Trust Isn’t a Press Release (Sorry, PR Team)

By Kristin Oelke, Managing Director, Growth Services, Brightrose Ventures, and author of Trust: Unlocking B2B Growth in Today’s AI World

Here’s the hard truth: you can’t spin your way into trust. Trust isn’t built through press releases or perfectly worded LinkedIn posts - it’s built through consistent proof. Customers want results. Partners want reliability. Employees want honesty.

Edelman’s 2023 Trust Barometer found that only 59% of people trust businesses—and that trust is earned through actions, not slogans.

The myth? One glossy announcement can fix your reputation. The reality? Trust is a marathon of delivered promises, not a sprint of corporate messaging.

When trust is low, GTM strategies stall. Prospects hesitate, partners won’t commit, and employees disengage. But the companies winning today are building trust into their GTM engine: customer advocacy programs, partner referral networks, analyst relations, and employer branding all working together.

That’s exactly where Brightrose Ventures comes in. Our Integrated, Fractional Marketing Team helps small and mid-market companies build a public trust profile from the ground up-so every customer win, partner success, and employee story contributes to rebuilding confidence.

Because trust isn’t a press release - it’s proof. And proof scales growth.