How to Create a Unique Personal Value Proposition

Whether you’re an entrepreneur starting or scaling a business, a leader at an established organization, or an individual contributor, a compelling personal brand can help you attract and retain customers or capture the attention of those who can advance your career.

Not all personal brands are created equal, however. It’s not enough to have a brand—you need one that communicates your unique value.

A personal value proposition can help you articulate that. Learn more about what a personal value proposition is, how to write one, and how to use it to strengthen your personal brand.

What Is a Personal Value Proposition?

In business, a company’s value proposition is a clear statement that summarizes the benefits customers or clients can expect when making a purchase.

A personal value proposition serves a similar purpose, but it’s tailored to the unique value you offer as an individual—whether to your customers, co-workers, manager, or employer.

“Your personal value proposition describes for a particular audience: how you will make a difference, why you are especially equipped to make this difference, and what evidence you have to support that assertion,” says Harvard Business School Professor Jill Avery, who teaches the online course Personal Branding. “This strategic statement encapsulates the promise of differentiated value that you, as an individual, bring.”

In other words, your personal value proposition succinctly explains to your ideal audience why you’re the right choice for a job, project, initiative, investment, or other opportunity.

How Do I Write a Compelling Personal Value Proposition?

According to Personal Branding, a compelling value proposition lies at the intersection of four key questions:

• What does the world need?
• What do others already do to meet that need?
• What can you uniquely offer?
• What value can you bring to address that need?

If you’re unsure how to answer those questions, leverage the steps below to craft your personal value proposition.

1. Identify Your Target Audience

At its core, your personal value proposition is about the value you provide to a specific audience. To write a compelling message, you first need to define your audience and understand their needs and pain points to shape and inform your value proposition.

As Avery says in Personal Branding, it boils down to: “Who are you hoping to create value for?”

To define your target audience, consider individuals who are—or could be—important in helping you achieve your professional goals. This may include current, former, or future colleagues, managers, direct reports, and professional contacts, such as recruiters or peers outside your organization.

Ask yourself:

• Why are these individuals important to your goals?
• Why do you want to engage with them?
• What do they need?
• What pain points are they experiencing that you can address?
• What aspirations do they have that you can help fulfill?

2. Claim Your Value

Once you’ve identified your target audience, consider how you can deliver value to them. Ask yourself: How can you help them achieve their goals, meet their needs, ease challenges, or make a meaningful impact?

“What is the difference you would like to make in the world, and how will you make that difference?” Avery asks in Personal Branding. “This is the value you hope to claim.”

At the same time, remember that you may offer different types of value to different people. If you have more than one target audience—such as your current manager and potential future employers—consider how the value you provide might vary based on each audience’s needs and goals.

3. Establish Your Competitive Frame of Reference

No matter how you provide value to your target audience, you’re not the only option. For every problem or challenge your audience faces, multiple solutions likely exist—of which you’re just one of them. To write a compelling personal value proposition, you must differentiate yourself from the competition.

In Personal Branding, Avery emphasizes the importance of identifying what makes you distinct and understanding your competitors, which she calls your “competitive frame of reference.”

When establishing this frame of reference, it helps to list every alternative your target audience might consider instead of working with you. Then, evaluate the pros and cons of each and critically assess how your value differs or exceeds theirs.

4. Gather Your Proof Points

Anyone can claim to provide differentiated value, but not everyone can prove it. A truly compelling personal value proposition doesn’t just make impressive claims—it supports them with evidence.

“What evidence do you have that you can achieve that value?” Avery asks in Personal Branding. “Why should your audience believe you? These are your proof points.”

The good news is that proof points don’t need to follow a specific format or category; a wide range of information and data can support your personal value proposition’s claims. Some potential proof points to consider include:

• Credentials and educational background
• Professional experience and achievements
• Improved metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) tied to your efforts
• Testimonials, reviews, or referrals

5. Put It All Together

With all the information you’ve gathered, you can now craft your personal value proposition. This should be a concise statement—one to three sentences long—that explains how you provide value to your target audience, supported by evidence.

If you have multiple audiences, tailor your message for each by creating different versions of your value proposition. This way, you’ll have the right message ready when you need it.

“Bear in mind that your personal value proposition is a strategic statement that encapsulates the promise of differentiated value you offer to others,” Avery says in Personal Branding. “Done well, it serves as an organizing mantra for all your personal branding work. It helps specify who you are by signaling your values and passions, and it illuminates an aspiration for who you want to be.”

6. Reflect and Iterate

After writing your personal value proposition, take a day or two away from it. Then revisit it. As Avery advises in Personal Branding, your value proposition should feel authentic and motivating—something that inspires you to become your best self while guiding you to prioritize your efforts.

As you reflect on your proposition, ensure it communicates the value you offer, aligns with your audience’s needs, differentiates you from others, and feels authentic to you. It should also inspire confidence and pride. Remember, your value proposition can, and should, evolve as your career, goals, and passions change.

“The personal value proposition you identify with today may not ring true in the future,” Avery says in Personal Branding. “Just as you, your interests, experiences, and goals evolve, so, too, will your personal value proposition.”

Personal Value Proposition Template

Fitting so much crucial information into a single concise statement can feel daunting. Yet, it becomes more manageable when you focus on a personal value proposition’s four key components:

1. Your target audience
2. The value you provide
3. Your differentiation from competitors
4. Your proof points or evidence

If you’re having trouble forming a value proposition of your own, try using the prompts below, which are used in Avery’s Personal Branding course:

• For: A particular person or group
  • Question: Who do you want to engage with? Who will connect with your value?
• I will make a difference by: A clear and specific value you aim to deliver
  • Question: What motivates you? What meaningful impact can you make?
• Among all: Your differentiation from others who offer similar value
  • Question: Who else provides similar value? How do you stand out?
• Because: Your evidence—skills, experiences, and credentials
  • Question: Why should someone believe you can deliver on this promise?

Personal Value Proposition Examples

Consider the examples below, written with the help of the personal value proposition template above:

• For prospective investors, the individual offers value by helping them understand AI’s disruptive potential. Among all AI experts, this person stands out as a founder who’s built and sold multiple AI companies. Their reputation is well established, with solutions they developed acquired by leading companies in the industry.
• For prospective marketing clients, the value lies in assisting companies with defining their brand. Among marketing professionals, this individual stands out through extensive experience understanding the buyer’s journey and helping companies solidify their brand story to create value, with supporting KPIs to back up those claims.
• For prospective employers, the candidate adds value by leading more efficient and effective teams. Among prospective managers, this person is distinguished by both educational credentials and hands-on experience that inspire and motivate direct reports. This includes the completion of the course Dynamic Teaming and a five-year track record of designing and managing high-performing teams.

An Important Part of Your Personal Brand

Your personal value proposition is an asset and a tool. It enables you to clearly and confidently communicate the value you offer your target audience while also serving as the foundation for building a more comprehensive personal brand.