News and Insights

Build the Connection and Readers Will Remember Your Message

June 23, 2025

In today’s world of instant information, the comprehensive, immediate, and sometimes overwhelming access to information is abundant. Readers no longer seek mere information; they seek meaning and authenticity from their content. What differentiates successful content from the vast ocean of available information is not merely accuracy or breadth, but the personal connection between the writer and the reader.

Marketing thought leader Seth Godin says, “People don’t buy goods and services. People buy relations, stories and magic.” His keen observation sums up reader engagement today – it is not just about relaying factual information. It is about creating emotional connections and stories.

Emotional Connection Can Drive Engagement

Humans are generally emotionally driven. While humans often possess logic, we are driven more by our emotional selves. Poet and writer Maya Angelou poignantly states this emotional truth: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Consider the people in your reader community with whom you continue to engage on a loyal and ongoing basis. You will unlikely continue to engage with these content creators for unique data or brilliant facts. Still, their message made you feel a certain way: connected, heard, inspired, or entertained.

In 1956, Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl first coined the term “parasocial relationships,” which describes one-sided emotional and powerful connections when readers feel their authors are authentic and relatable—some of the same feelings you might have had with some of your true friends. Authenticity, therefore, emerges as a critical driver of reader loyalty and engagement.

The Importance of Trust

Trust becomes an invaluable currency in an era of misinformation and superficial content. Seth Godin emphasizes trust as foundational, “Trust is the currency of the connection economy. It is more potent than brand and more valuable than shelf space.” Readers who trust an author are more forgiving of minor errors and more likely to advocate for the author’s content, thereby becoming active ambassadors.

Simply put, even meticulously crafted messages often fail to resonate without trust.

Authenticity Not Perfection

Seth Godin also highlights the issue of authenticity. He notes, “Insincerity is draining. It is moreover bad business.” Readers know when they are being misled, and think clickbait is the corporate version of a “bait and switch.”

Authenticity, even when imperfectly executed, invariably connects. Even if somewhat grammatically idiosyncratic or awkwardly written, a writer’s genuine voice is interpreted as transparency, relatability, and the key to developing a long-term reader connection, three qualities that authors engage their readers over time.

The Value of Perspective

As we enter the knowledge economy, information alone is not sufficient. Content strategist Robert Rose has argued, “Facts by themselves won’t do it… You have to give people something to believe in.” Readers crave interpretation and guidance, specifically perspectives that allow them to navigate the complexities of contemporary life.

Perspective creates value in an original voice. What is perceived as everyday content formalizes into relevant insights. Writers go from simply content providers to necessary informants about the hardships of the reader’s reality.

Personality as a Differentiator

Competitors may duplicate your content topics and data points, but cannot duplicate your personality and perspective. Seth Godin describes the distinct advantage of creating a tribe as a community that comes together through a shared set of values and attitudes, and their unique way of expressing themselves.

This sense of community provides readers and writers with a powerful and persistent bond that uniquely separates them, not simply a consumption and reading action, but absolute loyalty, with engagement resulting from a writer’s authenticity, passion, and respect for the reader.

Turning the Reader into Advocates

Emotionally implicated readers can transform from simply consuming content into active advocates. In this case, the reader consumes content and feels invested in endorsing, supporting, and eventually championing it to others. This will have an impact far beyond the reader’s share.

Active advocacy is priceless, and builds credibility for organizations and audiences that paid and sold ads may never return.

Connection is what makes content memorable

In a digital environment saturated with endless information, the enduring differentiator is the authentic, meaningful connection writers build with their audiences. Readers remember—and actively engage with—content that resonates personally, grounded in trust, authenticity, and unique insights.

Therefore, contemporary authors and content marketers must prioritize genuine relationships over information delivery. In doing so, they transform their content from forgettable to unforgettable.

Ultimately, human connection remains rare and invaluable in a world overflowing with data.

What are you waiting for? Create connections.