You’ve probably heard this saying, “Nice guys finish last.” Well, try being the nice guy in a boardroom filled with personal brands that flex louder than their LinkedIn headlines.
You know the types.
- They sit around the table, calling themselves “visionaries,”
- And every post of theirs sounds like a blocky text copy-pasted from a TED Talk.
And then there’s another circle of people looking at all this and wondering, “Do I add a little compassion to my LinkedIn content or will it be too ‘fluffy’ for the algorithm?”
The fact of the matter is this: while everyone else is busy trying to sound bolder, richer, and smarter, empathy sneaks in silently through the seams, winning hearts and contracts.
Speaking, writing, and showing up with generosity and empathy are the most basic forms of human nature. Can’t we just want to be human rather than a robotic, unfeeling, man-like model, put together by metal, screws, and wires?
It’s time for us humans to be more humane, rare as we are, and stronger than we let on.
In today’s personal branding circus, we’re always taught to perform. But today we learn the importance of connection. Let’s show strength, authenticity, and certainty, and watch together as everyone shouts and everybody listens.
The Case for Empathy in 5 Remarkably Powerful Ways:
- Empathy Can Build Real Engagement
People don’t connect with content anymore. Rather, they connect with the feelings behind the content, infused in every word you’ve spoken or written.
You see, the number of Likes on a post means nothing today; people can click the Like button on every post they come across without pausing to read it, just because.
So What Can You Do?
If you’re looking to post something on LinkedIn, then ask yourself this: “Am I talking to people or with them?” Then, share a post on a struggle you’ve been dealing with and end it with a thoughtful question to your audience. Make them feel seen + heard.
For Example: A new founder in the food industry came up with an idea for sustainable food packaging for his product. And so he posted about it on LinkedIn with this approach: sharing the behind-the-scenes moments of team conflict, problem-solving, and the lessons they learned. And the result was simply more post shares, more job applicants signing up, and more human followers.
- Empathy Can Make You More Memorable
Because most people aren’t empathetic on social media (or pretend to be for visibility). But the curtains don’t hold on for long, and the audience eventually realizes the pretentious, bizarre ignorance.
Being empathetic is like sending a handwritten letter in a world of mass e-mails. It stands out, yes, because it’s rare.
So do you want to be rare or be just like everyone else, manufactured and polished to the T?
So What Can You Do?
You can add small touches of understanding, relatability, and warmth to your personal branding language. You can do this not just on LinkedIn, but everywhere you go and wherever you can. In posts, you can add, “Here’s what I’ve seen professionals struggle with.” OR “This one’s for you if you’ve ever felt unheard or overlooked.”
For Example: A leadership coach at a top IT firm redesigned their service page to reflect their clients’ fears over the positive features. And the conversion rate after this move doubled, because it finally spoke a language that the target audience could understand.
- Empathy Can Soften Authority
Empathy can break hard hearts without weakening them. That’s the power of all things living, breathing, and thinking.
Being empathetic will never cost you your credibility when you show your utmost, genuine care.
You only earn empathy by earning the trust of others, slowly and steadily.
Especially, given today’s audience, almost everyone can smell hypocrisy from a feed away and are now calling each other’s bluff from all directions.
So What Can You Do?
Balance and hold your wins with humility and grace. Instead of saying, “We finally nailed this $1M deal,” say, “We didn’t really think we’d get it, but here’s what I learned from trying anyway.”
For Example: A B2B consultant posts about a proposal they lost and the respectful client feedback that helped them grow. This post blew up because it was both perfect as well as honest.
- Empathy Can Speak Louder than Shoptalk
Forget the words “synergize” or even “impactful frameworks.” They’re not wrong, but adding an empathetic touch to your content can sound and feel like, “Hey, I get what you’re going through.”
And which other way is there to earn your audience’s trust than by simply being you, kind and relatable?
So What Can You Do?
Use plain, spoken English. Talk and converse like a person, and address pain points without sounding like you’re in a sales process.
For Example: A career consultant simplified their website content to directly reflect the reader’s inner monologue. Something along the lines of, “I’m smart. I work hard. So why does it feel like I’m stuck in my career?” Immediately, their engagement jumped, because someone finally understood them on a personal level.
- Empathy Can Future-Proof Your Brand
With empathy taking center position in your content and personal life, you can future-proof your personal brand without fearing today’s AI-driven world.
Here’s a food for thought: in the age of machine-generated content, empathy can act as your right arm in being algorithm-proof.
So What Can You Do?
Breathe life into your personal brand. Don’t just write for the sake of writing, posting, and increasing your connections and followers. Your empathy isn’t automatic, and that’s exactly the point. You being as human as a human gets is what all of this is really about.
For Example: An entrepreneur adds voice notes to his weekly emails and speaks to subscribers like close friends do. He doesn’t use any of that fancy tech, and just imbues resonance and warmth in his content. And the rates climbed by >60%, because people craved connection more than just the actual content.
To Put It Succinctly …
Empathy isn’t a soft skill but a superpower you can wield.
And no, this isn’t a blog about how you don’t want to cry on camera or overshare on your feed.
Absolutely not. This blog is about showing your audience + your industry that you:
- See them,
- Hear them, and
- Care enough to speak to what they need, not only about what you want to say.
In this vast, open sea of personal brands, you’re trying to look the part just like everybody else.
But what you should never forget is that yours might just stand out if you start feeling the part as well.
Say, friend, are you ready to be more human in this AI-driven world that’s slowly becoming artificial?
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