How To Build Authority As A Complete Beginner?
2 simple ways to show your credibility — even when you’re starting from scratch
In the early days of my writing journey, I was lost.
Everyone was raving about showing your authority.
But I didn’t know how.
I struggled with showing credibility and building trust with my audience. I hadn’t achieved anything in my life that is remarkable or worth talking about.
But 3 days ago, that all changed.
I stumbled upon a podcast by Dickie Bush and Nicolas Cole.
It was exactly what I needed.
Those two spelled out the whole blueprint for establishing authority as a beginner.
In the next 2 minutes, you’ll know exactly:
- How to turn yourself into an expert.
- How to “steal” other people’s credibility.
1/ You’re not an expert — until you are.
In my first few articles, I desperately tried to position myself as a productivity expert.
“How to master the art of productivity”
Here’s the deal,
But if people want real advice on productivity, they will come to James Clear — not a stressed-out university student with zero attention span.
But hang on,
A stressed-out university student with zero attention span?
That’s not the reason why people won’t listen to you.
That’s the exact reason why people will listen to you.
That’s your unique selling point.
This is a feature, not a bug.
You might be a nobody in the productivity space. But you’re the Einstein of productivity for college kids struggling with focus.
It’s all about how you position yourself:
“How to master the art of productivity as a stressed-out university student with zero attention span”
By narrowing down your “niche”, you will gain more attention even though you’re targetting a smaller demographic.
But be careful, don’t go too hard on this.
“How to master the art of productivity as a university kid who’s 4'5, listens to Taylor Swift every day, and LOVES kangaroos”
I’m sorry. But who’s gonna relate to that?
2/ How to show the credibility that you don’t have
If you don’t have something, “steal” it (in this context only).
“7 essential habits for building wealth.”
Bland. Boring. Generic. NO. ONE. CARES.
If you don’t have 3 decades of financial wisdom, don’t pretend to.
The reader can smell the inauthenticity through your words.
But you can position yourself as a learner, a student, or an information collector.
Here’s how:
“Warren Buffett has a staggering net worth of $111B+. I spent 69 hours studying his secrets. Here are his top 7 essential habits for building wealth”
Do you see what I just did?
I borrowed Warren Buffett’s credibility.
When he talks, everyone listens.
The reader’s gonna be like: “That’s Warren freaking Buffett — gotta grab my pen and my notebook.”
That’s how you build authority even when you start from scratch:
- Be specific (but not too specific)
- “Steal” credibility
Before you go, did you notice the tactics I used in this article?
That’s it for this week.
If you want to see more articles like this, follow me at Tristian Bui.
Thank you for your precious time,
Tristian Bui
