If you use AI in ads, I'm not buying.

A few days ago, I saw this on Instagram.

This can be off-putting, being in a world where many businesses are looking to move faster by churning out AI content.

If we unpack why people (our customers) dislike AI ad content, it comes down to one thing: trust.

As customers, we want to be able to trust the companies we buy from. That's why we love BTS videos (I'm thinking of Grumpy Bagels right now). Watching someone shape dough, build a cafe, and mess up feels like we're invited into a journey, not sold to.

And through that process, trust is built.

So when we sense something is made with AI, we feel a brand took a shortcut. Tried to get our attention without earning it.

Trust grows at the speed of a coconut tree and falls at the speed of a coconut

In the age of AI, trust is getting harder to build and easier to lose.

If you're reading this newsletter, I'm writing it, and you're getting all of me (hey, it's Reuben). That's because I've made a conscious choice, writing this newsletter as a discipline for clear thinking, and to build a connection with you.

So before you post anything – ad, caption, video... ask yourself: does this feel like it came from a person?

Learn to build trust in sales conversions

So many of us are hiding behind screens.

I've met people who were completely different in real life compared to how they are online. Trust is a conversation problem.

Tomorrow, 26th May, I'm running an in-person session with Steve Wee, a master in communication and networking, to share strategies to quickly build trust in sales conversations.

We've even built a workbook and calibration tool specifically for this workshop. (Quick preview below)

Grab your spot here – 26th May, Bangsar South