7 Easy Ways to Build Authority on Social Media

The good news is that it’s not super difficult to build authority on social media if it’s a topic you know well. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective strategies. 

 1. Become an Expert in Your Field

Ok this might seem obvious, but if you’re in doubt about people waffling on about subjects they are clearly not experts on, please go and spend 10 minutes on TikTok to remind yourself. 

Positioning yourself as the go-to person for information about your industry isn’t just about confidentially parroting something you spent 10 minutes googling.  If you really want to be an authority on your chosen topic, take the time to learn from credible sources. 

Apply what you’ve studied in real life, so you can authentically speak from experience when you’re ready to share your own take on things.  You can do this by creating helpful lists, infographics, or videos that teach people about your industry.

Once you have established that you’re an expert on a particular topic, platform users will naturally start to view you as an authority figure. 

And for the love of all things ethical, please do not promote yourself as an expert about something you are underqualified to give advice about. Not a doctor or other qualified medical professional?  Don’t give medical advice.  Seriously, don’t do that.

You don’t need to have a PHD, but you do need to know what you’re talking about and be able to demonstrate this to your audience.

Also – there’s nothing wrong with you quoting or promoting your favourite experts (providing they are credible). But definitely do make sure you’re transparent about where you get your information from.  And this brings me to my next tip… 

2. Engage with Other Thought Leaders

Another great way to build authority on social media is to engage with credible and respected thought leaders in your industry. You’ll not only get exposure to their audience but also establish yourself as someone who is knowledgeable about, and connected in, your industry.

This can be done by leaving thoughtful comments on their posts, sharing their content, or even collaborating with other experts on your own posts.    

3. Be Active and Consistent

When I was just starting out, I told my mentor I wanted more email marketing clients. At the time it was my fav type of copy to write (it still is, actually).  She said to me, “Linda, I want to see you posting about email marketing every week. In fact, I want to get to the point where I’m almost sick of seeing another email marketing post from Linda.”   

Why do this? It’s important to be active and consistent when trying to build authority on social media. If you’re only posting sporadically, people will not take you seriously as an authority figure.  Keep in mind, if you are constantly posting but your content is not helpful or informative, people will think you don’t really know what you’re talking about. Try to find a balance between the two and post regularly with high-quality content.

4. Provide Value

If you want ongoing, engaged, and enthusiastic followers, you need to create valuable content.  People waste, *cough*, I mean spend hours on social media because they want to be entertained, inspired, or educated.  So your content needs to fit into at least one of these buckets.  Educate by sharing helpful tips, and industry news, or even conducting interviews with experts in your field.  Inspire by demonstrating the results of your offering, and entertain by engaging with your audience and having a bit of fun.

Whatever content you share, just make sure it resonates with your target audience. 

4. Grow your platform

Another important factor to consider when trying to build authority on social media is your platform. If you want to be seen as an authority figure, you need to have a large and engaged audience.

Contrary to what Emily in Paris will have you believe, long gone are the days of going viral every time you post something cute.  If you want to grow your audience you’ll need to put in the effort.  Find out where your ideal followers hang out, engage with them, and provide them with value. 

There are a ton of insanely helpful social media engagement experts across all platforms, dishing out little nuggets of gold every day for free.  Follow your favourites and soak up all they have to offer. 

6. Connect with Your Audience

Connecting with your audience isn’t just about liking comments and replying with cute emojis.  Be open to having healthy discussions, and answering questions.  I love how TikTok makes it so easy to reply to comments with a follow-up video post.  This demonstrates to your audience that you’re interested in their thoughts and opinions, and not just interested in creating an eco chamber.   

7 . Be Authentic

People can tell when you’re being fake or if you’re just trying to sell them something. If you want people to trust you, you need to be genuine and transparent. Let your audience get to know the real you and don’t be afraid to show your personality.

These are just a few of the many different ways that you can build authority on social media. If you want to be seen as a thought leader in your industry, try using some (or all) of these strategies and see for yourself how much of a difference it makes. 

Do you have any other tips for building authority? Share them in the comments below.