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    • When Being Good at Your Job Isn’t Enough: Claudius and the PR Problem of Optics

      Image source: Pinterest

      If Elagabalus showed us what happens when you target the wrong audience, then Claudius shows us something even more frustrating:

      Sometimes your audience doesn’t want authenticity.

      Continuing our series on Roman PR techniques… let’s talk about how Claudius accidentally became the case study for “excellent product, shallow market.”

      👥 Authenticity Only Works When the Audience Cares

      Modern branding lives off authenticity, continuity, reliability, transparency, all the traits Claudius had in spades.

      According to research in Brand Authenticity: Towards a Deeper Understanding of Its Conceptualization and Measurement, audiences trust brands that show consistency and genuine intention. And consumer studies today emphasize that people crave credibility and relatability in public figures.

      But here’s the catch:
      Authenticity only lands if your audience values it.
      If they’re shallow? It bounces right off.

      Enter: Rome.

      🏛️ Who Was Claudius? (For When You Ditched History Again~)
      • Born 10 BC, unexpectedly became emperor at 50 after Caligula’s assassination.
      • Physically disabled (a limp, a tremor, a stutter), which Romans interpreted as weakness.
      • A nerd. A historian. A scholar.
      • Loved administration (yes, genuinely).
      • Expanded the empire, reformed the bureaucracy, stabilized finances, and revived traditional rites.
      • Public opinion? Mixed at best. Elite opinion? Mostly contempt.

      As Suetonius notes in The Twelve Caesars, Claudius was mocked for his appearance and mannerisms long before he ever sat on the throne, and even after he proved himself competent, many still couldn’t take him seriously.

      Modern historians echo this: despite being “an unlikely conqueror and builder,” he never fully overcame the optics problem Rome had with his body and vibe. (TheCollector.com)

      ⚡ The PR Lessons Claudius Never Signed Up For

      1. Competence ≠ Charisma

      Claudius was the opposite of spectacle. He didn’t perform power, he did the work.
      Rome wanted the performance.

      2. You Can Be Authentic… and Still Lose

      According to modern brand-authenticity research, consistency and transparency build trust, but only if the audience is open to it.
      Rome saw his authenticity as awkwardness.

      3. Optics Override Outcomes (When Audiences Are Shallow)

      Claudius expanded Rome’s territory, strengthened imperial administration, and restored stability.
      But Romans kept fixating on the limp, the stutter, the nerdiness.
      Image > impact.

      4. Your Values Might Not Be Your Audience’s Values

      Claudius valued competence, reason, and tradition.
      Rome valued masculinity, bravado, elegance, and presence.
      Mismatch = PR disaster.

      💡 What PR Pros Should Learn
      • Authenticity only works when the audience rewards authenticity.
      • Even a strong “product” fails if the market is driven by aesthetics, not substance.
      • Optics matter, not because they reflect truth, but because they shape perception.
      • Know what your audience idealizes before assuming sincerity will win them over.

      Claudius was a reliable, competent, stabilizing leader.
      It didn’t matter.
      Rome didn’t want a nerd who did paperwork. They wanted a god-king who looked good doing nothing.

      💬 Your Turn

      Whose public image do you think suffered because audiences cared more about looks and vibes than actual competence?

      And for our next Roman PR breakdown… are we diving into Caligula’s over-exposure problem or Nero’s brand collapse through spectacle?

      Comment below and let’s pick the finale together. 🏛️✨

    • When Your Audience Isn’t Your Audience: Elagabalus and the PR Problem of Demographics

      Image source: Pinterest

      If Augustus shows us how to build a brand that resonates with a tough crowd, then Elagabalus shows us what happens when you build a brand no one asked for 🙂

      This one is for PR pros: ever wondered why a campaign flops? It’s often not what you say, but who you’re saying it to.

      Continuing our series on Roman PR techniques… we’ll dive into why Elagabalus’ reign is a textbook in mis-targeting.

