Hey Reader,

It's Super Bowl Sunday. (Go Seahawks!)

For most people, that means wings, commercials, and arguing about whether the halftime show is any good (I'm betting it will be good).

For my co-host of Duped, Maggie Patterson, it means something else entirely: The annual release of the Edelman Trust Barometer.

(How nerdy are we??)

This report is her Super Bowl. She's been tracking it for years because it tells us something critical: how people actually decide who to trust—and who to hire.

And this year's data? It's not great.

We're not in a trust recession. We're in a trust depression.

Trust is at the lowest point in years. Only 32% of people believe the next generation will be better off. Fear of misinformation is at an all-time high in 16 of 28 countries. 70% of people globally are now hesitant or unwilling to trust someone who's different from them.

But here's what matters for your business: While trust in institutions is tanking, trust in one group is soaring.

7 in 10 people trust their network—their neighbors, family, and business colleagues.

Read that again.

Seven in ten.

That means your potential clients aren't scrolling LinkedIn or Instagram looking for someone to solve their business problem, fix their health crisis, or transform their leadership team.

They're asking their friends.

They're asking their business colleagues.

They're trusting the people they already know.

Here's what this means for you:

1. Your messaging needs to make you referable.

Imagine your best client. The one who LOVES working with you. They're getting amazing results, and they tell you about it every time you meet.

Do you see them in your head?

Great. They have a friend who needs exactly what you do.

Are they able to tell the friend what problem you solve and why they should work with you.

Or do they say something vague like, "Oh, she's great. She's a magical unicorn. You should talk to her."?

Because that's not a referral. That's a dead end.

The way we get referrals is simple: people understand the specific problem we solve. When they're out in the world, and a friend mentions that exact problem, they think, "Oh, I know who could help you with that."

If your message isn't making that connection crystal clear, you're losing valuable opportunities every single day.

Your clients are out there talking about how great you are—but they can't refer you properly because they don't know how to explain what you do.

2. Relationships matter more than broadcasting.

Think about the last two people you hired in your business.

For me? My membership consultant, Natalie Taylor, was recommended by my buddy, Maggie Patterson.

My YouTube strategist, Jamar Diggs, came from a summit introduction—someone I trusted introduced me to him, I loved his approach, and when I was ready, I hired him.

It wasn't their social media posts. It wasn't their content. It was because someone I know and trust recommended them.

That's how real-world buying works.

The broadcasting we do—our newsletters, our LinkedIn posts, our podcasts—can be supportive.

But when people need help? They go to others they know and trust for recommendations.

So what do you do with this information?

Step one: Make sure people know the problem you solve—and can refer you properly.

Your job is to give your client the language to refer you. If you can't explain what you do, neither can they.

If your clients are out in the world talking about how magical you are but can't actually explain what problem you solve, you're missing out on clients.

(Good news, The Expert Up Club will be taking new members soon, and we will fix that fast).

Step two: Double down on relationships.

The marketing tactics that work best right now aren't the ones that broadcast to the masses.

They're the ones that deepen relationships with the people who already trust you—and help you build new relationships with the right people.

Because in a world where trust is collapsing everywhere else, the people who win are those whose network already knows, trusts, and can confidently refer.

Yours in rebellion,
Michelle

P.S. Want to read the full Edelman Trust Barometer? Here's the report. But honestly? The takeaway is simple: Your network is your biggest marketing asset. Make sure they can actually refer you.

Dr. Michelle Mazur Message Strategist & Founder of The Expert Up Club ​Podcast / 3 Word Rebellion Book​

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