Why Your Voice Beats AI: UGC, Branding, and the DIY Mindset

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The key to staying future-proof? Marketing yourself.

And before you roll your eyes, hear me out.

Last week, I told you I was leaning into podcasts, video, and an AI-first mindset but not for the tech itself (read it here if you missed it).

Today, we’re going to go a little deeper into why they are such huge opportunities AND why they are perfect paths for us Gen Xers who feel a little gross about marketing, sales and self-promotion.

It all comes down to a little something called user-generated content (UGC).

Let’s discuss…

Why UGC Is the Future (Again)

User-generated content (UGC) is basically real people sharing real stuff. It’s where all trust lives now.

Especially for us Gen Xers trying to stay visible and valuable in a world that keeps shifting the goalposts.

And it is beating out both AI and Traditional Marketing.

You can leverage UGC as a brand…

You can leverage UGC as yourself…

Or you can do both.

Authentic, community-driven content is becoming a premium asset in a world flooded with AI-generated filler. A real human voice, your voice, cuts through.

Neat huh?

Even the platforms know it.

• YouTube pays creators.

• Amazon pays reviewers.

• TikTok and Facebook have creator funds.

Because in a sea of generic crap, trust is the premium currency.

➡️ Want more on UGC? Tap here for a Perplexity thread I created to explaining more.

“But Corey, marketing?! Really? I ain’t no marketer.”

I hear ya, I thought the same exact same thing once upon a time, but stick with me.

Why Self-Promotion Still Feels Gross (And How to Get Over It)

I’ve been secretly recording podcast episodes with career coach Mike “Bucci” Buccialia from Mindworx.

One convo stood out:

We Gen Xers struggle with marketing ourselves.

We were raised to believe self-promotion = bragging.
Felt a little slimy.
Still does for a lot of people.

But here’s the thing…

The right kind of marketing isn’t “look at me.”

It’s “here’s something that helped, maybe it’ll help you too.”

That’s storytelling.

And that’s all marketing is when done right.

If this feels like a struggle for you, I wrote all about it here:

➡️ Why Gen Xers Must Understand Marketing (ft. Jack White)

And when you’re over it, here’s how you can approach it…

Branding Yourself OR Branding the Business?

This one’s been messing with my head lately.

• Do I lead with my name or my business?

• What should my YouTube channel say?

• Should my newsletter be “Corey Koehler” or “Redefining Retirement”?

Serenity now!

Then, I ran into this again when talking to my friend Joel. He’s planning his escape route and has a ton of interests - Tech, classic cars, something called EDC, and he happens to be an artist.

He asked me where he should start. I didn’t have a great answer at the moment.

But after mulling it over, I thought…

Just start with your name.

It’s flexible. It builds trust. It travels with you, no matter how many pivots you make. And it’s a hell of a lot easier for people to find you when they hear you on a podcast or see you tagged in a comment thread.

So updated some of my own stuff.

YouTube? Corey Koehler.
Facebook, IG, X? Same.

The business still exists, but I lead.

Because people don’t want to follow faceless brands anymore. They want connection. Real people. Real stories.

If something takes off? You can always build the “official” business version later.

If you want the breakdown of pros/cons or personal branding vs business branding that is specific to Gen Xers, I ran the full comparison in Perplexity:

👉 Branding Yourself or Branding the Business?

Gary V has an awesome take and some super simple examples of how to do this…

AI Tool Of The Week

As you can tell, I’m really digging Perplexity.

I love that I can use it to really understand a topic and easily share it with whoever. I plan on creating some videos to really show you how we can use it, but until then, I’m going to let this guy, Eliot, via his YouTube UGC, show you around.

Here are some of the latest and greatest features in Perplexity…

Music Of The Week

White Zombie – “Thunder Kiss '65”

Speaking of my friend Joel.

Back in the day (like 1993-ish), before a White Zombie concert, Joel whipped up his own concert shirt. A plain white, an airbrush, and the album art from the liner notes for inspiration.

It was pretty bad ass.

It looked so good that people were stopping him in the hallway, asking where he got it.

He wasn’t selling anything. Just flying the flag for something he was REALLY into. But in doing that, he promoted the band, showed off his skills, and got some serious street cred with the White Zombie tribe all with one shirt.

That’s UGC, too (kind of stretch, but you get it).

Anyway, check it out and prepare to have the chorus “19 sixty…five…five…five” stuck in your head the rest of the day.

Big Takeaways This Week

If you take nothing else away from this, let it be this:

User-generated content isn’t a trend. It’s a model. One that builds trust and grows with you.

Self-promotion isn’t cringe when it’s rooted in honesty and actual usefulness. So put on your big boy or girl pants and buck the fuck up.

Start with you—your stories, your face, your voice—and evolve from there. It’s how you stay flexible, stay visible, and stay in the game.

Until next time,

Corey

P.S. Ready to turn your unique story and real-life experiences into a personal brand and a business?

For just $20, grab a Pro account and get my Story to Startup Guide, AI Newsletter Fast-Track Guide and the frameworks I use to turn my personal experiences into a community-powered, income-producing newsletter.

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