What does authenticity actually mean?: How to write authentically and avoid AI slop

As AI-generated content has flooded feeds, there’s been one piece of advice repeated more than anything: be authentic. 

The intention makes sense. People are reacting to a growing volume of content that feels polished, structured, and technically correct, but ultimately empty. What many now refer to as “AI slop”.

In a recent LinkedIn poll, 100% of voters said that "very little" of their LinkedIn feed actually felt authentic. Yikes.

The problem isn’t that people aren’t trying to be authentic. It’s that people don’t know what authenticity means. 

Everyone talks about authenticity. Yet no one defines it.

Without a clear definition, people default to something else entirely. A quick tone adjustment here, a more casual writing style there, and even the assumption that they should avoid AI altogether. 

What kind of content does that lead to? Conversational, but generic. Personal, but empty. Structured, but interchangeable.

Once you better understand what authenticity means and how to write authentically in practice, you’ll start to see your content gain more attention and your audience start to trust you more.

The problem: Content that sounds right but says nothing

The content people react against today rarely looks obviously wrong.

It follows familiar structures. It uses the right terminology. It aligns with widely accepted ideas. In many cases, it reads well.

But once you step back, a pattern becomes clear.

• The same ideas are repeated across different posts

• The same conclusions appear, regardless of who is writing them

• The exact tone and writing style show up again and again

Take a common example from marketing content:

“Consistency is key. Focus on your audience. Deliver value.”

There’s nothing incorrect in those statements. But they are so broadly applicable that they don’t help the reader make a decision or see something differently.

This is where content starts to feel interchangeable.

AI has accelerated this pattern, not created it. It makes it easier to produce large volumes of content that follow the same logic and structure. Without clear direction, that scale reinforces sameness rather than differentiation.

When content is built on general truths, it becomes impossible to distinguish.

The misunderstanding: Authenticity has been reduced to style

People are told to “be authentic”, but rarely given a definition of what that actually involves. So they fill in the gaps themselves.

Most of the time, that leads to one assumption: authenticity is something you achieve through tone.

Write more casually. Sound more human. Add personality. 

These changes are easy to make, which is why they’re so common. And to a certain extent, they do help. A more natural tone of voice can make content feel more human and approachable. And having clear tone of voice governance can help avoid other issues like AI drift. 

However, this doesn’t make your content meaningful.

You can write in a relaxed, informal way and still say nothing new. You can share personal anecdotes that don’t lead to any insight. You can avoid “corporate language” and still produce something completely interchangeable.

For example:

“I learned the hard way that consistency matters.”

It sounds personal. It suggests experience. But without context, it doesn’t give the reader anything to work with.

What actually happened? What changed? What should be done differently as a result?

Most people treat authenticity as part of execution. Something you adjust once the content is written. In practice, it sits much earlier.

Authenticity comes from thinking.

What authenticity actually means

Authenticity is the genuine intention and thinking behind anything and everything you share.

Sounding human and being authentic are not the same thing. One affects how content is received. The other determines whether it matters at all.

There are three elements that indicate authentic content.

1. A clear point of view

Authentic content takes a position.

It does not attempt to accommodate every possible perspective. It makes a choice about what it believes and expresses that clearly.

For example:

“Storytelling is important in marketing.”

This statement is broadly accepted. It does not challenge the reader or introduce a new way of thinking.

Now compare it with:

“Most brands treat storytelling as decoration. They add narrative elements without improving how their product is understood.”

This introduces a perspective. It reframes a familiar idea and gives the reader something to consider.

A point of view creates tension. That tension is what makes content worth engaging with.

2. Specificity rooted in real experience

Authentic content is grounded in observation.

It reflects patterns that have been seen in practice, rather than ideas that have been repeated across the industry.

For example:

“Teams need to publish consistently to succeed.”

Now compare it with:

“We often see teams publishing regularly and still underperforming because their positioning is unclear. The issue isn’t frequency. It’s that each piece of content is solving a different problem.”

The second example is specific. It reflects a real scenario. It gives the reader something concrete to evaluate.

Specificity signals that the content comes from experience rather than assumption.

3. Intentionality

Authentic content is shaped by deliberate choices.

