The Power of Trust

Why some writers command attention

Hello,

It is with great pleasure that I hand my publication over to

Harrison Moore

today so he can share his non-fiction writing wisdom with us all.

Trust is the magic sauce that keeps my subscribers opening my emails, recommending my publications and staying subscribed year after year. Trust is a must-have for successful publications.

The great news is that trust can be earned. And learned. Harrison is here to tell us how.

Over to you, Harrison.

---

Why are other writers getting more eyeballs than you?

One way to think about it is that they’re better at earning readers’ trust.

Readers are bombarded with SO MUCH information these days, and since they only have so much attention to give, they must choose writers they trust will not waste it.

You’re probably putting a lot of effort into your posts. But there’s more to trustworthiness than just making good work.

So it’s worth asking: what’s in trust?—particularly online.

And how can you demonstrate more of it to support the good work you’re already doing?

The Trust Equation

Not so long ago a mentor of mine showed me the Trust Equation¹, which offers four lenses to look at trust building with:

Trust = (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy) / Self-Orientation

So whilst trust is composed of credibility, reliability, and intimacy, those trust-building qualities can be undermined by how self-serving you appear to be.

The Trust Equation comes from the world of consulting but I’ve adapted it for writers. I’m going to show you 12 ways to be credible, reliable, and intimate through your publication, as well as 12 things to avoid, so that you have more ways to win peoples’ trust.

You can use this post both as a scorecard to rate your publication’s current trustworthiness, and as a practical guide to the levers you can pull to become more trustworthy.

12 ways to build credibility with readers

• 🏆 Professional achievements: Highlight relevant experience and accomplishments in your field.

• 📝 Published articles: Mention where else your writing has appeared (magazines, websites, etc.).

• 🚀 Notable projects: Showcase significant work you've completed that demonstrates expertise.

• 👍 Reader testimonials: Share positive feedback from people who've benefited from your work.

• 📈 Subscriber count: Tastefully indicate your publication's growth and readership.

• 🔍 Platform recognition: Get fans of your work to recommend your publication using Substack’s Recommendation engine.

• 🎨 Cohesive visual identity: Maintain a consistent, professional look across your publication.

• ✍️ Quality writing: Demonstrate attention to clarity, structure, and thoughtful editing.

• 💡 Original insights: Share fresh perspectives that make readers think differently.

• 🧪 Bold content choices: Take calculated risks rather than always playing it safe.

• 🧠 Domain expertise: Demonstrate specialised knowledge that comes from experience (thanks, Karen, for this suggestion!).

• 🔗 Transparent sources: Cite research and influences that inform your thinking.

12 ways to show reliability to readers

• 📅 Publication longevity: Highlight how long you've been consistently writing.

• 🎯 Clear topic focus: Maintain a well-defined subject area that readers can count on.

• 👤 Precise bio: Offer a straightforward description of who you are and what you do.

• 🕰️ Consistent schedule: Publish on predictable days readers can anticipate.

• 🔄 Regular output: Maintain steady content creation without unexplained gaps.

• 🤝 Kept promises: Follow through on what you say you'll deliver in your content.

• 🎁 Added value: Provide unexpected bonuses or resources beyond what's promised.

• 📩 Responsive communication: Reply to comments and messages from readers.

• 📋 Content roadmaps: Share what topics you plan to cover in the future.

• ⏱️ Respect for time: Create content that's worth the minutes readers invest.

• 📝 Update transparency: Clearly mark and explain when you edit published work.

• 🔄 Circle back: Return to previously discussed topics to provide closure or updates.

12 ways to build intimacy with readers

• 😊 Show your face: Include a friendly photo so readers connect with the person behind the words.

• 🎤 Share your voice: Offer audio content or podcasts that let readers hear your tone and personality.

• ❓ Ask for input: Regularly seek reader opinions on topics they'd like to see covered.

• 👥 One-on-one connections: Offer opportunities for direct conversation with readers.

• 📲 Accessible communication: Make it easy for readers to reach you and respond promptly.

• 🤝 Reader collaborations: Create content together with members of your audience.

• 📣 Open submissions: Invite readers to contribute their thoughts or work to your publication.

• 👂 Genuine curiosity: Show authentic interest in your readers' stories and perspectives.

• 📚 Learning publicly: Share your own learning process rather than just presenting as an expert.

• 💔 Appropriate vulnerability: Share relevant personal challenges when they add value.

• 🙃 Human imperfection: Allow small errorrs to show you're a real person, not a polished brand.

• 🙏 Meaningful apologies: Address significant errors with genuine accountability.

12 ways trust gets undermined with readers

• 🪞 Self-centeredness: Making every topic revolve around your own experiences.

• 🤲 Transactional relationships: Only engaging when you need something from readers.

• 🤳 Excessive self-promotion: Overusing personal images without adding value.

• 🏷️ Ego-driven branding: Naming your publication after yourself before establishing credibility.

• 📉 Unmet expectations: Consistently promising more than you deliver.

• 🎣 Misleading headlines: Using sensational titles that don't match the actual content.

• 📢 Aggressive marketing: Overwhelming readers with constant sales pitches or promotions.

• 🙉 Dismissing feedback: Ignoring or removing reasonable criticism.

• 💭 Uncredited ideas: Failing to acknowledge sources that influenced your thinking.

• 🔄 Unpredictable pivots: Drastically changing topics without explaining your reasoning.

• 🎭 Manufactured authenticity: Sharing personal details that feel calculated rather than genuine.

• 💰 Hidden incentives: Not disclosing when you benefit financially from recommendations.

Consider how your publication is currently coming across to people who don’t yet know you.

Where are you leaving trust-building opportunity on the table? Are there some simple things you could do to improve it? What might take a bit longer? And what other ideas do you have for earning trust through your work?

You can’t do everything all at once if you want to do it well. But what you can do is focus on improving one component each week or each month.

This is a long-term play, for sure. Definitely not a hack. There are probably faster but more dodgy or costly ways to get attention online. But for me, a framework like the Trust Equation is one good way to go about it.

I’ve been studying creativity for 14 years and I was the Dedicated Writing Mentor at David Perell’s Write of Passage school where we taught 5,000 students to write, so I’ve had a front row seat to what makes publications thrive.

I’ve written for PubStack Success before about how to decide between sharing a post or a Note. If you want to read more ideas like this, you can subscribe to my blog and I’ll do my best to earn and keep your trust. It would really make my day 🤗

I hope this has been useful. Thanks, Karen, for reading drafts of this.

Happy writing everyone! And happy trust building!

---

Thanks, Harrison (subscribe to Harrison’s blog here)

Reader, if there’s one thing you can do today to help turn your publication into a rock-solid winner, it’s this:

Take an action to create (more) trust with your readers.

Which action will you choose to do today? Tell me in the comments.

Cheers!

1. The Trust Equation was coined by David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford in their book The Trusted Advisor (2000). The model is widely used in business, consulting, and leadership discussions to understand how trust is built and maintained.