      👥 Demographics Matter

      In modern marketing, defining your target audience isn’t a nice extra, it’s the foundation of strategy. According to Harvard Business School, understanding who you’re talking to helps you adapt messaging and avoid wasted spend.

      And as Salesforce explains, failing to define your audience leaves people asking “Who is this for?” rather than “Where do I sign up?”

      In short: you can have bold ideas, original voice, strong visuals, but if you don’t align with the audience’s values, you lose.

      🏛️ Who Was Elagabalus? (For When You Ditched History~)
      • Born Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus (c. 204), became emperor at 14.
      • High priest of the Syrian sun-god Elagabal; attempted to elevate that cult in Rome.
      • His reign was marked by religious overhaul, gender non-conformity, and flamboyant spectacle that offended the Roman elite and military alike.
      • Result: by 222, the Praetorian Guard (his own bodyguards!~) killed him, unable to reconcile his “brand” with Rome’s demographic expectations.
      ⚡ The Mistakes That Give Modern Brands Nightmares

      1. Brand misalignment

      Elagabalus tried to make Rome him, rather than making himself for Rome. He forced a brand onto a demographic that hadn’t bought in.

      2. Ignored audience identity

      Rome valued tradition, hierarchy, masculine authority. Elagabalus presented something radically different. That can work, only if the audience is ready. He didn’t check.

      3. Mistook shock for loyalty

      Lavish parties, religious revolution, gender expression, yes, bold. But attention ≠ trust. His audience felt alienated, not inspired.

      💡 What PR Pros Should Learn
      • Define your audience first. Know who you need to resonate with and why.
      • Tailor your brand to their readiness, not just your creative vision.
      • Don’t confuse spectacle with strategy. Big visuals matter, but only if they reinforce meaning for your audience.
      • You can be bold, but you can’t ignore context. Elagabalus didn’t adapt; he disregarded.
      💬 Your Turn

      Which modern brand or public figure do you think completely mis-read their audience?
      And if we keep this series going, who should I cover next, Caligula and over-exposure, or Nero and the brand collapse through spectacle?
      Comment below and we’ll pick together. 🏛️✨

    • Crisis PR and the Power of Reinvention: What Brands Can Learn From Emperor Augustus

      Image source: Pinterest

      FUN FACT😮✨: The “Augustus of Primaporta” (the image shown above) is one of the most famous examples of ancient catfishing! An older emperor still needing to appear strong and capable to his people through statues, times never change huh?

      In PR, we talk about image, how it forms, how it fractures, and how it’s rebuilt.
      But long before brands fought for market share, one man perfected the art of reputation management:

      Augustus.
      Rome’s first emperor.
      History’s quiet PR mastermind.

      This isn’t a history lecture.
      This is a lesson in strategic image-making, using Augustus as the case study.

      🎭 Why Image Still Rules Everything

      Brand image, as Išoraitė explains, is “the sum of beliefs, ideas, and impressions” held in the audience’s mind, not the brand’s own description of itself .

      Park, Jaworski, and MacInnis add that successful brands maintain a “concept-image”: a cohesive identity that aligns with audience expectations and emotional needs .

      In other words:

      A brand is not what you say it is, it’s what people decide it is.

      Augustus understood this intuitively.

      🏛️ Augustus: A Rebrand in Real Time

      After Rome’s civil wars, Augustus inherited a reputation drenched in violence.
      He didn’t deny it, he rewrote it.

      Pollok’s research shows how he used symbols, monuments, religious messaging, and cultural storytelling to cast himself as the bringer of stability and moral renewal, exactly what Rome wanted to believe after decades of chaos .

      He turned his rise to power into a narrative of peace.

      That is PR.

      🪙 Consistency Is the Strategy

      Park’s model stresses consistency across all touchpoints.
      Augustus delivered.

      Coins featured divine favor and youthful strength.
      Statues portrayed calm authority.
      Architecture embodied order and continuity.

      Wallace-Hadrill’s analysis of Augustan coinage reveals how even currency served as brand collateral, reinforcing legitimacy with every transaction in the empire .

