO.

This recognition isn’t just about me.

It’s about what happens when women own their story and show up every single day even with all the odds stacked against them.

Over the past 3 years, I’ve:

→ Built systems that convert content into high-value clients
→ Helped 50+ experts turn dead profiles into trusted personal brands
→ Challenged the noise of vanity metrics by building brands that actually drive business ROI

Being recognized alongside change makers like Dianah kamande, Heba Othman, Sally Hammoud, and Dr. Pavani Kadiyala reminds me:

There is power in being intentional.

There is power in building a legacy that leads.

And I’ll keep showing up for the voices that haven’t been heard yet and the leaders ready to rise with clarity and credibility.

P.S. A Special thanks to the The Prodigy and Love Charmaine Uychoco for the recognition.
#TheProdigyOfficial #TitaniumMagazine #Top50 #Trailblazers #WomenOfPurpose #Thailand2026

Professional portrait of a woman smiling confidently, dressed in business attire, standing against a clean background. This image accompanies an announcement celebrating her recognition as one of Titanium Magazine’s Top 50 Global Inspirational Women to Look Out for in 2026.”
(If the image is different, just tell me and I’ll tailor it.)

✅ HIGH-PERFORMANCE HASHTAGS (Authority-based + Discovery + Niche)
I’ve kept them balanced so LinkedIn won’t suppress the post (max 8–12 recommended).
Hashtags:
#WomenInLeadership
#InspirationalWomen
#Top50Women2026
#TitaniumMagazine
#PersonalBrandingExpert
#FounderStory
#WomenWhoLead
#CEOLife
#BrandStrategy
#WomenInBusiness
#LeadershipJourney
#TheProdigyOfficial
Want me to rewrite the post for maximum reach, authority, and depth — or give you an optimised hook + format based on LinkedIn’s 2025 algorithm?

Thank you New In Asia, for the feature!

I wrote this for founders doing meaningful work but still fighting for attention.

When I started Focus Solutions, I wasn’t sure what would resonate.

I just knew one thing:

Founders deserve messaging that does justice to the value they deliver.

Because it’s frustrating to do exceptional work and still be overlooked.

It’s exhausting to show up with heart and still feel like you’re shouting into the void.

The truth I’ve learned?

Content isn’t about more posts, better visuals, or perfect hacks.

It’s about earning the belief that leads to action. You can read the complete feature here:

To read the complete feature see the link in the comments ⬇️

If people need to pull up your profile to describe what you do, your brand isn’t sticky.

Your positioning should live in their mind, not your headline.

And yet, I see profiles every week with lines like:

“Transformational coach for high performers.”

What does that even mean?

Here’s the test:

Can your dream client explain your value in 3 seconds without looking you up?

If not, your positioning won’t get you clients. Or referrals.

Sticky positioning does 3 things:

It’s emotionally precise (“burned-out founder” > “ambitious professional”)

It’s visually concrete (“build a business that doesn’t burn you out”)

It’s memorable (triggers a mental shortcut like “She’s the one who helps…”)

I help clients craft lines that stick.

So they become the first name their clients think of when a problem hits.

📌 If your positioning isn’t working while you sleep, it’s not working at all.

DM me “STICKY” and let’s fix your positioning today.

Carousel showing a breakdown of what makes brand positioning sticky with short statements highlighting emotional precision visual clarity and memorability. The graphics emphasize how clear positioning helps clients remember you instantly and how vague headlines weaken credibility. The final slide invites readers to refine their positioning so it works even when they are offline.

Everyone’s bragging about their new AI tools. But let’s be honest.

AI didn’t make you sound smarter.

It just exposed that you never had a voice to begin with.

Here’s what I’ve seen after working with 50+ founders and CEOs on their LinkedIn strategy:

AI can write.

But it can’t position.

It can’t pull from your lived experience, your client results, your real tone of voice.

That’s why some posts get 100 likes and zero leads.

Because they’re structured well but say nothing new.

The truth?

→ The most powerful content doesn’t come from a tool.

It comes from knowing what only you can say.

Here’s how I help clients stand out in an AI-cluttered feed:

✅ We don’t start with “write this post.”

We start with: What are you the go-to for?

What stories earned you trust offline?

What proof do your clients rave about?

Then (and only then) do we let AI assist.

As a second brain.

Because content that converts isn't generated.

It’s distilled from your authority.

And if you can’t hear yourself in your own post.

Neither can your next client.

Want to use AI without sounding like ChatGPT?

DM me “VOICE” and I’ll help you build a brand that sounds like you, on your best day.

