Jessica Renaglia on personal branding for young announcers

These days I don’t know what to call myself! There’s so many names for what we do.

Radio personality, announcer, content creator, broadcast journalist, digital marketing and social media manager—much less part-time producer, copywriter, answerer of phones, and maybe even a freelancer on the side?

The list goes on.

If you’ve found yourself in this position, where you’re puzzled at exactly where to start when it comes to a personal brand—honestly, I think there is no right or wrong.

You could say I started 23 years ago when I was given my very first diary. Back when the tales I told were mostly about how my sister was so annoying and she made me ‘RELLY, RELLY MAD’.

Over the years, journals evolved into short films on the really horrible digital camera, all brought to you by Windows Movie Maker.

Let’s not forget my foray into fake radio DJ’ing from my dad’s computer. I used to pick all the songs, queue them and announce them—hey we’ve all been there.

From journalism at university to a film studies course in Italy, I bounced from medium to medium, not sure where I felt at home.

It wasn’t until radio happened upon me, that I felt like I knew where I needed to be. That was a year ago now. My first Introduction to Radio course with Sean Craig Murphy in Adelaide.

I tell you, there’s gotta be something in the water in Adelaide, so many of his past students now are all over the country.

I’m seven months into my very first commercial radio job at 92.9fm in Tamworth, and although I’ve just found my flow on-air, I’m still trying to work out how this personal brand management thing works.

Do I want to be the kind of radio announcer that makes news for a tattoo on her ankle (love ya dedication Crystal), or do I want to be outrageous and stir the pot like ol’ mate Bodge? (Love ya too buddy.)

I’m reminded of the old adage, ‘just be yourself’, but in a world of Kylies, Kims and Cardi-Bs, it’s hard to not worry about seeming perfect, much less well put together.

But, to be fair those three don’t really have any bearing on the kind of radio announcers we’ll all grow up to be—if you’re like me, and are pondering the future ahead.

I think how we discuss them is what will determine the type of announcer we’ll be, much less the kind of personal brand we have.

It’s fine if you’re still figuring it out.

Just keep sending away those air-checks, keep learning every job in the station, keep producing work that you are proud of, and your personal brand will just happen.

…or so I keep telling myself!

Jessica Renaglia is an announcer at 92.9fm Tamworth.