📈 How To Be Authentic On LinkedIn

Read time: 4 minutes

Being “authentic” on LinkedIn isn't about sharing your whole life story or what you’re eating for lunch.

It's about packaging your experiences into useful lessons and building trust.

Last Sunday, a reader emailed me a great question:

"I keep reading advice that people respond to authenticity on LinkedIn, yet most posts read like boring fortune cookies. What's your take on the right balance?"

I must have been asked this at least 50 times by now.

As I mentioned last week, I think those boring fortune cookie posts are dying.

My personal view is that we need to inject more of our personal experience to stand out from the AI-generated rubbish.

Especially if you're a newer creator or in a competitive niche (e.g. leadership, productivity).

But you really need to avoid these common mistakes.

When "Personal" Content Fails on LinkedIn

I've probably reviewed several hundred Saywhat user posts in our "Roast My Post" channel by now.

The pattern is clear - personal posts that underperform typically make at least one of these mistakes:

1. All personal, no value Stories about your day with no actionable takeaway

2. Generic "authenticity" Vague life lessons without specific context

3. Mismatched audience expectations Sharing content your followers didn't follow you for

The Personal-Professional Matrix

I've found there's a simple framework that explains why some personal stories thrive while others flop on LinkedIn:

High value + personal context = LinkedIn gold

The mistake most people make?

Thinking "personal" content means daily diary entries or sob stories.

It doesn't.

It means using personal stories as vehicles to deliver memorable and actionable lessons that your readers can actually apply.

And stories are actually pretty good for this for 2 reasons:

1. They make your lessons more memorable and believable and

2. They also humanize you in a sea of corporate mumbo jumbo

Real Examples

1. My comeback story post (1,945 likes and a bunch of DMs)

The post worked because I:

• Started with a vulnerable personal timeline that created curiosity

• Connected it to a universal truth about the importance of supporters

• Turned my experience into 3 actionable criteria for finding your own supporters

• Included specific metrics (350k personal brand) that built trust

Even though it was really personal and I actually cried writing it, it wasn't just my story - it delivered a framework readers could use to help with their own career challenges.

2. Justin Welsh's "fear as an arrow" post (7,419 likes)

The post worked because he:

• Started with a personal admission everyone can relate to

• Shared specific examples from his life that built trust

• Turned his experience into a simple mental model ("fear as an arrow")

• Included impressive metrics (700K+ followers, 375.6M+ impressions)

Even though he talked about his own struggles, the message of the post wasn’t about him - it was about a mindset shift that readers could apply to their own fears.

The 4-Step Framework Anyone Can Use

Here's how to strike a great balance for your more personal posts:

1. Open with a personal hook or rehook (first 1/3 of the post) A brief story that creates curiosity or establishes authority

2. Connect it to a universal problem Show readers why your personal experience matters to them

3. Deliver clear, actionable value Your solution must be specific and immediately useful

4. Include a visual people associate with you Your face, consistent avatar, or branded style helps build recognition

When To Get More Personal

The more established your account, the more personal you can be.

For example, my mate, Chris has more than 1 million followers and he recently reintroduced himself because new people who don’t know him follow him all the time.

Nowadays, I weave personal details into most posts but only do full story posts every week or two. I also do 1 video weekly to build trust as part of my content strategy.

If you're just starting, focus on delivering value first. Personal elements should support this, not replace it.

Bottom line: Share your personal stories, but make sure they deliver value too.

See you next week,

Will

P.S. When I'm not sure if a post strikes the right balance, I put it through Saywhat’s writing assistant, Collab and ask for feedback. It helps me (and >500 others) avoid those embarrassing crickets moments!

Will McTighe

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