how to balance honesty vs authority in your emails

Fun fact:

I host a live Q&A session for my private community once a month.

And on our most recent session…

I got the following question:

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"How do you decide what to share with your audience when the direction is changing?"

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It’s a brilliant question.

And one I've personally grappled with more than once.

You see, when I launched this newsletter back in 2023, it was actually called "The Copywriting Gig."

It was part of this portfolio of newsletters I was building...

Including another one called "The Freelance Gig."

My grand vision was to create all these different interconnected newsletters around related topics…

Like freelancing, copywriting, media buying, etc…

All following the traditional value-based newsletter playbook.

But eventually, I bumped up against the same problem everyone on my list runs into:

Delivering value doesn’t create buyers.

Instead, it empowers people to DIY.

So I pivoted.

And renamed the newsletter to "Persuasive Alchemy”...

Because I was feeling drawn to explore the intersection of content and copy…

I.e how to integrate them both into one unified approach…

And (hopefully) capture the best of both.

But eventually, I became disillusioned with the content game altogether.

Social media… algorithms… the whole dog n’ pony show.

So I opted out.

That's when I made the final transition to "Newsletter Freedom."

As you can see:

I’ve made my fair share of course corrections.

(heck, there could be a few more still to come! lol)

Anyway, at each one of those transition points...

I was completely honest with my audience about what was happening and why.

Some people unsubscribed.

That's inevitable when you change direction.

But most of the responses I got were actually really positive.

People appreciated the transparency.

They liked seeing that not everyone has it all figured out at all times.

It gave them permission to be uncertain themselves.

To pivot when something wasn't working.

To admit they didn't have all the answers yet.

Moral of the story is:

Authenticity and motion matter WAY more than having everything figured out.

People don't follow you because you're perfect.

They follow you because you're moving forward.

Even if the direction changes, as long as you're in motion, people will stay engaged.

There's a fascination that comes with watching someone figure things out in real time.

It taps into that voyeuristic element that makes story-driven content so magnetic.

Now, you do have to balance honesty with authority…

Which means:

You don't need to share every moment of doubt or hesitation.

But when you've made a decision about something...

When you've thought it through and landed on a new direction...

That's when you bring your audience along for the ride.

Share the decision and the logic behind it.

Let them see your thinking.

That creates a bond that false certainty never could.

Because at the end of the day...

Motion is magnetic.

And your audience can feel when you're moving forward…

Even if you're still figuring out exactly which direction you’re headed in.

Food for thought if you’ve ever felt stuck or like you’ve outgrown your current niche, brand, business name, positioning, etc…

But are afraid to change it for fear of signalling the wrong thing to your audience.

Happy Thursday ✌️

Jim Hamilton