The last founder I spoke with mentioned “authority” 27 times in 30 minutes. His supplement company was winning on Amazon, but desperately needed to grow off the platform.
This founder got it. He needed deep brand trust to send the right market signals and stand out from the pack.
He also knew that flexing his GPT copy-paste muscles wouldn’t work. AI has made content creation easier, but building authority much harder.
If anyone can crank out reasonably good content in 15 seconds, good no longer cuts it. Your content has to be so good they can’t ignore you (shout out to Cal Newport).
Remarkable content and smart positioning are why the market perceives brands like LMNT and Levels as authorities in their niches. And when I say “the market,” I mean Google, LLMs, and the vast sea of humans shopping for wellness products.
Here’s the thing. Building authority isn’t easy. LMNT took years to become a category leader, but the authority formula they used is fairly straightforward.
Authority = expertise + point of view
Expertise is short for human expertise. AI can churn out copy, but it can’t distinguish good writing from bad. It has no taste.
And it won’t build credibility. That requires a seasoned human who understands scientific evidence and can place it in context. That’s the kind of judgment that signals trust to Google’s algorithm and customers.
Point of view is more subtle and best explained through examples. Take LMNT’s clear POV: More salt, not less. That science-backed message fueled their ascension.
Or Levels Health. Their POV is something like: If you want to live a long, healthy life, you’d better stay on top of your metabolic health. Their content engine reinforces this message through a steady stream of science-backed education. And once people trust them, their high-ticket testing and coaching program becomes a natural next step.
These brands are reminders that authority isn’t an accident. It’s the result of consistent decisions made by humans who know what they’re talking about.
Brands that try to build authority without it will sink into the sea of AI slop. Brands that invest in expertise and POV will rise above the rest.
I help wellness brands grow through science-backed strategy and content.
If you’d like support on your next stage of growth, you can reach me here.
