You just published your first post on LinkedIn. Congratulations!
An hour passes.
Three hours pass.
24 hours later, your post has five likes and two comments.
Online experts talk about the benefits of a personal brand, like:
- Finding a job
- Negotiating a higher salary
- Earning clients
- Obtaining speaking opportunities
Yet nobody discusses how difficult it is to gain traction.
How do you build meaningful relationships and grow an audience that trusts you, and most importantly, drives revenue?
There isn’t a simple answer to this question, so you can either:
- Read our full guide on building a personal brand.
- Check out one of these courses to be guided through the process of building a personal brand.
Want to get 6 courses, 10 ongoing education videos, and a lot more for just $1?
Our Academy only costs one dollar to join for your first month. That means you can give it a try and learn a ton with zero risk. It was already the best place on the internet to learn content, copywriting, and online sales. Now it’s extremely affordable to get in. We’ll make it $300+ eventually, so get in at a dollar while you still can.
How We Evaluated Each of These Personal Branding Courses
There isn’t a single “best” personal branding course, as each is tailored to slightly different goals and offers different levels of support.
Here’s an overview of the system we used to evaluate each of these courses:
- Who it’s for
- Instructor credibility and track record
- Content format and depth
- Topics covered
- Social platforms covered
- Student success
- Community & networking value
- Price
Below, we’ll provide a detailed analysis of each course.
Course #1: Copyblogger Academy
Copyblogger Academy is a course and community run by Charles Miller and Tim Stoddart (that’s me!). It covers personal branding and other essential marketing skills needed to scale a successful side hustle or business, including copywriting, SEO, email marketing, and more.
So, what makes Copyblogger Academy unique from other personal branding courses?
First, Charles Miller is a leading expert in personal branding.
He is a seven figure entrepreneur, and all of his success has stemmed from his social media audience. Today, he has over 150,000 followers on LinkedIn and 215,000 followers on X, and he assists founders, CEOs, and other accomplished individuals in growing their personal brands.
And, he’s also landed brand deals with leading B2B companies, like Synthesia, to promote their products:
Charles created the personal branding course in the Copyblogger Academy, so all of the advice is based on real experience.
I, Tim Stoddart, have also founded several other seven figure businesses and recently sold my digital marketing agency.
To add more value to Copyblogger Academy, I added several courses covering the SEO, content marketing, and email marketing strategies I used to grow my clients’ companies.
In total, you’ll have access to all of these courses inside the academy:
Each course is taught through video and structured with action items:
However, Copyblogger Academy is more than just a personal branding course.
We recognize that building a personal brand can be a lonely endeavor, and sometimes you need a little help and encouragement from others working towards the same goal.
That’s why you’ll also receive access to an active community where you can network with other likeminded individuals, ask questions, and receive feedback on your work.
There are also numerous bonuses, including masterclasses with leading marketers, Q&A sessions with Charles and Me, and more.
Check out Copyblogger Academy today if you’re serious about growing your network and income through personal branding.
Course #2: Introduction to Personal Branding By UVA
Offered by the University of Virginia through Coursera, this is a general personal branding course designed for beginners who are new to the concept of personal branding.
It has a 4.4-star rating based on over 8,863 reviews, and you’ll receive a LinkedIn certificate upon completing the course.
The course is taught by Kimberly Barker, who has approximately 1,300 followers on LinkedIn and is a Librarian at UVA:
The course consists of six modules, and here are the topics covered:
Here’s what you can expect to get out of this course:
- Establish a presence on at least three social platforms
- Craft a mission statement about your values and strengths
- Assemble a personal board of directors for continuous guidance
- Learn basic digital security and reputation management skills
- Set up a sustainable system to manage your brand long-term
Unfortunately, there isn’t an active community available.
The course is free for the material alone, and $49 is required to obtain the LinkedIn Learning certificate.
Course #3: Udemy – Personal Branding: Strengthen Your Professional Reputation
Taught by Joseph Liu, this 90-minute personal branding course is one of the most popular options on Udemy.
The course has a 4.5-star rating from over 30,000 reviews, and 60,000 students have taken this course.