Bold minimalist text reads: ‘Everyone’s bragging about their new AI tools. But let’s be honest… AI didn’t make you sound smarter. It just exposed that you never had a voice to begin with.’ The visual introduces a thought-leadership post about authentic personal branding in the age of AI. The content argues that AI can write—but it can’t position, interpret lived experience, or build authority. It explains why posts that sound polished often fail to convert, and how founders and CEOs can use AI as a second brain instead of a replacement. The image aligns with topics like voice, positioning, and authority on LinkedIn.”

SEO / Hashtags (add to caption or comments for discoverability):
#PersonalBranding #LinkedInStrategy #AIContent #AuthenticVoice #ThoughtLeadership #ChatGPT #AIWriting #ContentMarketing #FounderBrand #AuthorityBuilding #AIAssist #HumanVsAI #BrandVoice #MarketingStrategy #ContentThatConverts #AIAgency #Positioning #Copywriting #LinkedInGrowth #VoiceOverVolume #ContentStrate

People do not buy talent

They buy certainty that you are right for them

Trust is built through proof not promises

Random testimonials are noise without a system

Real authority comes from repeated visible patterns

Your brand is trusted when your results feel predictable

Read the full article to build your Proof Ecosystem and turn trust into demand

When people don’t buy from you, it’s rarely because you’re not good. It’s because they’re not sure if you’re good for them. That’s the difference betw

Open article: What if people trusted you without needing to be convinced? by Sheza Yazdani • 4 min read

What if people trusted you without needing to be convinced?

The biggest myth in personal branding?

That confidence equals self-promotion.

I have spent the last 12 months helping 50+ CEOs, founders, and coaches who hated the idea of “selling themselves.”
 
Yet, they built authority without a single humble-brag.

They didn’t want to sound salesy.

They didn’t want to boast.

They didn’t want to look desperate.

But here’s what we did instead:

- We positioned them clearly.
- We showcased what made them different, not just better.
- We told real stories of transformation.
- We gave their brilliance the visibility it deserves.

Because leadership today is not just about doing great work.

It’s about making your work undeniably visible without feeling fake.

You don’t need to say “I’m the best.”

You say:
“I help founders scale through storytelling that converts.”
“I guide teams by building cultures that retain talent.”
“I specialize in sales that feel like trust, not pressure.”

That’s not salesy. That’s specific.

And specificity builds trust faster than buzzwords ever could.

LinkedIn’s 2025 algorithm now favors expert led content posts where the voice of experience beats the voice of noise.

That means authority wins over virality.

So no, personal branding isn’t bragging.

It’s making it easy for the right people to say:

“You’re exactly who I’ve been looking for.”

If you want to promote your value without feeling like a walking pitch deck,
comment AUTHENTIC. I’ll share the exact positioning framework we use to make experts magnetic (without selling out).

“A confident professional standing in front of a blurred audience, symbolizing authentic visibility and leadership. Represents the idea of building authority through clarity, credibility, and connection — not self-promotion.”

(Tip: if you use a carousel, the first image alt text should include “personal branding strategy” and “LinkedIn thought leadership” — that improves accessibility and SEO indexing.)

🧠 SEO-Optimized Keywords (for AI & Google relevance)

Add these subtly in your caption or comments to help both Google and AI models associate your post with high-value concepts:

personal branding strategy

LinkedIn authority building

authentic visibility

expert positioning framework

storytelling for leaders

thought leadership on LinkedIn

self-promotion vs authority

🏷️ Hashtags for LinkedIn (balanced for reach + niche authority)

Mix broad + specific + branded tags. Keep it to 5–7 total (LinkedIn’s sweet spot).

Recommended:
#PersonalBranding
#LinkedInStrategy
#ThoughtLeaders

Most personal brands are stuck in what I call the “Timeless Bubble.”

They craft an evergreen pitch.

One message.

One line.

One promise.

But the market doesn’t live in a bubble.

Your buyer’s context changes weekly.

→ The startup founder in June? Wants visibility before their Series A.
→ The same founder in September? Needs to hire. Their content should attract talent.
→ In Q1? They want deal flow. Your message better reflect that shift.

If your positioning doesn’t evolve with your audience’s environment, it becomes noise.

So instead of trying to be “the only,”

Be “the only one who gets it right now.”

That’s what I help my clients do.

→ We map your ICP’s decision cycles
→ Identify seasonal urgency (fundraising, hiring, launching, market fear)
→ And position your voice as the most relevant solution for the moment they’re in

That’s what creates magnetic pull.

Not just clarity.
Not just consistency.
But timing.

Most ghostwriters write posts

I build positioning calendars.

So every single post does two things:

✅ Matches your offer to their mental state
✅ Reflects what your audience is silently Googling at 11 PM

If you feel your message is “clear” but still not converting…

You don’t have a clarity problem.

