Thought Leaders Are Encouraged to Share Personal Stories — But Can It Go Too Far? Use These 3 Tips to Open Up Without Oversharing

Thought leadership is one of the most robust marketing strategies for long-term growth for entrepreneurs. When leaders invest the time and budget to strengthen their personal branding through thought leadership, it grows their business opportunities.

According to a study by Semrush, 91.4% of organizations that engage in thought leadership create articles as part of their content strategy. This helps establish credibility, with almost half of companies (48.7%) using in-house and external experts to enhance their thought leadership presence.

But thought leadership also extends to personal branding: A survey by Thinkers360 shows that 85% of B2B decision-makers consider thought leadership content important for making purchasing decisions. It also drives key business benefits like customer trust (84%) and competitive differentiation (83%). Entrepreneurs leveraging thought leadership boost their brand while driving long-term customer relationships and sales growth for their businesses.

This is because people like to do business with people. The founder or CEO is the “face” of the company, with whom people can interact and relate. However, you can’t have personal branding without the “personal” side. People can’t relate, interact and connect with you and your content if you’re not authentic.

Leveraging your personal stories, values and expertise through thought leadership is a great way to build authenticity and trust with your community. The stronger and more authentic your community is, the stronger the business opportunities will be.

Related: 10 Ways to Be an Authentic Entrepreneur and Sell Your Best Self

When does authenticity go too far?

There is no doubt about the importance of authenticity in building relationships in business. But can it go too far? Absolutely.

LinkedIn consultants are very vocal about the usage of authenticity in the platform, and many argue that it can be overdone or appear performative.

Mandy McEwen, a LinkedIn trainer, stresses the need for balance in her interview at the “Live Better Sell Better Podcast.” According to her, authenticity should be genuine and strategic, fostering real connections while staying professional and aligning with business goals. Thought leaders should engage with content and conversations that are directly relevant to their industry and target audience — that is the key to avoiding the trap of seeming inauthentic or off-brand.

I agree. Your thought leadership content strategy should be well balanced between educating, enlightening, entertaining and promoting your company without losing sight of your main message.

Consistently promoting your main message builds authenticity and trust, which leads to growth.

It’s also an easy way for people to connect with your topics and build community. Personal posts are important because they show a human side to the business persona — but when this side is pushed harder than the other, you might lose your audience and water down your main message.

How to avoid overdoing authenticity in thought leadership?

To avoid overdoing authenticity, try to find the right balance between personal and professional content. Overdoing it can look:

• Intimate stories about health issues or relationship problems that feel like a Facebook post. If so, it should be on Facebook and not LinkedIn. If you share an intimate story, ensure they are appropriate for a professional setting and provide actionable insights or reflect on how the experience contributed to professional growth.
• Vulnerability without professional relevance. Sharing struggles or dramatic life events can generate sympathy, but remember to tie them back to meaningful, professional lessons. Without that, your posts might sound more self-serving than value-driven.

Don’t allow one content pillar, like personal anecdotes, to overshadow your industry insights. You can humanize your brand by sharing personal stories or experiences, such as a post about getting a new puppy. But these posts shouldn’t dominate your content strategy.

Related: How Brands Can Embrace Authenticity in a World Craving Transparency

Here are my tips for managing authenticity without overdoing it:

• Keep industry-relevant content as your core topic, holiday pictures second. Entertain your audience with expert insights, tips and thought leadership around your core topic, and sprinkle in personal anecdotes to show your human side. A 70-30 ratio (70% professional, 30% personal) works well for many leaders.
• Weave in your main message on personal posts. If you share something personal, connect it to a lesson or insight related to your work. For example, you can share how your puppy taught you patience by tying that into the importance of patience in business.
• Don’t focus on vanity likes. Personal posts can boost engagement, especially on LinkedIn — yes, we all love the dozens of likes we get for sharing holiday photos or even a smiling selfie on our feeds. Beware of superficial connections and instead build a community around your industry expertise leveraging your thought leadership.

Balancing these three points helps to ensure you build an authentic presence without compromising the core professional message that your audience seeks. Remember: While authenticity alone is not enough to sustain a long-term content strategy, it’s one of the most crucial building blocks to engaging with your audience and growing your business.