Aligning category and archetype in your narrative

If you took a look at your LinkedIn feed of the last three years, a monumental effort I would imagine, you would probably find patterns. Types of posts, topics presented, and tone of voice would emerge as recurrent. Now imagine that another person did the same with your feed. They would mentally organise what you have produced and, as a consequence, they would form a general idea of who you are and what you stand for. They would form an archetype of you with specific characteristics and, hopefully, a role that makes you relevant for them.

This is where category and archetype meet. Category is the mental drawer you want to own in your audience’s mind. Archetype is the part you play inside that drawer, the recognisable role that makes your presence legible and memorable. Strong personal brands align these two: you select a category, then encode it through a consistent role that the audience can instantly read. In brand terms, you help people reduce cognitive load: you choose the meaning you want to stand for, and you deliver it in a form their mind already understands.

Three useful archetypes to consider

the rebel hero

This role challenges stale consensus, questions shared wisdom, or reframes threats and risks. Use it when your proposal promises new rules or a new lens on reality. Think of Rubén Gisbert, an activist YouTube figure who contests dominant narratives including those about the Russia-Ukraine war; singer-songwriter Lorenzo Jovanotti, who offers a soft protest grounded in love and peace against a material and egoistic worldview; and YouTuber MrBeast, whose unusual challenges question the status quo of entertainment and digital-scale philanthropy. The styles differ, the stance is the same: name what others ignore and dramatise a better possibility.

the inspirational leader

This role moves hearts first, then minds. It fits categories centred on purpose, culture, and human potential. Simon Sinek connects leaders’ actions to a deeper why and helps resolve the tension between ambition and integrity. Gary Vaynerchuk inspires through lived experience and steady encouragement, inviting people to pursue a meaningful approach to business. If your proposal is humanistic leadership or values-driven entrepreneurship, this role gives people a reason to care and a vision to join.

the curator, the one of us

On LinkedIn many professionals mainly share others’ articles, talks, and posts. Far from passive, this is a clear role with a specific point of view: I am a peer who scouts for useful ideas and passes them on with context. The underlying sentiment is hope and aspiration, an invitation to become better together. When your proposal is to act as a community guide or an industry translator, consistent curation builds trust and identification. Add a short note on why it matters, so your audience learns your lens, not just your feed.

Of course there are more roles you can play, depending on your proposal: the knowledgeable expert who shares hard-won insights, the populariser who makes complex topics accessible, the architect who designs paths others can follow. The point is to choose one primary role that naturally encodes the promise of your category.

Why you cannot be all at once

Archetypes are pattern makers. Once people recognise you through a role, they file you in a category accordingly. Abrupt switches create narrative dissonance, because audiences have already learned how to read you. Reality is not black and white: you can make occasional incursions into adjacent roles, but you carry the aura of your established archetype wherever you go. Respect that invisible perimeter or you will confuse the very people you want to serve. The reward for staying within a thoughtful perimeter is familiarity, coherence, and, as a consequence, affection.

A practical sequence to align role and category

• Name your category, the drawer you want to own, expressed in simple, audience-centric language.
• Choose one primary archetype, the role that best encodes your promise and emotional tone.
• Define two or three narrative axes, for example problem, change, vision, conflict, and repeat them across talks, posts, and conversations.
• Craft one or two signature stories that embody who you are, what you stand for, and why it matters.
• Deliver consistently across contexts, let the same role and messages accumulate in people’s minds over time.