The new era of thought leadership: Making a mark with real faces on social media

In a world craving realness, it's the businesses that incorporate a bit of their true, human side—the leadership, the team, the behind-the-scenes—that can make an even stronger impact on social.

Posting a lot and sharing engaging written content, along with stock images and screenshots, is essential for growing your brand's presence on social media.

However, incorporating real, candid insights and experiences from the people who shape your brand can add a layer of authenticity.

And this isn’t just our opinion. It’s no secret?that many successful companies on social media enhance their feeds with videos featuring actual people, alongside their core content types.

Are you ready to elevate your brand in a similar way? Keep reading to learn how.

Join our live webinar: Real faces, real impact: Learn how add authentic faces and footage to your videos without stress

• Date: Thursday, May 16th
• Time: 11:00 AM (CEST)

Making a mark with real faces on social media: The new era of thought leadership

In the fast-paced realm of business, platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook are more than networking sites—they're hubs for professionals seeking to elevate their careers and streamline their workflows.?

The quest for valuable content has users digging for gold through the feeds—searching for insights from trusted brands and thought leaders, along with practical tools that promise career advancement and enhanced efficiency.

While traditional content forms like articles, PDFs, and ebooks are the base of your strategy, there's something uniquely compelling about real, face-to-face thought leadership content.?

For example, here are two companies we've discovered on social media that are enhancing their feeds with added authenticity.

1. Refine Labs

Refine Labs' LinkedIn feed has a variety of videos that showcase team members sharing nuggets of knowledge. These snippets, often derived from longer webinars or podcasts, are perfect for on-the-go consumption. With a following of over 40K, it is clear that many professionals like this genuine, human touch that they have added to their brand image.

2.Chili Piper

Similarly, Chili Piper utilizes the expertise and unique personalities of their team members to build trust and credibility with their 66K+ followers. By sharing short clips where team members provide valuable insights about their products or effective strategies for their target audience, Chili Piper creates a more personal connection. This method highlights a key understanding: people form more genuine connections with individuals rather than with faceless corporate brands.

What makes content featuring real people so effective on social media?

So, what makes these "face-first" formats so compelling? They come with a twofold advantage:

• Depth and authority: These formats allow thought leaders to explore topics thoroughly, showcasing their knowledge and establishing their authority in their respective fields. It's one thing to read an expert's opinion; it's another to see and hear them dissect complex issues, share insights, and provide actionable advice in real-time.

• Personal connection: Featuring real faces goes beyond mere knowledge-sharing; it creates a genuine connection with the audience. When viewers can see the person behind the insights, it adds a layer of authenticity, relatability and trust that written content alone cannot achieve. This personal touch fosters a deeper resonance with the audience, making the message more impactful and memorable.?

How to create videos that feature real faces

Now comes the fun part. Watching videos with real people is always inspiring, but creating them might seem daunting. Where do you even start?

Fortunately, we're here to simplify the process for you by introducing two effective methods for creating engaging videos with real people for social media using Storykit. Regardless of your comfort level with video, there's a strategy that can work for you.

1. Talking head videos

Talking head videos, like the ones we've showcased above, are incredibly effective for boosting engagement, especially on professional networks like LinkedIn. These videos, featuring direct-to-camera dialogue, are a powerful way to humanize your brand and connect with your audience.

Many professionals create these videos using snippets from webinars or podcasts or by recording brief personal statements. While capturing the footage is straightforward, the real challenge is turning them into more engaging clips for social media. Tasks like accurate transcribing, intros, outros, and layover graphics are essential but can be challenging without editing experience.

That's where Storykit comes in. We make all this easy.

Important note:

Remember, many viewers on social media watch videos without sound, making subtitles a crucial component of your video content.

Example: Here is an example of a talking head video our Community Manager, Heidi Bordal, made to promote our webinar series.

2. Silent interviews

For times when you lack talking-head footage or when team members are camera-shy, we have a creative solution: silent interviews . This technique, a favorite at Storykit, is ideal for presenting genuine personas without the need for them to speak on camera.

Consider the scenario where someone, like your CEO, shares a remarkable insight but is reluctant to appear on video or social media. Silent interviews are the perfect workaround.?

You can film them in natural, unguarded moments and overlay the video with their meaningful quotes. For example, here we captured our CEO engaging in a casual conversation about poetry and we complemented it with a profound quote to make content that is authentic yet insightful.

Alternatively, if you're aiming to share key takeaways from a webinar without delving into complex editing, simply place a relevant webinar clip as the background and overlay it with the key quotes spoken during the session. This eliminates concerns about subtitling, syncing, or audio quality.

The silent interview format is versatile, suited for any situation where individuals prefer not to be on camera or when you want to capture candid moments without the pressure of a traditional interview setup.

Further reading: Create stress-free thought leadership videos: The power of silent interviews

Don’t be afraid to show your human side

By integrating real faces and stories into your social media strategy, you not only enhance your brand's narrative but also fosters a deeper, more meaningful connection with your audience. Embracing authenticity resonates strongly with today's consumers, and harnessing the compelling power of video allows you to authentically bring your brand's essence to life.

Ready to create high quality videos? Try Storykit today.