The PBA Wiki
Hiring a personal branding agency, and running one.
Plain answers for people choosing a personal branding agency, and practical guidance for the agencies they choose between. Free to read, written by the Personal Branding Agencies editorial team, and closed to paid mentions.
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Before you talk to any agency
Before Your First Call With a Personal Branding Agency
A printable checklist for your first call with a personal branding agency: what to decide, what to look up, and what to have ready before you talk to anyone.
For Prospects · 6 min readGuideQuestions to Ask a Personal Branding Agency
The questions to ask a personal branding agency before you hire: fit, approach, who does the work, proof, ownership, AI, fees, reporting and how it ends.
For Prospects · 5 min readGuideThe Buyer's Guide: How to Choose an Agency
The seven checks the directory runs before any listing, written as questions you can ask any practice.
Elsewhere on PBABrowse the wiki
For Prospects
Choosing and working with a personal branding agency
Prospect Guides
Two printable guides to take into every first call.
Before Your First Call With a Personal Branding Agency
A printable checklist for your first call with a personal branding agency: what to decide, what to look up, and what to have ready before you talk to anyone.
For Prospects · 6 min readGuideQuestions to Ask a Personal Branding Agency
The questions to ask a personal branding agency before you hire: fit, approach, who does the work, proof, ownership, AI, fees, reporting and how it ends.
For Prospects · 5 min readChoosing an Agency
How the hiring process works, and the kinds of help on offer.
How to Choose a Personal Branding Agency, Step by Step
How to choose a personal branding agency in seven steps: define the goal, pick the kind of help, build a shortlist, run the calls, check proof, and sign well.
For Prospects · 4 min readArticlePersonal Branding Agency or PR Firm: What Each One Does
Personal branding agency or PR firm? What each one does, where they overlap, how each charges, and how to decide which kind of help fits your goal.
For Prospects · 4 min readArticleDone For You vs Done With You: Agency Models Explained
What Done For You, Done With You and advisory personal branding engagements mean, how retainers, projects and sessions work, and how to pick the right fit.
For Prospects · 4 min readReferenceWhat the Price Tiers Mean
One scale on every listing, so two practices can be compared before you make contact.
Elsewhere on PBADue Diligence
What to check, what to ask for, and what ends the conversation.
Red Flags When Hiring a Personal Branding Agency
Red flags when hiring a personal branding agency: guaranteed press, pay-to-play lists, bought followers, hidden AI, and accounts you will not own.
For Prospects · 4 min readArticleHow to Read Agency Reviews and Verification
How to read personal branding agency reviews: what makes one credible, what verification checks, and how to weigh ratings, volume and complaints.
For Prospects · 4 min readGuideThe Buyer's Guide: How to Choose an Agency
The seven checks the directory runs before any listing, written as questions you can ask any practice.
Elsewhere on PBAStandardThe Code of Ethics
The seven commitments every listed practice has signed, and what happens when one is broken.
Elsewhere on PBAStandardHow Reviews Are Verified
Why every review on a listing comes from a confirmed client, and how corrections are handled.
Elsewhere on PBAGoals and Results
Deciding what success means before the work starts.
What a Personal Brand Audit Includes
What a personal brand audit includes: search, presence, consistency, message, proof, reputation and goals, and the deliverables a good audit hands you.
For Prospects · 4 min readArticleSetting Goals and Measuring Personal Branding Results
How to set personal branding goals you can check, choose measures that mean something, and agree on reporting with your agency before work begins.
For Prospects · 4 min readBy Audience
What good help looks like in four professions.
Personal Branding for Executives: Hiring the Right Help
Personal branding for executives: what an agency should do for a CEO or senior leader, how it works with your comms team, and what to ask first.
For Prospects · 4 min readArticlePersonal Branding for Founders: Choosing an Agency
Personal branding for founders: why a founder's name drives early growth, when to hire help, what to look for, and what to keep in your own name.
For Prospects · 4 min readArticlePersonal Branding for Authors: Choosing an Agency
Personal branding for authors: why readers follow people more than titles, what an agency should do around a launch, and how it differs from book marketing.
For Prospects · 3 min readArticlePersonal Branding for Athletes: Choosing an Agency
Personal branding for athletes: a name beyond your team and season, how a branding agency differs from an agent, and what to ask before you hire.
For Prospects · 4 min readFor Agencies
Improving how a practice is perceived, and how it performs
Profile and Proof
Showing prospects what the practice has actually done.
Writing an Agency Profile Prospects Trust
How a personal branding agency writes a profile prospects trust: a clear lane, checkable proof, plain terms, honest AI disclosure and one next step.
For Agencies · 4 min readArticleCase Studies That Convert for Personal Branding Agencies
How personal branding agencies write case studies that win clients: the starting point, the work, honest results with context, and the client's voice.
For Agencies · 3 min readArticleShowing Proof of Work as a Personal Branding Agency
How personal branding agencies show proof of work when clients want discretion: permissions, before and after, process samples and verified reviews.
For Agencies · 4 min readStandardThe Vetting Standard
What is checked before a practice is listed, criterion by criterion.
Elsewhere on PBAReviews and Reputation
Earning reviews honestly, and answering the hard ones.
Earning Client Reviews Ethically: A Guide for Agencies
How personal branding agencies earn more client reviews without breaking the rules: when to ask, how to ask, why incentives backfire, and where to focus.
For Agencies · 4 min readArticleResponding to Reviews and Complaints as an Agency
How personal branding agencies should answer reviews and complaints: speed, tone, what to say in public, what to take private, and what never to do.
For Agencies · 4 min readPress and Visibility
Earned attention, and a position worth paying attention to.
Earned Press Without Pay-to-Play: A Guide for Agencies
How personal branding agencies earn real press for clients without paying for features: newsworthy angles, good pitches, and labeling anything paid.
For Agencies · 4 min readArticlePositioning Your Personal Branding Practice
How a personal branding agency positions itself: a clear lane, a message with a personal hook, proof inside the lane, and a brand that lives it.
For Agencies · 3 min readEditorialThe Ethical Concerns of Paid “Top 10” Lists
Where paid recognition stops being advertising and starts misleading the people who read it.
Elsewhere on PBARunning the Practice
Pricing conversations and the first weeks of an engagement.
Pricing Transparency Without Publishing Prices
How personal branding agencies stay transparent on pricing without a price list: tiers, billing models, what drives cost, and terms in writing.
For Agencies · 3 min readArticleOnboarding Personal Branding Clients Well
How personal branding agencies onboard clients: discovery that starts with identity, written goals, accounts the client owns, approvals and reporting.
For Agencies · 3 min readNothing matches that search. Try a shorter word, or .
About the Wiki
What is the PBA Wiki?
A free reference from Personal Branding Agencies with two tracks: one for people choosing a personal branding agency, and one for the agencies they choose between. Every article answers one practical question and ends with the next step.
Who writes the wiki, and can an agency pay to appear in it?
The Personal Branding Agencies editorial team writes it. No agency can pay to be mentioned, recommended, or linked, and articles name no practice as an example to follow.
Do I have to hire an agency listed on PBA to use it?
No. The checklists and questions work on any practice, listed here or not. The directory is one place to find vetted practices; the guidance stands on its own.
Next Step
Read enough? Compare vetted practices.
Every practice in the directory has passed the same vetting and signed the same Code of Ethics. Nothing about a listing, a ranking, or this wiki can be bought.