You reach out to a promising lead because you truly believe your offer can help them. They click, skim, maybe even say “interesting” to themselves. And then…crickets.
While you might think it’s just about timing or budget, it’s often more about trust.
Cold or even warm leads, for that matter, are doing silent research on your business before ever responding.
And if your brand doesn’t feel credible or if your expertise isn’t visible…they’ll quietly move on.
That doesn’t mean you’re not qualified. It means they couldn’t tell that you are.
Here’s how to fix that.
Many cold leads don’t ghost because they weren’t interested. They ghost because they didn’t feel confident enough to say yes to a conversation.
Common reasons include:
People need to trust you before they talk to you. That trust starts before your first email is ever read.
Cold leads are silently scanning 3 major areas:
Every touchpoint you have with a lead either builds trust or creates doubt. If your presence doesn’t signal authority, consistency, or value right away, people will hesitate and might even ghost.
People do business with brands they trust, and that’s built through visible, valuable content.
That’s why growing your Credibility of Expertise is key.
Here are four strategies that work:
Don’t just repeat what everyone else is saying. Share from your unique POV:
This tells your audience: “I don’t just do this work, I really get it.”
Speaking—even virtually—is a signal of authority.
Webinars, panels, podcasts, or conferences allow you to:
Don’t wait for an invite! Pitch yourself or start with a live video on your own platform.
Experts who feel out of reach feel unrelatable. Credible brands make it easy to engage. That could look like:
Accessibility creates connection and connection builds trust.
Give away insights people can actually use. This might include:
Education is NOT a loss of leverage. It’s a gain in authority.
Once your strategy is clear, here’s how to turn that into real-world visibility:
If prospects are asking the same things on calls, answer those questions in your content through…
Instead of sending everyone to the same homepage, create specific pages that:
Go beyond general explainer videos. Record short clips that say:
“If you’re a [specific audience], here’s how we help you solve [specific problem].”
It allows a lead to see how you can help them their specific problem before a sales call and it works.
Longer videos or articles give cold leads time to get to know you on their terms.
These assets work while you sleep too making it more sustainable to build credibility over time.
Cold leads don’t ghost because you’re bad at what you do.
They ghost because they didn’t have enough to go on.
Right now…
What happens when someone Googles me or my business?
Can they quickly see who we serve, how we help, and why we’re trusted?
Do they feel educated before they even talk to us?
If the answer is no, it’s not your outreach that needs rewriting. It’s your credibility that needs reinforcing.
Cold outreach works. But it only works when it’s backed by visible, consistent, trustworthy content that builds belief.
Let your reputation speak before you do.
Is your best thinking public anywhere?
Are your wins and client outcomes easy to find?
Do your outreach links point to value, not just a “contact us” form?
If not, fix those before hitting “send” on your next email.Find more ways to reinforce your credibility of expertise and build trust before the pitch even begins with our free resource, Reputation Pillars.
Savannah Abney is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Breezy Company. With over 6 years of experience, she specializes in content strategy, video marketing, and brand storytelling-helping small businesses grow through a strong digital reputation.
