The Top 10 Trends Shaping Authority Building in 2025

Ever wondered how can you build trust, work on your business visibility, and showcase your authenticity?

The way we see institutions, news media, leaders, and even influencers has changed significantly since the pandemic. The way we connect with our audience is evolving, and so is how we build trust and influence.

Here are the Top 10 Trends Shaping Authority Brand Building you need to know before 2025.

1, Shift from Institutional Trust to Personal Trust

There’s been a growing distrust in large institutions, corporations, and government entities, especially as decisions made by these influential groups have affected people's income, cost of living, and mental health.

Instead, people are turning to individuals, particularly leaders who are visible and authentic. Why? Their authenticity and honesty have built trust and credibility.

This is why building personal brand authority is more important than ever. But when did this become so obvious that we couldn’t ignore it anymore?

2. COVID-19's Role in Creating Thought Leaders

Enter the wildcard, the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the need for visible leadership. As people began turning away from large institutions, they looked for real people they could relate to and trust.

These individuals quickly became thought leaders, as they were able to quickly adapt, provide reassurance, and show vulnerability. In the eyes of their community, they provided reassurance, guidance, and relatability.

3. The Importance of Personal Visibility and Authority

Leaders can no longer rely solely on their company’s brand to develop trust with their audiences. Part of this is due to the internet—and how reality TV has shown us that when people share their messy, crappy, or even chaotic moments, we realize that no one truly has their sh*t together.

The takeaway from all this is that when we see messy “life” things happen, we tend to like that person or leader more. Why? They are relatable. Owning your sh*t, being vulnerable and showing up has become a key factor in building trust.

4. Decline of Corporate Branding & The Rise of Personal Branding

Corporate branding and storytelling alone no longer hold the same level of trust and weight they once did. This is why having an omnichannel approach to your strategy is important.

People are more likely to connect with and trust individuals over faceless organizations. This shift has made personal branding a key element for leadership, and one that CEOs, service providers, and founders can no longer ignore.

As a leader, if you want to remain relevant, you need to have a personal brand.

5. The Rise of User-Generated Content (UGC)

There is a growing preference for real, relatable people in content. Audiences now trust user-generated content (UGC) over highly produced corporate content or even influencers.

There’s no point in sugarcoating it: when you have trust and misuse it, or you're not forthcoming about your product, service, or information, you will damage your reputation significantly.

6. The Role of Micromedia and Niche Content

Traditional media is no longer the only game in town. The rise of micromedia and honing in on your niche can 10x your influence, exposure, and credibility.

By niching down and creating media channels that highlight your expertise through podcasts, YouTube channels, or personalized newsletters, leaders can connect directly with their specific audiences.

This shift has allowed micro-creators to grow significantly by focusing on becoming recognized authorities within one niche.

7, From Selling to Buying – The Authority Advantage

When leaders have a strong personal brand, their authority shifts the focus from selling to inviting others to buy.

When you are perceived as an expert, you don’t have to convince your audience—people seek out your products or services. Authority-driven businesses naturally attract leads because of the trust they've built.

8. Hot Tip: Do More Behind-the-Scenes (BTS) Content

Audiences now crave transparency and realness more than anything. Especially in a world where curated, filtered, and polished content is no longer as appealing.

By implementing behind-the-scenes (BTS) content, leaders and brands offer a more relatable, humanized perspective, which resonates deeply with online communities. By showing the raw, unfiltered aspects of their operations, processes, or business journeys, deeper trust is developed.

This type of content outperforms polished, overly edited content because it feels genuine to the viewer.

9. Employee Branding Over Employer Branding

The theme of authenticity, relatability, and realness has significantly impacted employer branding.

The trend is shifting toward empowering employees to build their own personal brands. When employees share their professional journeys—lessons, struggles, and achievements—it humanizes the company they work for.

When employees are seen as trusted authorities in their own right, it enhances the overall company brand more effectively than generic employer branding efforts.

10. Building Trust in a Distrusting World

In an era of AI-generated content, deep fakes, and "get rich quick" leadership styles, it has become increasingly difficult to discern what’s real and who can be trusted.

The rise of misinformation, online sensationalism, and fake news—especially during the pandemic—has further eroded public trust in news media and institutions.

While trust may be harder to build today, leaders who show up from a place of service, not ego, who are transparent, mission-driven, honest, and authentic, are the ones who will earn trust and authority.

So....

So, how did you do? Is your personal or company brand trusted by your audience?

If you're interested in implementing some of these trends into your brand DM me on LinkedIn and let’s schedule a call to get started today!