You can have the best product in the world, but if your audience doesn’t trust you, they won’t buy. Trust isn’t optional, it’s a business necessity. And one of the most powerful tools to build it? Content. But not just any content. This post is about creating trustworthy content.
Trust is a crucial factor in doing business. Without trust, selling is hard. We can all make bold claims. But how can we make people believe them? How can we make people trust us through our content?
Why Trust is the Backbone of Business
95% of decision making is happening in the subconscious emotion-triggered part of our brain (Source Harvard Business Review). It’s not logic, like comparing features or prices, that drives most of our purchases. It is emotions. And trust is a very important emotional trigger when it comes to spending money.
The more people trust us, the easier it is to get them to buy. If they do not trust us they may even find our product interesting, but they will never buy. That is one reason why “acquiring a new customer is anywhere from five to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one.” (Source: Harvard Business Review).
Types of credibility/trust
Credibility and trust are perceptions that take a long time to build but can be lost in a second. That’s why we speak mainly of three types (or phases) of trust:
Initial credibility is perceived credibility. It is what people assume or feel about you before you’ve said a word.
It’s based on signals like:
- Your brand reputation or industry presence
- Design quality (website, logo, visuals)
- Word of mouth, reviews, or social proof
- Your job title, credentials, or past work
They haven’t experienced your content yet. They are making snap judgments based on what they see or already know. So even if your content is amazing, if your initial credibility is low, they may never give it a chance.
While initial credibility is based on perception, it’s not out of your control. Through social proof, clear positioning, and strategic self-promotion, you can shape that first impression and earn the benefit of the doubt.
Derived Credibility is the trust you build while your audience is actively engaging with your content. It comes from how clearly you communicate, the quality of your arguments, your tone, and the evidence you provide. Are you helpful? Are you making sense? Are you backing up your claims?
You can do a lot for your derived credibility during your copy editing process by making sure your content is easy to read and understand and by providing proof for your claims in the form of quotes, statistics, examples, and case studies.
Terminal credibility is the lasting impression your content leaves behind. Did it deliver on its promise? Was it worth the reader’s time? Would they trust you more now, or less?
Making your content memorable is an important part of building terminal credibility. You can do that with storytelling, providing interesting facts your audience has not seen before, or going that extra mile by answering comments and being approachable via email.
Creating trustworthy content is a lot easier if you consider all three phases of trust instead of just focusing on the derived credibility when people are actively consuming your content.
The four levels of credibility
Credibility and building trust cannot be simply switched on. They are built in various layers, each contributing to how much your audience believes in you and if they consider your content trustworthy.
I don’t want to overcomplicate this, but looking at credibility in its four layers helps to show in how many ways you can build or lose trust.
Propriety
“Are you appropriate?”
This is the baseline. It’s about showing up professionally and respectfully, matching expectations in tone, style, and behavior. If you get this wrong (say, by being offensive, tone-deaf, or sloppy), nothing else matters. It’s your ticket into the conversation.
You need to consider your audience and be a person they can trust.
It’s about fitting into your audience’s expectations of what’s”appropriate” or”respectable”, whether consciously or not.
I once had an interview for a consultant job. I never fit the typical image of a consultant, but my credentials opened many doors. When we agreed that this job was not for me, the manager of the interviewing company told me he was very sorry that it was not a good fit, and I should never change because I am great as I am. Even though they had rejected me, that felt like a huge compliment.
Competence
Once you’ve passed the propriety test, your audience wants to know: Can I rely on you? Do you have the knowledge and skill to back this up?
This is where competence comes in. It’s not about bragging. It’s about making your expertise visible and believable.
This is about what you bring to the table: a mix of who you are (your background, achievements, and credentials) and how you show up in your content (clarity, reasoning, helpfulness).
You can communicate competence through:
- Credentials and degrees: Formal education or training that signals expertise
- Awards and industry recognition: External validation that you stand out
- Praise from other experts: Testimonials, quotes, or endorsements from trusted voices
- Case studies and results: Proof that your work delivers real outcomes
- Clarity and precision: Clear, well-reasoned content shows mastery without needing a trophy
Competence isn’t just claimed. It’s demonstrated through how you think, write, and present.
Different audiences value different signs of competence.
Commonality
Commonality is about shared experience, shared values, or shared worldview. It’s what makes your audience feel like you’re one of them not just an expert, but an ally.
You have probably seen this played out many times. All the stories, “I have been where you are not and faced your obstacles, that is why I created this product X that solves your problems” are using the commonality card to build trust. You are trying to gain trust by being one of them.
Commonality works because
- It reduces the power distance. You’re not preaching, you’re connecting. You are no longer that hated teacher who knows everything better or that parent who knew better but we did not want to listen to anyway.
- It builds emotional safety. If you’ve felt what they feel, they’ll trust your solution more.
