Know, Like, and Trust: Your Edge in the AI Era
Let's talk about know, like, and trust.
I've been spending a lot of these episodes preparing you for the world we're entering. And here's a big one: as AI reshapes everything, I think know, like, and trust become commodities.
The brands and operators who've built genuine visibility, real likability, and earned trust are going to win the next era. Because everyone else is about to be drowned out by noise.
Let me break down each one and, more importantly. Why trust may be the most valuable of the three going forward. Let's get into it.
What Does "Know, Like, and Trust" Mean in the AI Era?
Know, like, and trust is the classic idea that people buy from those they're aware of, like, and believe in — but in an AI-saturated market, each one becomes a scarce, valuable asset rather than a nice-to-have. "Know" is visibility. "Like" is a values-aligned audience. "Trust" is earned reputation. Together they're what makes someone (or an AI) choose you over a sea of alternatives.
Know: Plant Your Flag and Build Visibility
The first commodity is simply being known — having eyeballs on you and your brand. You earn that by planting your flag on the platform (or platforms) where your people actually are, and committing to it, including spending to grow your audience there.
For us, that's been YouTube. My wife and business partner Kim built our bread and butter there over a decade-plus, and the lead generation from that one platform could carry the entire business. If you're late to this, it's more competitive now — but I'd still plant your flag, because visibility is only going to get more valuable.
Here's the part most people get wrong: don't play neutral. In a crowded world, neutral is forgettable. Differentiate by leading with your actual values, personality, and beliefs. You're seeing founders do this far more than the buttoned-up, behind-the-scenes CEOs of decades past — they put themselves and their convictions out front. Yes, that means some people won't vibe with you, and you'll catch some criticism. That's the cost of standing for something. We're tribal by nature, so use it: a clear point of view repels the wrong people and magnetizes the right ones. (Kim and I are open that we're kingdom-minded — that's a genuine value, and it's part of why the people who align with us really align with us.)
Like: Build a Tribe Around Shared Values
The second commodity is likability — not mass popularity, but being genuinely liked by the specific subset of people who share your values. That's what turns an audience into a community that rallies around you.
The clearest example I point to is Chip and Joanna Gaines. Built on platform (HGTV) plus likability, they turned Magnolia into a destination that draws tens of thousands of visitors a weekend to Waco, Texas — a town most people otherwise wouldn't make a trip for. From there it compounded into products, books, a restaurant, and arguably a revival of the whole network. People didn't just follow their work; they connected with them — their relationship, their values, the thing they build together. That's likability doing the heavy lifting.
There's real psychology underneath this. Humans crave belonging, and we're wired tribally. The internet moved us from local "everyone around me roughly agrees" echo chambers to sudden exposure to everyone's views all at once — and in response, people are sorting themselves back into communities of shared values and interests. So choose a platform where your people naturally align, lean into who you are, and you give them a place to belong. Or, on a big mainstream platform, cut through clearly enough that the right person feels like they stumbled onto an oasis: finally, someone who gets it.
Why Is Trust the Most Important Commodity Going Forward?
Trust becomes the deciding factor because the market is about to be flooded — with new creators, with AI-generated content, and even with AI-spun-up apps and offers — and when people are overwhelmed by options, they default to what they already know, like, and trust.
Two forces are driving the flood. First, economic pressure and AI-driven job displacement are pushing more people than ever to start something of their own (I have friends doing exactly this right now). Second, AI has collapsed the friction to create — you can spin up content, and increasingly whole app prototypes, in an evening on a tool like Replit. The result is an ocean of low-signal, often soulless output, because generic AI can't capture your voice and values. Amid that overwhelm, trust is the filter. We've all bought the janky thing that didn't deliver — and afterward, we retreat to brands we know are reputable.
How Does Trust Get You Recommended by AI?
Here's the payoff that most people aren't thinking about: the trust you build across the web increasingly determines whether AI models recommend you.
Tools like ChatGPT, Grok, and Gemini aren't just returning a list of links — they're trying to deliver a single, curated, good answer. That's a tall order, and it makes them lean toward sources that are reputable and well-reviewed, because surfacing a bad recommendation risks the user switching to a competitor model. So the more positive chatter, reviews, and credible content exist about your brand, the safer a bet you become for the AI to recommend.
