From Cringe to Credible: Rethinking How You Brand Yourself

For the last five years, I have taught a course designed to help professionals manage their online image by intentionally building their “professional brand” online. This course has been fascinating to teach, in part because the reasons students give me for taking this class are almost nearly universal, summarized simply as: posting is cringe.

But what exactly is posting so cringe? For many Canadian professionals, it stems from a deep-seated cultural preference for humility. We’re taught that our work should speak for itself; that a quiet, competent expert is more trustworthy than a vocal one. The public act of self-promotion can feel like a violation of this unwritten code, or an exercise in vanity that risks what is often called “tall poppy syndrome,” where success or self-advertisement is met with criticism. To cringe is not a sign of professional inadequacy; it is an emotional artifact of this cultural conflict, a friction between the value of quiet competence and the modern requirement of visible expertise.

The truth is that it doesn’t matter how cringeworthy posting online can be, because one’s professional brand exists by default. So the real question isn’t whether you have an online presence; it’s whether you’ll actively craft the story or let it unfold randomly.

The Myth of “Me Inc.”

The concept of a personal brand is nearly 30 years old, dating back to a single article published in 1997. In “The Brand Called You,” business writer Tom Peters introduced a powerful idea that landed with a terrifying thud in our collective consciousness (Peters, 1997). As Peters argues, every professional should become the “CEO of our own company: Me Inc.” This vision was so simple and profoundly individualistic, a response to the world of corporate upheaval and diminished job security.

This initial conceptualization of the personal brand was a one-way street, an external broadcast of a curated identity, but the mass widespread adoption of the internet changed everything. One’s audience, now a faceless, decentralized collective voice, demanded genuine authenticity, and the power shifted from the individual to the community. In their 2003 book, Be Your Own Brand, David McNally and Karl Speak argued that a personal brand isn’t merely what you claim it to be but “a perception or emotion, maintained by somebody other than you” (McNally & Speak, 2003).

The New System: Your Low-Risk Blueprint

Suppose you accept that the risks of neglecting shaping your brand (or, put differently, “public perception”) are actually greater than the risks of managing it. How do you approach posting online without cringing? The answer lies in building a low-risk, evidence-based system. This course was designed (and updated with new research for 2025) to construct genuine credibility without the constant anxiety of going viral or making an online blunder. This system focuses on small, intentional actions that build trust and make you discoverable to the right audience.

The First Principle: Credibility, Not Popularity

Your goal isn’t to be the loudest voice in the room; it’s to build a reputation so solid that your expertise is undeniable. The foundation of online credibility is the transition from self-declared claims to externally validated proof (Metzger & Flanagin, 2013). It’s about building a bridge from your skills to your audience.

• On-Profile Proof: Your digital profile is no longer a static CV. It’s a dynamic space where achievements and skills are backed by concrete evidence and testimonials (Chiang & Suen, 2015).
• In-Content Proof: Every post should be an act of giving. Use data, cite reputable sources, and share personal stories to establish authority (Sbaffi & Rowley, 2017).

The Second Principle: Optimize for Discovery, Not Just Visibility

The thought of actively engaging with social media can feel overwhelming. So, where do you begin? The answer is to shift your mindset from “brand management” to “discovery.” Your goal isn’t to become a viral celebrity; it’s to make it easy for the right people  (think: hiring managers, clients, or collaborators) to find you when they’re looking for someone with your specific skills (LinkedIn, 2023).

The Payoff: Career Insurance and Tangible Benefits

A career is no longer a one-way path. With market changes, tech advances and increasing levels of job uncertainty, many professionals may need to pivot their careers within the next few years. It helps to consider your personal brand as a form of career insurance. A strong personal brand mitigates the significant risks of inaction, of having your professional narrative defined by others, by establishing a clear, consistent, and authentic digital footprint (ASIS International, 2022). It serves as a career safety net in an unpredictable market (Forbes Coaches Council, 2020).

Consider some tangible benefits:

• Enhanced Employability: A strong brand leads to “greater career satisfaction, fully mediated by perceived employability” (Gorbatov et al., 2019). It signals to future employers that you are not only a skilled professional but also an engaging thought leader.
• Inbound Opportunities: Mastering personal branding changes the game from actively seeking opportunities to having them find you. The most successful professionals are increasingly discovered through “social search”, where individuals seek expertise in specific communities and professional groups (Pew Research Center, 2024; Popular Pays, 2025). Your goal is to be the person who shows up with a helpful answer.
• A Manageable Workflow: The thought of building a robust content library and posting consistently can feel like a full-time job. This is where your system and a Minimum Viable Workflow (MVW) come in. The modern approach emphasizes intentionality over generality, urging professionals to create content that solves a specific problem for their audience. A cadence of 2-5 posts per week is the sweet spot for improving reach and engagement without overwhelming your schedule (Rival IQ, 2024).

Learn how to post and feel good about it!

The evidence is clear: the surest way to beat the anxiety of personal branding is to become fluent in its rules. The market is shifting, and your ability to navigate this uncertainty and build a resilient career is one of your most valuable skills. You don’t have to kill the cringe, you just have to kill the part of you that cringes at the idea of being visible.

Are you ready to stop worrying about performance and start building a resilient, purpose-driven professional brand?

Enrol today to learn a low-risk, evidence-based system for professional branding.

Learn more about the Essentials programs and the ESS 909: Developing Your Social Media Brand with Style and Confidence course at McMaster Continuing Education.