She didn’t become one of Britain’s most recognisable presenters by trying to look and sound like everybody else. Quite the opposite.

There’s something rather brilliant about Claudia Winkleman. You could probably recognise her from a silhouette, possibly from the fringe alone, and you certainly wouldn’t confuse her presenting style with anybody else’s. The eyeliner, dry humour, self-deprecation and slightly eccentric wardrobe have become so closely associated with her that they’re almost a brand in their own right.

But Claudia’s success goes well beyond her appearance. She’s remained recognisable across decades of British television, adapting to different programmes without losing the personality audiences associate with her. When The Traitors launched in 2022, it didn’t create her personal brand. It gave millions of viewers another opportunity to experience it.

There’s a valuable lesson here for business owners trying to build a recognisable brand. Being visible is one thing, but giving people a reason to remember you is something else entirely.

Being Visible Doesn’t Automatically Make You Memorable

Most businesses understand that visibility matters. They publish content, create videos and work hard to get in front of potential customers. But how much of that activity actually makes them memorable?

You can publish five videos a week and still struggle to build recognition if everything you produce looks and sounds like your competitors.

Estate agents discuss property valuations, mortgage advisers explain interest rates and accountants share financial advice. There’s nothing wrong with covering familiar subjects, but the person delivering the information needs to bring something distinctive to it.

Building a recognisable brand means giving people something to associate with you, whether that’s your expertise, personality, perspective or the way you communicate.

Your Personality Is Your Competitive Advantage

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make with content is trying so hard to sound professional that they remove everything that makes them interesting.

They take a perfectly good idea, rewrite it into corporate language and deliver something that feels completely different from how they’d explain the same subject to a customer.

Claudia Winkleman is a useful reminder that professionalism doesn’t require everybody to communicate in the same way. Her humour is dry, her appearance is distinctive and her presenting style is unmistakably hers.

You don’t have to copy her eccentricity to learn from it.

If you’re naturally straightforward, let that come through. If you’re particularly good at simplifying complicated subjects, use that ability in your videos. The strongest personal brands don’t manufacture a personality for social media; they communicate the one people already recognise.

How to Build a Recognisable Brand

If you want to become more memorable, start by understanding what people already associate with you.

Ask a few colleagues or customers how they’d describe you professionally. What do they value about working with you? What makes your approach different?

Then compare their answers with your social media content.

If customers describe you as approachable but your videos feel overly formal, there’s a disconnect. If people value your practical advice but your feed consists mainly of promotional graphics, you’re missing opportunities to demonstrate that expertise.

For an estate agent, that might mean replacing generic property updates with explanations based on real situations. Instead of simply reporting that asking prices have changed, explain what you’re seeing during valuations and how it affects the advice you’re giving homeowners.

That personal experience is what makes familiar information more memorable.

Recognition Is What Makes Visibility Valuable

A recognisable brand doesn’t require a signature hairstyle or an unusual catchphrase. It requires a consistent connection between who you are, what you know and how you communicate.

Look at your last ten videos. If you removed your name and logo, would somebody who knows you recognise the person behind them?

If the answer is no, you may need to bring more of your own experience and personality into the content.

Claudia Winkleman didn’t become recognisable by constantly trying to become somebody else. She built on the qualities that made her distinctive, and The Traitors gave those qualities an even bigger audience.

For business owners, the lesson is straightforward. Stop trying to look like the most successful person in your industry and concentrate on communicating what makes you valuable.

Because the businesses that build lasting recognition aren’t necessarily the ones appearing in the most feeds. They’re the ones people remember when it matters.