A real example: our home had sky-high VOC levels from the previous owner's air fresheners, and I was reacting to it. I asked Grok what to do, and it recommended a specific air-filter brand — one I then spent about $4,000 on. What are the odds I'd have found that brand cold on Google? It got surfaced because the company had built platform, earned reviews, and generated positive chatter across the web. That's know, like, and trust converting into an AI recommendation — and an actual sale.
How Do You Build Know, Like, and Trust Starting Now?
Be a content machine, and make your reputation visible. Concretely:
- Plant your flag on the platform where your people are, and post consistently — favor long-form, because it's signal, not noise. (It also gives AI more substance to recognize you by.)
- Lead with your values and personality so the right tribe forms around you.
- Generate genuine reviews and testimonials — and put them somewhere visible and crawlable (your site, your Google/Amazon profiles, wherever fits your business). Don't let praise die in a DM.
- Deliver on your promise so the chatter about you stays positive — that's what compounds into both organic word-of-mouth and AI recommendations.
Do that, and in a sea of AI-generated sameness, you stand out — and you get chosen, by humans and by the models they're increasingly asking for answers.
Key Takeaways
- In an AI-flooded market, know, like, and trust become the real commodities.
- Know: plant your flag on the right platform, invest to grow, and lead with your values — neutral is forgettable.
- Like: build a values-aligned tribe; likability + platform compounds (see Chip & Joanna Gaines).
- People are tribal and crave belonging — give the right people a place to feel they belong.
- Trust is the deciding commodity as noise, new creators, and AI content flood the market and overwhelm buyers.
- Trust increasingly drives AI recommendations — positive reviews and chatter make models more likely to surface you.
- Action: be a content machine (favor long-form), gather visible reviews, and always deliver on your promise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "know, like, and trust" mean?
It's the principle that people buy from brands and people they're aware of (know), feel connected to (like), and believe in (trust). In an AI-saturated market, each becomes a scarce, valuable asset: visibility, a values-aligned audience, and earned reputation. Together they're what makes someone — or an AI model — choose you over endless alternatives.
Why does trust matter more in the age of AI?
Because AI floods the market with content, new creators, and even auto-generated apps and offers, and overwhelmed buyers default to brands they already trust. Trust is the filter people use to cut through noise — and increasingly, it's the signal AI models use too, since they want to recommend reputable, well-reviewed sources they can confidently stand behind.
How do you get recommended by AI like ChatGPT or Grok?
Build genuine trust signals across the web — consistent quality content, positive reviews, and credible chatter about your brand. AI models aim to deliver a single good answer, so they favor sources that are reputable and well-reviewed. The more positive, crawlable evidence exists about you, the more likely a model is to surface you when someone asks a relevant question.
Should I share my values and opinions in my marketing?
If they're authentically yours, yes. In a crowded market, neutrality is forgettable, and leading with your genuine values and personality attracts a tribe that truly aligns with you. It will also repel some people — that's the trade-off, and it's a feature, not a bug. A clear point of view is what turns a passive audience into a committed community.
What's the most important thing to do right now to build know, like, and trust?
Pick the platform where your people are, plant your flag, and become a content machine — favoring long-form so you're producing signal, not noise. Then make your reputation visible by gathering and displaying real reviews and testimonials, and consistently deliver on your promise. That combination compounds into organic word-of-mouth and AI recommendations over time.
Want Help Building These Three Pillars?
If you want help turning know, like, and trust into a real system — the right platform, messaging that builds a tribe, and a reputation that gets you chosen (and recommended) — that's exactly what we help coaches and service providers do.
You can work with us inside The Business Lounge, where we're also rolling out a suite of custom GPTs (built on our own mechanisms, not generic prompts) to help you market faster and cut your time spent dramatically. Or book an AI strategy call with our team to map what makes sense for you. No pressure — if it's a fit, it's a fit.
In a sea of AI sameness, be the one people know, like, and trust.
— Chris