How to build deep trust with your audience (and why it matters more than ever)
There was a time when being relevant was enough. If you could write content that mirrored your ideal client’s painful reality, you’d get attention. And attention often led to sales.
But we’re not in that world anymore.
These days, AI can churn out content that sounds relevant in seconds. Anyone can say the right things.
Trust on the other hand is different.
In a noisy, automated world full of polished messaging, bold claims and surface-level advice, trust is what cuts through. It’s what makes people open your emails, book the call, or buy the programme. And it’s what keeps clients coming back.
A client said to me the other day, “I’ve spoken to loads of other coaches, but in the end I came back to you because I trust you and you get me”.
So how do you build that kind of trust?
Here are eight ways, drawn from real-life experience and behind-the-scenes details to deepen trust with your audience and clients.
1. Be specific enough to make people feel seen
We have a tendency as humans to summarise. We say generic things like ‘you feel stuck’ or ‘overwhelmed’.
The problem is, this generic kind of summary language doesn’t paint a picture. It doesn’t make your ideal client read your email and think ‘that’s me’. It doesn’t make them feel anything.
Remember when your English teacher told you to ‘show, don’t tell’? Don’t tell me it’s dark outside. Show me by saying, ‘The dense branches shielded the moon casting menacing shadows across the ground’.
It’s easy to fall into vague or generic messaging because then you don’t have to clearly identify your ideal client. You can attempt to appeal to everyone in the hope you get more clients. But the reality is the opposite - it resonates with no one.
The kind of content that makes people feel seen is the kind that speaks to their life with real-world, lived examples. It names something they’ve actually felt or experienced:
So for my ideal client that might:
‘“You look at the 15 1-1 calls you’ve got booked in your calendar this week and feel a sense of dread”
“You’ve got 15 google docs of ideas for a group programme with the curriculum mapped out, and yet you’re not closer to actually launching it”
These are the kind of details that make your ideal client think, “Oh Gemma gets it, She’s obviously got experience here as she’s been able to point to my pain and show me a way forward’”
Do:
Use specific, everyday examples that reflect your audience’s actual experience
Have the courage to speak directly to the people you really want to work with
Don’t:
Stay high-level to avoid excluding anyone
Use vague language like “feeling stuck” or “overwhelmed” without context. Stuck with that? Overwhelmed by what?
2. Stay congruent, even when it means changing direction
Trust doesn’t come from perfection. It comes from congruence.
That means your offers, content and actions all feel aligned with who you are and what you value, not just what’s trending or what works to ‘convert people’.
There was a time earlier in my business where I followed a lot of masculine marketing strategies like scarcity, urgency, countdown timers, overloaded bonuses etc.. And they worked - but they never sat right with me.
Eventually I realised I was using strategies that didn’t reflect my values, and I started building something that did.
That’s what congruence really looks like. Doing the deep work and allowing who you are and what you believe to shine through your way of working.
We can spot inauthenticity a mile off - like when someone says they value integrity on their homepage, but then you see them online bad-mouthing other coaches and tearing people down. Something doesn’t add up, and the trust is gone.
Do:
Align your strategy with your values
Notice what feels “off” and course-correct when needed
Let your audience see how you evolve
Don’t:
Say one thing and do another
Ignore your instincts because a tactic “works”
Try to perform a version of yourself that doesn’t feel true
3. Share the stories beneath your strategy
Surface-level advice is everywhere. But what builds real trust is sharing the why behind your method - the lived experience that shaped the way you do things.
For me, that’s being a teacher before I ever ran a business. Learning how to build a curriculum and keep 15-year-olds engaged and progressing is a huge part of why I teach and structure my group programmes the way I do.
Later, I moved into corporate sales, selling £15K education software to schools, and that taught me how to market and communicate with clarity and care.
And I’m also a mum, which is a big part of why spaciousness matters to me. I want a business that allows me to be there for the school run every day, not just in theory, but in practice.
All of that shows up in my business. And it’s why sharing your stories - the small and the significant ones, can make someone feel connected, safe, and ready to trust you.
Do:
Share the experiences that shaped your values and methods
Let people see the human behind the business
Tie your stories to how you support your clients
Don’t:
Assume your audience just wants tips and the professional stuff - they want to know you
Hide the parts of your story that make you relatable and real
4. Let people get to know the real you
This overlaps with congruence and sharing your lived experience, but it’s worth saying clearly:
The more honestly you show up as yourself, the more you attract people who like you and will do great work with you.
