Three-Word Personal Brand Barometer
Define three authentic traits and use customer language to measure your brand
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 98%
The framework begins by selecting three words that accurately describe the founder rather than the business, job title, or person the founder hopes to become. External feedback from five people can test whether those words match existing perception. Each word then becomes a practical standard for content, messaging, and customer experience: the founder repeatedly creates evidence that allows customers to feel and describe that quality. The measurement mechanism is customer language. When reviews, posts, referrals, and conversations independently use the intended words or close equivalents, the brand is producing the desired perception. If customers use different language, the founder either needs to change the experience or reconsider whether the selected words are authentic. This makes word of mouth a continuing brand barometer rather than an accidental benefit.
Origin
Star used “fun, fresh and editorial” while building her photography brand. She judged progress by whether clients described the experience as fun and said the photographs made them feel as though they were participating in a magazine shoot.
Core principles
- 01Brand words describe the person rather than the product
- 02Authenticity is more useful than aspiration
- 03Customer language reveals actual brand perception
- 04Repeated experiences teach people how to describe a brand
- 05Word of mouth is a measurable branding outcome
How to run it
- 1
Select Three Personal Words
Write three words that describe who you are. Focus on human qualities rather than the type of business you operate.
Pro tip Choose words customers could naturally use in a recommendation.
Watch out Do not use a job title such as baker, coach, or photographer as a defining word.
- 2
Test for Authenticity
Check whether each word represents your current character rather than an aspirational identity. Replace any word you cannot consistently demonstrate.
Pro tip Distinguish between adjacent traits, such as fun versus funny, to find the more accurate description.
Watch out An appealing but inauthentic word will create inconsistent expectations.
- 3
Gather Outside Descriptions
Ask five people which words they would use to describe you. Compare their answers with your chosen words to identify alignment or blind spots.
Pro tip Ask people from different parts of your life for a broader view.
- 4
Translate Words Into Experiences
Determine what each word should look and feel like in content, customer service, products, and delivery. Create repeated proof rather than merely declaring the traits.
Pro tip Define one observable behavior for each word.
Watch out Stating a quality without delivering a matching experience will weaken trust.
- 5
Monitor Word of Mouth
Track the language customers use in testimonials, social posts, referrals, and conversations. Treat repeated use of the intended words as evidence that the brand is working.
Pro tip Capture exact customer phrases and review them regularly.
- 6
Refine the Signal
If customers are not using the intended language, strengthen the corresponding experience or reconsider the word. Continue until public perception reflects the identity you can authentically sustain.
Watch out Do not manipulate customer language or mistake prompted praise for organic perception.
In the wild
Star chose “fun, fresh and editorial” as the defining words for her photography brand. She looked for evidence that clients experienced sessions as fun and felt as if they were participating in a magazine shoot. When brides used those descriptions publicly, the language pre-qualified future clients who wanted the same experience.
→ Customer word of mouth reinforced her desired positioning and attracted better-aligned photography clients.
A baker chooses soulful, generous, and celebratory as her three words. She includes handwritten notes, shares family recipes, and designs packaging for gifting. She then monitors reviews to see whether customers describe the products using language connected to warmth, generosity, and celebration.
→ The bakery gains a measurable identity beyond the ingredients or appearance of its products.
Common mistakes
Choosing Aspirational Words
Selecting qualities you wish you possessed creates a brand that is difficult to express consistently. Choose a truthful adjacent quality instead.
Describing the Product Instead of the Person
Words such as photographer, baker, or coach identify a category but do not explain why someone should choose its creator.
Declaring Without Measuring
Brand words are not useful if they remain private adjectives. Look for independent customer language that confirms whether the intended experience is reaching people.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for personality-led businesses whose customers choose between similar products, services, or providers.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for anonymous commodity businesses that intentionally avoid associating the offering with an individual identity.
From the transcript
“What I want you to do is list three words, three words, and I want to make sure that these three words focus on you,…”
“Now I want to encourage you to resist the temptation to choose words that focus on who you are, not who you aspire to be.”
“Now these words will soon become the barometers of your success”
From the episode
One Thing Every New Business Owner Needs to Know