Why I’ve Been Replacing the Word “Authentic” with “Empathetic” 🤔
There’s a reason I’ve been replacing the word “authentic” with “empathetic” in a lot of my posts & writing. 🤔👇
“Authenticity” is becoming a more and more muddled term, having turned from a legitimate suggestion to a buzzword for trendy marketing.
The irony is that the most authentic posts are often the ones that seem to almost defy “good marketing” strategies. ☝️
They are usually the posts which may:
✅ Be more personal, less business-focused
✅ Employ humor just for the sake of it
✅ Have no obvious “marketing angle”
✅ Express humility & empathy
✅ Not lead directly to sales or transactions
(The keyword here is “directly” — because it may indirectly lead to amazing sales & business opportunities!) 💸
The problem right now — it seems to me — is that “authenticity” has become a desired tactic, like going viral. 📈
In this new type of desire, real authenticity seems to have taken a bit of a backseat to “formulaic authenticity” — the kind of authenticity that arguably fits the most stringent definition, but nevertheless feels hollow & contrived.
But like so many things in life, you simply can’t predict when you’re gonna go viral — it just happens. ⚡
And the same is true for some of the most important parts of authenticity.
If you overthink what authenticity is — if you try to mass-produce it on an assembly-line writing process — you’re not going to come across as authentic.
Real authenticity has an air of serendipity about it — it’s not pre-planned or cookie-cutter.
So then the question becomes:
How do you find the kind of authenticity which you DO want to integrate in your messaging?
How do you come across as truly authentic in your content when you can’t rely on a 1–2–3–step process?
Try employing empathy. 🙌🧐
Share, support, comment, & engage with the people around you and in your content.
Would you wanna connect with a person who’s relying on fabricated “authenticity” or one whose real authenticity comes out in their empathy?
For me, it’s the second option, no contest. 👍
See what happens when you replace the word “authenticity” with “empathy” — see how it not only enhances your content, but really makes it feel more personal & authentic.
Maybe that’ll help to shed the buzzword-trend we’ve been seeing lately. 🙂
