If you’re reading this and are not an American male you can be forgiven for asking “Who is Bill Simmons?” If you are an American male and are asking the same question, please take a minute to reconfirm qualifiers one and two.

For those of you who don’t know, Bill Simmons works for ESPN and writes the popular Page 2 Sports Guy column and is host of the B.S. Report podcast.  He’s also the author of two books “Now I Can Die in Peace” chronicling the 2004 Red Sox run to the World Series title, and “The Book of Basketball” just released.

Born and raised on the east coast, Bill Simmons broke on to the scene with his popular sports blog The Boston Sports Guy where he riffed on the Boston sports scene, writing from the perspective of a passionate fan rather than an insider sports reporter.  His passion, humor and intertwining of pop culture references with sports analysis through humorous analogies made him a must-read for red-blooded New England males. Finally, someone had captured the authentic voice of the sports enthusiast.

He now has a tremendous following. His podcast is reportedly downloaded 2 million times a month on ESPN.com, he has nearly 1 million followers on Twitter, and his latest book debuted at number 5 on the New York Times Non-Fiction Bestseller list.

His success is fascinating and, I believe, instructive.

If you’re looking to create your personal brand online, or build a reputation for your brand online, and feel like you’re facing an uphill battle, the Bill Simmons story should give you a valuable blueprint for achieving the success you’re after online.

Here are some things worth taking from Bill Simmons when it comes to your social media strategy.

There is no such thing as a crowded niche. You may look at your niche as an opportunity for building your personal brand and say “there are already so many people doing this” that it isn’t worth doing.  Simmons proves you wrong.  You’d be hard pressed to find another topic more thoroughly covered than the Boston sports scene.  With the Boston Globe, Herald, NESN (a New England sports network), and other outlets clamoring over the latest news, it would be easy to look at Boston sports and say “there isn’t any room here for me.”  Bill Simmons didn’t look at it that way – he saw an opportunity in a crowded space, because his take was different from everyone else.  Writing as a fan separated him from the rest.Need another example?  Gary Vaynerchuk, the poster child of social media, broke into the well covered wine reviewing niche, by switching from written, stuffy reviews to irreverent video blogs that spoke to the masses.  Bottom line? No niche is too crowded for a refreshing and unique take on things.

Authenticity rules. Simmons isn’t afraid to call out a player, coach or team for terrible play.  He expresses his passions and doesn’t mince words.  He’s not hateful, and he couches his criticisms in his sarcastic humor; but make no mistake, he calls them like he sees them.  This is different than sports reporters who coddle athletes in order to get the access and quotes they need to get their stories for the paper.  As an outsider, Simmons had no connections to preserve.  He could call them like he saw them.   Stay true to your beliefs and you’ll resonate with people who share them.

Make the experience enjoyable and familiar. Perhaps Simmons’ biggest success is his ability to write and connect with readers and podcast listeners as if he were your friend.  In fact, my brother and I were commenting that it’s hard to believe Simmons is so popular, because he has the ability to make you feel like you’re just one of the guys talking with him about sports.  Sure there are 2 million other people that feel the same way as you; but that’s the magic of his style.

How can you make your readers and listeners feel like they’re on the inside?  How can you make them feel like you’re sharing with them the way that you’d share and talk with your closest friends?  That feeling is invaluable and draws people in and makes them care about you.  When people care they help spread the word and build your momentum, without you having to ask or promote your agenda.

When Simmons compares the New York Knicks to Survivor or the Real World/Road Rules Challenge he makes analogies that are easy to understand and that are enjoyable.  They’re also damn funny.  What can you do to tie your experience and stories back to familiar parts of people’s lives?

Create with a sense of humor. Some people are funnier than others.  But even if you’re not a comedic genius you can still create content and tell stories with a bent towards humor.  As I’ve been told in my Toastmasters classes, humor always wins.  And it’s true.  What funny stories can you weave into your content to make it enjoyable to read?  Can you get a laugh or a chuckle or a smirk out of your readers?  Give it a shot and see what happens.

Bill Simmons taught me a lot about what it means to build your personal brand.  He taught me that there is no such thing as a niche that is too crowded. He taught me that a different perspective, a sense of humor and the ability to tell a good story among friends go a long way to connecting with people in a world where we feel more marketed to each day.  Authenticity, connections and humor.  Not a bad recipe if you ask me.  Give it a shot, and see if you can find your unique voice that connects with the people you want to reach.

What do you think? Who are you learning from online?

Update: The New York Times wrote a piece about Bill Simmons on Sunday about how he’s changed the definition of a sports journalist.  Great read.