In a recent LinkedIn post, Matt Gray discusses a 12-step approach to building a personal brand around client needs, consistent content and email engagement. This article reports on Gray’s LinkedIn advice; it is coverage of his post, not an article written by him. Gray frames the list as a practical alternative to paying for personal-brand courses.
“Build your brand around the problem your best clients already pay you to solve.”
Start with buyers and a clear point of view
Gray’s first steps focus on choosing one problem to address, then identifying four beliefs and naming the values that guide a creator’s content. In his view, these choices give a brand a consistent subject and perspective. He says each belief can provide a month of posts, suggesting that a clear point of view can serve as a recurring source of ideas.
Gray also recommends mining sales calls for content topics. Questions raised by prospective buyers, he argues, can show which subjects deserve attention. That approach connects publishing decisions to the concerns people already bring to a business.
Turn one idea into a repeatable publishing system
To produce material efficiently, Gray advises recording a monthly voice memo, then adapting one longer piece into formats such as a newsletter, social posts, reels and carousels. He calls this a “Content Waterfall,” a way to extend the value of a single round of thinking across multiple channels.
“The questions buyers ask on calls are the posts you should be writing.”
Gray adds a test for video ideas: write the title before filming, and abandon the video if the title is weak. The recommendation puts the central promise of a piece ahead of production effort.
Connect content to lead generation
Several steps link publishing to sales. Gray recommends pairing each post with a lead magnet for its core topic, sending a weekly newsletter and recording a workshop to share before sales calls. He says his team has built more than 500 downloads, which bring in about 12,000 organic leads a month. Those figures describe Gray’s experience; the post does not claim that other creators should expect the same results.
“Social gets attention, and email builds trust.”
Gray suggests tracking one weekly measure: how many people move from content onto an email list. That metric reflects his emphasis on turning attention on social platforms into an ongoing relationship through email.
Make room for individual character
Gray’s final step, “Wear the Weird Jacket,” urges creators to share unusual interests and stories alongside business content. He argues that a distinctive personal voice can make a brand more magnetic. At the same time, he tempers the checklist with a reminder that his own results took years and that others’ outcomes will differ.
Taken together, Gray’s post presents personal branding as a process of choosing a useful focus, repurposing ideas and measuring audience movement. Its central promise is a system to work through gradually, rather than a guarantee of a particular lead count.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Matt Gray on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on November 6, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →