Expert Mode: Trust Is a Strategy, Not a Sentiment
This article was based on the interview with Featuring insights from Dana Bodine, U.S. Vice President of Marketing at Trustpilot by Greg Kihlström, AI and MarTech keynote speaker for The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström podcast. Listen to the original episode here:
Marketers love to talk about trust. It’s on their websites, in their taglines, and plastered across their slides. But too often, it’s still just that—talk. Dana Bodine, Vice President of Marketing at Trustpilot, wants to change that. Her mission: to make trust measurable, operational, and actionable.
In this conversation, Bodine lays out how trust is no longer just a brand value—it’s a performance metric. From anonymized reviews and AI-backed authenticity checks to marketing campaigns driven by trust signals, she shares how the brands that treat trust as a business asset—not a fuzzy feeling—are seeing real results.
Trust Is a Metric, Not a Mood
Marketers have long treated trust as a soft KPI. Bodine challenges that. At Trustpilot, they quantify trust through a live ecosystem of more than 350 million consumer reviews. That’s 100 reviews submitted every minute, each one evaluated for authenticity through a robust tech stack that removed more than 4 million fake reviews last year alonefor-social-media-conten….
“It’s not just a brand measure like NPS,” Bodine says. “It’s something that has meaning when you put it back out into the world”
That means trust isn’t just about feeling good—it’s about making better decisions and driving business outcomes. Brands that showcase their Trustpilot scores in digital ads see up to 10x higher engagement. Customers don’t just notice trust—they reward it.
But it only works if you’re honest about it. Trustpilot encourages brands to invite reviews from every customer—good, bad, or neutral. Selective sampling isn’t just a bad practice—it’s a trust killer.
Tools to Turn Feedback Into Growth
Collecting feedback is one thing. Doing something with it is another. Bodine outlines a suite of new tools Trustpilot has launched to close the loop—from deeper sentiment analysis to real-time customer behavior tracking.
“Data is only as good as what you can do with it,” she says
One key update is the ability to pinpoint root causes of trust breakdowns. Bodine shares examples of brands identifying performance issues tied to specific shipping partners or regional service breakdowns—insights they would’ve missed without structured review analysis.
The tools also let businesses respond to reviews immediately and personalize follow-ups, giving them a second chance to rebuild trust. And when brands engage authentically—even with unhappy customers—something surprising happens.
“There’s a huge swing. They come back. They feel heard. They might even become your strongest advocates,” Bodine explains
The De-Influencing Era and the Return of the Real
With skepticism on the rise, Bodine notes that traditional influencer marketing is losing some of its edge. The so-called “de-influencing” trend reflects a growing consumer demand for authentic, unbiased perspectives.
“We’re in the de-centering of one voice. Customers want multiple data points—not just a single influencer’s opinion,” she says
Review platforms like Trustpilot benefit from this shift. Unlike influencer content, reviews are largely anonymous, unsolicited, and devoid of personal brand agendas. They’re raw and imperfect—which is exactly what makes them powerful.
In fact, Bodine points out that customers often trust a 4.8-star business more than a perfect 5.0.
“We’re inherently cynical. We want to see a little imperfection—it feels real,” she says
That’s why brands must embrace the full spectrum of feedback, not just cherry-picked praise. And more importantly, they need to be seen responding. Customers look not just at ratings, but at whether a brand is present, attentive, and accountable.
Data as a Dialogue, Not a Report
In an age obsessed with being “data-driven,” Bodine brings nuance: more data isn’t always better. The real value comes from structuring it, analyzing it daily, and questioning everything.
“It’s the homework that never gets done unless you do a little every day,” she says
Marketers need to look beyond surface metrics and dig into experiences across the entire customer journey. Why did someone churn after onboarding? Why do complaints spike in one region? What emotional signals are hiding inside that three-star review?
Trustpilot’s tools are designed to support both CX pros and marketers—those optimizing the journey, and those interpreting the sentiment behind it. And when brands take action on that data—when they acknowledge pain points, correct issues, and respond with empathy—they unlock something few metrics can measure: long-term credibility.
Conclusion
Trust isn’t built through slogans or sealed in five-star perfection. It’s earned—through transparency, humility, and daily work. And as Dana Bodine makes clear, it’s also measurable, improvable, and incredibly valuable when done right.
In a time when customer decisions are shaped by everything from influencer fatigue to economic caution, trust becomes not just a differentiator—but a requirement. The smartest brands aren’t just talking about trust. They’re showing their work.
And in Bodine’s words, that starts with one simple habit:
“Respond. Every day. To every voice. Because that’s what trust looks like.”
