Transcription
2026 is going to be the year that you turn your online presence into a profitable brand. And in this video, I'm going to walk you through the exact steps you need to follow in order to achieve this. By the way, this video is created in partnership with Hostinger. More on them later.
Step one, very important step obviously cuz it's the first one of many. I need you to define your brand identity. Now, we don't usually cover this step in this video, which is why I'm so excited to film this, because realistically, before you can build a profitable brand, you need to be able to define what that brand is. So, there are a few things I want you to consider when it comes to building your brand for 2026.
The first is your personality. And yes, I do hope you have a notepad and pen out because I'm going to need you to take some notes. I want you to write down three to five words that best describe your personality. The key here is that you want this to be reflective of what your personality actually is. Rather than you coming up with a personality that you want to portray, you want your content to be authentic, right?
I actually have a quick tip for this, which is is such an unhinged hack. But bear with me. If you really don't know how to describe your personality, head to Chat GPT the next time you have a phone conversation with one of your mates. Turn on the dictation feature and let ChatGpt record every single word that you're saying. Once you're done, send that transcript to ChatGpt with the prompt, "Analyze this transcript and describe my tone of voice in three to five words." Chat GPT will then analyze every word you said and will tell you the answer to this question, which is, "What is your authentic personality? I told you it was unhinged." But honestly, it works because if you're on the phone to your mate, that is probably when you're going to be your most natural self. And that's also how you want to come across when you're filming content, right?
Another thing you really need to define when it comes to building a personal brand that stands out, that earns you an income, all of it are your values and your hot takes. So, this is a piece of the pie that I don't think I've ever really nailed, but best believe I'll be following my own advice in this video, and I will be nailing it in 2026. So, there's two parts to this, right?
There's your values. So, what do you believe in? Think about the type of content that you're going to be creating. Maybe it's fashion content, lifestyle content, educational content. Think about what you're going to be sharing online and think about any values that you have that are related to those things. Right?
That also goes the same for your hot takes. And I actually think this is potentially the most powerful part of this process. Figuring out what your hot takes are in relation to the content that you're going to create. And being bold enough to say them on a regular basis will help you stand out amongst the crowd. Yes, you will get a lot of people who disagree with you and they will be vocal with their disagreement as people love to be nowadays. But your appeal to people who agree with your hot takes will be so much stronger. So much stronger. You'll be able to bond with them on a far deeper level.
This is the part that I've always struggled with. I've never been very vocal with my hot takes. If I give an example of a hot take or a value that I currently have. I am really not a fan of AI generated like human beings, avatars, right? I'm not a fan. I don't like them in advertising. I don't like them in content. I don't like the AI generated content creators. What's going on? What is the world coming to? We don't need to create a fake version of a human when there are billions of humans on this planet. Right? That's an example of a hot take because some people will massively disagree with me on that. That is related to my niche that I should probably vocalize more often.
Next up, your style. This is another piece of the puzzle that I don't think I have spoken to you guys enough about. If you want to have a brand that people recognize in 2026, you need to have a style that people think of when they see your content. This part can actually be quite fun. You can board together a mood board or you can use the app Shuffles. Have you guys any ever used this app before? Let me check. It's still a thing. Hold that thought. Yeah, still a thing. So, it's called Shuffles by Pinterest and basically allows you to make these collages which can reflect your personal brand. I actually have a whole video on how to use this app, but please keep in mind it's quite old. I will link to it above, but don't judge me for my presentation skills or my camera quality. It's an old video.
When you're building this vision board, think about the colors that you naturally already wear. Think about the styles that you naturally lean to. Look around your home. I like to think that I have a very distinct aesthetic and I like to think that's reflected in my clothes, in my home, in my office. I've not shown you guys yet, but I will show you. Keep a look out for that video. It's reflected in pretty much everything I do and that really helps to add to my brand. I've actually received comments of people noticing this in the past being like, "You have such a distinctive aesthetic. I really warm to it or I really recognize it." So, please don't play down how important having a clear visualization of your brand is cuz it's very important.
You also want to think about your tone of voice. This is one of my favorite things to talk about because I feel like people ignore it all the time, but it is so powerful. When I set out to create my YouTube channel, from the very beginning, I said that my audience should feel like they are just listening to their friend who works in marketing give them some advice. That's what it should feel like. I don't want to ever feel like I'm lecturing you in any way. I want this to be like a safe space where you feel like you're just listening and learning from your mate, right? Hopefully, I've nailed that. If I haven't, I was going to say if I haven't, don't tell me. Protecting my peace. You can tell me. It's okay. So, what do you want your tone of voice to be? Do you want it to be serious or playful or funny or witty, which is kind of the same thing, but you know what I'm saying.
