The Sona Academy
The Persona Setup Series
Ten short videos that take you from a blank template to a persona your whole team can talk to — profile, personality, goals, challenges, and beyond.
- 10 episodes
- ~4 min total
- with Nosipho Nwigbo
Episodes
Scroll for more- Episode 1
How to Set Up The Profile of a Persona
Duration 0:18 - Episode 2
Setting Up Persona Personality to Understanding How You Persona Shows Up
Duration 0:41 - Episode 3
Setting Up Persona Goals Is Really About Understanding What Drives People
Duration 0:54 - Episode 4
How to set up Persona Challenges
Duration 0:45 - Episode 5
How to Set Up Persona Motivations
Duration 0:10 - Episode 6
Creating a Persona Schedule
Video coming soon — read the article - Episode 7
Creating Channels for a Persona Is Really About Knowing Where They Show Up
Duration 0:19 - Episode 8
How to Set Up Media Preferences for Your Persona
Duration 0:16 - Episode 9
Setting Up Brand Preferences Helps You Understand What People Trust
Duration 0:21 - Episode 10
Setting Up a Persona Language Profile
Duration 0:19
Deep dives
Sona in practice — playbooks
9 playbooks- Communication
Rehearse difficult conversations before they happen
Practise salary talks, feedback and client boundaries with a persona that mirrors real life triggers for high-stakes moments.
Read playbook - Research
Research repository and insight activation—ask your archive
Turn interviews and reports into a living, queryable memory so teams get answers without another 80-page PDF nobody reads.
Read playbook - Education
Education and curriculum design—from the learner's seat
Find drop-off moments and overwhelming modules by modelling real learners—so completion improves before you relaunch the course.
Read playbook - Strategy
Strategic positioning and market entry, stress-tested early
Model region-specific personas to compare reactions to pricing, tone, and trust—before you commit budget to a launch that might miss culturally.
Read playbook - Luxury
Luxury and fashion—calibrate aspiration before the campaign
Test whether storytelling feels exclusive or try-hard by grounding reactions in identity psychology—not only boardroom taste.
Read playbook - Stakeholder research
VOC and stakeholder buy-in—rehearse before the room
Model a real stakeholder's priorities and pushback so you walk into meetings with fewer surprises and stronger framing.
Read playbook - Hiring
HR and talent acquisition—see hiring through candidates' eyes
Stress-test job posts and offers with an ideal-candidate persona so you fix gaps before strong applicants quietly scroll past.
Read playbook - Healthcare
Healthcare and patient experience—meet people emotionally
Explore fears, adherence barriers, and trust in plain language so communications land before rollout—not only when metrics dip.
Read playbook - Marketing
Marketing messaging that sounds like your audience
Test headlines and copy with a research-backed persona before you spend—so your message lands in your customers' language, not only yours.
Read playbook