It focuses on a clear idea and develops it fully, rather than attempting to cover every possible angle.

A common issue in AI-assisted writing is over-expansion. Ideas are repeated, rephrased, and extended beyond what is necessary. This creates the impression of depth without adding clarity.

Intentional writing works differently.

It prioritises relevance. Each section builds on the previous one. Anything that does not strengthen the core idea is removed.

Content that tries to say everything usually says very little.

Tip: If you're not sure you have anything meaningful to say, skip it. Don't create vague content to fill a gap or stay consistent – you'll just add to the noise.

Authenticity in an AI environment

AI isn’t the problem. But it has changed the environment content operates in.

It has lowered the barrier to entry and increased the volume of content being published. As a result, patterns are easier to spot and sameness is more visible.

That’s exactly why authenticity matters more. It acts as a signal of:

• Clarity of thinking

• Consistency of perspective

• Human judgment

• Deliberate choices

  
  

This doesn't mean you have to avoid AI at all costs. But you must use it with direction.

AI can support research, drafting, and structure. But the point of view, the examples, and the decisions about what to include need to be defined first.

Otherwise, the output reflects the average of what already exists.

The problem isn’t AI. It’s content without intent.

Tip: Define and explain your point of view to your AI tool. Give it your thinking, your context, and your main takeaway. AI can help structure and express ideas, but it can’t decide what matters. If you start with a general prompt instead of a clear perspective, the output will reflect that.

How to write authentically in practice

Writing authenticity can be achieved through a series of practical decisions that start at this crucial thinking stage. They’ll shape both the content itself and how it’s developed.

Say something only you can say

Start from your own context.

What patterns have you seen repeatedly? What assumptions do you want to challenge? What do you approach differently from others in your field?

For example, instead of writing:

“SEO is important for visibility”

You might write:

“We often see companies investing heavily in SEO while their core messaging remains unclear. Traffic increases, but conversion doesn’t. Visibility without clarity rarely translates into results.”

The second version reflects a specific observation. It cannot be easily replicated without similar experience.

Use real examples

Abstract advice is difficult to apply.

Whenever possible, connect ideas to real scenarios.

If you’re discussing onboarding, describe what typically goes wrong. If you’re discussing messaging, show how different versions change understanding.

For instance, instead of stating:

“Clear messaging improves user experience”

You could show:

“A user lands on a pricing page that lists features without explaining who the product is for. They understand what exists, but not whether it applies to them. The issue isn’t missing information. It’s missing context.”

Examples make ideas easier to understand and more difficult to dismiss.

Maintain consistency of opinion

Authenticity is reinforced over time.

If your content reflects a consistent way of thinking, readers begin to recognise it. They understand what to expect and how you approach problems.

Frequent shifts in perspective weaken that signal.

This doesn’t mean you should repeat the same ideas. But you should apply the same principles across different topics.

Edit for clarity, not volume

Strong content is often the result of refinement.

Review each section and ask whether it contributes to the main idea. Remove repetition. Simplify explanations where possible. Avoid adding details that do not change the understanding.

For example, a paragraph that explains the same concept in three slightly different ways can often be reduced to one clear statement.

This improves readability and strengthens the overall message.

Don’t try to “sound authentic”

Tone should support the content, not define it. 

Your number one focus should be meaning. 

If the underlying idea is clear and well-structured, the writing will feel natural. If the idea is weak, adjusting the tone will not improve it.

Authenticity comes from clarity of thought. Tone is simply a by-product of that clarity.

Authenticity is a signal of meaning

In a feed filled with interchangeable content, authenticity acts as a signal.

It indicates that the content reflects a clear perspective, is grounded in real experience, and has been shaped with intent.

Readers may not consciously analyse these elements, but they recognise the difference.

Building that kind of clarity consistently is not a matter of writing more. It’s a matter of thinking better, structuring content properly, and making deliberate decisions about what you say and how you say it.

That’s where having the right content partner makes the difference.

At Bobs, we don’t just create content. We help define how your content works, from messaging and positioning to scalable AI content systems that keep everything aligned as you grow.

If you’re looking to move beyond content that fills space and start creating content that actually means something, let’s talk.