164. How to Build a Personal Brand People Give a Sh*t about w/ Oren John
THE 505 PODCAST
Building a Resonant Personal Brand
This chapter explores the dynamics of creating a personal brand that captures audience attention through value and personality. It highlights the importance of world building, production quality, and innovative marketing strategies while urging creators to focus on product-market fit before expanding their brand narrative.
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What’s up, Rock Nation! Today we sit down with Oren John, the internet’s creative director. In this episode, Oren breaks down why most branded content flops and how to fix it. He unpacks the secret to building a world around your brand, the one framework every creator needs before scaling, and why playing it safe online is the fastest way to stay invisible.
We dive into value vs. entertainment content, how to stand out in a feed full of noise, and the metrics Oren actually tracks when building a personal brand. He also shares his take on content “moats,” why he welcomes flops, and how to position yourself for both influence and income.
If you're tired of copying trends and want to build something original that actually resonates, this episode is your blueprint.
Check out Oren here here:
https://www.instagram.com/orenmeetsworld/
https://www.youtube.com/ @orenmeetsworld
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Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:10 - Brand Storytelling in 2025
2:31 - TV series content
4:01 - Creative vs Content Quality
5:39 - brands crushing in 2025
7:08 - World Building
11:17 - Tarte Cosmetic brand trips
12:54 - $100k Artlist Giveaway
13:46 - Value vs Entertainment creators
16:17 - Embracing the flop
17:53 - Formats that win on social
19:25 - Do carousels still work?
21:01 - Why video wins
23:15 - Merging value and entertainment
24:07 - How to go from value to entertainment content
25:18 - Building in public
26:37 - What brands miss the mark on
28:11 - Cannes Festival
29:13 - LinkedIn
30:29 - Creating content while working a 9-5
32:03 - Oren’s first brand deal
32:48 - You just gotta be hotter
34:04 - Fitness talk
35:36 - Dialing in positioning
39:45 - How to crush facebook ads
41:17 - Creative Volume
42:34 - The photoshoot playbook
45:34 - The Laker’s content playbook
46:59 - Why Oren uses Notion
48:46 - Don’t copy the biggest brands if you want to win
50:02 - How to build real community
51:50 - How to crush live events
52:55 - Your environment matters
56:21 - Cost to content
57:29 - Hiring
58:43 - Oren’s YouTube strategy
1:02:36 - People still underestimate the creator economy
1:05:01 - The TikTok Shop playbook
1:05:42 - A.I. ads
1:07:50 - Cultivating an audience that wants to buy
1:10:35 - Breaking down the 505 brand
1:20:10 - A.I. software that Oren uses
1:21:49 - Quality vs. Quantity
1:22:30 - How Luxury brands can win on social
1:23:22 - Oren’s clothing brand
1:26:31 - What Oren’s learned from making his own products
1:29:28 - How men vs. women shop
1:31:36 - Men’s bags
1:34:12 - The next 6-12 months
1:35:06 - Advice to your 18 year old self
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