The Authenticity Premium

Our best-performing Qnary posts often start as ideas in our monthly content strategy calls.

For instance, I spoke with a CMO who told me about his leadership team’s recent week at Harvard Business School—and how it took him back to his college days. “Imagine the entire executive leadership team of a Fortune 500 company bunking in college dorm rooms together,” he laughed.

I told him, “That’s the hook of your next post!”

While we later talked about more serious business learnings from the week at Harvard, that personal anecdote—and his willingness to not take himself too seriously—was key to the post’s success. Why? Because it was authentically him. He wasn’t trying to write a post; he was just having a conversation.

So how do you work with your Qnary Client Success Manager to craft more genuine, engaging posts? Here are 5 simple ways.

5 Easy Ways to Make Your Social Content Authentic

1. Tell a story.
As we saw in the example of the CMO’s trip to Harvard, great storytelling connects with your audience in a meaningful way. From campfires to boardrooms, storytelling has always been the most powerful way to share an idea.

2. Include "I" statements.
Your high school English teacher may have told you to avoid them—but on social media, “I” statements make your posts more personal, and personality is what signals authenticity.

3. Share photos.
One picture is worth a thousand words, especially online. In the CMO example, photos of the leadership team’s trip to Harvard made the post feel real, relatable, and human.

4. Take creative liberties with style and grammar.
What might be a faux pas in academic writing is essential to authenticity on social media. Your quirks - such as preference for a hyphen over an em-dash - are part of your authentic voice. Those imperfections are what make it yours.

5. End with data and insights.
Authenticity becomes even more powerful when paired with credibility. Credibility comes from data, research, expert voices, and real-world examples. In the CMO’s case, his post ended with a quote from a Harvard professor:

“Leadership is about what happens inside another individual when they are with you.”

He began with authenticity—a funny dorm-room anecdote. He ended with credibility—a powerful quote. Together, both messages became more impactful.

A Core Belief: People Connect with People

Authenticity is about being true to your own personality, spirit, and character. At its core, it’s about being a person first.

At Qnary, we believe people connect with people before they connect with companies or brands. While businesses often invest heavily in corporate social media accounts, our research has shown that leaders’ individual profiles consistently outperform their organizations’. Why? Because social networks are built for people—and people connect through authenticity.

Ready to elevate your executive online presence?
Click here to request a free analysis of your online presence or shoot us a note at [email protected]. 🐤