The 2 Fastest Ways To Build Trust Online When You’re Not An Expert Writer

I can help you feel better about writing.

People always wonder why they should trust what you write.

Writers often think they need to be super smart to write. This stops them from writing. You don’t need to be famous to write. Just tell people why you are writing and why they should listen to you.

When you are honest, you are not a fake.

Let’s start.

Using Other People’s Smartness

When you first start, it’s hard for people to trust what you say. They don’t know you. So, a quick way to grow is to use other people’s good names.

Don’t stress about sharing your ideas right away. Instead, use someone else’s smart thoughts. If you want to teach about writing, use what David Ogilvy said. If you want to teach about good habits, use James Clear’s ideas.

This is how you can be trusted: by sharing what smart people say.

And the reason curated content is so effective is that the reader is “paying” you (with their attention) to take the time to do the homework, sift through all the possible material, and emerge with only the best stuff. 

You “curating” the best content is extremely valuable and helpful. Readers will probably mark this content, store it for later, and return to it frequently.

• The top ten most enjoyable audio episodes from Tim Ferriss’ 668 series
• The top ten most powerful videos on Alex Hormozi’s YouTube channel for independent contractors
• The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel: 10 lessons that will help you become a millionaire

Curating content helps you leverage others’ credibility and experience. This is effective whether you’re new to content creation or aiming to grow your audience quickly.

Crucial Strategies for Establishing Credibility and Winning Readers

Leverage other (well-known) people your target audience is likely to recognize and trust to bring more attention to your writing.

• Borrow their advice
• Borrow their stories

Inform the reader of the true expert’s identity and how you went about selecting the best of their work.

Let’s take a look at each one.

Sort Recommendations And Blend Them To Demonstrate Your Expertise

You can curate anything that someone else has created:

• Books
• Podcasts
• TED talks
• Blog posts
• YouTube channels
• Etc.

Pick a topic. Pick a library. Then break down the most potent ideas, frameworks, tips, and tricks. Or find where you have gaps in your knowledge and then distil the best of what you learn. 

You’ll pick up skills fast and establish yourself as a reliable individual. You can’t lose.

Here are a few examples::

• “David Ogilvy Is The Greatest Advertising Mind In History. If You Want To Learn Sales Copywriting, Read This Memo He Wrote In 1982.”
• “According To Harvard Business Review, There Is A Scientific Reason Men Are Harder To Live With Than Women.”
• “Investing Has Earned These 5 NBA Stars More Money Than Playing Basketball.” This is how they were able to succeed.

Remember that you are selecting and disseminating the counsel of renowned specialists, but it doesn’t mean you can’t offer your perspectives.

• Describe how YOU have used a novel copywriting technique.
  Consider the changes YOU experienced as a result of making writing a daily practice.
  Give an example of how YOU improved as a roommate.

Great writers are great at leveraging other people’s ideas while also remixing them with their views and stories. 

Yes, “idea arbitrage” is a powerful tool for rapid growth and will help you overcome feelings of inadequacy, but uniqueness and creativity are necessary to produce work that you can be proud of.

Curate, but give it a unique twist.

Curate Stories To Grab Interest And Face Your Inner Critic

Every single Digital Writer & Digital Creator would benefit from curating success stories from other relevant writers & creators.

• Which well-known architects might you write about if you were writing about architectural design?
• If you write about Data Science, what famous Data Scientists could you write about?
• Which well-known nutritionists or nutrition brands might you write about if you were to write about nutrition?
• Which well-known real estate moguls or companies might you write about if you were writing about real estate?

The reason for this is that the instances that are most likely to garner notice are the “famous” ones. They are already well-known. They are aware of their names. They know how important it is to read their stories.

This means you can leverage their “interest” in these topics to your advantage. Learning (and writing) about the struggles faced by successful people can also serve as a therapeutic reminder that everyone is growing, even if you’re feeling inadequate. Bonus!

To stimulate your creativity, consider asking yourself these questions.

• Which individuals or businesses shaped the current industry you are interested in?
• Which strange, little-known “woah-I-never-knew-that” tales exist in your field?
• Which are the most notable examples of success (and failure) in your field?
• What were the pivotal moments that “changed everything in your industry?
• Who are some of the other up-and-coming creators in your industry?
• What are the most bizarre figures, trends, facts, etc. in your field?

10 Things You Can Easily Curate To Boost Your Online Credibility In Your Niche

Your goal is always to be thinking: “What can I do to save my target reader a ton of time? What can I organize for them? What can I explore with my hands soiled to save them the trouble? How can I make my target reader’s life easy?”

The easiest way to do this is to start with this list of universal things anyone and everyone would love for you to curate for them:

• Lessons worth learning
• Mistakes worth avoiding
• Tips worth using
• Frameworks worth using/knowing about
• Stories worth hearing
• People worth following on social media
• Books worth reading
• YouTube videos worth watching
• TedTalks worth listening to
• Podcasts worth listening to

Then, go down the list and add your niche.

And curate things that appeal to “the thing” you want to become known for.

For example, using our Writing advice niche:

• Copywriting lessons worth learning from David Ogilvy
• Copywriting mistakes are worth avoiding according to Gary Halbert
• Digital Writing tips worth using according to Twitter’s most prolific writers
• 7 writing frameworks from Ernest Hemingway worth knowing about
• This crazy story about Hunter S. Thompson is worth keeping in mind if you are an aspiring novelist
• Writers worth following on LinkedIn
• The 10 best books that give timeless writing advice
• 5 YouTube channels that will tell you everything you need to know about digital writing
• This TedTalk about how Elizabeth Gilbert thinks about writing will blow your mind
• The 6 Best Writing Advice Podcasts on the Internet

See? Easy!

By using curation, you can leverage other people’s expertise, experience, credibility, and social standing — and tap into wider and wider audiences (without ever abandoning your niche or feeling like a fake).