I’ve been thinking a lot about how obsessed everyone is with the tiniest content details right now, and how in the process we’re collectively missing the things that actually move the needle.

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Because everywhere I look, people are spiraling about whether they should be using this trending audio or that one, whether they’re posting too early or too late or somehow both, whether they’re posting too often or not enough, whether they should use hashtags or keywords … and meanwhile, the very first thing their audience experiences has nothing to do with any of that.

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It’s not the caption.

It’s not even the hook.

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It’s the appearance. The visuals.

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The way you show up on camera.

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The way your graphics feel before someone consciously processes them.

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Before a single word is read, their nervous system is already doing its thing.

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Color, type, spacing, imagery, hierarchy - all of it is shaping how someone feels about you before they ever get to your ideas.

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The same goes for your tone of voice, your body language, what you’re wearing on camera, and how settled or scattered you seem.

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Their brain is forming an opinion long before they get to deciding whether you’re “smart enough” or “experienced enough.”

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This is where a lot of really talented service providers get tripped up, because they’re trying to solve a trust problem with tactical tweaks.

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Let’s use an example you’ve probably heard a million times if you’ve ever gone down a color psychology rabbit hole.

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Blue tends to signal trust. (That’s why most banks love and use it.)

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But blue paired with curly, whimsical handwriting doesn’t exactly scream, “I responsibly manage your money and your future.”

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Blue paired with a clean serif or a modern sans serif, though? Completely different story.

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Same color, totally different context, wildly different nervous system response.

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And this is the part people miss: you can use the “right” element, but when it’s paired with the wrong thing, it creates a completely different signal than you intended.

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Your audience is constantly scanning for cues, even if they’d never articulate it this way.

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Does this feel credible? Does this feel premium? Does this feel chaotic? Does this feel like someone who actually understands my problem, or like someone who’s still figuring it out in real time?

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When your visuals are saying one thing and your messaging is saying another, your audience doesn’t sit there and debate it. They don’t analyze it. They don’t give you the benefit of the doubt.

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They just hesitate. Scroll. Forget you existed. And move on with their life.

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And no amount of better hooks, tighter captions, more consistent posting, or algorithm tinkering fixes mixed signals. It just makes the disconnect louder.

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This is why I’m such a broken record about strategy coming first.

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Your voice, visuals, and verbiage all have to be working toward the same goal, telling the same story, creating the same feeling, instead of quietly fighting each other behind the scenes.

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Because content doesn’t get read first. It gets felt first.

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And when it feels off, confusing, or mismatched, your audience doesn’t think, “Hmm, something’s misaligned here.” Their brain just says, “Not safe yet,” and keeps scrolling.

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If showing up online feels harder than it should, if you’re doing “all the right things” but still not getting the response you expect, there’s a very good chance it’s not because you need to post more or try harder.

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It’s because your brand is sending mixed signals...and mixed signals always create hesitation.

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Catch ya next week,

Marissa

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PS: If you're local to the Hudson Valley, I'm hosting an in-person workshop next month, all about how to avoid that hesitation and ensure your brand is giving off the vibes your audience will pay attention to. See you there?​