I Grew My Audience by Telling the Truth. Here’s How You Can, Too.
I didn’t grow my audience by sticking to a niche, following a content calendar, or creating a five-pillar content strategy. I grew my audience by telling the truth. Not all at once, but in the little moments where it would have been easier to hold back.
At first, I didn’t even realize this is what I was doing. I had just discovered TikTok and, without overthinking it, started posting more freely than I ever had before. Maybe it was because I was on a cross-country road trip, and it felt easier to share what was really happening without so much over-analysis. I was documenting my travels, the in-between moments, and the familiar ache of being alone in new places.
One day, I posted a video about loneliness, and it took off. It wasn’t educational. It wasn’t edited or optimized for reach. It was just honest — a simple reflection of something I was carrying inside me. And that one post did more for my brand than years of “doing it right” ever had.
That was the moment something in me shifted.
I stopped trying to share the version of my story I thought people wanted to hear. I stopped trying to prove my credibility or stay perfectly ‘on-message’ as a Personal Brand Coach. I began posting what felt true for me. And strangely, the more I did that, the more everything started to work.
In less than a year, my audience grew by over 100,000 people.
I worked with dozens of new clients who felt like soul matches.
I got invited to speak at Social Media Week, lead workshops for Walmart and Bloomberg.
I contributed to publications like Foundr and Entrepreneur Magazine.
But out of all of this, do you know what meant the most? I started trusting myself again. And for the first time in a long time, I actually enjoyed showing up online.
TL;DR – I Grew My Audience by Telling the Truth
I didn’t grow my audience by sticking to a niche or posting perfectly curated content. I grew it by telling the truth, one post at a time.
It started on a solo road trip across the country, when I began sharing freely on TikTok — not to go viral, but to feel less alone.
A simple video about loneliness changed everything. It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t strategic. It was just true.
That moment shifted how I approached content. I stopped performing and started sharing what was real for me, and my audience grew by over 150k in a year.
I told the truth about giving up alcohol — even though I was scared of being misunderstood — and that one video led to one of the biggest brand deals of my career.
Telling the truth online builds trust because it invites coherence, a psychological state where people feel emotionally safe and seen.
Truth isn’t always loud. It’s steady. It’s “this is what happened, and this is what I’m learning.”
You don’t have to share everything, but you can start by pulling from the small, honest moments that already live inside your real life.
When you create from truth, your content organizes itself. Your voice gets clearer. Your brand becomes unforgettable.
People may show up for what you do, but they stay because of who you are.
The Myth: You Need to Be Polished and ‘Perfect’ in Order to Grow on Social Media
We’re taught to believe that if we want people to take us seriously, we need to present ourselves a certain way. Stay consistent, stick to a niche, and whatever you do, don’t confuse people.
And on the surface, that makes sense. In a world where we are inundated with content, there’s something comforting about the idea that clarity equals credibility. That if we just package ourselves the right way, people will understand and trust us.
But here’s what I’ve learned: Personal branding isn’t about controlling how people see you. It’s about being brave enough to let them see all of you.
When I first started building my brand, I thought my job was to “look the part.” I updated my website and Instagram bio. I created a beautiful color palette. I stuck to a message I could repeat over and over again. But what I didn’t realize is that branding — the kind that actually resonates with people — is not something you manufacture from the outside in. It’s something you build from the inside out.
It’s not about having a polished presence.
It’s about having a grounded one. A truthful one.
Over the years, I’ve worked with hundreds of people across industries — coaches, creatives, founders, consultants — and not a single one of them has had the same story. There is no universal content plan that works for everyone. There’s only the truth. Your truth. And the courage it takes to tell it well.
Another Post I Almost Didn’t Share, and How It Changed My Life
I remember one day in particular, I was sitting with a decision I hadn’t talked about publicly yet: my choice to stop drinking. I didn’t have a perfectly packaged story. I wasn’t sure how to explain it. I just knew that something in me had shifted, and I felt ready, or at least willing, to say it out loud. Even casual drinking, the occasional glass of wine, had started to feel out of alignment with the life I was trying to build. And I was scared to share that. Not because it was shameful, but because I didn’t want to be misunderstood. I didn’t want people to project their own meaning onto my choice or assume there was more behind it than there was.
But I posted it anyway.
I spoke plainly, from the heart, about what I was learning and what I was choosing to leave behind. I didn’t try to convince anyone. I just told the truth.
And the response was overwhelming.
That single video sparked some of the most meaningful conversations I’ve ever had online. It led to unexpected DMs, deep resonance, and maybe most surprisingly, it led directly to one of the biggest brand partnerships of my career.
And to think, I almost didn’t post it.
I often still think about how different my life might look if I had let fear make the decision. If I had decided to wait until I had better words, or more certainty, or the right lighting. But the truth doesn’t always need polish. Sometimes it just needs a moment of courage, and a little bit of trust.
Why It Works: The Magnetic Power of Telling the Truth
Telling the truth is not the same as putting on a performance. It’s not a feeling. It’s not a curated version of vulnerability. It’s “here’s what actually happened.”
This is what I chose.
This is what I said.
This is what it cost me.
This is what I’m learning now.
Truth is magnetic because it anchors us. It gives people something to hold onto in a world that often feels like smoke and mirrors. And when you stop trying to “craft” every post and instead just speak plainly — from experience, from memory, from the messy middle — people can feel it.
And they trust you more because of it.
How to Start Telling the Truth in Your Own Content
You don’t have to start with the hardest thing. You don’t have to reveal anything you’re not ready to share. But you can start by asking yourself better questions.
Here are a few to begin with:
What’s something I’ve been carrying quietly that deserves a voice?
What am I learning right now that I wish I’d known five years ago?
What’s a story I keep telling my close friends, but haven’t shared online?
What do I know deeply that I’m scared to say out loud?
You can also start by pulling from your real life. Not the highlight reel, but the quiet, in-between moments. The conversations that made you pause, the note you wrote to yourself at 2 a.m., or even the text you sent to a friend that just clicked.
That’s where your real content lives.
Why Telling the Truth Is the Best Strategy
What I’ve learned is that when you tell the truth consistently, your content begins to organize itself. Themes emerge, a message takes shape, and your voice gets stronger with time. You don’t have to work so hard to “stay consistent” — because your presence already is.
People might show up for your advice or your expertise or your aesthetic, but they stay because they see something real in you. Something that gives them permission to be more honest in their own lives.
That’s when personal branding is at its best. Not a projection, but a reflection of who you truly are.
If this resonated, and you’re ready to build a brand that reflects all of you, I’d love to support you.
You can work with me 1:1 → Learn more here.
Or join my community with a free trial → Personal Brand Accelerator.