Liu has been a featured speaker at notable events, including MarketingWeek Live, Red Bull, TEDx, and Microsoft, and has also collaborated with brands such as Glad, Liquid-Plumr, Gü Puds, and Häagen-Dazs.
His LinkedIn profile shows that he has about 13,000 followers:
Here’s an overview of the course curriculum:
You can purchase this course for $19.99 on Udemy.
Course #4: LinkedIn – Lida Citroën’s Creating Your Personal Brand
Offered by LinkedIn, this course is available for free to anyone with a LinkedIn Premium account.
It is the most popular personal branding course offered on LinkedIn Learning with a 4.7 star rating and over 8,000 reviews.
Lida Citroën teaches the course, and with over 32,000 followers, she has experience in personal branding and reputation management. She’s spoken at reputable events like TEDx and has a podcast.
Lida has also written a book, The New Rules of Influence, and works one on one with executives and job seekers to elevate their careers through personal branding.
Here’s an overview of the course curriculum:
You can learn more about Creating Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn’s learning platform.
Course #5: Justin Welsh’s LinkedIn OS
LinkedIn OS is a personal branding course tailored specifically to LinkedIn.
It’s ideal for solopreneurs, creators, consultants, and service-based business owners who want to generate leads and income from their LinkedIn content.
The course was created by Justin Welsh, a former startup executive with a LinkedIn audience of 765,116 followers and a track record of generating over $10 million from his audience.
The course itself is a self-paced video course organized into six key parts:
- Niche clarity
- Building a foundation (your persona build)
- Content creation
- Audience building
- Lead capture
- Creating a business workflow
It includes frameworks, exercises, copywriting tips, daily workflows, and analytics use.
Unfortunately, there’s no built-in community or access to Justin directly. The course is intentionally self-guided to keep it affordable and scalable.
Additionally, if you want more help on creating content, you’ll have to purchase his Content OS course.
LinkedIn OS is currently available for $79.
Course #6: Maven – Mark Schaefer’s Personal Branding Masterclass
The Personal Branding Masterclass is a two-week live cohort course hosted by Mark Schaefer on Maven.
Mark Schaefer is a digital marketing consultant, keynote speaker, and professor at Rutgers University. He has written ten books, including KNOWN, a book on personal branding.
This course is designed for mid-to-senior level professionals, creatives, speakers, authors, and consultants who want to grow their social media presence.
Unlike most self-paced courses, this is a live two-week course held over Zoom. It consists of six 90-minute live sessions and optional 30-minute bonus discussions.
It also includes two private one-on-one coaching sessions with Mark, hands-on assignments, and you’ll have a structured branding plan by the end.
The key differentiator of this course is its active learning focus, rather than passive consumption. However, you’ll need to set aside two weeks to dedicate to this topic.
You’ll also have access to a community of nine other peers.
Here’s an overview of the lesson plan:
Personal Branding Masterclass is currently available for $1,499.
Dot Lung is a social media strategist who has worked with brands like Facebook, Wix, OFFF Festival, and Motionographer, and has been featured in Vanity Fair Italy.
This course is designed for freelancers, small business owners, coaches, creatives, and consultants who want to learn how to get clients on Instagram.
The course consists of 17 pre-recorded video lessons, and includes 12 downloads, and a final project.
Unlike most personal branding courses that focus solely on tactics, this one also addresses mindset and visual identity, in addition to providing actionable lessons on content planning and conversion strategy.
The entire course culminates in a capstone project, a 30-day personal brand content strategy.
This particular personal branding course primarily focuses on Instagram, but its strategies also apply to Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms.
There’s also a community hosted by Domestika that includes access to a course forum, and you can ask questions and receive feedback from both peers and Dot.
You’ll have lifetime access to the course, and you can earn a certificate if you’re part of Domestika Plus.
Dot Lung’s Personal Branding Strategy course is priced at $19.99 for Domestika Plus members and $59.99 for non-members.
