Kait LeDonne on the parts of your personal brand AI can't write for you
Kait LeDonne has spent about a decade building personal brands on LinkedIn, most recently for authors. Here are three things she shared, some homework, and the one question
You asked ChatGPT or Claude to build your brand. It handed you a headline, an About section and a few posts that sound smart but not quite like you. A few weeks later, nothing has moved.
I sat down with Kait LeDonne to find out why. She's spent about a decade building personal brands on LinkedIn, most recently for authors, and since 2022 she's grown her own following past 50,000. If you're also writing a book and plan to market it once it's finished, she has a blunt answer for you too.
Below: three things she told me, the one question worth skipping AI for, and homework you can finish this week.
Watch the full conversation on YouTube (32 min)
1. Use AI to execute, not to find out who you are.
"AI should be used as an execution tool, not as a discovery tool about yourself." It doesn't have your background or the way you act in a room. So she has clients ask the people around them for their top three words, then uses AI to turn those words into posts. Watch · 1:44
2. Personality isn't the same as getting personal.
You don't have to share the hardest moment of your life. Her accountant client, a proud Boomer dad, posted that he was thrilled to get back into his Hulu account without calling one of his daughters. It exploded because it's relatable. Watch · 4:08
3. Build the readers before you write the book.
Publishers ask about your email list, your following, and which big podcasts you've been on. Start a year or two before you write or shop the book. Pick the core reader, build for them, and notice which shows they listen to. "You have it completely reversed." Watch · 30:45
The question to bring to Kait. What is my book actually for, and which path to publishing gets me there? A big advance, a bestseller list, and more paid speaking each lead to a different path. AI will give you a generic answer. Kait will give you yours. Watch · 28:49
Your homework this week:
Text three people who've been in rooms with you: "If you had to describe me in three words, what would they be?" Look for the overlap.
Post one small, relatable moment, then tie it to your work in a sentence.
If there's a book in you, write one sentence naming the reader, then list the three podcasts that person listens to.
Book a call with Kait. She helps authors launch best-selling books through LinkedIn, speak at premier conferences, and become known thought leaders. Bring your book idea, your reader, and what you want the book to do for you: everyexpert.com/kaitledonne
If people already come to you for advice you've never charged for, EveryExpert is built for that. You set your rate, people book your time, and the platform handles scheduling and payment. Join at everyexpert.com/get-started.
Next office hours: Thursday, October 8, 12:00 PM ET. Lead Generation for People Who Hate Selling.
Kait's third homework item, the podcast list, is one of three lead sources we cover. The other two are content that converts and conversations that lead to community invites. Bring one offer and we'll work out your first move live.
Start with the three-words text this week. Then reply and tell me what came back. I read every one.
Talk soon,
Terry Rice
EveryExpert
P.S. Office hours is Thursday, October 8, 12:00 PM ET. Register Here