      He made his message inescapable, but not aggressive.
      Subtle repetition did the work.

      🔥 Reframing Crisis, Not Hiding It

      Augustus’ rise was violent. Everyone knew it.
      Instead of burying that narrative, he transformed it:

      • The wars became a necessary step toward peace.
      • His power became a protective duty.
      • His rule, a restoration, not a takeover.

      He turned a legitimacy crisis into a redemption arc.

      Modern PR uses the same play:
      own the narrative before the narrative owns you.

      💡 What We Should Learn From Him

      Here’s the takeaway for PR practitioners:

      1. Lead with the story your audience needs.

      Augustus sold stability, not supremacy.

      2. Stay visually and emotionally consistent.

      Identity works when every touchpoint repeats the same message.

      3. Reframe the crisis, don’t run from it.

      Control the interpretation, and you control the memory.

      4. People follow feelings, not logic.

      Rome didn’t analyze Augustus, it trusted him.

      Tools evolve.
      Human psychology does not.

      💬 Your Turn

      Which figure, ancient or modern, do you think pulled off the best reinvention?
      And who should I break down next: Nero, Caligula, Antony?

      Comment below, let’s keep the series going. 🏛️✨

    • When Personalities Become Products: The PR Problem with ‘Main Character’ Energy

      Image source: Pinterest

      There was a time when “main character” meant protagonist, a person you watched from afar, guided by story and structure. Now, it’s an aesthetic, a TikTok trend, a punchline, a plea. Everyone wants to be the main character, spotlit, stylized, singular.

      But in the age of personal branding, where personalities are monetized and identities are shaped for consumption, there’s a growing tension between self-expression and self-commodification. What happens when “authenticity” becomes a strategy? When your story becomes a product?

      Let’s talk about the PR problem with main character energy.

      🎭 The Rise of the Branded Self

      According to Harvard Business School, personal branding is now “essential to success in the digital age.” It’s not just for entrepreneurs or executives, it’s for all of us. From influencers to everyday users, we’re taught to package ourselves with clarity and consistency: what we post, how we speak, even the filters we use are all part of the product.

      And in many ways, it works. McKinsey found that Gen Z especially leans into this, crafting digital identities with purpose, aesthetic cohesion, and a deep desire for recognition. As their report puts it, they’re looking for main-character energy, not just to be seen, but to be centered.

      But what starts as empowerment can quietly tip into performance.

      ⚠️ When Relatability Becomes a Brand

      The problem with “main character energy” isn’t ambition. It’s the pressure to turn every moment into content. When you are the brand, nothing is off-limits. A breakup becomes a plot twist. A trauma becomes a teachable moment. Vulnerability becomes leverage.

      As Psychology Today warns, this dynamic can create “a narcissistic distortion of identity,” where we begin to value ourselves only through the lens of audience reaction. We forget how to live outside of the spotlight, or worse, we forget that we were ever more than a persona.

      It’s no longer enough to simply feel. We have to perform the feeling, post the caption, control the narrative. And in doing so, we risk losing something softer, something human.

      💡 The YouGov Reality Check

      Interestingly, not everyone’s buying the hype. A 2025 YouGov study found that while Gen Z embraces main character energy, older generations see it as “narcissistic” or “performative.” And Gen Z themselves? Many admit to feeling exhausted by it, even when they participate in it.

      We want to be seen. But not stalked. We want to be known. But not owned.

      There’s a hunger for authenticity, but also a fear that we’ve forgotten what that actually means.

      🧭 So What’s the PR Shift?

      As a brand strategist or a content creator, the takeaway is this:

      Don’t build a persona, build a presence.

      Let your online self reflect your real values, not just your highlight reel. Prioritize connection over curation. You don’t need to be the main character. You just need to be a real one.

      And if you’re in PR? Stop pushing people to perform themselves. Help them root their voice in reality, not aesthetic trends.

      Because when the applause fades and the edits stop, the person left behind should still feel whole.

