Spot on RE paid search…categories have become a lot more crowded over the last decade and everyone is over-indexed on short-term campaigns like there is no tomorrow.
That means that everyone is targeting the same keywords, chasing the same signals, chasing the same audiences, which makes auctions and CPCs more expensive. We have seen this across the 50+ SaaS brand we work with.
That doesn’t mean paid search is dead, but it means trust is built before people go to search.
Content collabs, influencers, community, and employee led content are all focused on out-of-market buyers.
And the investments in building trust early make capture channels like search more efficient.
Elena, thanks for sharing these valuable insights. The trust-based moat thesis is spot on.
I'm curious about the mechanics of trust conversion that you've seen work effectively. How do you close the gap between the first WOW and the user’s "done” state for products like Lovable? I've been seeing users love the initial magic but then run parallel workflows (generate in the AI tool, finish elsewhere) because they’re not yet confident the output consistently meets their definition of "done." When does trust actually convert to subscription: after belief is established through founder visibility and transparent roadmaps, or after proving the magic is repeatable for their workflow?
Great points and concise article! I agree entirely with you. I've seen a lot of people saying some of these things about trust, but I like that you're not just saying trust, but quality. Not everyone has been saying that the new frontier of branding and products is returning to quality. This is a thought I've been working towards synthesizing right now. I subscribed! I'd love if you would check out my most recent post about the return to authenticity and quality of experience in brand strategy for three big brands: https://valueengine.substack.com/p/the-brand-of-the-future
Thank you for the really clear, accessible, and practical summary!
Love this! I covered this topic ( from a different angle ) last week - check out my article - The Infrastructure of Belief 😍
Spot on RE paid search…categories have become a lot more crowded over the last decade and everyone is over-indexed on short-term campaigns like there is no tomorrow.
That means that everyone is targeting the same keywords, chasing the same signals, chasing the same audiences, which makes auctions and CPCs more expensive. We have seen this across the 50+ SaaS brand we work with.
That doesn’t mean paid search is dead, but it means trust is built before people go to search.
Content collabs, influencers, community, and employee led content are all focused on out-of-market buyers.
And the investments in building trust early make capture channels like search more efficient.
Amazing piece of content. Thanks for sharing it.
Elena, thanks for sharing these valuable insights. The trust-based moat thesis is spot on.
I'm curious about the mechanics of trust conversion that you've seen work effectively. How do you close the gap between the first WOW and the user’s "done” state for products like Lovable? I've been seeing users love the initial magic but then run parallel workflows (generate in the AI tool, finish elsewhere) because they’re not yet confident the output consistently meets their definition of "done." When does trust actually convert to subscription: after belief is established through founder visibility and transparent roadmaps, or after proving the magic is repeatable for their workflow?
Great points and concise article! I agree entirely with you. I've seen a lot of people saying some of these things about trust, but I like that you're not just saying trust, but quality. Not everyone has been saying that the new frontier of branding and products is returning to quality. This is a thought I've been working towards synthesizing right now. I subscribed! I'd love if you would check out my most recent post about the return to authenticity and quality of experience in brand strategy for three big brands: https://valueengine.substack.com/p/the-brand-of-the-future
Thank you for the really clear, accessible, and practical summary!
So well put, Elena! Thank you for sharing this. Indeed, trust is compounding little by little and so easy to lose in a blink of an eye.
What has been your high signal customer voice/feedback channel at Lovable? Is it support inbox, public reviews or something else?
Trusting growth leaders was and is a problem. Now the tactics shipped by growth is also a trust problem. Growth - so many trust issues 🤣
since when is trusting growth leaders been a problem?