Institutional Repository UIN Sunan Kalijaga YogyakartaPERSONAL BRANDING MAS DOLAN MELALUI AKUN INSTAGRAM @DOLAN.AJA DALAM MEMBANGUN ENGAGEMENT AUDIENSNIM.: 21107030054Muhammad Zidan ArkaanauthorThe rapid development of social media has made Personal branding an essential strategy for building identity and fostering audience engagement. One travel influencer who has successfully established a personal brand through Instagram is Mas Dolan via the @dolan.aja account. This study aims to identify and describe Mas Dolan's Personal branding efforts in building audience engagement. This research employed a descriptive qualitative approach. Data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews with Mas Dolan, five active followers of the @dolan.aja Instagram account, and source triangulation involving an expert. The data were analyzed using the Miles and Huberman interactive model based on Peter Montoya's eight concepts of Personal branding. The findings reveal that Mas Dolan's Personal branding is built through specialization in hidden gem tourism content in Yogyakarta and Central Java, informative content delivery, an authentic communication style, and consistent personal identity since 2021. These characteristics are reinforced by a careful destination curation process based on personal experience and educational messages promoting responsible tourism, which enhance audience trust. As a result, this Personal branding strategy generates high audience engagement, as reflected in likes, comments, shares, and saves, while positioning @dolan.aja as a primary travel reference for its followers. Therefore, authentic, consistent, and value-oriented Personal branding effectively fosters a strong relationship between Mas Dolan and his audience.302.231 Media Komunikasi, Media Massa, Media Sosial2026-08-11UIN SUNAN KALIJAGA YOGYAKARTA;FAKULTAS ILMU SOSIAL DAN HUMANIORAThesis

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