Why Most Messages Break Under Pressure
And What We Can Do Besides Besides More Jump-kicks
If you’ve ever tried to get your kid to stop screaming “butt” in public (strict hypothetical), or pitched a skeptical exec on your latest strategy shift, or asked a donor to give more than they’re used to— you’ve probably felt that moment when your words either:
a. cracked under pressure or
b. carried real weight.
So what’s the difference?
Out vs. Up.
Standing Out
We’ve trained ourselves to think the job of communication begins and ends with getting noticed. That’s why our Intagram feeds are filled with people literally doing jump kicks in front of the camera like a coked-up-car-salesman-turned-podcast-host… all to sell you an app that reminds you when to take a break from social media.
🤔🤔🤔🤔
Yes, standing out matters. I actually wrote an entire book about it. But the harder we try to manufacture outrageousness, the more it has the reverse affect. (The Jumping Podcast Host Strategy™ also sells language apps, and skin care, and cargo-shorts).
When standing out runs its course, there’s a more effective flex.
“No man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.”
— CS Lewis
Good messages stand out. Great messages stand up.
Under pressure.
Over time.
Across differences.
It’s a subtle, but seismic shift.
Instead of asking: “How can we reach the right audience?”
Try asking:
Whose trust are we responsible for?
Where has that trust been broken?
How have they been mis-messaged before?
Where can we earn credibility, not just clicks?
That’s the secret behind messages that actually change behavior. Not aesthetics. Not algorithms. Not dopamine hits. Just slow, steady, earned trust.
A Case in Point: ALDI Australia
Since the pandemic, grocery retailers came under fire for price gouging (My egg consumption is way down along with my cholesterol) . When public trust took a nosedive, most brands responded with louder ads, flashier sales, and big-budget campaigns to clean up their image.
ALDI didn’t.
Instead, they leaned into what they’d always done: simple, consistent messaging grounded in trust. Their ads were measured, clear, and self-aware. They didn’t shout. Their messaging reminded Australians of what hadn’t changed: ALDI’s commitment to everyday low prices, no gimmicks, and no surprises.
While others scrambled to rebuild credibility, ALDI's trust only deepened. Their approach wasn’t reactive, it was rooted in behavior they’d modeled for years. And because of that, their message stood up under pressure.
The results? ALDI doubled its revenue, jumping from the fourth-most trusted brand in Australia to second overall, claiming the title of most trusted supermarket for the first time.
In a crisis of confidence, they didn’t pivot. They proved who they were all along. And it worked.
The message didn’t just stand out. It stood up.
Your message isn’t a script. It’s the scaffolding.
It’s the thing people lean on when the lights go out and the headlines swirl.
If you're a founder, a creator, a parent (which I guess would make you a pro-creator?) or a leader of any kind—the work isn’t just to send a message, it’s to build one that keeps showing up, making sense, and proving its point. Even in moments of doubt.