      💬 Your Turn

      What’s your relationship to “main character energy”?
      Have you ever felt like your online presence became a performance?
      Or maybe you’ve found a better way to stay grounded while being seen?

      Drop your thoughts below, I want to hear how you stay real in a world that keeps asking you to act.

    • Controlled Transparency: How to Be Vulnerable Online Without Losing Yourself

      Image source: Pinterest

      There’s a fine line between honesty and oversharing, one that’s gotten blurrier in the age of digital intimacy. From “Get Ready With Me” grief confessions to tearful TikTok car rants, we’re living in a time when vulnerability gets engagement. But where do we draw the line between authenticity and exposure?

      This post is for the creators, the brand-builders, the journal-keepers-turned-influencers. You want to connect. But you also want to stay whole.

      💔 Why Vulnerability Feels So Right (and So Risky)

      In today’s online culture, we reward the real. The more honest you are, the more “relatable” you seem. As Wamprechtsamer writes, “Transparency is often equated with trustworthiness in the digital public sphere.” It makes sense, when someone shares something raw, we feel closer to them. Like we’ve been let in.

      But transparency isn’t just a window. It can be a floodgate.

      You open up, and suddenly the world assumes access. Every DM is a question. Every silence is suspicious. And your identity is now a narrative other people feel entitled to edit.

      Controlled transparency isn’t about hiding, it’s about framing. You choose what you share, why you share it, and how that story fits into the world you’re building.

      🛠 The Art of the Frame

      Vulnerability doesn’t mean telling everything. It means offering a window with intention. Think of it like lighting in a movie scene: what you choose to illuminate shapes how people interpret the moment.

      A 2024 study on online PR by Waseem et al. found that “users interpret transparency as context-dependent, trusting brands more when disclosure is purposeful rather than performative.” The same holds true for individuals. People sense when vulnerability is thoughtful… and when it’s just a thirst trap in a sad font.

      Ask yourself:

      • Am I sharing this to connect, or to cope?
      • Does this align with the values I want to project?
      • Am I ready for feedback, or do I still need privacy?

      If the answer is “I don’t know,” it’s okay to pause. You don’t owe the algorithm your heart in real-time.

      🧩 Authenticity Isn’t Rawness. It’s Coherence.

      Being “authentic” doesn’t mean live-streaming every breakdown. It means being consistent. Montecchi’s 2024 study found that perceived transparency increases trust when audiences feel the information fits a broader, believable story. Not everything you share has to be heavy, but it should make sense within your larger voice.

      If your brand is soft and reflective, your vulnerability might be a quiet journal excerpt. If your tone is bold and comedic, it might be a chaotic “hot girl mental health spiral” vlog. Either way, the container matters as much as the content.

      🧠 Protecting Your Peace

      The internet loves a good trauma plot, but healing isn’t a performance. You can be open without offering yourself up for dissection.

      Start small:

      • Use past tense instead of present when talking about sensitive topics.
      • Share the insight, not the injury.
      • Set personal red lines: topics you’ll never discuss publicly.

      And if you do choose to go deep, let it be on your terms. As Wamprechtsamer reminds us, “Transparency in online contexts must negotiate between visibility and control.” You are not a confessional booth. You are a curator of your experience.

      💬 Your Turn

      What’s one boundary you’ve set around your online presence that’s made your life better?
      Or, what’s something you’re still figuring out how to share?

      Drop it in the comments, and let’s talk about the art of being real… without unraveling.

    • Public Relations as World-Building: What Fiction Writers & Brand Strategists Have in Common

      Image source: Pinterest

      Once upon a time, brand strategy was just about slogans, color palettes, and a nice headshot. But in 2025, building a brand feels less like constructing a billboard, and more like writing a novel.

      Because let’s be honest: every strong brand is a story.
      And every good PR strategist? A world-builder in disguise.

      📚 Narrative Isn’t Optional, It’s Identity

      In fiction, world-building is the invisible scaffolding of a story: the geography, the customs, the laws of nature and nuance that make the plot believable. It’s the reason we believe in Hogwarts, in Westeros, in the neon skyline of a cyberpunk Tokyo.

