Most creators believe the biggest challenge in marketing is getting noticed. If more people just saw your work, everything would fall into place, right?
That’s the myth marketers have been selling for decades—convincing us that awareness is the only thing standing between where we are and where we want to be.
But awareness alone is worthless.
If attention were all that mattered, every streaker at an NFL game would be a household name.
Real marketing—the kind that spreads, builds businesses, and makes an impact—is built on three critical pillars:
- Awareness – Getting the word out.
- Trust – Proving you’re worth paying attention to.
- Tension – Giving people a reason to act.
Miss any one of these, and your message simply won’t land, or spread. Here’s a breakdown.
1. Awareness: Necessary, but Overrated
Yes, you need people to know you exist. But that’s not the hardest part of marketing.
Everyone knows McDonald’s exists, but that doesn’t mean everyone eats there. Everyone knows there are free eBooks online, but that doesn’t mean they download and read them.
Awareness is table stakes—not the finish line. If all you focus on is making noise, you’ll be forgotten just as fast as you appeared.
The Real Question: What happens after someone becomes aware of you?
2. Trust: The Scarce Ingredient
Trust is harder to earn than attention—and infinitely more valuable.
You can get people to notice you by being loud, controversial, or shocking. But if they don’t trust you, they won’t follow, buy, or share.
Trust is built through:
- Repetition – Showing up consistently, not just once.
- Promises kept – Doing what you say you will.
- Familiarity – Reminding people of something or someone they already trust.
This is why great brands don’t just market—they deliver. They don’t just talk; they prove.
The Real Question: Do you show up consistently with your message, and deliver against it? Do people believe you enough to take the next step?
3. Tension: The Invisible Force That Drives Action
This is where most creators hesitate.
Even if people notice you and trust you, they won’t act unless there’s a reason to act now.
Tension is what makes someone move from “I’ll think about it” to “I need to do this.” It’s the slight discomfort of missing out, being left behind, or staying stuck. It’s the ability to say to the people you seek to serve, “Where you are now is fine, but where I will take you, where we will go together, is better.”
Examples of Tension in Action:
- Deadlines: “This offer expires at midnight.”
- Social Proof: “Thousands of people like you have already joined—don’t be the last.”
- Personal stakes–fear of loss: “What happens if you don’t make this change?”
We experience tension every day:
- When the subway doors start closing, we rush inside.
- When we hear “Final boarding call,” we hustle to the gate.
- When a favorite artist announces a limited tour, we buy tickets now.
If your audience isn’t feeling any tension, they’ll stay put. Comfort is the enemy of action.
The Real Question: As a marketer working to help your idea spread, how are you creating tension?
Marketing is More Than Making Noise
Marketing isn’t just getting the word out—it’s the full circuit of how we make things and package them up, bring them to market, let people know they exist, deliver them to people, and interact with those people who’ve engaged with our ideas, work, and art. It’s about making people care.
- Awareness gets you on the radar.
- Trust helps people listen.
- Tension makes them move.
If your marketing isn’t working, chances are one of these three are missing or out of alignment.
Challenge for You:
- Look at your latest marketing effort.
- Does it build trust, or just chase attention?
- Is there enough tension to make someone act?
Because your work won’t spread just because you talk about it. It’ll spread because you’re purposefully creating conditions to drive change. You’re intentionally building trust and inflicting tension. And you’re leading people, so they feel like they can’t afford to ignore you.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it with someone else who might too–the buttons below can help.
Thank you!
