Pros and Cons of Including Your Children in Your Personal Brand
If you have an online presence or platform already, you might be thinking about introducing your family to your audience.
Likewise, if you are considering starting a platform, you might be wondering why you would or wouldn’t include your family from the get-go.
In this article, we’ll review the pros and cons of this particular decision.
Another thing to consider when adding this to your parenting journey is the nature vs. nurture debate, and how including your kids in your brand will affect their nurturing aspect. For a great article that dives deeper into these roles, click here.
Which Online Platform Do You Use?
Before discussing the pros and cons, considering each online platform can help you understand how an audience might interact with your family or your children.
If you are interested in being an influencer, a YouTuber, or even a politician, you might be thinking about involving your whole family to promote your personal brand.
The online platforms available and their different levels of security can tell you a lot about what you are getting yourself into. For example:
YouTube
When using YouTube, you do have the option of making your video unlisted. That way, only the people who have the link will be able to find the video.
This can be a good option for those who want to share content with their family and friends but don’t necessarily want to get strangers involved.
If you have a public profile on Instagram, you can set up your account to be a business account.
That way, you can check insights and analytics to see how many people you are reaching, how you are reaching them, and how many clicks or interactions your posts are receiving.
This can be incredibly useful when you want to reach a wider viewership.
TikTok
The TikTok algorithm can be tricky to manage. There is no guarantee that your content will get seen by others.
Using hashtags and popular audio clips, sometimes you will be more likely to ride the algorithm, but sometimes it takes multiple attempts to get your content out there.
Website
If you want your work on your website but want to keep some of the content locked, you can set it up so that only those with the password have access to the information.
For example, if you’re a photographer and you enjoy photographing your family.
Still, you want to keep those photos relatively private; you can share the password with employers and clients rather than having it available to anyone.
The Pros
Having your family involved in your social media life can be incredibly fun.
Making videos together, collaborating, and getting creative can be a good time for children.
It can be a great way to make memories and give your children the opportunity to express themselves.
It can also be a great way to show your audience the kind of lifestyle you lead.
Your family is likely a large part of your life, and leaving them out of your personal brand can feel like you’re missing a piece of yourself.
Please talk with your family and make sure that they are on board before you go forth with including them in your personal brand.
The Cons
Having a family in the public eye can be stressful. Having an online presence means inviting others into your life.
It can mean inviting criticism when you don’t want it nor need it.
It also means that strangers will be able to comment on your family life, your parenting style, and your appearances.
For children, this can be toxic. If they see any of the comments now or later, it can be a lot for a child’s psyche.
Additionally, your family might decide at some point that they no longer wish to be a part of that online presence.
If your family does decide that they would rather not be a part of your personal brand, it’s important to respect that choice.
Involving your family in your personal brand is not necessarily worth the strife if your family should not wish to participate.
Bottom line on using Children in your Personal Brand
Keep your lines of communication open.
Listen to your family before listening to your audience, and you will yield the best personal results.
Author Bio: Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering various health-related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she specifically targets subjects related to anxiety and depression.