I often speak about being a massive introvert and how I have up and down energy levels. I talk about needing a business that can hold those things rather than fight against them. I’ve lost count of the number of clients who’ve said, “That’s what drew me to you.”
That’s not a strategy - it’s just the truth. And it builds trust.
Do:
Talk about how you actually work and what matters to you
Trust that the right people will connect with your energy and values
Share what it’s like to be in your world
Don’t:
Hide the parts of yourself you assume are “too much” or “not professional”
Flatten your personality to sound more polished or palatable
5. Be consistent over the long haul
Consistency builds safety - and safety builds trust.
It’s not just about showing up regularly for a few weeks. It’s about building a body of work over time that shows people: I’m not going anywhere. I’ve been here. I’ve evolved, but I haven’t disappeared.
Many people feel pressure to see instant traction. But long-term consistency, year after year, is one of the strongest trust signals there is.
I’ve been growing and emailing my list consistently since 2019
Do:
Build a content rhythm that you can maintain
Be willing to repeat your message often
Let people see your journey over time
Don’t:
Constantly pivot or reinvent your business every time something doesn’t land
Ghost your audience without explanation
Assume trust is built in a single post or launch
6. Show proof without the highlight reel
You don’t need to shout about big wins to build trust. Sometimes the quietest stories say the most.
A message from a client saying, “This was the best investment I’ve made.”
A moment in your group programme where someone had a breakthrough.
A screenshot that shows what real progress looks like, not just the perfect end result.
These moments are gold. Share them.
Do:
Use client words and moments as subtle proof
Let people see the transformation, not just the outcome
Include screenshots and snippets that feel real and honest
Don’t:
Overinflate your results
Only share flashy case studies or big numbers
Make your proof all about performance
7. Be transparent and vulnerable - with care
Transparency and vulnerability are powerful. But they’re not the same thing.
Transparency is about telling the truth, even when it’s messy.
Vulnerability is about letting people see the human behind the brand.
But timing and framing matter. Vulnerability lands best when you’re sharing from the other side of the struggle—when you’ve had space to process and reflect.
Here’s an example:
I once spent £15K rebranding my membership and switching platforms to improve the user experience… and six months later, I shut it down. Because it wasn’t aligned anymore.
And that honesty built more trust than any polished strategy ever could.
I also share my annual review as a blog every year (and have done since starting my business in 2018). People LOVE reading this as it’s all the behind the scenes stuff.
Check out my annual reviews from the last 7 years below:
Annual Review 2018 - The Year I Dared To Believe
Annual Review 2019 - The Year Of Visibility
Annual Review 2020 - The Year Of Balance
Annual Review 2021 - The Year Of Alignment
Annual Review 2022 - The Year Of Simplifying
Annual Review 2023 - The Year Of Rinse & Repeat & New Beginnings
Annual Review 2024 - The Year Of Intuition
Do:
Share what didn’t work or what changed for you
Let people in, without oversharing
Talk about your own learning curve
Don’t:
Share raw moments before you’re ready
Use vulnerability as a marketing tactic
Pretend everything is fine when it’s not
8. Show you're in tune with what your people need now
Real-time responsiveness shows you’re present, and not just performing a pre-written plan.
That might look like acknowledging the emotional tone of your audience (burnout, money pressure, overwhelm). It might look like answering a recurring question you’re seeing in DMs. It might even mean pausing your planned content when something significant happens.
For example, when the pandemic hit, I turned off my automated email sequences because I didn’t feel confident that the tone of those messages still fit what my audience needed in that moment.
That small act built a lot of trust. Because it showed I was paying attention.
Do:
Adapt to what your people are experiencing right now
Listen for clues and feedback in real time
Be present and responsive, not just scheduled
Don’t:
Stick rigidly to a plan that no longer fits
Assume your audience is in the same place they were last month
Miss opportunities to show you care
Final thoughts
Trust isn’t built in a day.
It’s built in the decisions you make behind the scenes.
In how you respond. How you show up.
What you choose to share, and what you choose not to.
Before you stress about the perfect sales page or slick launch strategy, start here.
Because in a world of scams, inauthenticity and AI, trust is what people buy.
If you kinda trust me, and want support to start or grow your group programme…
Serve at Scale School is a great place to start.
It’s a free training where I walk you through:
✅ The business model that’s helped me grow a sustainable, spacious business with just one core offer
✅ How to design a group programme that delivers results and is easy for the right people to say yes to
✅ The simple systems I use to bring in clients consistently—without shouting or burning out
You’ll learn how to build a group offer that fits you, serves your clients deeply, and grows in a way that lasts.
