How I Built My Personal Brand on LinkedIn Alongside My Employer's Brand

If you’re in PR, comms, or marketing...

You're a pro at making other people look good from behind-the-scenes. 

You’re constantly making your employers/clients visible and credible.

But ironically, we can also be terrible at self-promotion and doing the same for ourselves/our business.

What happens when it’s time to put yourself out there?

Daniel Méndez Aróstica, Founder of #CommsJobs knows what that feels like firsthand. 

After years leading comms in Chile’s mining industry, he moved to the U.S. and suddenly had to start from scratch. 

Because none of that history followed him. He didn’t have any local network, digital presence, or professional reputation he could rely on.

That experience made something clear: your title, company, or industry can disappear overnight because of a layoff, a relocation, or a shift like AI. 

But the reputation you build for yourself through your personal brand — the ideas you share, the values you’re known for, the credibility you earn in public — that’s what gives you long-term stability and leverage.

I interviewed Daniel as our guest expert to talk about how he built his personal brand on LinkedIn while still keeping his day job as a comms expert, and how others in the industry can do the same.

Here’s what we covered:

• The fears that keep comms pros from building their own brand, like sounding self-promotional or overstepping boundaries
• The mindset shifts that helped Daniel stop overthinking and start showing up
• The systems and habits that make it sustainable alongside a full-time role

… and more.

Let’s get into it!

P.S. We’re capturing all our experts' insights via Leaps, the Expertise to Content platform. We're amplifying real human expertise and experience, and that’s what this series is about. We're sharing the raw experiences of experts in comms, brand, and marketing like Daniel.

Why your personal brand matters even if your job is secure

Q: Early on, when you started building your personal brand, what was the moment that made you realize you needed to be intentional about it, even while building your employer's brand during your day job?

A: Early on, I didn’t really think about building a personal brand. Like many communicators, I poured all my energy into promoting the company I worked for, helping leaders shine, building narratives, and protecting reputations. 

But everything changed when I moved from Chile to the U.S. Back in Chile, I had a strong network and reputation, but it was tied almost entirely to my job in mining communications. 

When I stepped away from that industry and started over in a new country, I realized I didn’t have much that followed me. No visible body of work, no thought leadership, no real digital footprint. It was humbling.

That’s when I realized: your job title and employer may change, but your values, your work ethic, and your point of view, that’s yours. And you need to own it.

Ever since, I’ve made it a point to invest in building a personal brand that travels with me. Not in a self-promotional way, but in a human way. 

I share what I’m learning, how I’m growing, and what I care about. Whether I’m working for a big company or independently, my personal brand reflects the one thing that never changes: me.

So yes, help your employer shine, but never forget to keep a light on yourself too.

The mindset shifts that actually help you start showing up

Q: When you reflect on how your personal brand has evolved, were there any unexpected skills or mindsets you had to develop? And which skills, mindset shifts, etc. would you say are most important to a professional building their personal brand?

A: When I started sharing more publicly, I thought building a personal brand was mostly about being strategic, figuring out what topics to post about, how often, what content performs best.

But honestly, the biggest shifts were internal.

One mindset I had to develop was detaching from outcomes. I’m used to measuring impact, engagement, reach, all that. But when it’s you putting your thoughts out there, you have to let go of the numbers. 

Not every post is going to land. Some of the things I’ve written that felt the most personal got crickets. Other times, something I wrote in 5 minutes ended up being the one that resonated the most. So I learned to focus less on performing and more on connecting.

Another unexpected skill was getting comfortable being visible in a way that felt human. I’ve always helped others tell their stories. 

But sharing my own story? Talking about failure? About moving to a new country and starting from zero? Surviving cancer? Supporting others with their job search? That took vulnerability and self-trust.

If I had to sum it up, the most important skills for building a personal brand are

• self-awareness, 
• consistency, 
• empathy, and maybe most underrated, 
• playfulness. 

The best content often comes when you’re not trying so hard.

How to be visible without crossing lines or oversharing

Q: Many PR and marketing professionals worry about looking self-promotional or conflicting with their employer’s narrative. Can you share a specific time when you wrestled with how much of your voice or opinion to share, and how you ultimately decided what to put out into the world?

