Building an online presence as a writer

Is it just a case of popping a pair of glasses on, smoothing the hair, and snapping lots of whimsical photos of books, calligraphy pens and turmeric oat lattes in front of crackling fireplaces?

So, you’re a writer. And now, apparently, you also need to build a personal brand to showcase your writing online. But… how do you even begin to represent yourself?

Do you just copy what every other writer is doing? You know the look: black glasses, slick bun, whimsical photos of open books, glasses of oat lattes, and hands poised thoughtfully over a laptop.

Or can you… just be yourself?

These are the questions most new writers ask when stepping into the world of author branding. How much do I share? What image do I want to project? Do I need to perform, or can I just be?

I actually drafted up this blog over a year ago, but hadn’t found the time to polish and publish it. Now, with The HeartWriting Handbook just weeks from release, I’m going through these motions once again, squeaky-polishing my brand before launch day. It feels like the perfect moment to share these thoughts with you.

This blog is really a gift to my HeartWriting students: especially those of you who are ready to take your next steps and be seen as a writer. Because as much as you might like to just write, the truth is: you’re creating something to be shared. You’re building a body of work that deserves to be read. And people need to find it.

Which means, yes, you need an online presence. And yes, this is the part where we pull on our big girl pants and show up with courage, clarity, and a little sparkle.

Building your personal brand (as a writer)

When I first started my creative business, I did what most people do: I scrolled, a lot. I noticed the most popular writers online all seemed to follow the same aesthetic: monochrome outfits, literary quotes, spectacles and seriousness. But here’s the thing – I’m just not that girl.

And when I let go of the pressure to look or sound like them – when I honoured my own style and spoke openly about what actually made me feel alive – something shifted. My essence came through. I attracted the right people. People who resonated with my voice, not just my visuals. If I’d faked it, I would’ve disappointed them eventually anyway.

The truth is, it doesn’t matter if you’re niche. In fact, the more you you are, the stronger your brand becomes. That sticky, cringey moment of ‘everyone’s watching me’? Odds are, it’s only you who’s judging you. And that’s not a good enough reason to dim your light.

What I love most about creative business is that it becomes a spiritual practice. A quiet, daily discipline of self-acceptance. The more you love and honour your true self, the more success tends to follow.

My top tips for building your personal brand

So let’s assume you’ve got the following things ready, or you’re readying them: Author website, Instagram and TikTok accounts, LinkedIn, Facebook Page, Substack, Threads. Now what? How do I make them all great?

1. Keep writing. This is your #1 mission.

Your craft is the most important thing. Before anything else, ask: What do I want to depict and achieve as a writer? Define your Craft Mission. Then keep writing.

If you want to sharpen your writing skills in the meantime, and you’d like to learn more about story writing craft, head here.

2. Build your brand voice.

Ask yourself: Does my social/ brand voice still reflect the values of my Craft Mission? Are the people who follow my socials the same ones who’ll read my work? Am I being consistent with who I say I am? Fill out this free, no-strings attached branding questionnaire I created to help you find some clarity on these questions. https://heartwriting.com.au/branding-questionnaire/

3. Start writing blogs for people like you.

This becomes invaluable later. It helps your people find you. I’ll link something soon on blog writing skills here.

4. Start writing social media posts: but know that this is a different skill entirely.

Now you're also building a Social Media Mission. Socials aren’t always about showcasing your literary brilliance. They’re about connection.

Take my own brand, HeartWriting. My posts aren’t full of postmodern narrative experiments. They're warm, heart-led, ego-free invitations to come write and connect with me. My tone is simple, sweet, sometimes even a little cutesy – like a letter to a friend, not a thesis.

Social Media Writing

No matter the industry you are in, you need to write simply and concisely for social media. 'Cut the fat' out of your sentences and don't use up all the character spaces just because you can.

Social media is characterised by limited attention spans AND maximum scroll-speeds. You'll need to simplify and tone down the lexicon you usually like to weave through your copy. You only have seconds to grab your audience’s attention – so it’s important you begin with a simple, fast hook to reel your audience in, and break up the paragraphs so it’s easier to read.

If you want to write an essay (like this one): post it on your blog. Add the link to your bio. Write a short teaser in a socials post.

