The internet is noisy on purpose. Big platforms are optimising for outrage because rage keeps you scrolling. Outrage entrepreneurs want you glued for their metrics. Add bots and AI flooding the feeds with more of everything, and engagement has become cheap, often meaningless. What cuts through is not volume, it's credibility.
Trust, not clicks, is the new currency.
The gap: what you’re given vs what you want
Most people now worry about telling real from fake online. They’re asking for provenance and human oversight. Meanwhile, platforms are serving whatever spikes short‑term engagement. That mismatch creates a value gap. If you can fill it with good work, held to a standard, and accountable, you win attention that actually converts.
Think of The Guardian’s membership model. It works because readers trust the mission and the process. The same logic applies to your career shift, your consultancy, your product. In a world of infinite content, people pay for judgement.
Try this
List the last five things you published or shared. For each, note: did I show my source, my process, and my face? If not, add one proof‑of‑work signal next time.
Ask three clients or colleagues what they trust you for. Use their words in your positioning.
How to build trust, practically
Trust is hard earned and easily lost.
Show your working. Cite sources, explain your method, link to references, share screenshots of the process.
Put a real name and face on it. Clear bylines, a short bio, where you’ve worked, what you believe. Anonymous rarely converts.
Say what you don’t know. Draw the line of your expertise, and refer out. Honesty is memorable.
Invite reply and respond. Real contact info, real responses within a reasonable timeframe.
Keep taste visible. Curate, explain why, and stick to a point of view.
Engagement can be bought; trust must be earned.
Why this is a competitive move, not just a moral one
AI has crushed the cost of making content, financially and in time. The shelf life of average content is shrinking because it is replaced by more average content. In this environment, what travels far is not what is most clickable, it is what is most credible.
Trust compounds:
Lower customer acquisition cost, because referrals rise.
Pricing power, because people buy confidence, not commodities.
Algorithm resistance, because audiences follow you across platforms.
Faster sales cycles, because proof reduces friction.
Be the person who shows their working.
Try this
Write a 150‑word trust pledge. What you will always do, never do, and how you’ll fix mistakes. Publish it, then live by it.
Ask five past clients for one specific line about the outcome they got. Use those lines as captions and on your homepage.
Add a line to your next post: “If you spot an error, tell me and I’ll correct it.” Then follow through.
Wrap‑up
The platforms will keep serving hot takes because that’s their game. Your game is different: build a reputation that outlasts the feed. Show your face, show your working, keep your promises, and let consistency do the compounding. In the trust economy, the premium goes to people who can be believed. That can be you, starting this week.