We first wrote about personal branding online in 2016. My former colleague Caroline had spoken to professional coaches, university professors, news leaders and even a former BBC technology correspondent about the power of social media platforms to connect journalists with audiences and contacts they'd never otherwise reach. Twitter was still called Twitter, Facebook hadn't yet pulled the rug from beneath the news industry, and we had high hopes for Snapchat.

Developing a personal brand, they all posited, would help journalists build their own reputations and that of their employer. And there were already concerns about the blurring of professional and personal content.

What has really changed in the last 10 years? A lot of the advice still holds: don't post anything on the internet you don't want prospective bosses to see, don't violate your employer's social media policies, maintain a consistent voice across your different platforms.

But does having a personal brand matter for journalists today, and if so, what are the new rules of engagement?

Two key changes: Influencers and AI

I put that question to Steph Spyro, deputy political editor and environment editor at The Daily Express. She runs a TikTok and Instagram account sharing behind-the-scenes tidbits and insights aimed at general audiences, while her Off The Record newsletter, published directly on LinkedIn and Substack, helps PRs and comms folk understand how journalism works. You could put those accounts into two buckets of two - she is making the most of these opportunities.

Both approaches seek to demystify how journalism operates, but for very different audiences and reasons. Both build her brand in different ways, with a shared purpose.

@stephspyro

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"Personal branding used to mean career development, so things like building your profile, getting your name out there and establishing yourself as an expert in a particular area. Now, it's more about distribution," Spyro explains in an email to JUK.