| I was just starting out online. It was a long time ago. I’d been an academic, where I was known for research as well as teaching. My first website was about career change. And I knew everyone who came to my site had one question. “How do I know you can help me with my career?” After all, I wasn’t a psychologist, counselor, or HR person. I hadn’t trained as a life coach. I did have experience helping mid-career professionals with careers. Lots of experience. But I could not point to something like, “8 years with the career change company.” I needed credibility. I needed an answer to the “so what” question. I needed to answer the question in every client’s mind: Why should I hire you? How do we know that you are an expert? What I did was create content. LOTS of content. There wasn’t much else I could do. Over time I discovered how to use content to become credible to my audience. After all, they had every reason to be skeptical at first. I figured out what I now call the 6 Pillars of Content Credibility. They’re not what you might think. They include consistency, but also originality, amount, and relevance. I learned (the hard way!) how to tell stories that would build my credibility. And I not only got clients…I got mentioned in media like the WSJ Online, Money Magazine and. The Denver Post. When clients today ask about gaining credibility in a new business, I share what I learned. I know much more about stories now and I’ve learned from my clients. You can discover how to build your own content credibility in three ways. First, you can DIY with my course, on positioning yourself as an expert. We talk about ways to use credibility in your content and in your story, so you’ll be perceived as a credible expert. Second, I can review your copy. I’ll see if your content answers the question, “Why should I hire you?” You get a video summarizing your website or sales letter. No sales pitch, no fluff. Just a critique with powerful suggestions. Get an idea of how I think when you listen to this week’s podcast. I interview another copywriter and suggest a new story for her. It’s part of the “know, like and trust” scenario. If they don’t trust you, who cares if they like you? Think about it! |