      Brands work the same way.

      According to Mills and John’s research in Brand Stories: Bringing Narrative Theory to Brand Management, the strongest brands mimic fiction by rooting themselves in three elements: plot, character, and purpose. Nike isn’t just selling shoes, they’re building a narrative of human potential. Duolingo’s owl isn’t just a mascot, he’s a cheeky protagonist in your learning saga.

      When public relations is done well, the brand stops being a product and becomes a setting. Customers don’t just buy from you, they live in your world.

      💬 Storytelling Is the Strategy

      Public relations has always been about persuasion, but today’s PR isn’t just pitching a press release, it’s cultivating a sense of meaning. That’s why Cision calls storytelling “the art” of brand communications. It’s not about tricking anyone; it’s about transporting them.

      Fiction authors already know the secret: if you want people to believe in your message, make them feel like a character inside it. Don’t tell them what your brand stands for, show them through atmosphere, tone, and emotional stakes.

      AgilityPR reinforces this, noting that the most effective campaigns today are the ones that don’t feel like campaigns. They feel like confessionals, journal entries, or personal letters that happen to be shared at scale. It’s fiction’s oldest trick: make it feel true enough to cry over.

      🌍 Even Imaginary Brands Need Real Rules

      What’s fascinating is that this applies both ways. In the world of film and fiction, even fake brands need coherent identities. A 2023 research paper by Bernini and Guida explores the history of fictional brand design, from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation in “Alien” to Los Pollos Hermanos in “Breaking Bad.” These aren’t just props, they’re brands with tone, voice, visual identity, and internal logic.

      So what happens when we reverse-engineer that idea?

      If fictional brands need consistency to feel real, then real brands need story to feel alive. Your mission statement? That’s lore. Your logo? That’s a family crest. Your community engagement strategy? That’s world politics. Every campaign is a chapter.

      🧠 From Copywriting to Cartography

      Whether you’re a novelist outlining a fantasy realm or a publicist prepping for a media blitz, you’re asking the same questions:

      • Who are the characters in this world?
      • What do they want?
      • What do they believe?
      • And what makes this world feel real?

      The only difference is whether your audience is turning pages or scrolling.

      🌟 The Takeaway? PR is Storytelling With Stakes

      In both fiction and public relations, world-building is an act of empathy. It’s about giving people a place to belong, whether that’s a kingdom, a coffee brand, or a climate movement.

      So next time you’re crafting a campaign or reworking a brand’s bio, pause before listing features or stats. Instead, ask the author’s question: What world are we inviting them into?

      Because in 2025, good PR doesn’t sell a product. It offers you a passport.

      💬 Your Turn

      Have you ever loved a brand so much it felt like a fictional universe you wanted to live in? A logo you’d wear like a house sigil? Tell me in the comments, I want to celebrate the storytellers who make everyday life feel like magic.

    • The Rise of the Micro-Influencer: Small Audiences, Big Trust

      Image source: Pinterest

      Once upon a time, marketing was a volume game. The more followers, the louder the megaphone, brands poured budgets into celebrity partnerships, assuming visibility equaled credibility. But in 2025, it’s the quiet voices, the ones who know their communities by name, that are winning hearts, clicks, and conversions.

      Welcome to the era of the micro-influencer.

      🌿 Why Smaller Feels Safer

      According to Entrepreneur, micro-influencers boast engagement rates up to 60% higher than traditional macro-creators. They don’t just have followers, they have friends. Their audiences aren’t scrolling past a stranger’s sponsored post; they’re listening to someone whose taste they already trust.

      And that trust is emotional as much as it is strategic. Research from the National Library of Medicine found that micro-influencers form stronger parasocial relationships, the one-sided sense of closeness we feel with creators we admire. It’s not about celebrity worship; it’s about familiarity, when they speak, it feels like advice, not advertising.

