How to look more legitimate

If you aren't converting followers into customers, then you have a trust problem. And if you have a trust problem, then you have a legitimacy problem.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Creator Science]( Presented by [Vouris]( Hello my friend! Lately I find myself watching a lot of sports documentaries. I love watching football on the weekends. And in high school, I trained really hard to be a starter on our varsity team. But as an adult, I've had a hard time pushing myself to train with the same intensity. It's just too easy to let myself off the hook when a workout starts to feel tough. And I've noticed that when I allow my mental toughness to weaken at the gym, it weakens in other parts of my life too (like my diet or doing average work). So I signed up with a personal trainer this week to help me create a plan and stick to it. I know that when I'm accountable to someone else, I perform. But the bigger reason I've been watching more sports documentaries is because when you hear athletes talk and see the behind-the-scenes of their lives, you can just feel the intensity that they bring to their work. They love to compete. They love to win. And they recognize that at the professional level, you need to train hard so that you can win on the field of play. As crazy as it sounds, I identify with their stories. It's hard to be a professional in any sense – including a professional creator. As the podcast grows, as I look at our 2023 YouTube strategy, and as I learn more about the creators operating at the highest level, the more I realize just how difficult and competitive the creator world is. Honestly, some days I feel like giving up. Finding something to do with my time that is easier and doesn't completely rest on my shoulders. I've felt it before – it's the same feeling I would have in the middle of a tough practice. Can I really finish this out? Do I have it in me? Is there a way out of finishing this? It's OK to have those thoughts – but a professional doesn't give in to them. A professional digs deep and works through it. So dig in your heels – you've got this! On to this week's newsletter... ​ ​ [Sponsor Image]( PRESENTED BY VOURIS Skyrocket your sales with 6 deal stages I know this crowd loves creating…but maybe doesn’t LOVE selling. The team at Vouris would like to change that :) Vouris helps companies develop repeatable sales systems so that they can scale. In this workshop, Vouris will share what they've learned from working in B2B tech sales and how you can apply the same ideas (and the same 6 deal stages) to almost anything you’re selling. You’ll learn: - Exactly which metrics to track. - Why each stage matters, in order. - How to build your own structured sales process…immediately. Plus, the team will share their market-tested cold emails (and other campaigns), messaging strategy, and a whole lot more! You in? [Join the free workshop]( ​ ​ [Featured Image]() READ THIS WEEK'S ESSAY How to look more legitimate If you have a hard time converting your followers into clients or customers, then you have a trust problem. And if you have a trust problem, you probably have a legitimacy problem. In a world of near-infinite choice, we don't look for reasons why we SHOULD trust someone...we take the shorter route. We look for reasons why we SHOULDN'T trust someone so that we can rule them out quickly and move on. We start our evaluation with one question: "Is this person legitimate?" And then we actively look for reasons to believe that you're not. It's far easier to find reasons NOT to believe in you than it is to find enough evidence to become a believer. In fact, the biggest reason to believe in someone is the inability to find reasons NOT to believe! So let's explore how you can intentionally improve your legitimacy in the eyes of increasingly impatient and discerning viewers. This advice applies to your entire [creative platform]( – your email list, podcast, social media, books, YouTube channel, and products. Anywhere your light touches...is your kingdom. And you want your kingdom to look legit. [Keep reading (15 min) ↗]() ​ ​ CLICK WORTHY 🔥 Check these out 💌 [Join the SparkLoop Partner Network](=) – Recommend amazing newsletters to your audience. Get paid when they subscribe. This is an amazing opportunity for any newsletter creator to build in a new, passive revenue stream. ​Proud Affiliate --------------------------------------------------------------- 📹 [The importance of "Third Places"](=) – This TikTok video hit me like a ton of bricks. As a community builder, it resonated very strongly as to why we feel more lonely and are seeking community more than ever. (3 minutes) --------------------------------------------------------------- 🌏 [Remote Work Tribe Newsletter]( – Join more than 900 founders, CEOs, and marketers who receive a compilation of remote leadership resources and articles in this free newsletter. ​Sponsored ​ LISTEN ON CREATIVE ELEMENTS #119: Omar Zenhom Lessons from 200M downloads and 2000+ episodes of a daily podcast [Creative Elements Cover Art]() Omar Zenhom is co-founder and host of the award-winning The $100 MBA Show, which consistently ranks as a top business podcast in over 30 countries and has over 200 million downloads. As a former school teacher for over a dozen years, Omar decided to apply his natural passion for teaching and learning to the business world. Now, through The $100 MBA Show and his software company, WebinarNinja, Omar has made it his business to help others learn, teach, and grow as entrepreneurs – every single day. In this episode, we talk about the numbers behind the $100 MBA podcast, his strategy for growing the podcast, his process for publishing a daily show, and why you should really focus on your strengths when you’re getting started. [Play episode]() [Apple Podcasts](=) [Spotify]( [Stitcher]() [YouTube](=) New to the show? Start with a [curated playlist](). ​ ​ LAST WORD 👋 Learn my community building secrets 👀 [Build A Beloved Membership](=)​ ​ This week, I quietly opened the presale for my newest course, [Build A Beloved Membership](=) – and it has been on fire. 🔥 My membership, The Lab, has earned more than $100K in just 6 months since launching. I get a ton of 1:1 consulting requests for memberships and so I'm wrapping everything I've learned into this comprehensive course. This course will cover: - The structural design of your membership - Choosing a technology platform - Pricing your membership - Defining member benefits - Generating engagement - Creating remarkable onboarding - Re-engaging inactive members - Launching, marketing, and selling your membership - Retaining members ...and that's not an exhaustive list. For the next few days, the course is available at presale pricing (25% off). This is the best price you will see! (Unless you're a member of [The Lab](=), in which case you'll get this course for free). 👉 [Learn more and enroll here](=)​ Cheers, Jay --------------------------------------------------------------- [Photo of Jay Clouse]( Jay Clouse [Say hi 👋 on Twitter]() or [Instagram]( ☎️ [Book a 1:1 call with me]( Thanks for subscribing! 📬 Reply to this email or [contact me]() anytime. [Edit your profile]( or [unsubscribe here](. This email was sent with [ConvertKit]() and designed using [Palladio](=). Want to say thank you? ❤️ ☕️ [Buy Me A Coffee]() or send a note to P.O. BOX 797, Worthington, OH 43085. [Sponsor this newsletter](=) to get your message in front of 13K+ creators.