Business Field Guide Series™ / Guide 08
Proof Before Promotion™
Why real evidence and authenticity matter more as artificial content becomes easier to create.
For: All businesses
Visibility & Content
The ideas worth taking with you
- 01
Begin with something that actually happened
Use a real job, product, event, or customer question as the starting point. Generated images should not be presented as evidence of work you performed or food you served.
- 02
Distinguish polish from fabrication
Cropping, lighting adjustments, and readable layouts can help people see the work. Adding results, changing portions, removing defects that matter, or inventing testimonials changes the evidence.
- 03
Match each claim to support
Ask what a photo or record really establishes. A neat finished job does not prove cost savings, long-term durability, health benefits, or results for every customer.
- 04
Check permission before promotion
Confirm you can use the images, quoted feedback, and identifiable people. Blur or crop private details and check whether customer or venue restrictions apply.
- 05
Use AI as an assistant, not a witness
AI can help draft captions, organize ideas, or improve a layout. Someone who knows the work must check the facts, wording, and visual integrity before approving it.
- 06
Keep a trail back to the original
Save source images and short context notes alongside finished content. If a question arises later, you should be able to explain what was changed and where the facts came from.
From reading to doing
Put this to work this week
- Select one promotional post and find its source material.
- Check every factual claim against the real work.
- Review permissions and any edits to the image.
- Have someone who knows the job approve the final version.
Where Proof & Feed fits
This is Proof & Feed’s central rule: enhance the proof, never invent the proof. AI-assisted tools may help with content processing, but authentic customer material remains the basis of the work.