GET UNSTUCK: HOW TO STOP OVERTHINKING YOUR VISUAL CONTENT BY DEFINING YOUR CORE BRAND STORIES
What does your audience need to know, see or feel before they’re ready to commit?
There’s a post you’ve been meaning to write. Something meaningful you want to say. There’s a version of yourself online that actually feels like you – warm, credible, human – that you’ve been meaning to show up as.
But somehow, the weeks pass. And it stays on your to do list. And the weight of that gets heavier on your shoulders.
The problem isn’t that you don’t have a story worth telling. The problem is that you’re waiting until you’ve figured out the perfect version of it before you begin.
The online space is loud and chaotic and fast at the moment. And it’s easy to think that it’s pointless. Not worth the effort. So you put it off. (And let me get one thing clear, I don’t believe in posting more, shouting louder or hustling harder.)
But staying hidden is costing more than you might think.
Before they will invest the time and money to work with you, most people need to know:
– who you are
– what you do
– why it matters
What’s the cost of not showing up?
Every week you’re not posting, not sharing, not letting people see who you are behind your business, you’re invisible to the exact people who would love to work with you.
They’re scrolling. They’re looking for someone who gets them. They’re forming an opinion of every coach, consultant and creative they come across – often in seconds, based entirely on visuals and energy.
And if you’re not there, you’re not in the running.
It’s not dramatic to say that procrastinating on your visual content has a real cost.
Potential clients move on. They find someone else. Not because that person is better than you – but because that person showed up.
The good news is that the clarity you need is much easier than you might think.
Your visual brand story isn’t something you need to invent
Building a brand story doesn’t mean crafting some polished, strategic persona. A character. A version of yourself that’s more interesting, more put-together, more something than you feel right now.
That’s not what this is.
Your brand story is simply a matter of showing how you work, what you care about, and what it feels like to be around you.
It’s already there. You’re already living it. Your clients are already experiencing it.
The only thing missing is a clear way to see it, show it, and then make it repeatable so you can stop overthinking and stay consistent.
When you break it down, there are five core stories that coaches and creative business owners need to tell. And you already have them.
The 5 Core Brand Stories
(AND WHY THEY WORK)
1. Behind the brand
Your work day – your process, your tools, the energy you bring to you work. Photos and videos that show this tell your potential clients exactly what it would feel like to work with you. Not just what you do, but how. This story builds trust before they have read a single word of text.
2. Your expertise
Pretty photos of you smiling are really nice, but they won’t convert someone who isn’t yet sure you know what you’re talking about. Showing your expertise – through moments of action, confidence, presence and results – tells your audience: ‘you can trust me with this’. It shows them what’s possible when they work with you.
3. Connection
Your vibe attracts your tribe. The warmth, the humour, the candid moment with your morning coffee. The belly laughs. The thoughtful expressions. These small, real glimpses into who you are make people feel like they know you. And people want to work with people they feel they know. This story doesn’t need to be curated, clever or trending. It just needs to be genuine.
4. Your ‘why’ & personal values
Why do you do this work? What do you believe in so deeply that it shapes how you show up every day? This story reaches the right people on a deeper level – the ones who share your values and will become your loyal clients. It can be literal (a favourite place, a meaningful object, a book that has shaped the way you think) or symbolic (a feeling of calm, confidence, or purpose).
5. Your daily life
Your routines, rituals and lifestyle aren’t separate from your brand – they are your brand. Sharing how you recharge, what grounds you, what an ordinary Tuesday looks like, creates familiarity. And familiarity leads to trust. Something as simple as knowing someone takes their coffee black or walks their dog every morning before sitting down to work makes them feel real. Human. Safe to reach out to. (And keep in mind, personal doesn’t need to mean private.)
Keep in mind that when you’re working through your core brand stories, you only need to focus on a few of these to get started. The rest will flow naturally.
Don’t get stuck if your ideas naturally fit into more than one category -that’s a good thing
You might notice that some of your ideas could fit into more than one category. For example, a photo of you making tea before a client call is daily life and behind the brand and connection all at once.
This is not a problem. It’s a sign that your brand has a clear, cohesive feel.
When your stories flow together naturally, it means your content will feel consistent without feeling formulaic.
Don’t overthink the categories. Focus on the moments.
(If it sounds like I’m an expert here, it’s because I’m speaking from experience. My brain tends to get stuck when ideas don’t naturally fit into a neat box. The lack of clarity can easily lead to procrastination. And that’s exactly what we’re trying to avoid here.)
Download my free planner to get your ideas out of your head
and into a repeatable framework
Once you look at your life and business through these five lenses, something shifts. You stop thinking ‘I don’t know what to post!’ and start seeing content everywhere.
When you work through this guide ‘Clarity & Connection: Define your 5 core brand stories’, you’ll work through the process and end up with a framework you can refer to any time you need ideas for a photo shoot or DIY content creation day.
Each of the five story themes include reflection prompts, visual examples and ideas for the kinds of photos and videos that bring each story to life.
And when you want help to bring it all to life…
that’s where i come in
I’m Janine, a personal brand photographer based in Stockholm (available for shoots all over the world). I work with coaches and creative business owners who want their visual content to do more than look nice – they want it to work. To build trust. To attract the right clients. To finally feel like a true reflection of who you are.
If you’re curious about what a shoot together could look like, start with the free guide. Let it help you get clear on your stories. And when you’re ready, get in touch so we can start planning your shoot.
Your story is already there. Let’s make it visible.
