EP38: June 6, 2025 – Stop the DIY Spiral — What You’re Missing
Today’s spark is for the overthinkers, the DIY junkies, the “just one more tweak” crew. Let’s talk about why your endless edits aren’t fixing the real problem.
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"No amount of edits will fix a brand that doesn't know what it stands for."
Full transcript
Today's spark is for the overthinkers, the DIY junkies, the quote, just one more tweet crew. Let's talk about why your endless edits aren't fixing the real problem. Welcome back to Morning Cup of Brand Spark. Today is Friday, June 6th, and I'm Gina Dunn, founder of OG Solutions. Today's spark is for anyone who's stuck in the endless DIY spiral.
Let's spark it up. I see you. Changing your font for the 12th time this week. Rewriting your LinkedIn headline over and over and over. You're stuck in what I call the canvas spiral. I get it. I've been there. When you're building your own brand, it's so easy to think that one more tweak will make it perfect. But here's the thing. No amount of edits will fix a brand that doesn't know what it stands for. In fact, there's data to back this up. According to Nielsen's Global Trust and Advertising Report, 92 % of people trust recommendations from individuals, even if they don't know them, over branded content. What's this translate to? It means if your brand doesn't have a clear human voice and message, that all those fancy visuals and endless tweaks won't do a thing to build trust. They'll just keep you spinning. So here's the real kicker. Most of the time, this DIY spiral isn't about making it better. It's actually about avoiding the real work, the hard stuff. Because getting honest about what you actually stand for? That's scary as hell. It means you have to stop tweaking the pixels.
And start tweaking your point of view. And if we get real about it, what if instead of one more edit, you spent that same amount of time asking yourself this one question. Does this feel like me? Does this make someone feel something or am I just feeling space? Like filling the space. And here's your spark. Endless DIY tweaks are just a distraction. The real magic? It's in your clarity, not in your visuals. So here's your daily Spark check. Spark one, what's the last thing you tweaked that didn't actually change and give any impact whatsoever? And Spark two, if you had to go live tomorrow, would your brand be ready?
Or would you be hiding behind just one more edit? Just one more edit to do. Just one. And Spark 3. What's one truth about your work that doesn't need another tweak? It actually just needs to be said out loud.
So that's your spark for today. I want you to do one more thing. Please stop the tweaks. Start with the truths. If this one hit you in the gut, share it on LinkedIn and tag me. I'd love to start a conversation about what clarity really means for you and your brand. Or if you're tired of the DIY spiral, you can tune into my second podcast,
Branded AF Podcast. I'm talking about this and so much more, especially a lot of the nerdy AI side, with my business bestie Natalie. Explicit language, spicy takes, and real talk. I hope that's just how you like it too. Catch you tomorrow guys.
Key takeaways & FAQ
Five things to steal
- 01 Endless visual tweaks cannot fix a brand that lacks a clear point of view.
- 02 DIY spiraling is often avoidance of the harder work of defining your values.
- 03 Ask yourself 'does this feel like me?' before making another brand edit.
- 04 Clarity in your message builds more trust than polished visuals ever will.
- 05 Replace one more edit with one honest truth spoken directly to your audience.
Frequently asked
According to Gina Dunn, the DIY spiral is usually not about improving the brand — it's about avoiding the harder work of getting honest about what you actually stand for. Constantly changing fonts, rewriting headlines, or adjusting visuals feels productive but distracts from defining a clear message and human voice.
Not if your brand lacks a clear human voice and message. Gina references Nielsen's Global Trust in Advertising Report, which found that 92% of people trust recommendations from individuals over branded content. This means fancy visuals and endless tweaks won't build trust — clarity and authenticity will.
Gina Dunn recommends asking: 'Does this feel like me? Does this make someone feel something, or am I just filling space?' This single question shifts focus from surface-level aesthetics to whether your brand actually communicates something meaningful and authentic to your audience.
Gina suggests a direct self-check: ask yourself if your brand would be ready to go live tomorrow, or if you'd still be hiding behind 'just one more edit.' She also recommends identifying one truth about your work that doesn't need tweaking — it just needs to be said out loud.
of people trust recommendations from individuals, even strangers, over branded content
— Nielsen's Global Trust in Advertising Report
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