#396: How to Promote Yourself Without Destroying Your Premium Brand

Jan 6, 2026

January is a prime time for freelancers to dive into cost-effective advertising as competition fades. Many creatives fear that ads might tarnish their premium brand, but strong messaging is what truly matters. Paid ads can be a game-changer for those looking to attract clients quickly. Brian explores strategies to maintain a luxury brand image while embracing advertising, highlighting successful tactics used by high-end brands. Scaling your business means being visible and proactive in your marketing efforts, especially when referrals slow down.

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INSIGHT

Demand Strengthens Your Brand

Advertising strengthens strong brands by creating more demand.
Increased demand lets freelancers raise prices and be selective.

INSIGHT

Messaging, Not Ads, Determines Value

Ads don't cheapen a brand; poor messaging does.
Good ads help a business while bad ads can damage it.

ADVICE

Treat Selling As Marketing Work

Accept that selling anything creates a marketing requirement.
Learn who needs your service, why they need it, and how to reach them.

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It’s January. You know what that means?

Well, it might be “panic about how slow the holidays were” time.

But for smart freelancers? It’s the start of our favorite season: cheap AF ads.

The holidays are insanely expensive and competitive for paid ads.

Black Friday, Christmas, end of year deals - it’s a marketing free-for-all that drives up costs and makes it nearly impossible to be heard.

The beginning of the year is the complete opposite. The noise has died down and in its place is a golden opportunity for freelancers.

With fewer businesses competing for attention, the cost to reach your ideal clients plummets, making it easier than ever to generate leads and clients for your business.

You know this, but in the back of your head you have this fear….

“If I run ads, won’t it cheapen my image or damage my brand?”

This is one of the top toxic beliefs that freelancers have, and today I want to call it out and address it.

Here’s why…

We just brought a new client into our coaching program and he’s making half a million dollars a year as a freelancer.

He still has capacity for clients - but this was one of the hardest closes I’ve ever had.

Not because he didn’t trust us. Not because he couldn’t afford it.

But because he was concerned that paid ads would damage his brand.

Reality check: Ads do not hurt strong brands. Bad messaging hurts brands.

This episode takes a deep dive into How to Promote Yourself Without Destroying Your Premium Brand.

Because if:

Rolex can spend $100 million per year advertising their watches…
Birkin bags sell for $300,000 and have a six-year wait list but Hermès still runs paid ads…
What makes YOUR freelance business so special?

The answer: it’s not. And you can absolutely run paid ads in a way that actually grows your brand reputation.

There’s a specific reason I’m bringing this up now…

Next week, we’re offering something special to a handful of freelancers.

And it MIGHT have something to do with us giving you $500 to spend on ads, so you can test completely risk free and find a profitable strategy without spending a dime of your own money on ads.

You’ll get more info about that soon, but for now listen to this episode.

For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/396