This archived newsletter on the issue of manufactured authority was originally sent to subscribers on January 22, 2026.
I’ve watched a familiar pattern play out over the years…
A freelance writer builds an early aura of authority by positioning themselves near more experienced peers.
They ask questions. They collect insights. They ego-bait generously. Then they package that borrowed knowledge into a paid product without disclosing where it came from.
I’ve watched as a new writer exploited more experienced colleagues, “picking their brains” only to turn around and sell those expert insights when they themselves had less than a year of experience.
They created a false sense of authority that baited even newer writers into trusting them and buying from them.
I’ve had similar happen to me.
A less-experienced colleague who I thought I knew well asked me privately for advice. I gave it freely. Then they turned around and shared that advice on their blog as if it came from their own professional experience. That was the last time I helped them.
Algorithmic systems have long rewarded this kind of behavior (think search engines and social media).
Visibility rises. Credibility is assumed, sometimes through association and sometimes through outright deceit.
Later, the shortcuts deepen.
Original writing, even the “borrowed” variety, appears less often. Articles start following the same structure, even when it makes no sense. You notice the same phrasing and recycled ideas. It becomes more, more, more as if we’re back in the early 2000s before anyone understood “quantity over quality” wasn’t a sustainable content strategy.
You’ll start to notice that writer’s content is clearly AI-generated.
Worse, it’s poorly-prompted and barely edited. Anyone with real experience, or even just experience with that writer, can spot it immediately.
This is the same person who built their reputation exploiting colleagues. AI tools just let them be even lazier.
For a while, this has worked for them. Search engines still reward them. Newer folks they target don’t realize what’s going on, so they still trust them.
Things are finally changing.
As I covered in my post on algorithmic authority, these systems never measured real expertise well. They measured who exploited those systems most efficiently.
Now, AI tools let nearly anyone do that efficiently.
Readers are starting to notice the difference between actual authority and the regurgitated garbage they see on a more massive scale.
None of this is new, except people are paying attention.
I’ve helped companies recover after shady SEO firms destroyed their rankings and reputations with similar low-effort content meant to chase algorithms rather than build true authority and loyal readers or customers.
People doing similar with AI content now are going to be in for a shock in the next year or two (algorithm changes are always a bit behind).
Mark my words, what’s rewarding people with a false appearance of authority now will come back to bite them.
The clean-up is hard.
When it comes to those playing these games to exploit new freelancers, I look forward to seeing them get what they deserve. My popcorn’s ready.
When content becomes obviously generic, derivative, and hollow, visibility can’t paper over the cracks for long. What survives next will require transparency, original insights, and legitimate experience.
Manufactured authority is fragile. It always was.
Don’t make these mistakes thinking you (or your clients) will get away with it indefinitely. Focus on building true authority, sharing genuine insights, and helping newer writers do better than the ones hoping to take advantage of them for a quick buck.
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