Useful Over Performatively Authentic
Choose honest usefulness and a clear point of view over staged authenticity.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 88%
Useful Over Performatively Authentic is a content and brand decision rule. It distinguishes honesty from a calculated performance of whatever personality a brand believes its audience wants. Before publishing, the marketer asks whether the communication provides practical value, advances a defensible point of view, and connects to the reader's needs. Personal tone and emotional resonance may remain, but they cannot substitute for substance. The framework also rejects content whose main purpose is to flatter the audience or make the author feel expressive. Its output is communication that is candid, useful, and consistent with how the organization actually behaves, rather than a manufactured persona optimized for superficial approval.
Origin
Extracted from Marketing Against The Grain while discussing Seth Godin's statement that authenticity is overrated.
Core principles
- 01Performed authenticity is still performance.
- 02Honesty and authenticity are not identical.
- 03Useful communication should serve the audience.
- 04A clear point of view is more valuable than empty relatability.
- 05Brand behavior should not be reverse-engineered from audience approval alone.
How to run it
- 1
Detect the performance
Identify language or behavior selected mainly because the brand assumes the audience expects it. Note any attempt to manufacture relatability, vulnerability, or personality.
Pro tip Ask whether the brand would still say this if engagement metrics were hidden.
Watch out A conversational style is not automatically performative.
- 2
Define the utility
Specify what the audience can understand, decide, or do after receiving the communication. Remove material that does not contribute to that outcome.
Pro tip Use a concrete reader outcome rather than a broad goal such as inspire people.
Watch out Entertainment can be useful, but it should be intentional rather than accidental filler.
- 3
Add an honest point of view
State the belief, recommendation, or judgment the brand can genuinely defend. Connect it to evidence or experience where appropriate.
Pro tip Clarify what the brand would choose or reject.
Watch out Manufactured controversy is another form of performance.
- 4
Check behavioral consistency
Confirm that the product and organization behave consistently with the message. Revise claims that the actual customer experience cannot support.
Pro tip Ask customer-facing employees whether the position matches reality.
Watch out Useful words cannot compensate for contradictory conduct.
In the wild
A founder replaces an exaggerated post about the emotional journey of entrepreneurship with a candid explanation of a failed launch, the mistaken assumption behind it, and a checklist readers can use to test the same assumption in their businesses.
→ The communication remains personal while delivering an honest and reusable lesson.
Common mistakes
Confusing honesty with oversharing
Personal disclosure is not inherently useful and may distract from the audience's needs.
Using usefulness as an excuse for dullness
Substantive communication can still have personality, emotion, and memorable storytelling.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for brand content, founder communication, thought leadership, and community engagement.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when interpreted as permission to ignore empathy, context, or audience needs.
From the transcript
“authenticity is overrated.”
“There's a difference between being honest and authentic.”
“actually try to be helpful, like actually have a real point of view, actually do something useful.”
From the episode
Timeless Marketing Advice from Seth Godin