Impact of lazy content on audience trust

I dropped 3 client deals in 2024 because I refused to fabricate "success stories” and bring forced engagement. This is not about ethics. This is not about morals. This is about the power of authentic storytelling. Let me break it down: Audiences have built-in BS detectors. The moment they sense fabricated stories: → Trust evaporates → Credibility crashes → Connection breaks Here's what happened when I shifted to purely authentic storytelling for my clients: Client A: The engagement rate jumped from 1.2% to 4.7% Client B: Lead quality improved, closing ratio up 35% Client C: The content resonated so deeply that competitors started following The authentic storytelling framework that transformed results: 1/ Real Struggles ↳ Share genuine challenges without sugar-coating 2/ Honest Process ↳ Detail the messy middle, not just the glossy result 3/ Actual Results ↳ Present true metrics, even when imperfect 4/ Learned Lessons ↳ Reveal what you'd do differently next time 5/ Human Elements ↳ Include emotions and personal reactions When I implemented this for a career coach: Instead of: ❌ "How I helped a leader get a 3x salary increment overnight." I created: ✔️ "How I helped a nearly lost leader who was tired of linear salary get a 3x raise with these 7 additions over a month." The result? 7 qualified leads in 48 hours. Authentic storytelling isn't just a marketing tactic. It's your most powerful business asset. Because in a world of fabricated success, honesty cuts through the noise. P.S. What's one authentic story you've been hesitant to share that might actually strengthen your connection with your audience? PPS: If you also want to get similar results, my DMs are open to talking about new projects.

This one made me uncomfortable. Saw this on my Google News feed today. The headline said: 8 delicious high-protein foods to eat every day. The image: A woman doing yoga on a beach. No food. No protein. Just a visual that grabs attention — but in reality has nothing to do with the article. At first, I thought — this is just lazy marketing. But then it hit me — this is also disrespectful to one of the platform’s core reader bases: women. Because when an article about food and nutrition is paired with a glam, body-centric image with no relevance to the story, what are you really saying? That a woman’s body is the hook — even when the topic is food? And there is no mention of yoga in the entire article. That kind of visual baiting doesn’t just mislead; it objectifies and reinforces stereotypes. And it chips away at the trust your audience gives you. As marketers, we often talk about grabbing attention. But attention without respect is not marketing. It’s manipulation. Your visual is not just there to look good. It’s there to align with what you’re saying. It’s there to respect the reader’s intent. And when that’s broken — so is the trust. Let’s not try to be clever at the cost of being considerate. Let’s not disrespect the people we’re here to serve. Because people don’t just scroll. They notice and remember. And so should we.

Most (?) SEO content is pure junk because SEO warriors often worship the algorithm more than they care about their customers. Agree? You know, those listicles and keyword-stuffed articles that seem to flood your feed. Many would call it what it is: drivel. These pieces are crafted to trick algorithms, not to help people. That brings to the SIMPLEST thing to remember all the time. Algorithms don’t buy stuff. People do. That’s a huge distinction. When you create content to rank higher on Google, you’re missing the point. The goal should be to turn visitors into customers. And that only comes from authenticity and expertise. Let’s consider keyword research. It’s often seen as a way to quantify demand. But guess what? Keywords are just queries from real people. They signal specific needs or problems. So, your content should aim to solve those problems, not just lure in search engines. Sure, the junk content CAN bring in traffic numbers and even rankings. But the value to your business is a BIG ZERO if it doesn’t convert. Imagine bragging about a million visitors but zero conversions. That’s like being the richest person in a poor village. It’s better to have a smaller, targeted audience that actually finds value in your content and converts. In fact, this obsession with traffic has led to a flood of low-quality content. Listicles, clickbait, and keyword-stuffed nonsense offer little value. It erodes trust between creators and audiences. Readers catch on quickly and move on, often for good. That is why I believe you must COACH yourself whenever you wear your work clothes. Three things you MUST say to yourself: • Behind every search query is a person with a problem. As content creators, our job is to solve these problems, not manipulate algorithms. • There is NO split between SEO content and valuable content. True SEO success doesn’t come from sacrificing quality but integrating it with optimization. Always focus on delivering value to the user first. Optimization comes second. • Modern algorithms prioritize user satisfaction, relevance, and authority. Doing the right thing will bring benefits. We are all paid to be customer-centric. When we instead worship algorithms, we fail our customers and their customers.