      💡 Niche Is the New Mainstream

      As Forbes points out, micro-influencers thrive where big names can’t, inside specific worlds. Their success is built on specialization, the vintage-book reviewer who knows every rare print run, the fitness coach who focuses on postpartum recovery, the small-batch coffee blogger who can tell a roast’s origin by smell. Hell, I recently discovered a guy who posts pottery videos without saying a word–he’s my new bestie.

      When brands collaborate with these voices, they don’t just borrow credibility, they borrow culture. Micro-influencers anchor messages in real subcommunities where attention isn’t just captured, it’s cared for.

      💰 Proof in the ROI

      One CreatorsJet case study revealed a brand earning three times its return on investment by partnering solely with micro-influencers. Instead of betting everything on one big post, they spread trust across dozens of smaller creators.

      The takeaway? In an ecosystem oversaturated with ads, people crave recommendations that feel human. Authenticity scales better horizontally, through community, than vertically through fame.

      ✨ The Real Influence

      Micro-influencers remind us that influence isn’t about reach, it’s about relationship.
      They don’t broadcast, they connect.

      For PR professionals and digital storytellers, that’s a paradigm shift: from performance to participation, from commanding an audience to cultivating one.

      So next time you’re building a campaign, or even your own online presence, pause before chasing numbers. Ask instead: Do I want to be seen, or remembered?

      Because in this new marketing age, the smallest voices often tell the biggest stories.

      💬 Your Turn

      Who’s a small creator you trust more than any celebrity endorsement?
      Tag them in the comments, I’d love to celebrate the voices that make the internet feel human again.

    • Parasitic Trends: When Bandwagons Hurt Your Brand

      Image source: Pinterest

      We’ve all seen it, the same sound, the same template, the same “hot take.” For a moment, it feels like everyone’s in on the same joke. But then the magic fades, and what’s left isn’t connection, it’s noise.

      In PR and social media, it’s easy to mistake visibility for vitality, but chasing trends just because they’re viral doesn’t guarantee growth, in fact, it can quietly chip away at your brand’s identity.

      🌪️ The Problem with “Everyone’s Doing It”

      Trend-chasing often works like a sugar rush, it spikes engagement, then crashes your credibility. As Digital Journal explains, many brands try “parasite marketing,” riding on the momentum of other creators or high-traffic platforms. It works, until the host moves on.

      This kind of short-term visibility is risky. When every post becomes an imitation, the audience stops associating your brand with anything. There’s no story, just echoes of other people’s voices.

      🎯 Strategy Over Symbiosis

      The antidote? Intentionality.
      Brandwatch notes that strategy rooted in genuine voice and audience understanding always outperforms trend replication. Brands with clear tone and values don’t need to chase, they attract.

      Even when you do hop on a trend, make sure your twist is unmistakably yours. The humor, pacing, or message should reflect your core identity, not someone else’s.

      🌱 Authentic Voices Grow Slower, But Deeper

      Baer PR points out that audiences increasingly trust micro-influencers and niche creators more than flashy viral figures. Why? Because their content feels human, not engineered. They prioritize storytelling over spectacle.

      And as Diginomica highlights, authenticity in messaging is what sustains engagement long after a trend dies. Small voices with strong values outlast loud ones without roots.

      💡 So, When Should You Jump In?

      Ask yourself three questions before joining any viral wave:

      1. Does this trend align with my brand’s message?
      2. Can I add genuine value or insight to it?
      3. Will I still be proud of this post a month from now?

      If the answer to any of these is no, skip it. Let everyone else fight for surface-level visibility while you build something real beneath the noise.

      💬 Your Turn

      What’s a trend you didn’t join, and ended up glad you didn’t?
      Drop it in the comments or tag me; I’d love to feature your take in a follow-up post.

    • The Myth of the Algorithm: Why Strategy Still Beats Luck

      Image source: Pinterest

      Every few months, social media feels like it’s breaking again. One week the algorithm wants 7-second Reels, the next, it rewards 3-minute storytelling. Then someone swears “posting at 11:03 AM on Thursdays” is the secret sauce.