You have a context problem.

And context is where positioning really lives.

P.S. Want to see how I time my clients’ content to their buyers’ decisions? DM me “CONTEXT”, I’ll send you a sample positioning calendar breakdown.

“Text-based graphic explaining why content without context fails. Highlights how founders’ priorities shift across the year, why positioning must evolve with buyer environments, and how mapping decision cycles creates more relevant, higher-converting content.”

Hashtags:
#Positioning #MarketingStrategy #PersonalBranding #ContextualMarketing #LinkedInStrategy #ICP #BrandPositioning #ContentStrategy #Ghostwriting #B2BMarketing

Big audiences don’t build category leaders. Clear language does.

Most experts compete by saying: “I’m the best at what I do.”

Category designers flip the script.

They say: “I’m the only one who sees it this way.”

That’s the difference between being a “leadership coach” vs. being the creator of “anti-burnout leadership.”

One competes. The other commands.

Want to design your own category?

Here’s how:

1. Find your enemy.

What’s the outdated belief your market still clings to? Name it.

(Ex: “More visibility = more leads” is a belief I challenge.)

2. Reframe the game.

What do your best clients need to believe before they buy from you?

(Ex: “LinkedIn isn’t content. It’s a dealflow engine.”)

3. Name your lens.

Give your POV a name. Make it yours. That’s your intellectual property moat.

(Ex: My Brand DNA Method, because most content misses the source code.)

You don’t need more reach. You need language people repeat.

Comment “CATEGORY” below and I’ll send you my Category Clarity Template.

Minimalist text graphic on category design and clear positioning over generic expertise.
Highlights how naming your enemy belief and unique lens creates authority.

After auditing 100+ brands this year, one pattern stands out.

The smartest brands aren’t just differentiating.

→ They’re de-positioning. 

(Not just standing out. But making the old category feel obsolete.)

Think about it:

Slack didn’t win by saying, “We’re a better email.”

They won by making email look like a slow, outdated way to collaborate.

They didn’t just differentiate.

They de-positioned email as the wrong tool for modern teams.

That’s how they reframed the entire communication category, and that’s the real power of de-positioning.

In personal branding, it’s the same game.

You don’t need to shout louder.

You need to shift the frame of comparison.

Here’s how I help founders and CEOs do it:

✅ We don’t just position your offer.

We de-position what your audience used to settle for.

→ Generic consultants.
→ Influencer-style ghostwriters.
→ Brands built on tips, not systems.

Suddenly, you’re not just “different.”

You’re necessary.

And your competitors?

They start to feel like last year’s model.

That’s when your brand becomes a category of one.

Are you differentiating or de-positioning?

Most executives get this wrong.

Drop “DIFFERENT” in the comments if you want to see what your current brand is really doing.

A bold LinkedIn carousel or text post showing the concept of de-positioning in branding — explaining how modern executives and founders can make old categories obsolete instead of just differentiating. Mentions examples like Slack vs email, and includes a three-step framework for de-positioning: identifying outdated beliefs, exposing frustrations, and reframing the category with a new promise. Written by a personal branding strategist helping CEOs and founders build category-of-one brands in 2025.


Hashtags (High-Intent, Mixed Density)
#DePositioning #BrandStrategy #PersonalBranding #CategoryDesign #MarketingStrategy #Positioning #BrandDifferentiation #LinkedInStrategy #BrandBuilding #BusinessStrategy #FounderBrand #GoToMarket #StrategicMarketing #BrandNarrative #B2BMarketing #Storytelling #MarketingTrends2025 #LinkedInContent #ThoughtLeadership #GrowthStrategy #AIandBranding #ChatGPTMarketing #DigitalPositioning #ContentStrategy


You’re being ignored because you’re not showing up like an expert.
(and it’s wasting your time)

Here’s why it matters.

- You’ve hit the top.
- You’ve got the title.
- You’ve made the money.
- But on LinkedIn? Crickets

Why?

Because 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵

Experts are defined by the unique value they bring. 

Not by titles, not by accolades, but by the 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 you can offer that no one else can.

It’s a familiar trap:
→ Post your success story
→ Talk about how you “made it”
→ Hope people see your expertise

𝘕𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴.

Success is a given.

Expertise? 

That’s earned by teaching what others can’t.

Try this:

Stop showcasing what you’ve done
Start showcasing what you’ve learned.Real expertise comes from:
→ The tough lessons,
→ The decisions that didn’t work,
→ The unique insights you’ve gained that no one else has.

I did this for a client last month. 

A CEO with a massive following. 

