Marketing Momentum
Today I write about why building hype is a critical but often overlooked skill in marketing and personal branding.
Newsletter
The Art of Building Hype
There is a noticeable difference between people who post and people who build momentum.
It has very little to do with how often they publish. It has even less to do with whether their idea is objectively “better.” The real difference is how well they build hype around what they are doing.
Hype gets a bad reputation. Some people hear the word and think of exaggeration or empty noise. In practice, hype is simply anticipation. It is giving your audience a reason to care before the main thing even arrives. It is helping them feel like they are part of something that is building.
If you pay attention to the people in our industry who consistently generate engagement, you will notice a pattern. They rarely just drop an announcement out of nowhere. They talk about what they are working on. They hint at upcoming projects. They share the thinking behind their moves. By the time something officially launches, their audience is already leaning in.
On the other side, you have talented professionals who post a link with a short caption and expect the world to react. There is no buildup. No framing. No story. Then they are surprised when the response feels flat.
In personal branding especially, perception drives everything. Your audience takes cues from how you present your own work. If you treat your projects like they matter, people are more likely to believe they matter. If you present them casually or almost apologetically, that energy carries through.
Every post shapes positioning. Every update either reinforces that you are someone worth paying attention to, or it blends into the feed.
Building hype in a way that feels authentic comes down to a few practical behaviors:
Set the context before the announcement. Instead of randomly sharing a new launch or win, warm your audience up. Talk about the problem you are solving. Share the journey. Let them see why this next step is meaningful.
Turn milestones into moments. If you close a partnership, hit a goal, or release something new, do not just state the fact. Explain what it represents. Connect it to your larger vision so it feels like progress, not just activity.
Communicate with confidence. If you downplay your own work, your audience will too. You do not need to exaggerate, but you do need to speak with clarity and belief. Conviction creates excitement.
Make your content feel connected. Refer back to previous posts. Tease what is coming next. Create a sense that there is an ongoing story unfolding. When people feel like they are following a journey, they stay engaged.
The key is alignment. If you build anticipation, you have to deliver. Sustainable hype is earned through consistency. When people know that your buildup leads to substance, they start paying attention earlier and more often.
For personal branding, this becomes a powerful flywheel. When your audience senses that you are always building toward something meaningful, they start to see you as someone in motion. And people are naturally drawn to momentum.
Hype does not have to be loud. It does not have to be dramatic. It just has to be intentional. If you want people to care more about what you are doing, you have to show them why it is worth caring about before you ever hit publish.
If you’re looking for guidance on how to shape your messaging, build a plan, and execute real hype, reach out through the website. I’d be glad to collaborate with you.
Contact me here
When people know that your buildup leads to substance, they start paying attention earlier and more often.