A: This is a common struggle, especially for communicators. We’re constantly behind the scenes helping others show up authentically, but when it’s our turn to post, we freeze.

One moment that stands out was when I started sharing more of my thoughts on LinkedIn about career transitions and what it feels like to be in between jobs. 

At the time, I wasn’t posting about my employer, I was posting about me. But I still found myself second-guessing everything: Is this too vulnerable? Too off-brand? What if employers see this as a risk?

Eventually, I realized the key is knowing the guardrails. Every company has a social media policy and it’s there for a reason. Once you understand what’s fair game and what’s not, you realize you can have a voice. 

You don’t have to post only about your current job. You can share lessons you’ve learned, ideas you care about, and even questions you’re sitting with. If your content is relatable, your audience will respond.

As communicators, we’re naturally good at reading the room. So the first step is asking yourself, who am I talking to? Is it other communicators? Career switchers? Creatives? 

Start there, then build your narrative accordingly. That’s what helped me find my voice. Once I stopped trying to sound “professional” and just started being real, I started finding my people.

A system for staying consistent without burning out

Q: What systems, tools, boundaries, or habits have you developed that have helped you build your personal brand on LinkedIn more sustainably without compromising your performance in your day job? And how do you stay consistent without it taking over your life?

A: I think the key is knowing your priorities and realizing that building a personal brand doesn’t mean sacrificing the rest of your life. 

For me, family comes first. Life, relationships, health… all of that matters more than any post or comment online. But I also see my community on LinkedIn as part of those relationships.

When I moved from Chile to the U.S., I left everything behind: my network, my professional reputation, even the casual everyday interactions that made me feel seen. 

LinkedIn became more than just a platform for me. It became a place to meet people, learn, and feel connected. That’s why I make time for it. Not because I “have to post,” but because it fills a real need in my life for community and growth.

Practically speaking, I’ve found a rhythm that works: 

• I write down ideas as they come up during the week, usually on my phone or by talking them out loud to myself, and then 
• I sit down once a week, usually on a Saturday or Sunday, to actually write. 
• I schedule most of my posts in advance so they run in the background while I focus on my day job, and then 
• I check in at the end of the day to engage or reply to comments.

It’s not that different from someone making time to hit the gym, work on their garden, or read before bed. This is just my way of nurturing relationships and investing in personal growth. 

The important thing is not to let it run your life. Build a system that fits your energy and your values, and then let it work for you. 

Most importantly, keep in mind that everyone’s system or approach looks differently so find yours. Don’t try to copy others.

What happens when you commit to showing up

Q: What tangible results have come from building your personal brand, and what’s one unexpected benefit people don’t talk about enough?

A: Building my personal brand has opened more doors than I ever expected. 

It’s led to 

• job opportunities, 
• speaking gigs, 
• mentoring opportunities, and 
• collaborations with people I admire around the world. 

However, the most meaningful result has been building real relationships with people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. These are people who challenge me, support me, and make me better.

I’ve also gained a lot of clarity about myself. Writing consistently forces you to articulate what you believe, what you stand for, and what kind of impact you want to make. 

It’s like holding up a mirror. That’s the part no one really talks about. 

I often say that a lot of what I write are things that I need to hear myself. The more I’ve shared with others, the more I’ve figured out who I actually am.

Final advice for comms pros who want to start building their personal brand

Q: Anything else you'd like to say to a PR, comms or marketing pro who's on the fence of going all in with building their personal brand?

A: I’d say: start where you are, not where someone else is. Everyone’s personal brand journey looks different, and trying to copy someone else’s formula is the fastest way to get frustrated and burned out.

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As a founder, I’ve seen first hand how powerful building a personal brand is. 

For building trust with my audience, staying top of mind, and turning that into actual paying customers. 

Honestly, that’s how I’ve built my career since I started out as a freelance editor up until now as a tech startup founder. 

So whether you're starting from scratch or simply wondering if it’s worth showing up more intentionally online, the answer is yes. 

Not just for your next job or client, but for your own growth. 

Because at the end of the day, like Daniel said, your personal brand is the one thing that stays with you, no matter where your career takes you next.

Related:

— How We Get CEOs From ‘I Want a Personal Brand’ To Actually Doing It

— How I Handle Founders’ Objections to Building Their Personal Brand on LinkedIn