Content Ideas

Try to avoid convincing and manipulating. If you do your job well you don’t need to use manipulative, pushy language. Instead, write:

Connection Stories: Anecdotes and stories, fun facts, behind the scenes, relatable and inspirational content.

Conversation Starters: “I changed my life” transformations and results, benefits of writing, reviews and testimonials, demonstrations and tutorials.

You might include content such as:

• Quotes that resonate for your target audience

• Stories of similar things around the world

• Funny, related memes

• Reels of work/ writing “in progress”

• About you, The Writer: your ‘why’

• Your words in a reel (read them out)

• Behind the scenes as a writer

• Trending TikTok video ideas

PLEASE be original

There is nothing worse than finding out that a beloved hero of a brand ripped off someone else just to churn out some quick content.

By all means, use inspiration from others. Even Shakespeare did. Romeo and Juliet wasn’t his idea; it was originally a 14th Century Italian tale. Shakespeare just took the concept, shined it up, and made it unforgettably his own, through original language, characterisation, sonnet style, and Shakespearean plot.

It’s not bad to look around you for ideas, just strive to create your own interpretation. Beautiful. Original. Believable. Authentic. That’s what inspires and sells.

Use emojis and punctuation sparingly

Some people think that the way to create a personality-packed brand voice is to use a lot of exclamation points!!! Yuck, right?!?!

Cut out the excess. If you really feel the need to use an exclamation mark, just use one, strategically, once.

I repeat, once, in your post.

The same goes for emojis. They are no longer on-trend. Just use one or two classy emojis that won’t detract from your message.

However, DO use bullets or dashes to create lists. Lists are great. They break up the text and make things easier to read, which is the whole idea when it comes to social media.

To CTA or not to CTA? Call to Action at end of post

Everyone is tired of CTAs. ‘If you liked this post, buy my course!’ Ugh, ick right?

Place the CTA if you really have to. It’s not a bad thing to let people know what you do. But don’t shove things down people’s throats, and don’t make it a manipulative move. Nobody will want it. Think about your own consumption. What works for you, and what doesn’t?

Decide on what you want your post to achieve. The more posts that ad value to your audience, the better. More give, less take. At the same time, you don’t want to be all give, and no buyers. This might require a strategy from the marketing experts.

Scheduling posts

I usually get my post ready early and schedule the post at ‘the right time’ when most of my audience is online, using Instagram or Facebook’s scheduling tool, or a scheduling app like Later.com. Pre-scheduling your posts also counts as effective business automation, as Timothy Ferriss discusses in detail in his book, The 4-Hour WorkWeek – saving you time and energy so that you can get on with the jobs that really matter.

What about AI?

You might think that as a writer, I am totally against ChatGTP, like it’s a sin to even mention it here. And to stipulate: this article is completely, 100%, written by me.

But I recognise that AI is a clever tool. Just like how our smartphones are tools. Just like how Google is a research tool. Do you remember everyone up in arms about smartphones when they first came out? Now we can’t get those bloody phones out of your hands.

Just like every other form of technology, AI is designed to assist. But it can never replace real people, real communication and real relationships, so don’t stress.

Use it, if you need to. Organise your ideas with it – it can be helpful. Just make sure you re–write it in your own words if you used any inspiration.

People will always choose people, in the end. Especially those with heart. So we aren’t too worried about using AI, so long as you use it ethically. Inject your own ideas, flair, and tone of voice to connect meaningfully to the hearts of your dream audience.

A few more branding thoughts:

• Develop your brand personality. Think voice, tone, quirks. Let your soul come through the screen.

• Use Instagram captions as mini writing exercises. Try short, micro-storytelling. Then go long and winding. Play.

• Consistency > perfection. Set a posting pace that’s sustainable. Blog once a week? Instagram post three times a week?

• Instagram Stories: Keep it to 5 a day max. Embed text. Make it easy to digest.

Let’s talk about video.

Whether you’re traditionally published or self-published (or heading in that direction), these days you will be marketing yourself. Video is one of the fastest ways for people to connect with you – and for you to discover your true voice.

So, what do you love sharing? How do you naturally speak? Does your tone match your craft and your social mission?

