Have you ever received an email from someone boasting about their success without offering any concrete evidence?
I recently got one from a self-discovery coach telling me, “Instagram is dead,” and then proceeded to explain how she grew her TikTok account from zero to 40k followers in just 8 months. She even had the audacity to promote a £62 masterclass without a shred of proof to back it up.
There was no data, no detailed explanation—just vanity metrics of the follower count. Now, don’t get me wrong: it’s great if she did build a large following. But here’s the thing: she wasn’t a social media or marketing expert. And I didn’t see anything on her website to back up her claims.
Without evidence or context, all of this just felt… random.
Naturally, I had a lot of questions. But, no answers. Nothing to satisfy my curiosity or build trust. So, I did what anyone would do: I hit delete.
Building Trust with Transparency
This experience got me thinking. In an age where anyone can claim success online, it’s essential to back up your promises with facts, stats, and real results. Without that, you’re not building trust with your audience—you’re simply hoping they’ll take your word for it.
Recently, I worked with a copywriter who was preparing for a website copywriting masterclass. As part of the presentation, I helped design some slides that included real facts and stats to back up the claims she was making. Why? Because when you’re asking people to trust you with their time or money, you have to provide tangible proof that your offer actually works.
As a business owner, you know what you do is valuable, but do your followers, subscribers, or potential customers? It’s not enough to say, “I’m amazing.” You need to show why and how you’re amazing.
Walk the Talk: Sharing Real Results
Take my clients, for example. If I’m offering email marketing services and someone doesn’t believe that email marketing works, I’ll show them the success stats and data that prove otherwise. I’ll provide evidence of my past work, feedback from satisfied clients, and the results we’ve achieved together. That’s how trust is built—through facts, not fluff.
Sadly, we’ve all been burned by fake authenticity and false claims. Maybe you’ve even been lured into making a purchase you regretted later, thinking you were investing in something “legitimate” only to find out it was all smoke and mirrors.
We’ve all been there, and it’s a learning process. But the key to avoiding this in your own business? It’s simple: be transparent. Share real stats, client feedback, testimonials, and the results you’ve achieved. This isn’t just about making a sale—it’s about building a real, authentic relationship with your audience.
Transparency = Transformation
When you claim to offer something extraordinary, back it up with evidence. Share the transformations your clients have experienced. This is what makes the difference between a random claim and something that resonates. People will feel more comfortable with you, trust you more, and be more willing to engage with your offer.
If you’re not already doing this, it’s time to start. And trust me, it’s powerful.
“Don’t you believe in flying saucers, they ask me? Don’t you believe in telepathy? — in ancient astronauts? — in the Bermuda triangle? — in life after death?” No, I reply. No, no, no, no, and again no. “Don’t you believe in anything?” “Yes”, I said. “I believe in evidence. I believe in observation, measurement, and reasoning, confirmed by independent observers. I’ll believe anything, no matter how wild and ridiculous, if there is evidence for it. The wilder and more ridiculous something is, however, the firmer and more solid the evidence will have to be.”
– Isaac Asimov, Science Fiction Writer and Professor
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