The last thing I want you to define is a bit more abstract, but it's very powerful. I want you to write down how you want your audience to feel when they finish consuming your content. So, do you want someone to leave your YouTube video, your Tik Tok video, your Instagram carousel feeling inspired, right? Or maybe they feel smarter than they did before they consumed your content. Maybe they feel lighter, maybe they feel happier. I mean, I was going to say maybe they feel sadder. I don't want you to create content where they feel sad. Maybe they feel more pensive. Like, think about the lasting impact you want to have on your audience when they consume your content.
Once you write all of these things down, I want you to have them in one space that's easy for you to refer back to before you create. So, maybe it's just a note document on your phone. Maybe it's a vision board with all the information written on top of it. Whatever works for you, make sure it's easily accessible so you can review that brand before you sit down and film. That is what's going to help you keep your brand consistent is just taking a quick look at that document before you sit down and create any piece of content.
All right, now that you've identified what your brand is and you're referring back to that every single time you create, we can move on to the next step, which is all about optimizing your channels for growth. Now, this again is something that I feel like a lot of people miss out on. It's not enough just to have that personal brand and have it shine through your content. The way you set up your social media channels is also a big piece of that puzzle when it comes to keeping your brand consistent, but also getting your brand to a point where it's growing and it's profitable, right? So, there are a few things you want to keep in mind when we're setting up our social media channels.
Your bio or about section, depending on what platform you're on, do not treat this like an afterthought. It's actually a really vital part of your brand, right? So, when it comes to your bios on Instagram or Tik Tok, you want to make sure that it captures your tone of voice, which can be hard to do because those bio sections are not very long, but it also clearly explains either who you are, who you help, or how you help people. I know it's difficult to fit all three of those in. So, just pick at least one and nail it. It's a little bit easier if you've got a YouTube channel because there's a lot more space for your about me section, but keep in mind that when people land on your YouTube channel, they only really see the first line. So, you still need to nail that first part of your bio.
The other thing you need to consider is what pieces of content are you featuring or highlighting at the top of your channel. On YouTube, this will look like playlists. On Instagram and Tik Tok, this will look like pinned posts, right? Select your posts carefully. Shall we look at what mine are for a point of reference? So, when you're picking your pinned posts on Instagram or Tik Tok, I want you to think about a couple things. What's something that you want your audience to know as soon as they land on your channel? And the other thing is, what's something you can share that will help you stand out amongst others?
If we look at mine, this is the first pin post. is essentially a series of photos taken from a really big speaking gig that I did. The gig that I did was YouTube festival. It's a very credible event within the industry. So, I purposely picked this because if you're a brand and you want to hire me as a consultant or hire my agency or hire me to speak, this is one of the best things you can see because not only does it show that I've worked with a brand as big as YouTube, it also shows that I could speak in front of a huge audience and it shows that I was actually selected to be part of such a credible industry event. Right.
The second one is a photo of me outside number 10 Downing Street, which if you're British or if you're familiar with British politics, you'll realize that it's a pretty big thing to be invited to number 10 Downing Street. So, I purposely highlighted that because it gives me credibility. This helps me stand out from other creators because that event in particular, only 90 UK creators were invited to it. So, that's not a lot when you think about how many creators there are in the UK.
And then the third one is a series of photos taken from when I spoke at Made on YouTube. So, another YouTube event, another huge one. This was over in the US. So, this is one that's more recognizable for all the brands I might want to work with that outside of the country. And the first photo leads with me looking at this massive blownup image of myself. This gives me more credibility. So, you can kind of get a good idea of what I'm trying to achieve by picking those three posts, right? I'm trying to give myself credibility and I'm trying to help myself stand out. You want to do something similar.
Now, let's talk about a very important element of your channel setup, your linking bio. Now, one of the key elements of having a profitable brand online is making sure that you have your link in bio sorted. It needs to look good. It needs to work well and it needs to match your brand. It's also important to know that your linking bio isn't just a place for you to aggregate links like it was back in the day. It's also a key part of your monetization and your ability to build a profitable brand. It's how you can turn your social traffic into revenue by bringing all of your offers, content, and your contact points to one place.
