How to Earn Instant Credibility (Even with Zero Subscribers)

How to gain authority online when you’re just starting out.

Aug 24, 2025

Welcome to depth creation. Each week, I send thoughtful ideas and systems to help you transform scattered interests into consistent writing, build your unique worldview, and turn deep thinking into meaningful income. If you’re ready to consume less, create more, and escape the shallow content cycle, join our community of deep thinkers. You’ll get weekly frameworks for intentional research, thought mapping techniques, and a clear path from ideas to income.

You don’t need to be an expert to share your ideas online.

Most people hold back because they believe they’re not “qualified” enough, or that they lack the right experience to teach others. But that’s simply not true. What matters far more than your résumé are the signals you send: how you show up, how you present yourself, and how consistently you deliver value.

In this article, I’ll show you the subtle but powerful cues that make readers, viewers, and potential clients think, “This person knows what they’re talking about” and want to follow you for more.

In 1960, psychology professor Albert Mehrabian conducted a study showing that in face-to-face communication, only 7% of a message comes from the actual words, while 38% is conveyed through tone of voice and 55% through body language. This doesn’t mean that 90% of communication is nonverbal, but that elements like tone, posture, and facial expression strongly influence how words are understood. His research focused on speech, but the insight applies further: the way something is delivered often shapes its impact as much as the content itself.

“The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.” — Mozart

Music illustrates this idea well. There are only twelve notes, yet the character of a song comes from the rhythm, pacing, and the spaces in between them. Anyone can produce sound from an instrument, but musicians give those sounds meaning through pauses, rests, and timing.

Language works in a similar way. Words, like ideas, have no meaning in isolation; they make sense only in relation to each other. How we choose, arrange, and connect them determines the clarity and weight of what we say. The message lives in the words, but the communication is in the way those words work together.

There is more in the way we deliver a message than most people notice. Beyond the words themselves, subtle cues in tone, structure, and presentation send invisible signals to the reader. These cues can shape how our message is received and, when used well, can quietly increase the credibility of the writing.

Writers are in the business of communicating value. A writer that knows how to communicate will do far better than some other with a better product or service but who doesn’t know how to communicate it.

The good news is you don’t need years of proven experience to write with authority. There are small but powerful signals that tell a reader, “This person knows what they’re talking about.”

When we encounter a new article or a video, our first judgment is not to the creator but to the quality of the work. Does it give us the value we were looking for? Do we resonate with the way is presented? Does it look professional?

The second thing we fixate on is how many followers does this person has? We do this almost involuntarily to know if other people validate what we are thinking—I find this creator interesting, does other people also think the same?

At this stage, there are two possibilities. You might already have a modest audience—even hundred followers is enough to show that others are interested in what you offer. Or, you might be starting from zero. But don’t worry if you are starting out. There is still a way to signal that you are worth following without having any followers yet. This is simple but not easy, a challenge that prevents most creators from advancing beyond the beginner stage: Your content has to be so good and novel that new readers feel they have stumbled upon a hidden gem, that they have discovered someone worth following and still, no one knows about them.

Another key is signaling that we are serious about creating and not just treating it as a side-hobby. Stacking these small signs of professionalism makes your brand appear established even in the early days. When done well, we could not only gain a new follower but we have the possibility that they share our work with their friends—humans love to take credit for introducing something worth knowing. This has to be our ultimate goal. Viral pieces don’t go viral only because the algorithm chooses them, but because they are shared around in internal forums, private rooms, communities, etc.

To be recognized as a professional, look closely at the details that signal quality:

Bio/About me: Speak directly to the people you want to reach.
Production quality: Keep your visuals, audio, or formatting polished.
Topic focus: Address specific, relevant problems or goals for your audience.
Profile picture: Choose one that’s clear, intentional, and aligned with your audience.
Organization: Structure your work so it’s easy to follow and respects your reader’s time.

Finally, one of the strongest signals that you can send is consistency. When people see you posting regularly, it builds confidence. They know you’re committed and not going anywhere. Readers don’t subscribe for what you’ve already said but because they want to hear what you’ve to say next. Consistency doesn’t have to be posting every day (though that helps), but it does mean having a periodic medium where you share your thoughts. A weekly newsletter, for example, keeps you in your audience’s mind while giving you enough time to develop ideas worth sharing.

This is just my perspective, and I believe the best ideas emerge from different angles. What's your experience with this? Would you add or refine anything?

Discussion about this post

Ready for more?