The importance of credibility for content creators: 9 useful tips on how to build trust with your audience

The definition of a content creator has changed drastically in the past few years. Creating content is no longer a way to pass the time; it is a career choice. It’s not just about creating content but building a complete, full-fledged business out of it by diversifying and leveraging various platforms available to develop a sustainable income, just like any other institution. More and more creators understand the importance of personal branding and are working hard to present themselves as a brand.

Becoming a brand is not easy; it also doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of hard work, perseverance, and commitment to create quality content to get people to trust you, your work, and most importantly, your word. It can take months, often years, before you can develop credibility towards your content that your followers blindly believe in it.

According to a 2022 Adobe report on the creator economy, over 165 million creators have joined online spaces in the last two years. The race to stand out is also driving new creators to create unstudied or unresearched content. In their greed for monetizing content, they only care about likes and views, and they frequently overlook about their audience's needs. They forget that they can mislead their audience for some time, but not for long. As Abraham Lincoln famously once said.

You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

We definitely care that you never take the misleading path into the creator economy, and we also understand how important credibility building is important for any content creator to succeed.

Therefore, we have rallied 10 tips on how to build trust with your audience.

1. Build credibility and trust: There is a fine line between credibility and trust, although they may seem like similar terms. Creators build credibility through content, and trust entails your entire relationship with your followers that goes beyond content. On the one hand, your content provides value in their lives, yet trust is about whether the creator they blindly follow is sincere with his effort or is only concerned about increasing their fanbase, getting likes or sales growth. As a creator, you must make your audience understand that they are more than just a number or a stepping stone. Therefore, with content, you need to build a relationship with your audience, which develops over time and with patience on your part.
2. Don’t over-advertise: It is very difficult to build trust; however, it can also break at the slightest infractions. Over-advertising is one of those. Although self or brand promotions are a crucial part of your growth, but you must know where to draw the line. Overselling yourself as a creator, your content, or the brand’s product/services leaves a bad taste in your audience’s mouth. So make sure you the promotional part comes out naturally in the course of your content piece. For instance, these days, many YouTubers cleverly embed the brand advertisement or their own into their content so that it doesn’t seem out of place or annoying. Study such creators and learn from them.
3. Don’t be afraid to experiment: Usually, it is advisable to create content you have expertise in if you want your audience to trust your authenticity. For example, if you are creating educational content, it is natural and sensible to create content based on your educational background. However, we would also suggest that you don’t just stick to what you know. Once you have gathered enough credibility, you should tread outside the realms of your expertise if you want to stand out. Learn new skills and broaden your knowledge to include content related to your field. You can start another channel dedicated to your other content. By doing so, you are only gaining the trust of your audience, as people nowadays don’t want one type of content, which brings us to the diversity of content.
4. Create diversified content: Creating diversified content is a sure shot way into the hearts and minds of your followers. By diversified content, we mean creating a variety of content. You cannot simply survive the ever-changing dynamics of the creator economy by sticking to one type of content. You can create multiple contents for different platforms, reuse the original piece, and reinvent it for different source channels. This way, If it underperforms on one portal, it may work better on the other.On Spreadd, we are doing the same as we swear by content diversification.
5. Be thorough with your research: One well-researched piece of content is worth ten poorly constructed pieces. We have already mentioned earlier that dishonesty will only take you so far. It’s better to create less but thoroughly researched content if you want to gain audience trust. Word of mouth travels fast, and you will lose followers faster than you could backtrack on your content or say sorry. People will move on as they have many fishes to choose from in the sea of the creator economy. Therefore, if your content is a loose cannon based on lies or even under-researched, those factors will be instrumental in losing the audience’s trust. If your content is backed by facts, it will always hold on its own against any argument.
6. Use user-generated content: User-generated content, commonly referred to as UGC, is unique content developed by a brand’s customer or, in this case, followers and shared on social media or through other channels by creators. It could be anything — image, text, vlog or testimonial. Even brands swear by UGC, and nearly 72% agree that user-generated content help gains users’ trust and form a good connection with them. In comparison, 90% of consumers find it useful and more believable than flashy ads and promotional content. It is more authentic and tugs better at the audience’s emotional strings. of customers are looking for good connections with their customers.
7. Create the content on multiple platforms: Sign up on multiple platforms if you want your audience to take you seriously. Also, all types of people show up on their preferred platforms looking for answers and seeking advice, value or pure entertainment. Showing up on those platforms consistently with your posts with relevant hashtags and regularly engaging with people will maximize your reach and show your expertise on the subject matter. And when they find you active on other social media, it is the first step to building the everlasting relationship of trust and loyalty you seek, which only gets reinforced through consistently delivered content.
8. Be honest with your audience: Audiences today, especially the current generation, are smarter and can smell bullshit a mile away. It would be wise to remember that when engaging with them. Try being honest with them if you want them to trust you. For instance, take the time to respond to readers’ comments on your work. Let them know that you are really interested in what they have to say.
9. Share your personal stories: Adding personal details from your life and experiences to your content may make it more relatable to your audience and earn their trust. This strategy also aids in making your audience perceive you as a real person with the same feelings, aspirations, and issues. Trust will come naturally if they visualize you as someone similar to them. For instance, if you are teaching your audience about entrepreneurship, sharing your personal entrepreneurial or content creator path will help your content connect with your audience more. Your followers will be inspired by hearing about your difficult times and how the transformation occurred, and they’ll start drawing parallels between their own experiences and yours. Such personal shares are ideal for building trust.
10. Showcase your social proofs with a flourish: Reviews, testimonials, and comments are a testament to your credibility as a creator and a reward for your dedication to your craft. Display and highlight all the appreciation you have received front and center because people tend to believe more when it comes from your followers. Social proofs are one of the biggest charming factors in gaining fan loyalty and adding more followers to the list.
11. Show appreciation through rewards: Reward your fans if they share their knowledge or give relevant information which you didn’t know. It will make them feel important and cherished and there’s no better way of building trust than acknowledging and appreciating their efforts. For instance, on YouTube, you can reward through Super Thanks and stickers as a token of gratitude.

Lastly

Content monetization is vital to a creator’s growth but it should never come at a cost of compromising your audience's trust. To ace the race you must place your audience above everything else and show that care through your well-researched content, gestures, and ingenuity.

About’ Spreadd:

Spreadd is a platform primarily for creators and influencers looking to carve a niche through their content in the giant creator ecosystem. We aim to be a reliable support system helping you on your journey toward success. Connect with us, and we promise to make your creator journey a cakewalk. Let’s figure it out together.

Follow Us! Stay up to date with the latest at Spreadd:

Website | Twitter | Telegram | Youtube