How to Stay Authentic on Social Media

Every Wednesday Andrew Carruthers, education director for Sam Villa, shares meaningful ideas on how important wellness is to living a healthy life, navigating a sustainable career and weathering the pandemic. 

The latest episode of Wellness Wednesday featured guests Marquetta Breslin, creator of Million Dollar Stylist and CEO of Breslin Media Group, LLC, and her business partner/husband Ricky Breslin. They, along with Villa, dug deep into how to stay authentic on social media.

“If you're being fully authentic to yourself, the confidence to really utilize social to the fullest will come. It will also make you more resilient after negative feedback and allow you to move on with passion, because you are being true to yourself,” says Marquetta Breslin.

How to Stay Authentic in a Digital World:

Equipment—Expensive equipment isn't necessary; a mobile setup and a good microphone are your best investment.

Learn How to Tell a Story—Understand the format of beginning, middle and end. 

Uniqueness—Don't worry about addressing a similar topic as someone else; people will connect with you based on your unique viewpoint. There will be times when people resonate with your work and times when they will not, but just keep creating and moving forward.

Content—It must come from the heart; if it isn't authentic, it will not resonate with others. Google Alerts is a great resource for inspiration. 

Negative Feedback—Extremely negative and rude feedback can always be deleted and blocked, but make sure to differentiate between bad feedback and constructive criticism. On social there is no context, so sometimes it's hard to determine. 

Auditing—It isn't necessary to remove old content; sometimes it’s nice for others to see your evolution, as it can empower them to want to play, too.  People relate to authentic stories that show the struggles as well as the successes.

“It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there—I love Marquetta and Ricky's amazing advice for showing up authentically in the social and digital education world,” says Carruthers.