Most marketing teams aren’t failing because they don’t use AI. They’re failing because they use it without thinking. Lazy Marketing is everywhere: ❌ Mass emails to the wrong people ❌ Automation without context ❌ “Personalization” that just pulls your name from LinkedIn And it actively burns trust. Not only that, but it also makes life harder for the marketers who are doing it right. Here’s what I’ve learned (and now live by at evolveIQ): 🔵 Thoughtful Marketing outperforms lazy tactics every time 🔵 Personalization ≠ merge tags, which means adding value 🔵 You can still automate, but only when it respects the user’s attention 🔵 Tools like Agentic AI are game-changers only when paired with strategy In this week’s piece, I lay out: 🔵 The red flags of Lazy Marketing 🔵 The 5-part framework for Thoughtful Marketing that builds real trust 🔵 Why being thoughtful is now your competitive edge 👉 If you’re tired of shouting into the void, or worse, getting ghosted after “personalized” outreach, this one’s for you. 🔗 Read it here: https://lnkd.in/eEibKijf 📩 Share this with a teammate who’s still in “spray and pray” mode. 👍 And if you found it useful, give it a like so more marketers can see it. #B2BMarketing #GrowthMarketing #MarketingStrategy #AIInMarketing

"LinkedIn reach is dead." I’ve been hearing this a lot lately. But one of our clients saw 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝟲𝟯% 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵. Over the past month, I’ve studied the performance patterns of multiple profiles - both those that tanked and those that suddenly took off. And here’s what I’ve realised: 1. Profiles that lost traction kept doing “what used to work” two years ago - generic content, templated advice, self-promotion disguised as thought leadership. 2. Profiles that grew faster leaned into real conversations, bold opinions, and storytelling that made readers feel something - curiosity, clarity, or even a little discomfort. The algorithm hasn’t stopped rewarding content. It’s just stopped rewarding noise. That’s why one client’s post-where he openly shared the hardest leadership lesson he learned in the last year-pulled in 3x more impressions and more comments than his usual "tips and tricks" posts. Because people don’t log into LinkedIn looking for another checklist. They log in looking for truth they can relate to. So if you’re frustrated with declining reach, here’s the shift to make: • Stop trying to “hack the algorithm.” • Start writing in a way that makes people pause and think. • Trade surface-level “value posts” for deeper stories, opinions, and insights. Reach isn’t dead. But the era of lazy content definitely is. Now the real question is, Do you want to be remembered as the profile that chases impressions, or as the one people come back to because your words actually stayed with them?

People aren’t scrolling for more content. They’re starving for real content. Every time I scroll this platform now, I can feel it in my gut… 80–90% of posts are AI-generated. And NO, this isn’t a rant… → We’ve become lazy. → We’ve become lifeless. → We’ve become replaceable. I can literally see the ChatGPT formatting line people forget to remove (—) And I already know what the next sentence is gonna say before I read it. But here’s what people forget… → The algorithm is smarter. → The audience is sharper. → And the game is tougher. In this game, lazy = invisible. So here’s why lazy content dies in 2025… And what to do instead. 1. The algorithm is trained to ignore low-effort content. You know the posts I’m talking about… → “5 things I learned this year…” (still works though lol) → “Here’s a list of courses you could’ve Googled…” The algorithm isn’t dumb. It smells AI from a mile away. So… → Write like a real human with something to say. → Say it in your voice, with your take, from your scars. → Don’t follow templates = Break them. 2. The audience has evolved. The average LinkedIn reader in 2025… → They’ve seen it. → They’ve scrolled it. → They’ve skipped it. People are done with robotic tips and recycled advice. → They want substance. → They want voice. → They want emotion. So… Stop telling people what they already know. Start showing them who you really are. Teach them through your story, not someone else’s. 3. AI made content easier. Which means originality just became priceless. 2020–2022: “Teach me something useful.” 2023–2024: “Tell me something real.” 2025: “Tell me something only you could say.” If ChatGPT can write it, no one will remember it. If it sounds safe, it won’t stand out. If it doesn’t punch emotionally, it won’t convert. So… → Post what scares you. → Say what only you would dare to say. → Be the person who writes truth, not tips. 4. Business leaders are now creators. → CEOs. → Founders. → Operators. They’re not just building companies anymore. They’re building content engines. You’re not just competing with other creators. You’re competing with people who have: → Creative teams → Strategy calls → More resources Lazy content doesn’t get punished in 2025. It just gets ignored. People aren’t looking for more content. They’re looking for more courage. Not someone who posts. → Someone who leads. → Someone who builds. → Someone who dares to say what no one else will. This platform is no longer a place to play it safe. It’s a place to play it real. Because original thinking always wins. Every single time. P.S. If you’re a founder and trying to build your LinkedIn personal brand so you can attract more clients and visibility to your business, without sounding like a ROBOT... DM me “BRAND” and let’s get the ball rolling.