We work with a lot of nonprofits and companies whose existence is wrapped up in a good cause that benefits people — whether it’s feeding the hungry, creating organic foods, or making solar energy possible. So we know a thing or two about virtue signaling.

Letting the world know where you stand on an issue and why you’re a good, trustworthy advocate can be a tricky thing: be too meek or modest and you can seem lukewarm or ineffective; get self-righteous and you risk people grimacing or shrugging and walking away. There’s a sweet spot in there — but for every organization it’s a little different.

As we launched Goodist Creative, we naturally felt compelled to wear our heart on our sleeve — letting everyone know who we want to work with and why we care more about working with good people doing good things than we do about major brands. 

First, we made some specific choices with our brand and our content to help you feel and connect with our ideas — from a bold but still comforting color palette to some rally-cry copywriting that isn’t worried about your judgement. Because, ultimately, we know that there’s one inherent problem with virtue signaling: you won’t please everyone.

But if you stay true to your cause and true to yourself, you’ll gain a strong audience that will be more than pleased — they’ll be engaged.

Second, we made some specific choices with our approach to content — especially case studies and blogging. We plan to talk more about the good our clients do than the good we do, and share stories of causes you should care about, not stuff to make you care about us. (We’re just getting started there, so stay tuned.) Because ultimately people don’t care about you; they care about the impact of your work.

So if you’re a nonprofit, B Corp, or company with a cause, don’t shy away from virtue signaling; just be sure you’re staying true to your brand without being self-righteous or preachy, and make sure you can back up your words with action.