How to Build Trust with Readers (Even If You’re Not an Expert)
If readers don’t trust you, they’ll leave.
Plain and simple.
So how do you earn their trust?
Conventional wisdom says you need to be an expert.
That credibility equals knowledge plus experience.
And sure, it’s true—you shouldn’t write confidently about things you know nothing about. But being "an expert" isn’t the only way (or even the best way) to engage readers with authenticity.
In fact, many writers limit themselves by thinking they need decades of experience or a stack of credentials before they're "allowed" to share anything. Meanwhile, their unique perspective—the one readers actually want—is missing from the conversation.
Today, I want to show you three powerful ways to build trust with readers without pretending to be a guru.
These strategies will help you:
Keep readers coming back
Write authentically (no faking it required)
Become more relatable
Free yourself from the pressure of being the "top expert"
Because here's the truth:
In the digital age, "expertise" is fluid—and readers are hungry for something real.
3 Ways to Build Trust with Readers (Without Being an Expert)
1. Be a Reporter
You don't have to know everything—you just have to know how to listen.
Rather than positioning yourself as the voice of ultimate authority, act as a curator. Gather insights, wisdom, and lived experiences from others, then synthesize and share them with care.
This saves your readers time, gives them a rich range of voices, and lets you offer something substantial without posturing.
Example:
Jordan Raynor, in Called to Create, doesn't claim to have all the answers. Instead, he interviews dozens of entrepreneurs, weaving their stories into something new and helpful. He frames himself as a seeker, not a sage—and readers trust him for it.
“Rather than answering all of these questions myself, I have spent almost two years posing them to dozens of entrepreneurs through first-person interviews and research.”
How to implement:
Quote others. Interview people. Gather case studies. Build a mosaic of wisdom rather than claiming to be a one-person authority.
2. Be a Learner
Instead of writing as if you’ve "arrived," invite readers to walk with you on the journey.
People don't want a pedestal—they want a path.
When you position yourself as a fellow learner, you:
Diffuse any pretense
Build solidarity
Become relatable
Relieve yourself from the impossible pressure to "know it all"
Example:
Justin Whitmel Early, in Habits of the Household, doesn’t lecture from a place of mastery. He writes from the trenches:
“If you want to picture a parent who has it all together and can tell you how to do it right, let me as politely as possible show you to the door. I am not that person... I’m qualified to write about this stuff because I need it so badly.”
How to implement:
Write from your questions, your struggles, your wonder. Let readers see you figuring it out—not just handing down conclusions.
3. Be an Anti-Hero
Let's be honest: no one trusts a know-it-all.
Readers connect much more with someone who’s honest about their missteps than someone pretending to have all the answers.
When you share your failures, regrets, and wrong turns, you invite readers to exhale and say, me too.
Example:
John Mark Comer, in The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, openly shares his experience of burnout:
“But the thing is, I feel like a ghost. Half alive, half dead. More numb than anything else… Emotionally I live with an undercurrent of a nonstop anxiety that rarely goes away.”
By letting readers see his emptiness, he earns their trust—and their attention.
How to implement:
Own your mistakes. Share your struggles. Offer wisdom that grew from your bruises, not just your triumphs.
In Summary:
Be a Reporter: Curate and synthesize wise voices.
Be a Learner: Write from curiosity and humility.
Be an Anti-Hero: Share your struggles, not just your successes.
Expert or not, if you approach your writing through one (or all) of these frames, your readers will trust you more—and they’ll stick around for the long haul.
Trust isn’t built on flawless credentials.
It’s built on honesty, humility, and human connection.
You don’t have to be "the expert."
You just have to be real.
I'm rooting for you. Always.
— Tess
