A friend’s brother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The doctors were clear. Proven treatment was available, effective, and could likely deliver a full recovery. But he hesitated.
It was not that he did not understand the risks of delaying care. He simply did not trust the system offering it. To him, hospitals and traditional providers felt like businesses first and caregivers second. They were more focused on money than healing. So, he turned to alternative sources of information and, ultimately, alternative treatments.
Years later, he is still living. But the cancer remains. The slow-growing lump in his throat and his hoarsening voice are daily reminders of the choice he made. And yet, he is not willing to change course.
Why was the alternative medicine story he believed in more compelling and trustworthy than the information and stories hospitals and health systems are telling? What made that narrative feel more real than the one backed by science, clinical expertise, and decades of outcomes?
This is not just a story about health. It is a story about trust, or rather the absence of it.
A post-truth reality
According to Consumer Distrust in Healthcare 2025, fewer than one in ten Americans rate the healthcare system highly. Trust in hospitals has flipped. In 2021, 77% believed providers were motivated to deliver quality care over making money. Today, just 31% feel the same. More than half of consumers believe public health officials lied to them during the pandemic.
We are living in what Authentic Healthcare Marketing calls the post-truth era. A time when objective facts often matter less than emotional narratives and personal belief systems. In this environment, misinformation spreads quickly, institutions are viewed with suspicion, and trust in expertise has eroded.
When people are unsure what to believe, they turn to the voices that feel most familiar or relatable: a friend, an influencer, a Facebook group, a community leader. For healthcare organizations, that shift is significant. Facts alone no longer persuade. Credibility is earned through empathy, presence, and authenticity.
So, what can healthcare marketers do about it? They can start by intentionally engaging audiences, which may include messengers you may not always agree with on platforms that may not feel comfortable. In a post-truth world, showing up with empathy in the spaces where people actually are is the first act of rebuilding trust.
Why authentic engagement builds trust
Trust is not rebuilt by touting technology or reciting awards. It is rebuilt through engagement that is genuine, consistent, and human. Connection begins with stories but is sustained through how those stories are shared and received.
In Unlock’s Authentic Healthcare Marketing, authenticity is defined as aligning what you say with who you are, rooted in mission, values, and strategy. Authenticity is not about perfect messaging; it is about being real and listening as much as you speak. When organizations engage honestly, especially with people outside their comfort zone, audiences can see themselves in the story. They believe it. They trust it.
The data supports this. In a survey conducted with Klein & Partners, 84% of consumers said authenticity is essential or very important when choosing a healthcare provider. Patient-first care, transparency, and excellence ranked as the top markers of authenticity.
Authentic engagement means speaking with, not at, people. It means joining the discussions already happening about health and wellness, even when those spaces feel messy or unfamiliar. It is about conversation, not control. Listening, not lecturing.
In the post-truth era, where emotional resonance often outweighs factual accuracy, this kind of dialogue is essential.
The human element at the center
Healthcare is intensely personal. When we or someone we love faces a diagnosis, the first questions we ask are not about the specs of a robot or how many beds there are in a new patient tower. We ask: Will I be okay? Can I trust these people with my life?
That is why stories can matter more than stats.
A mother describing the relief of finally getting answers after years of uncertainty. A nurse sharing what motivates her to keep showing up for long night shifts. A physician talking about the patient who reminded him why he chose medicine in the first place.
These stories do what facts alone cannot. They connect with both the heart and the head. They show competence but also care.
And just as care is personal, so is the way people seek and believe information. It has grown increasingly clear that people’s information sources reflect their identities, values, and sense of belonging. Some turn to friends or faith leaders; others to podcasts, patient forums, or online communities that feel more relatable than official channels. For healthcare organizations, authenticity means more than clarity or polish. It requires empathy for why people trust where they do and the willingness to meet them there, even if those voices or platforms challenge your own worldview.
Authentic storytelling begins with understanding that trust is relational. It grows when you enter spaces not to correct or convince, but to connect.
The future of storytelling in healthcare
If stories are the “what,” the “how” is evolving into something far more dynamic. The next generation of storytelling will not simply inform or inspire — it will immerse, interact, and invite participation.
- Immersive experiences. The rise of extended reality, AI-driven personalization, and data storytelling is creating new ways for people to feel healthcare before they experience it. Imagine an interactive platform that adapts stories based on someone’s emotional response and medical history.
- Co-created narratives. The most powerful stories of the future will not be told by health systems, but with the communities they serve. Patients, caregivers, and clinicians will become active contributors. Brand storytelling will look less like broadcasting and more like partnership.
- Real-time engagement. As the social ecosystem fragments, healthcare organizations will need to move at the speed of conversation. That means using short-form video, livestreams, and community platforms not just to post messages, but to respond in the moment — humanly, vulnerably, and without the filter of corporate polish.
Technology can help scale these efforts. AI tools can analyze patient feedback, uncover story themes, and streamline production. But the most effective storytelling still relies on the human fingerprint. In an age when algorithms often define what we see, authenticity and humanity are the only real differentiators.
What authentic storytelling looks like
How do you make this real? A few principles rise to the top:
- Start with people. Patients, caregivers, and clinicians should be at the center. Technology and outcomes play supporting roles.
- Blend the head and the heart. Pair lived experiences with data and proof points. It is not either/or, it is both/and.
- Be transparent. From costs to limitations, candor builds credibility. Glossing over hard truths erodes trust.
- Show up where people are. From social platforms to community meetings, engage audiences in their preferred spaces, even when those spaces feel uncomfortable.
- Stay aligned with your mission. Authenticity starts internally. If your messaging promises compassion but your patient experience delivers frustration, the disconnect will be obvious.
One example of authentic storytelling comes from The Nocturnists, a live storytelling platform and podcast created by Dr. Emily Silverman. Physicians, nurses, and other caregivers step on stage or behind the microphone to share unfiltered stories about their work. This includes moments of doubt, moral dilemmas, joy, grief, and grace. For patients, it closes the distance they often feel from providers. For clinicians, it offers space to be vulnerable. And for all of us living in a post-truth era, it shows that authenticity, humility, and honesty are the most persuasive truths of all.
Back to the beginning
The story of my friend’s brother illustrates the point. His choices were not about ignorance. They were about distrust. Distrust in institutions, in motives, in the belief that healthcare was truly there for him.
That is why authentic engagement matters. Not because it fills ad space. Not because it makes for better campaigns. But because it connects people to care in a world where too many are opting out.
As described in Authentic Healthcare Marketing, “Healthcare marketing is all about connecting people to the care they need so they can live better lives.” Authentic engagement is how.
In this post-truth world, the organizations that will lead are the ones willing to listen hardest, speak honestly, and keep showing up.
Unlock Health is a full-service marketing communications agency that helps healthcare organizations make authentic connections with patients and communities.