What ‘The Rock’ Can Teach You About Personal Branding

What can you learn from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson about building your brand online? More than you might think. 

In 2009, when Twitter was just starting to take off, Johnson worked with digital pioneer Amy Jo Martin to shape his online presence. With Martin’s help, he created a strategic content plan after mapping out who he wanted to reach—and why. For example:

• Kids and families → action movies

• Men → wrestling

• Women → fitness and personality-driven content

• Charity-minded people → his philanthropy 

He also defined the purpose(s) of his content:

• Entertain

• Inspire

• Support business and endorsements

• Offer fitness advice

• Provide behind-the-scenes access

By identifying and prioritizing his audiences, he built a strategic calendar of authentic, meaningful content. In this way, you can be like The Rock. Start by listing who you want or need to reach. For example:

• Colleagues you want to keep in touch with

• People you’d like to work with

• People who can hire you or influence hiring decisions

• People who can support and endorse you

• Organizations you want to engage with 

Then think about why you want to post or share:

• Educate (show what you know or share behind-the-scenes lessons)

• Inform (share valuable articles or trends)

• Inspire (show your values and what motivates you)

• Reciprocate (support others, including commenting on and sharing posts) 

If it worked for The Rock (393 million Instagram followers and counting), it can work for you—whether you’re building your career, expanding your network, or just deciding how you want to show up online.