So, it's the perfect time to talk about Hostinger because they now offer a link in bio page that's more than just a hub for your links. It's the start of your business. So with the hosting our e-commerce plan, you can get e-commerce features, analytics, and the ability to launch under your own.com. So like your own domain completely for free for the first year. Now, as someone who spent a fortune on domains, when I say fortune, guys, I've spent a fortune on domains. It's actually embarrassing. I'm not even going to tell you how much. A lot. I cannot understate how amazing it is to actually get that first year of your own.com domain for free.
Now, the design is, of course, fully customizable. So you're not locked into these annoying templates that don't quite suit your brand. We didn't just spend so much time figuring out what your brand was just for you to be forced into using some template that doesn't align with it, right? It gives you the freedom to drag and drop different elements while still ensuring that the end result will be very polished. So this is how you can sign up to Hostinger. I do recommend that you select the 48-month plan simply because it's far better value than the one-mon plan. Plus, this is the package which allows you to get one free use of your.com domain. Plus, three months are actually free because that's how affordable the 48month plan is. And you get to lock in at the cheapest monthly price. And let's face it, a link in bio is something you're always going to need. So committing to a 48-month plan actually makes complete sense.
By the way, don't tell anyone I told you this, but there might be a deal on depending on when you're watching this video. Offers can range anywhere from 76% off to up to 86% off, which is insane. Plus, you can stack an extra 10% off with my code jade 10. The easiest way to make the most of these deals is to join right now via the link in my description. Once you sign up, you'll be taken through a quick onboarding workflow. Just pick the AI website builder, choose link in bio page, enter your brand name, and then customize it with your fonts and your colors and the layout until you're happy. It'll literally just take a few minutes, and the end result will be your own branded link, which serves as the foundation of a full website and even a store whenever you're ready. Do not forget to head to the link in my description and use code jade 10 at checkout to get an additional 10% off.
Okay, we've set up our brand. We've set up our channel and we've made sure everything is optimized, right? The next step is to build a repeatable growth system. So, we're really getting into it, guys. Now, obviously, your growth systems will depend on who you are and your schedules and yada yada yada. For the sake of this video, I'm just going to give you one so that you can steal it.
So, first up, I want you to select three to four different content pillars. People get really confused by pillars. Just think of them as themes, right? So, think about different themes that you're going to talk about online. Maybe it's health and fitness, maybe it's food, maybe it's nature, maybe it's fashion. Think about three to four pillars that your audience will be interested in and write those down.
Next, I want you to create a series for each. Yes, I did say for each. Now, don't get me wrong, I know that might feel like a lot of work, but I'm not saying every single post has to be an episode of the series. It is just worth having some form of repeatable type of content that you create for each pillar that you can share regularly on your channel. This type of content will keep people coming back and will massively build loyalty when it comes to your audience. Right? An example of a series is my content to cash series or my trend report series. These are two series that are speaking directly to my audience and regularly encourage them to come back to my channel to see the next edition.
One of the main things to keep in mind when it comes to your series is to think about what the value of that series is going to be. My series, the value is to be educational, but other people might do a series where it's to be relatable. Maybe their series is my 30-day plan to fall back in love with life or something like that. Maybe your series is inspirational. Maybe it's entertaining. Think about what the value is going to be before you go ahead and create it.
Next, I want you to pick a posting cadence. I know we're focusing mostly on YouTube, Tik Tok, and Instagram. So, let's just focus on those three at the moment. If you are a YouTuber who's going to be creating both long- form and short form content, I do recommend posting two long form videos a week and five shorts a week. If you are an Instagrammer, I do recommend posting between five to seven feed posts every single week. And if you're a Tik Tocker, I'm so sorry, but I do recommend posting between one to three posts every single day. Now, my recommendations on your posting cadence will vary depending on the time of the year and what's going on the platform. So, just keep in mind that this is my recommendation for right now.
Next up, you need to pick your workflow. Are you going to be one of those really annoying creators who are really organized and batch in advance, also known as me? If so, you're going to be a batcher. Congratulations. Welcome to the club. This might not be for you, though. You might be more of a reactive type of creator where actually you'd rather create content every single day rather than once every couple weeks or once a month. Either way, whatever works for you is perfect. Just make sure you figure out what that flow is and make sure you schedule time for it. That's the main thing you need to do. If you're going to create every day, fine, but schedule time in your diary to create. If you're going to create every two weeks, fine. Schedule time in your diary to actually create the content.
