How a Storm, Three Bunnies, and One Message Exposed a Content Flaw

A group of baby bunnies took me on an emotional roller-coaster ride and reminded me of an important content marketing lesson last week.

I'm an animal lover, so I was thrilled when my corgi and cat led me to a small nest of baby bunnies in our yard last week.

But there was a problem.

The nest was out in the open, near a fence where rainwater could easily flood it. With a massive storm on the way, I was worried. Storms often drown baby bunnies trapped in their nests.

I reached out to a local wildlife non-profit for advice.

?? “Bring them inside,” she texted, “Put them on a t-shirt in a shoebox with a heating pad underneath.”

I wasn’t sure. I’d read that removing them could harm their chances, and the mother hadn’t returned to feed them yet.

?? So instead, I built a shelter—bricks, tarps, mulch, and bungee cords. It wasn’t pretty, but it was all I could do before the storm hit.

If there was a break in the rain, their mom could come by, and I could check on the babies.

• The rain started around 11 pm.
• The mom hadn't come by yet.
• And it rained non-stop, with thunder and lots of lightning until morning.

It was raining lightly at 9 a.m. the next day.

I ran out to the shelter to find two of the babies standing straight up, mouths open, wet, and kind of white.

I thought they didn't make it.

I panicked. I texted my wildlife contact, who told me to get them inside and use the shoebox idea in case they were still alive.

As I grabbed them from the nest, I noticed there were three bunnies in there. Two of them were actually still breathing. Once I got them in the box, they started to get some color back.

My contact told me of another wildlife non-profit 45 minutes away and to get them there as soon as possible.

I put them in my car and rushed them there.

A lady was there to take all three of them in.

The Content Marketing Lesson

When I got home, I sent her a message thanking her for her help.

She said the survivors were doing great and were snuggled in with new friends. I was relieved and thought I didn't have to worry anymore.

Then she said:

"I did start to think that if the nest could dry out today, I wondered if they should go back to Mom. I know it is a bit of a drive, though."

As much as I loved having the bunnies, I was mentally and emotionally exhausted.

Not only was it a drive, but I wasn't sure I could get them back in time before the mom checked the nest.

After some back and forth, including me telling her I had pets that I had to keep away from the nest, she said:

"Ok, they can just stay here."

With my emotions still high, I didn't know how to interpret that.

• Was it dismissive?
• Was it angry?
• Was it accepted?
• Was it REALLY telling me it was "okay"?

It reminded me why word choices, interpretations and the underappreciated power of text can be such a risk in content and communication.

Her mind might have dictated those words in a happy tone when she wrote that message.

But when I got it, I first interpreted it with a more negative tone. It made me stress a little more about the situation.

Fortunately, my first contact told me it was best for them to stay because they'd been through much trauma.

However, the lesson about copy and communication was still there.

???? Her words, simple as they were, felt heavy because I read them through my emotional lens—not hers.

She likely typed them with ease, maybe even a smile. But I interpreted them through exhaustion, guilt, and worry.

In content marketing, every word carries the potential for misinterpretation because we can’t control the reader’s mind or emotional state when they receive it.

• A casual line intended as friendly might land as flippant.
• A confident statement might feel arrogant.
• Even “okay” can sound dismissive if the reader’s mood frames it that way.

This is where self-awareness becomes a superpower.

Before hitting publish on any content that involves copy, ask questions like:

• “How could this be misinterpreted?”
• “What assumptions am I making about the reader’s mindset?”
• “Am I writing for clarity—or just writing what feels clear to me?”

Because once your words leave your head, they enter someone else’s.

And in that space between, meaning can shift.