Branding Your Influencer Persona: Why It’s More Than Just Your Aesthetic
There’s was a moment in my journey over the past 16 years where I stopped and realized—“Wait, I’m actually building a business.” For me, it happened somewhere between landing my first paid deal and panicking over what to charge for it. And if you’ve been in that moment, let me save you some time: your brand is everything.
And no, I’m not just talking about colors, fonts, or whether your feed “flows.” Your brand is your identity. It’s how people recognize you, trust you, and know exactly what they’re going to get when they land on your page. It’s not just how your content looks—it’s how it feels. It’s what makes people stop scrolling and say, Oh yeah, I know exactly who this is.
And once you get it right? Everything else—your content, your partnerships, your pricing—falls into place.
How I Built My Brand (And Why I’ve Never Strayed From It)
Let’s talk about Chris Loves Julia for a second. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you know my style. We own moody, modern, traditional. It’s moody paint colors, timeless finishes, and rooms that feel lived in and loved. It’s not trendy, and it’s definitely not changing just because something new is popular on Instagram this week.
I built my brand by knowing exactly what I love—and owning it.
That’s why, when you see one of our home transformations, you know it’s ours. I’m not guessing, and I’m not reinventing myself every six months to keep up with what’s “in.” I trust my style, I trust my voice, and most importantly? I trust my audience to recognize it.
And that’s what you need to do with your brand. Because wishy-washy creators? They don’t last.
Your Brand Is More Than Just an Aesthetic
I see this all the time—creators who think “branding” means picking a color palette and using the same Lightroom preset on every photo. And while yes, consistency matters, your brand is so much bigger than that.
Your brand is:
Your voice. How you talk to your audience. Are you witty? Straight to the point? Story-driven?
Your values. What you stand for, and sometimes, what you won’t tolerate online.
Your personality. Are you polished and professional? Relatable and real? A mix of both?
Your content style. Are you cinematic and highly produced, or more raw and off-the-cuff?
Your audience experience. Do people feel inspired? Educated? Entertained?
If you don’t have a clear brand, you end up blending in—and blending in doesn’t promote growth in any area.
The Problem With Chasing Trends
Look, I love trends. I love seeing what’s fresh and figuring out what I actually want to incorporate into my spaces. But you know what I don’t love? When creators build their entire brand around what’s trending at the moment.
Because here’s what happens: trends fade, your audience gets confused, and suddenly, you’re scrambling to rebrand again because nothing feels like you anymore.
I’ve watched influencers change their entire aesthetic five times in a year because they’re trying to keep up. And guess what? Their engagement drops. Their audience loses trust. Their sponsorship calendar start to dry up. Because no brand wants to invest in someone who doesn’t even know who they are.
So, How Do You Build a Brand That Actually Sticks?
Alright, let’s get to the part you came here for. If you’re tired of feeling like you’re constantly reinventing yourself and want to lock in your influencer brand once and for all, here’s where you start:
1. Get Clear on What You Actually Like (Not What’s Popular)
This seems obvious, but I promise—it’s harder than you think. Too many influencers build their brand around what’s performing well instead of what they actually love. And then, when the algorithm shifts? They’re lost.
If you stripped away what’s trendy, what would still feel like you? If you had to create content for the next five years, what would you actually enjoy?
That’s your brand.
2. Define Your Core Message
What do you want to be known for? It can’t just be “good vibes” or “pretty photos.” You need an actual, clear message.
For Chris Loves Julia, it’s about creating a home you love, no matter where you are. It’s about making intentional design decisions, layering in character, and trusting your gut over trends.
What’s your version of that? What’s the through line in everything you post?
P.S. if your core message is already taken, find something else to use
3. Commit to Your Voice (and Stick to It)
People don’t just follow you for your photos—they follow you because they connect with you. And that comes from having a strong, recognizable voice.
Think about your captions, your Stories, your TikToks—are you someone who shares long, heartfelt thoughts? Are you more dry and sarcastic? Are you direct and no-nonsense?
The way you talk matters just as much as what you’re posting. So find your voice and own it.
4. Create a Signature Look (Without Boxing Yourself In)
This is where we talk about aesthetics. Your visual brand should feel cohesive but not restrictive.
For me, that means:
Deep, moody paint colors
Warm wood tones
Cozy, lived-in spaces
A balance of vintage and modern
But it also means evolution—because my taste grows, and my brand can grow with it.
Your aesthetic should feel like you, no matter how it evolves. Don’t force yourself into a “perfectly curated” box if that’s not sustainable for you.
5. Align With the Right Partnerships
The fastest way to destroy your brand? Partnering with brands that don’t make sense for you.
If you’ve built your brand around a clean, minimalist lifestyle and then suddenly start promoting every beauty brand that hits your inbox, your audience will notice. And when your audience stops trusting your recommendations? Your influence is gone.
Be selective about who you work with. The best influencers turn down deals that don’t fit—even when the money’s tempting.
The Creators Who Last Know Exactly Who They Are
The influencers who are still here after 5, 10, 15 years? They didn’t get there by chasing trends or constantly rebranding themselves. They got there because they knew exactly who they were, what they stood for, and what their audience expected from them.
And you know what they didn’t do?
Make their brand look like someone else’s.
Which is so easy to do. We consume other people’s branding every single day—especially those in our niche. We scroll past their feeds, see what’s working for them, and when it comes time to create our own, the natural instinct is to borrow what’s already been done. But that defeats the entire purpose of branding.
Strong brands stand out because they’re not lost in a sea of mediocrity. They’re recognizable. They’re confident. They don’t look like a carbon copy of whatever aesthetic is trending this month.
So stop overthinking it. Get clear on your message, lock in your voice, and own your brand like the business it actually is. And if you’re struggling to piece it all together, start with a solid foundation. Our free Brand Guidelines Template will help you define your brand’s identity, style, and messaging so everything you create feels aligned and intentional—whether you’re pitching brands, designing your website, or just making sure your Instagram feed actually looks like you.
And if you’re ready to take it even further? That’s what Good Influence(r) is for. Inside the course, we walk you through every step of building a brand that gets you paid and keeps your audience coming back for more.
Because a strong brand? That’s the difference between being a creator for now and being a creator for good.
