What does it mean to be authentic?

Flipping the question on its head, we all know what the opposite looks like. We know the feeling of listening to an overly rehearsed response, or dealing with highly polished individuals. We know how much it turns us off when every email sounds like a PhD thesis.

This type of formality, although it still has its place, should no longer be our default. In the modern era, it’s simply not how people want to communicate.

There’s a reason Joe Rogan has built one of the largest platforms in the world, nearly entirely by himself. There’s a reason Elon Musk continues to tweet, despite the numerous times he’s gotten himself in hot water, and that the Barstool Sports team is able to grow at such an incredible rate despite seemingly just being themselves.

The super stuffy and formal style had its day. It fit when there were limited communication outlets and the stakes on every piece of content were so high.

But that’s not the world we live in now.

If we want to effectively get the message across to our audience today, it needs to be authentic. It needs to be honest. And it needs to sound like it’s coming from a real person.

-Brandon