- It increases believability. Your transformation becomes a proof point: “If they made it through, maybe I can too.”
Intent
The “Why are you doing this?” argument. It is the top layer, and very powerful. Intent is about motive. People trust more in people who want to help than if they sense that they are only looking for their own advantages.
People can sense whether you’re truly here to help or just pushing a sale. When your intentions feel sincere, it seals the deal.
How to integrate sincere intent into your content:
- Use an educational tone
- Be transparent
- Give value without immediately asking for something in return
- Showing real customer outcomes
- Don’t oversell
I have seen sales content that told such a good story that only after reading a couple of paragraphs, I realized I was actually reading an ad. On the other end of the spectrum are sales calls where you instantly realize that their only intention is to sell you something you did not ask for, don’t need and don’t want.
If you pack your sales content in a good “I am helping you” story, you are mastering “Intent.” The goal is not to hide your sales message. You want to emphasize how buying from you is going to help them.
People don’t want to be used to fill your pockets, they want the feeling of you doing something for them.
So propriety is your entry ticket. Competence gets them to stay. Commonality creates connection. Intent earns their loyalty.
These four layers of credibility don’t work so well as standalones. They are best combined for maximum impact:
Propriety and Competence earn initial trust.
Commonality and Intent build emotional trust.
Together, they create a sense of safety: “This person knows what they’re doing, and they’re here for me.”
If you focus on one layer, the whole system won’t work so well. For example, if your content is brilliant but the tone comes across as fake (poor propriety), it undercuts your competence. Or if you’re competent but come off self-serving, people will question your intent.
So how do these layers show up in real trustworthy content? Let’s break down what makes a single piece of content actually feel credible to your audience.
What Makes Content Trustworthy?
So, what actually builds credibility within a piece of content? A few key traits stand out:
- Accuracy – Is the information reliable and well-researched?
- Clarity – Is the message easy to follow?
- Evidence – Are there stats, quotes, or case studies to back things up?
- Consistency – Does the tone match your brand and previous content?
- Transparency – Do you explain your sources or limits?
Credibility and trustworthy content isn’t about perfection. It is about honesty, thoughtfulness, and showing that you care about getting things right.
The above shows that authentic storytelling content is the best to build trust with your audience.
How content builds trust
Content is a very effective medium to build trust, if you know how. Although correct facts and deep insights are the basis of effective content, there is more to creating trustworthy content. It includes YOU as a person and the unique and authentic content you can create by using your voice.
People trust genuine and authentic people, not anonymous sources of information. You can build a real connection with your audience through your real-life stories and heartfelt experiences.
Your content creation should also include trying to match your content to the style, tone, and expectations of your audience, or your audience to YOUR style. Not every audience is a good fit for every person.
You can build trust in your content by telling stories that show how you belong to them, how you faced similar problems and overcame them, and how you think and work. This story content will help you build a connection with your audience.
Other content that helps build trust is social proof, because giving other people a voice and letting them speak about you has more impact than you praising yourself.
Transparency in your processes, in the people behind your brand, and in where your knowledge comes from adds credibility to your content.
Building trust should be one of your main goals with creating trustworthy content.
Examples of trustworthy content
“I have been where you are, but I am now where you want to get”
This tweet by Kieran Drew is a typical story that dives deep into the commonality argument.
He is telling that he is now in a place where you want to get, but he has been where you are now.
He will help you on your journey to achieve similar results.
He is a typical “Build in Public” solopreneur who tells stories about his journey to growing a business with trustworthy content on Twitter and in his newsletter.
This storytelling builds trust in “He knows how to succeed, because he did it himself. I can learn a lot from him.”
Quotes from Experts
Andy Crestodina is CMO of Orbit Media and writes many of the blog posts on their website. He often uses quotes from other marketing experts in his posts to add credibility to what he is saying.
This form of using quotes not only provides a form of proof for the claims, it also helps build credibility via the obvious good relationship Andy has with other experts.
Source: Orbitmedia
Research
Hubspot is a huge marketing company. They have the audience and the power to conduct marketing research. This research is often quoted by other bloggers and marketers. The research itself and the mentions on other marketing blogs help build the brand “Hubspot” and add tremendous credibility and trust in their content.
Source: Hubspot’s The Future Consumer Study
Conclusion: Content as a Trust Engine
Trustworthy content has the power to grow meaningful relationships with your audience. But creating it takes more than just sharing facts and tips.
Trust and credibility are built in layers. They start with how you show up – your background, values, and presence – and grow through the knowledge you share, how you treat your audience, and how consistently you communicate. It’s about personality as much as proof. Behavior as much as expertise.
And trust doesn’t hinge on a single piece of content. It’s built over time, across many interactions and it can be lost in a moment with one careless misstep.
The good news? If you show up with clarity, honesty, and care, your content becomes a powerful engine for trust. Start now. The sooner you begin, the sooner your audience will believe in you.
