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Stop ‘Humanising’ Brands. Start Being Human. 

Somewhere along the way, “humanising your brand” turned into a checklist..(or a prompt you use on ChatGPT!)  

Write like a friend. 
Use emojis. 
Talk like you do in WhatsApp when you’re in a hurry.  
Add a behind-the-scenes reel. 
Share a team lunch photo. 

Ta-da! 
You’re human now. 

Except… you’re not. 
You’re just doing the  things  brands are told to do to  look  real, without actually sounding or acting real at all. 

 “Authenticity” has become its own aesthetic. And ironically, the more brands try to be authentic, the less authentic they feel. 

When you try too hard to be human, you end up sounding like someone pretending to be human. And audiences can sense that from miles away. 

⇥ Here’s what that typically looks like: 

• captions that swing between corporate and overly cutesy 

• forced vulnerability posts 

• generic “we value our customers” messaging 

• random photos of people pretending to brainstorm 

• “relatable” content that’s… not relatable at all 

It’s performance.Not personality. 

Most audiences don’t need your brand to act like their best friend. 
They don’t need you to talk like a teenager. 
They don’t need you to pretend you’re casual if you’re not. 

⇥ They just want: 

• honesty 

• clarity 

• consistency 

• a tone that feels natural 

• communication that respects their time 

Being human isn’t about being chatty or funny or emotional. 
It’s about sounding like an actual person wrote the message, not a panel of content writers who all added their favourite adjectives or…used a thesaurus on every word. (IYKYK) 

The most “authentic” brands today aren’t doing anything dramatic. 
They just communicate like real people. 

They say things plainly. 
They apologise properly when they mess up. 
They explain decisions instead of hiding behind PR lines. 
They get to the point. 

Authenticity isn’t a tone of voice you buy. 
It’s a tone of voice you live. 

⇥ If you’re trying to simplify all of this for your brand or your team, start here:  

1. Use normal language – If you wouldn’t say it out loud in real life, don’t post it. 

2. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not – A serious brand can still sound human without cracking jokes. A fun brand doesn’t need to act corporate to sound credible. 

3. Stop over-explaining – People appreciate simplicity more than poetry. 

4. Talk to people…not at them 
Say “you.” 
Address real concerns. 
Sound like you understand what they’re dealing with. 

5. Don’t post “relatable” things just for reach – If it doesn’t come from your brand’s actual personality, it will feel fake. 

Your audience shouldn’t finish reading your content and think, 
“Wow, this brand sounds authentic.” 

They should read it and think, 
“Cool, I get what they’re saying.” 

That’s it. 
Straightforward. 
Uncomplicated. 
Real. 

Don’t think about producing emotional content. Produce  honest  content. 

Don’t humanise your brand. Humanise your communication. 

Say what you mean. Mean what you say.