Pulling Punches: Why a Branded Email Address Is Non-Negotiable for Building a Professional Personal Brand

In this week’s Pulling Punches episode of KO Your Brand, personal branding and PR expert Katrina Owens explains why a branded email address is non-negotiable if you’re serious about growing a professional personal brand.

Still using a Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook, or Me.com email address for your business? Katrina shares exactly how it damages your credibility, decreases your perceived value, and sends the wrong message to potential clients, podcast hosts, event organizers, and press contacts.

In this episode, Katrina breaks down:

• Why a free email address undermines your brand authority (even if your services are top-notch)
• How a branded email address immediately elevates trust, professionalism, and brand recognition
• The critical technical advantage: better deliverability and avoiding the spam folder
• How to quickly set up a branded email address through Google Workspace, Zoho Mail, and other platforms
• The mindset shift: If you want to be paid like an expert, you need to show up like an expert
• Insights from Katrina’s recent feature in Business.com on building a credible online presence

Whether you’re pitching media, applying for speaking gigs, or just emailing a new client — your brand infrastructure matters.

Links & Resources:

• Book a Discovery Call with Katrina: https://calendly.com/knockoutdirective/30min
• Read Katrina's Business.com article: https://www.business.com/articles/reasons-why-every-entrepreneur-needs-a-branded-email-address/
• Follow Katrina on IG: https://www.instagram.com/katrinaowenspr/
• Follow KO Your Brand on IG: https://www.instagram.com/koyourbrand/
• Visit the site: www.knockoutdirective.com