But on LinkedIn? 

He wasn’t seen as an authority.We changed the game:

→ Focused on depth, not breadth.
→ Shared lessons from real failures
→ Highlighted decisions, not just outcomes

Now he’s seen as a thought leader, not just another CEO with a successful business.

The key:
→ Focus on what only YOU can teach
→ Share the hard truths
→ Go deeper, not wider.

Want to stop blending in and start being the expert you were meant to be? Let’s talk

A minimalist text graphic emphasizing that success and job titles do not equal expertise on LinkedIn. Highlights the shift from showcasing achievements to sharing real lessons failures and unique insights to build true authority and thought leadership.

Seth Godin never says “I’m a marketer.”

But everyone sees him as one anyway.

Why?

Because he didn’t build his positioning through a title.

He built it through decades of behaviour that made the label obvious.

You recognise him as a marketer because:

• He wrote 20+ books about how people make decisions
• He publishes daily essays that dissect attention, trust, and change
• He founded altMBA, a school built around teaching people how to create value
• He popularised concepts like “tribes,” “shipping,” and “permission marketing”
• He shows up with the same worldview every single day, consistently, relentlessly

That’s how positioning works.

Not by declaring an identity…

 …but by repeating a perspective so consistently that people start naming it for you.

This is brand psychology 101:

We assign roles based on patterns, not titles.

It’s how the brain reduces complexity: we create shortcuts.

And that’s exactly what most founders get wrong on LinkedIn.

They put “Coach” or “Strategist” in their headline and expect people to believe it.

But people don’t believe titles.

They believe behaviours.

They believe:
• Your worldview (what you stand by)
• Your transformations (who you’ve helped)
• Your lived experiences (what shaped your perspective)

These repeated patterns form your “mental shortcut”... your real positioning.

If you want people to see you as the go‑to expert in your niche, don’t announce who you are.

Show them, consistently, until the title becomes inevitable.

👇 Save this as your positioning starter pack.

Minimalist quote graphic featuring the line “When your brand earns trust, awards follow” over a clean neutral background, paired with a short branding lesson inspired by Seth Godin about how positioning is built through consistent behavior, worldview, and proof over time rather than titles or self-declared labels.

This year proved one thing:


Your name is leverage.

And most people still treat it like an afterthought.

Build your brand now.

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving with love and happiness 💗

My content didn’t start working when I had more time. 

It started working when my third kid was born.

Pressure forces clarity. 
Clarity builds authority. 
Authority drives inbound.

For context my LinkedIn profile tells you I have worked with 50+ CEOs. And helped clients attract leads without chasing them.

But here’s what it doesn’t tell you:

→ I posted for 6 months with zero inbound leads
→ I posted daily for 1 year until I saw one viral post
→ I wasted hours writing “smart” posts no one read
→ My first few clients found me through referrals, not content
→ I had no niche, no clear message, and no offer that converted
→ I almost gave up because I thought I was too late to stand out

I made every mistake in the book:

– I copied what top creators were doing instead of finding my voice
– I confused reach with relevance, and burned out chasing likes
– I built a content system before I had a positioning strategy

Here’s what changed everything:

✅ I stopped writing for the feed and started designing perception.
– Content is not just content; it’s your pitch, your proof, your positioning
– The best content doesn’t just go viral, it gets forwarded to decision-makers

✅ I stopped talking to everyone and started writing for one person.
– One ICP per post
– One problem per message
– One goal: build trust before the DM

✅ I stopped chasing clarity. I engineered it.
– I defined my POV
– Created boundaries for what I do (and don’t do)
– Built systems to scale without sounding like everyone else

None of this happened overnight.

I just kept showing up.

Even when the algorithm was working against me.

Even when I wasn’t sure if anyone was watching.

Even when the leads didn’t come.

If you’re creating and it feels like no one cares.

Keep going.

You don’t need to be perfect.

You only need to be real and consistent enough for the right people to find you.

Join my newsletter https://lnkd.in/dxGpK6AZ and follow me for more posts on personal branding Sheza Yazdani

“Screenshot-style text post about the founder of a personal branding agency sharing the real path behind growing her business: posting for months with no leads, early mistakes in content, lack of niche, and the eventual shift toward positioning, perception design, ICP focus, and message clarity. Encourages creators to stay consistent and authentic so the right clients can find them.”

HASHTAGS (High-signal, low-noise):
#PersonalBranding #LinkedInGrowth #BrandStrategy #ContentMarketing #MarketingAgency #FounderStory #AudienceBuilding #ChatGPT #GoogleSEO #ContentStrategy

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The Battle

Jo Kinner

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jo Kinner's LinkedIn Performance

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