You Can Pay to Be Seen. But Not to Be Trusted.

Hey there! It’s Arvin here.

Hope you’re having an awesome day.

I wanted to share a little story that popped up in a chat with one of my students.

It’s about ads, trust, and why Starbucks keeps winning—even if their coffee isn’t exactly blowing anyone’s mind.

The Student Question That Started It All

The other day, I was talking with one of my students.

(Quick intro if you’re new: I’m a teaching assistant at a digital marketing education company.

Basically, I answer a ton of questions about digital marketing.)

Anyway, this student asks, “Why am I spending money on ads but getting nothing back?”

Classic. I’ve heard this one before.

So I asked him,

“How’s your organic strategy going? Are you posting content? Are you showing up?”

He shrugged and said,

“Well… my account is pretty new. I haven’t posted much yet.”

And there it was.

The Real Problem

I told him what I’ll tell you:

You can throw all the money you want at ads, but if people don’t know who you are, it’s going to be really hard to get sales.

Not impossible. Just way harder than it needs to be.

Most people think paid ads are some magic shortcut to making money.

Nope.

Paid ads are just distribution.

They’re a faster way to get your stuff in front of people.

But if nobody knows you?

If nobody trusts you?

Good luck.

You can offer the biggest discount in the world.

You can have the coolest product on the planet.

But if people don’t trust you yet?

They’re out.

And trust? That takes time.

You’ve got to show up.

You’ve got to give people value.

You’ve got to be helpful before they’re ever ready to buy.

The Battle of Trust

I told him,

“The market is a battle of trust. There are tons of people selling the same thing. Some are better. Some are worse. But the ones who win? They’re the ones who are trusted.”

And yes, being unique helps too. (We’ll talk about that next time!)

People need a reason to pick you to solve their problem.

That reason?

Trust.

Why Starbucks Still Wins

Here’s how I explained it:

Imagine you’ve got some cash in your pocket and you really want coffee.

You’ve got two choices:

1. Starbucks.
2. Some new coffee shop you’ve never heard of.

Same price. Which one are you picking?

Exactly. Starbucks.

Even if the new place has better beans, you’ll probably stick with what you know.

It feels safe.

That’s called loss aversion.

People avoid risk.

And if people don’t know your brand?

You are the risk.

Most people avoid risk like I avoid looking at my screen time on Sundays.

How to Build Trust (Before You Spend on Ads)

So, I told him: you’ve got to build the brand first.

How? Simple (but not easy):

• Post regularly. Show up consistently so people start recognizing you.
• Bring real value. Teach something. Share insights. Help people without expecting anything back.
• Engage with others. Comment, join conversations, be active where your people are hanging out.
• Prove you’re legit. Share case studies, testimonials, and behind-the-scenes stuff. Show them you know your stuff.

Do this over and over.

People will start to trust you.

When to Use Ads

And once people trust you?

That’s when you turn up the volume.

That’s when you run ads to boost your distribution.

Now, when people see your ads, they’re not thinking, “Who’s this?”

They’re thinking, “Oh, I’ve heard of them. I trust them.”

That’s when ads work.

Otherwise?

You’re just paying to be ignored.

The Takeaway

If you want people to buy, you’ve got to earn their trust first.

Ads can’t do that for you.

But content, consistency, and connection can.

What’s something you always pick because it feels “safe”?

For me, it’s ordering the same menu every time I go out (like uncle fried rice).

I want to try something new, but… nope.

Hit reply and tell me yours. I’m curious!

Wishing you lots of luck and success in whatever you’re working on.

Arvin

P.S.

Got a question but wanna stay anonymous? I get it.

I set up a little Q&A space where you can ask me anything (and stay anonymous if you want).

It’s super easy to use—just drop your question and you’re good.

I’ll answer all of them, and feature some in the newsletter—kind of like a reader section.

If you want a shoutout, leave your name and socials and I’ll include them when I answer.

Ask away here: QnA link

And I’ll send a quick guide tomorrow, just in case you need it.