Silence speaks louder than words.
A few years ago, I was deep in Mel Robbins’ universe — her podcast, her website, her signature brand of straight-talk motivation.
The whole pitch was access: I’ve been where you are. I’ve got you. Let’s do this together.
She extolled real conversations. She exhorted her podcast listeners to reach out with thoughts, questions, etc.
So, I did. It was just a quick note through her website — not fan-girl or over the top.
Just a question tied to a recent episode.
I never heard back. Not even an auto-reply.
You could have bowled me over with a feather.
The brand broke for me.
What That Taught Me (and Maybe You, Too?)
All businesses run on trust, doubly so if your name is the brand — this is the stuff that matters.
1. Don’t offer access unless you mean it.
“Reach out anytime” sounds generous — until people do. You don’t have to answer every email. But you do need to be honest about what kind of access you’re offering.
✅ Even an honest auto-reply (“We read everything, but can’t respond to all”) is better than silence.
2. Ghosting isn’t neutral.
Silence isn’t just silence. It’s a message, loud and clear.
✅ Set up simple systems to close the loop — even just a quick “Thanks for reaching out.”
3. Relatability isn’t a brand value. It’s a behavior.
You can’t market yourself as the person who “gets it” and then vanish. If your whole appeal is built on being the anti-guru, you have to show up like one.
✅ Take a look at what you’re promising. Ask yourself, “can I follow-through on this every time, no matter what?”
4. You don’t need a team to get this right. Just sincere intention.
Wes Pearce, a digital marketing strategist I follow on Substack, does this brilliantly. When I emailed him with a question the other day about a product I was buying, he wrote back personally — almost immediately — with a fix.
A real answer from a real human who cared enough about a single run-of-the-mill query to write back.
Instant respect.
✅ AI can fake a lot of things. But not sincerity. That’s still your job.
5. Your brand is only as strong as your follow-through.
A polished podcast, a great tagline, a well-crafted CTA — it all means nothing if you don’t come out from behind the curtain.
✅ Conversations aren’t conversations if they’re a one way street.
The point isn’t only that Mel didn’t answer. And she’s not alone in the Brands Too Big To Communicate To Us Lowly Humans club.
I get it. She has millions of followers on social media. Her podcast ranks in the top spots on Apple and Spotify.
But shouldn’t a brand based on personal credibility figure out a way to make the loyal fandom feel seen and heard?
It doesn’t take a village.
Instead, I was left feeling duped for drinking the I’m-here-for-you Kool Aid.
Her silence contradicted the brand she sold and the one I actually experienced.
Connection isn’t a marketing strategy — it’s a commitment.
Break it once, and the brand breaks with it.
