Originally published on LinkedIn February 7, 2017

The last year went by in the blink of an eye!

It’s true what they say — time flies when you’re having fun. In the last year, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve made some mistakes along the way. And I joined a team that gives me the tools I need to challenge myself and stretch the boundaries of my own creativity to fulfill company and client needs. It’s been wonderful. And I mean that in the literal sense of the word.

So what’s resonated with me the most? The importance of authenticity in all forms of storytelling.

When it comes to branded content, this can be a bit of a juggling game. You have the needs of the client. You have the needs of the brand you represent. You have the audience’s expectations. And you’re charged with finding the sweet spot in the middle that aligns all of these perspectives in order to produce a campaign that’s effective. But effective & authentic go hand in hand. The brands that are able to truly connect with consumers understand this.

The more genuine the stories you tell, the more the audience will see themselves in them.

They’ll empathize with the messaging, regardless of whether it’s an experience they’re intimately familiar with or one that’s completely foreign to them. Because at the end of the day, people are not that different — our similarities are far greater than the things that divide us, and there are experiences that ring true across the human spectrum, across oceans and cultures and beliefs.

Authenticity isn’t a gimmick. It’s what helps a story to stand out in the sea of content that’s flooding the Internet every day. Because stories are powerful. They’re capable of bridging divides, exposing us to new perspectives, and reminding all of us that we’re in this world together. Today, that’s more important than ever.