Don’t bend for trends. Lean in to your authentic quirks instead. That’s where your magic is. And the only way to get better is to keep doing it, over and over again. People won’t remember the glitches and cringe. They’ll only remember the brave. Same with me. I’ve come a long way over the last few years.

Clothes, colour, and visual identity

Yes, your personal style matters. Colours, clothing, scene: these things all help people feel your brand.

I chose yellow for my brand palette for two reasons: it looks amazing on my skin (I always get compliments!), and it makes me feel bright, happy, me. So yellow features in most of my imagery. It’s become recognisable. I pair it with earthy browns (grounding), sandy beige and aqua (freedom, beachy vibes). The same colours show up in my favourite filming spots: the forest and the sea.

Choose colours that feel like you. That way, your brand becomes easy. Achievable. Authentic.

You don’t need to be rigid with it, because no one likes a branding robot. Just keep it playful.

When resistance is actually fear

Let’s be honest: sometimes we resist things because they’re genuinely not our style. But sometimes we resist because we’re scared.

I once swore I’d never do those cheesy TikTok voiceovers. And then I found one that made me laugh, and thought, I could do that.

So I did.

It took a few tries, I messed it up, but I laughed the whole way through. And when I posted it? It became one of my most engaged reels ever.

It reminded me: sometimes we just need to get out of our own way. And no, I didn’t become ‘the funny reel girl’ after that, but I did learn the value of trying new things without abandoning my core self.

Try. Play. See what surprises you.

The power of professional photos

Honestly? My socials didn’t take off until I invested in branding shoots. Two four-hour sessions, different locations, outfits, props… and suddenly I had a full library of content to pull from: banners, ads, landing pages. You name it.

I hired Ingrid Photography for my photoshoots, and I love the result of her creative images and fun-filled shoots. She’s got a great free guide to planning a branding shoot that you can download from her website: https://ingridphotography.com.au/

Pexels, Shutterstock and Unsplash are great options for free images if you don’t have any professional photos of your own to use. It’s a crime to use other people’s images without their permission, so if you’re a new biz owner, keep this motto in mind: I will never screenshot images from another brand or an unknown source. Download a series of free-to-use or paid + licensed images that won’t get you into any hot water, and please research rules on copyright.

Website and visuals mastery

I advise you to hire someone if you can, but you can put together a simple WIX or Squarespace website yourself. But definitely hire a graphic designer to create your brand palette, mood board, logo, and vibe. The visual foundations make everything easier, and way more professional. I’ve seen a lot of DIY branding that looked exactly like that – DIY.

Even if you’re a writer, consider hiring a copywriter for your website. (I know – wild, right?) I still write all my own copy… but I’ve also wasted hundreds of hours obsessing over every word, when someone with distance could’ve nailed it faster.

We’re often too close to our own genius to see it clearly. Which leads to procrastination, perfectionism, and creative paralysis. Sound familiar?

Quick-start checklist for building your personal brand:

• Write your 1-year and 5-year vision statements.

• Define your Brand Personality and Voice. You can try my free form here.

• Decide which platforms you’ll use. (Instagram? TikTok? LinkedIn? YouTube? Newsletters?)

• Choose your modalities: text, images, ads, reels, stories.

• Pick your brand colours and vibes. What imagery evokes your feeling, not just your genre?

• Hire a graphic designer (~$1000).

• Hire a website designer ($2000+, unless you’re lucky to know one).

• Hire a copywriter to help you write your website (~$1500, optional, but helpful).

• Hire a photographer ($1000 for a 4-hour shoot).

• Record yourself talking. A lot. Just for practice.

• Write 20 x varied social media captions. Short, long, poetic, chatty. Mix it up.

• Research hashtags. Use tools. Store 15–30 per group in your notes app.

• Start posting! Trial and error is your best friend.

But the real secret?

You can’t control your timeline. The best thing you can do is keep listening to your heart. Even when it feels quiet. Even when it feels like nothing’s working. Often, the biggest shifts are happening underneath.

And always, always ask:

• Does this message feel authentic?

• Does my voice sound like me?

• Do my words match how I want to be felt?

• Am I still hiding something out of fear?

Your brand is not your colour palette or Instagram grid. It’s your essence: made visible.

So take a deep breath. Show us who you are. And keep going.