Last month I attended an event at LinkedIn's New York headquarters that was hosted in partnership with Beehiiv.

During the event, Beehiiv founder Tyler Denk hinted that something big was coming this summer.

Now we know what he meant.

On July 16, Beehiiv will unveil its Summer Release and, if the early hints are any indication, it looks like it could be a significant moment for creators, newsletter operators, and anyone building an audience online.

Register here to join (it’s free!).

If you’ve been thinking about launching a newsletter (and all the other things that the Beehiiv platform has to offer including website and podcast capabilities), don’t miss this event. I personally can’t wait.

Full disclosure: I'm a Beehiiv partner, which means I may earn a commission if you attend and later become a customer.

Don't Let Your Employer Hold The Keys To Your LinkedIn Account.

Using only a corporate email for your LinkedIn account is risky. Layoffs, unfortunately, happen. And when they do, your access to your company email is usually cut off instantly. Sometimes that happens before employees are even told about the layoffs.

Even when we leave a job voluntarily, we probably aren’t thinking about access to our LinkedIn account.

But if the only email verified on your account is one that you no longer have access to, you might have a big headache ahead. If you ever get locked out of your account (it happens more frequently than you may think), or want to sign in on a new or public device, LinkedIn will only send the access code to the email address on file. If that email no longer exists or you can no longer access it, you can’t log in.

If your LinkedIn account is tied to your corporate work email, take 2 minutes now to add and verify a personal email that you will always have access to. It will save you a lot of stress later on.

There are different ways to think about your personal brand. One way I like to think about it, especially right now: Your personal brand is the collection of signals people encounter when they research you.

And they are researching you.

Before meetings, referrals, hiring decisions, podcast invitations, speaking opportunities…. honestly before just about anything that you want to happen.

Is what they are finding reflective of how you want to show up?

Here's a simple audit:

Not just on Google.

Search using multiple sources:

What appears? What doesn't? Are the results accurate? Do they reflect what you want to be known for?

If someone landed on your profile for 10 seconds (the average scan time before someone decides if they want to look further), would they understand what you do and your unique value proposition?

What themes consistently show up? Would a stranger know what you're known for?

This is one of the most overlooked visibility tools on LinkedIn.

Comments are public, and they help shape perception. They are often viewed by people before they ever see one of your posts.

"What are three words you would use to describe me professionally?" Then compare their answer with the impression your online presence creates (results of point one).

Any gaps are opportunities.

We often talk about personal branding as something we're building. And thats true, but at the same time it’s important to remember that it's also something people are experiencing. Each one of us has a personal brand. The question is whether the story people are discovering matches the one you want to tell.

If you're struggling to articulate what makes you different or want a second set of eyes on your positioning, that's the work I help clients with every day.

I also want to hear from you! If there is something you'd like me to cover in a future issue of Brewing Your Brand, just reply to this email and let me know. I may feature it in an upcoming edition.

Until July,

Melissa

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