Course #8: Hilary Sutton’s Personal Branding Course
This course was created by Hilary Sutton, a writer, speaker, and content strategist who claims to have increased her income by 483% through building her own personal brand.
She’s been featured in USA Today, The Washington Post, and HuffPost, and her primary focus is helping freelancers, authors, and creatives grow their online presence.
The course is self-paced and consists of eight video lessons.
You’ll also have access to a downloadable course workbook, elevator pitch template, and goal-setting guide.
It has step-by-step instructions to execute a 90-day action plan.
The course covers all major social media platforms and discusses building a personal website.
Here’s a full overview of the course content:
In addition to the course, she operates an exclusive Facebook Group for current and former students.
Hilary Sutton’s course is a one time payment of $147.
Course #9: Ali Abdaal’s Part Time YouTuber Academy
While this course is designed to help you grow a YouTube channel rather than strictly building a personal brand, YouTube is one of the most effective platforms to build a personal brand on, so I decided to include it on this list.
Ali Abdaal himself is a doctor-turned-creator who built a YouTube channel with over 6 million subscribers and earns over 6M per year (according to the most recently published statistics).
He has helped over 6,000 students through the Part-Time YouTuber Academy and designed the course for individuals who want to grow a channel without quitting their day job.
Therefore, it’s ideal for professionals and entrepreneurs interested in video content who want to establish themselves as experts in a particular niche.
The course is self-paced and consists of 20 hours of core video content, as well as 16 bonus hours covering monetization, editing, branding, and repurposing.
Ali teaches all of his content in systems, and you’ll learn his frameworks like:
- Niche Discovery Framework
- HIVES scripting method
- Outsourcing Almanack
- Infinite Content Engine
You’ll also have access to bonuses like a video editing course for Final Cut Pro, and the Viral Thumbnail Template Pack.
There are also numerous action items, including checklists, templates, and written guides.
However, what sets the Part Time YouTuber Academy apart from other personal branding courses is the community. You’ll have access to thousands of creators for accountability, feedback, networking, and live events.
If you’re serious about growing on YouTube, the Part Time YouTuber Academy is the clear choice.
The Part Time YouTuber Academy is priced at $995.
Course #10: Online Personal Branding By Harvard Business School
Harvard has released its own personal branding class, taught by Jill Avery, a marketing professor at Harvard Business School.
She has about 11,000 followers on LinkedIn, and her background is in consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand management. She worked with brands like Gillette, Braun, Sam Adams, and AT&T.
The course is designed to help:
- Clarify and articulate their purpose, values, and unique edge
- Build a credible personal brand
- Advance career and leadership opportunities
The main selling point of this course is that it’s run by Harvard and you’ll receive a certificate of Completion from HBS online.
The course itself is three modules that consist of ten hours.
Here’s an overview of the content:
While it is a self paced course, it does have a set start and end date and requires 2-4 hours of work per week for 3 weeks.
In addition to the course material, you’ll also have access to a global networking group that also gives you access to alumni events, peer collaboration, and ongoing conversations before, during, and after the course.
Harvard’s Personal Branding course has a one-time fee of $1,850.
How To Choose The Best Personal Branding Course For Your Needs
The best personal branding course for your needs depends on:
- Which platforms do you want to be active on? (LinkedIn, YouTube, X, Instagram, etc.)
- Do you want access to a community, or do you trust yourself to execute all of the material alone?
- Do you need just personal branding tips, or would you like to build a comprehensive digital marketing strategy?
While many of the courses on this list provide solid material, I built Copyblogger Academy because many personal branding courses are geared towards corporate employees and taught by people who hadn’t built substantial audiences on social media platforms like LinkedIn or X.
This is a key reason I partnered with Charles Miller. He built six figure audiences across various social media platforms and monetized them to drive millions in revenue.
Additionally, social media is just one skill set. To build a truly successful business, you also need other digital marketing skills like copywriting and email marketing.
And, building a personal brand can be challenging. Even the best of us need a community for accountability and support along the way.
That’s why we built Copyblogger Academy. It’s the all-in-one solution that allows you to not only build an audience, but generate a six or seven figure business from that audience.