The final step is to use this growth tactic. There are so many growth tactics. I talk about them all the time on my channel. But as I always say, the most effective one out of all of them is to collaborate with other creators. And if you're a YouTuber, there's actually a new feature which allows you to collaborate with another YouTuber and the video will appear on both of your channels. Mind-blowing. Collaboration works so well because it allows you to get in front of a new audience. So keep that in mind the next time you think, why do I have to collaborate with someone? That's why. Think about those old school creators like your Tanojos and like those type of people. They used to blow up because they would collaborate with another creator and they would like blow up overnight. It's incredible what used to happen, right? We've lost the art of collaborating. Let's bring it back.
Okay. The next thing you want to do when it comes to building a profitable personal brand, remember we said profitable. And we're going to talk about money because you've done all of this work to create this amazing brand. It's not enough just to let it live. We want to actually be able to monetize it. Now, there is a method to the madness when it comes to how creators make money. And by that, I mean, there's actually specific income streams you want to launch at specific times in order to increase the chances of you being able to monetize. I've spoken about this before. I can't remember what video, but I'm just going to try and find it and link to up here because it will go through in more detail. But for the purpose of this video, let me give you the lowdown.
In phase one of your journey as a creator, when you're just focusing on growing an audience, the way that you want to earn an income is by joining your platform's monetization fund. On YouTube, that's the partner program. On Tik Tok, that's the creator fund, and on Instagram, like they they really have a good one, and it varies depending on where you are. The reason why this should be your first income stream is because one, it forces you to focus on growth and just creating good content. That's really what everyone should be focused on in the early days because you won't be able to do any of the other phases if you don't have an engaged audience. Two, it allows you to still earn an income whilst focusing on audience engagement. Because when you earn a money through the platform you're on, it doesn't disrupt the content you're creating. The content you're creating is still specifically just for your audience and just to serve them. It's just that you're now able to earn an income from it. So that's why that's phase one.
Phase two is affiliates. This is your way to dip your toe in selling in your content. Not in a way that's so destructive or distracting that it actually threatens the quality of your content. So for this one, I want you to think about affiliate programs you can join, like Amazon, for example, and just natively mention any products or services that already work and fit with your content and that you already use. This way, it doesn't feel like you're doing a hard sale. You can practice the process of selling, and you can also hopefully earn a bit of an income through commissions.
In phase three, you're no longer dipping your toe. You're just like splash, you know? You're just in there. This phase is all about working with brands. So, now I want you to start pitching to brands. If you have done phase two and you've actually noticed that you're making some good money for your sales, this could be a great opportunity for you to use some of that affiliate data and use that as a way to pitch yourself to brands. So, it' be like me saying, "Hey, I want to work with you. I actually worked with a similar company and I made them £1,000 last month." pretty easy for a brand to be like, "Okay, I can see your value pretty quickly, right?"
And phase four is the big phase. Phase four is when you develop your own products, services, and offers. This one is not for the faint-hearted, but it is for the creators who want longevity. So, if you are someone who wants to be earning an income through your personal brand for the rest of your working life, you might want to consider creating your own services, digital products, or physical products.
And we're at the final step. This step is to review what you're doing every 30 days. I'm a big fan of posting and ghosting. So, I don't like to look at analytics on a daily basis. You know, when people post and they immediately just refresh and look at analytics. That's not for me. That I'm not about that life. I do like to look at my analytics though, but I like to be a bit more structured with it. So, what I'm recommending you do is you check your analytics on a monthly basis. This will ensure that you're looking at enough data to actually take some useful findings from how your content has performed from the past month. If you only look at your content from the last day or even week, you don't have enough data to actually draw a conclusion as to what's working and what's not working, right? So instead, you want to look at your analytics every month and just ask yourself a couple questions. What performed well? What didn't perform well? Why do you think that content performed well? And why do you think that content didn't perform well? What can you learn about these analytics from this month that you can use to improve your content performance in the next month?
Okay, don't forget that you can get started with Hostinger by heading to the link in my description and you can use code J10 for some extra savings. If you feel like hanging around, I recommend watching this video. It's all about the most recent updates coming to Instagram and also how you can utilize them to grow. Thank you so much for watching. As always, I can't wait to see you in my next video.