Q: Before we dive in, what shaped your perspective as a writer and led you into copywriting?
I didn’t start by wanting to “be in advertising.” I started by paying attention and listening to how people talk, noticing the tiny phrases that build connection, and watching how quickly trust breaks when language feels off. Writing became the thing I used to make sense of that. Over time, I realized that the best branding isn’t loud or clever, it’s honest. Copywriting became the perfect place to practice that kind of honesty every day.
Q: Jireh, you’ve said that “trust isn’t bought, it’s borrowed.” What do you mean by that?
For years, marketers treated trust like a line item, something you could buy with enough media spend, a perfect tagline, or celebrity endorsement. But that era is over.
In today’s attention economy, trust isn’t a possession. It’s permission. People lend it to you briefly, cautiously, and only if you keep earning it. The moment you stop proving it, they take it back. Trust doesn’t belong to brands anymore. It belongs to the people who grant it.
Q: How does that belief shape the way you write?
It changes everything. I don’t write to sell. I write to earn belief.
Modern audiences are professional skeptics who have seen everything. So I focus on clarity, rhythm, and sincerity. I don’t try to sound clever. I try to sound human. I want the words to feel like they come from someone who genuinely believes what they’re saying.
Q: When you’re writing for trust, what does your creative process actually look like behind the scenes?
I start by stripping everything down to the truth a brand can stand on without over-explaining. If the foundation isn’t solid, no amount of copy can save it.
From there, I draft in layers. First, the raw thoughts: Messy, unfiltered, human. Then the structural pass, shaping the logic. Then the rhythm pass, making sure the words breathe. And finally, the sincerity pass, where anything that feels performative gets removed. Writing for trust is less about adding and more about subtracting until only the real message remains.
Q: You talk about “borrowed trust.” How does a brand earn that?
Borrowed trust lives in proximity, in the repost, the testimonial, and the unprompted shoutout from a creator who actually uses your product.
It’s not about being loud; it’s about being believable. People no longer ask, “What does this brand say about itself?” They ask, “Who else believes this?” That shift from broadcast to belief is everything.
Q: Can you share a moment from a recent project where trust played a defining role in the work?
There was a project where we spent weeks crafting beautiful, polished creative. The work was strong. But the piece that resonated most was a short, shaky clip a real customer recorded on their phone. No script. No direction. Just someone genuinely excited. That single moment outperformed everything else because people trusted the voice behind it. It reminded me that trust doesn’t always come from the assets we build, sometimes it comes from the moments we simply allow.
Q: Where do you see that idea reflected in AVANTI’s work?
At AVANTI, we design for trust. It’s built into everything, from copy to creative to client relationships. Every touchpoint either builds belief or breaks it.
We don’t chase polish. We chase presence. We craft systems that breathe and stories that don’t oversell. Because people don’t reward perfection, they reward honesty.
Q: What’s one thing brands still get wrong about trust?
They treat it like a campaign goal. But trust isn’t a metric. It’s a relationship. It’s earned, lost, and earned again. Every interaction, every promise kept, every small detail that feels human renews it. The brands that win today are the ones that act with integrity even when no one’s watching.
Q: Looking ahead, how do you see trust evolving for brands in 2025 and beyond?
People are becoming allergic to manufactured authenticity. They want proof—not the polished kind, but the kind that slips through naturally. Unedited stories. Honest explanations. Brands admitting what they’re still working on. Trust is shifting toward transparency that isn’t theatrically vulnerable. The brands that win will be the ones that let people witness the process, not just the performance.
Q: What’s your personal philosophy as a copywriter?
Less gloss. More truth. A great copy doesn’t convince; it connects. It doesn’t try to sound smart; it makes people feel something real. In an age of automation and filters, honesty is the only thing that still cuts through.
Q: What do you love most about being part of the AVANTI team?
The collaboration. Everyone here treats creativity as a team sport. There’s trust, respect, and an obsession with doing the work well, not just fast. We push each other to think sharper, dig deeper, and make things that actually move people.
Q: Any final thoughts for brands trying to build belief ?
Stop trying to own the narrative. Let people co-author it. When your audience feels seen, included, and respected, they’ll believe you, not because you told them to, but because you earned it.