      But here’s the truth: no matter how much the algorithm changes, strategy still wins.

      🌐 The Illusion of Control
      We talk about “beating” the algorithm like it’s a dragon guarding our audience. But according to Sprinklr’s 2025 report on how social media algorithms work, algorithms don’t actually favor luck, they favor behavior. They amplify consistency, engagement, and clear audience signals. If your content regularly earns watch-time and conversation, it’s not luck, it’s the system doing what it’s built to do.

      🎯 Beyond the Algorithm
      The American Marketing Association Baltimore put it simply: virality isn’t a strategy. Sustainable success comes from identity, not chance. Brands that know who they’re talking to and why they’re posting outlast those who chase every new format or sound trend. The smartest marketers aren’t asking, “What does the algorithm want?” They’re asking, “What does my audience value?”

      ⚠️ When the Rules Change
      Of course, algorithm updates can cause chaos. PR News Online notes that when major shifts happen, rigid strategies tend to crack. Those who treat each post as part of a broader communications plan, however, can pivot without losing their tone or message. Strategy isn’t about resisting change, it’s about adapting with purpose.

      🤝 Community Is the Real Algorithm
      PracticalEcommerce argues that engagement rooted in community will always outperform algorithm hacks. In other words, if you build relationships, your audience will carry your content further than any platform tweak could.

      ✨ So, What’s the Real Formula?
      Here’s my take:

      • Consistency beats coincidence.
      • Purpose beats panic.
      • People beat platforms.

      Don’t chase the algorithm, study your audience, craft a story worth following.
      Because strategy, the kind that listens, learns, and evolves, outlasts every update.

      💬 Your Turn
      What’s one “algorithm myth” you’ve stopped believing?
      Share it in the comments or tag me, I’ll feature my favorite insights in next week’s post.

    • Authenticity vs. Aesthetic: Finding Balance in Personal Branding

      In a world obsessed with perfect grids, dreamy filters, and Pinterest-worthy vibes, “aesthetic” can feel like the price of admission to being seen. The clean, curated version of our lives is easier to digest. It says, “I’ve got it together. I’m safe to look at.”

      But what happens when that polish starts to smother the person underneath?

      I’ve found myself caught between wanting to express my truest self, and wanting it to look good while I do it. I’ve rewritten captions to preserve a vibe. I’ve archived posts that felt too honest. Why? Because they didn’t match the brand.

      But here’s the thing: authenticity has its own beauty. And sometimes, choosing what’s real over what’s visually seamless is the most powerful branding move you can make.

      🧠 The PR Case for Being Real

      Today’s audiences can smell performance. Authenticity builds trust, and trust builds engagement. In fact, Sprout Social reports that consumers are more likely to buy from a brand they feel is genuine, even if its content isn’t polished. That’s huge.

      Forbes calls this the “authenticity advantage,” brands that show personality and transparency tend to grow faster and retain more loyal followings.

      And it’s not just about what you say, it’s also who says it. A 2024 study found that users perceive influencer content as more trustworthy when it feels unscripted and imperfect. In the context of PR and personal branding, this means people engage more with humans, not highlight reels.

      Frontify’s guide to brand authenticity sums it up well: “People don’t fall in love with flawless, they fall in love with real.” Your visuals should elevate your message, not disguise it.

      And when it comes to personal branding, this doesn’t mean ignoring strategy. It means letting your strategy highlight your values. As another Forbes article puts it: “Authenticity isn’t an excuse to be messy, it’s a blueprint for connection.”

      ✨ So What’s the Balance?

      Here’s my take:

      Your aesthetic should serve your authenticity, not erase it.
      Let the visuals support your story, not silence it.

      When the two don’t align perfectly?
      Choose truth. Always choose truth.

      💬 Your Turn

      What’s one moment you chose authenticity over aesthetics in your own online presence?
      Drop it in the comments, or tag me in a post. I’d love to highlight your story in my next piece. 🖤