Which came first: The credibility or the content?

Someone asked me recently to name an example of writing that I admire.

I didn’t have to think too long about it. Vital Farms’ Vital Times sprang almost immediately to mind.

Vital Times is the tiny newspaper that Vital Farms tucks inside its egg cartons. Now on its 17th volume, it’s easily one of my favorite pieces of content marketing anywhere.

Whoever hatched this idea understands attention. They took a usually boring piece of consumer packaging real estate — the inside of an egg carton — and turned it into an editorial package. Each volume carries news of the flock (“the girls”) and those who tend them. You might find a front-page story about pasture ecology or farmer origin stories, a hen horoscope, a named Bird of the Month or a recipe. And they print it all on biodegradable paper with vegetable-based inks.

Vital Times makes me laugh every time I see it, and it’s part of why I’m a loyal customer. But what really earns my loyalty is the trust architecture that underpins the humor. Vital Farms sells a premium product in a category where brands clamor to convince people they are ethical and transparent. But rather than blast its packaging with claims to that effect, it just shows up, issue after issue, with stories that prove it.

I love the way Vital Farms has committed to this program. Its consistency is one of the primary roots of its credibility. You really can’t fake 17 volumes of a chicken newspaper.