Comprehension vs understanding
The subtle but critical differences and why they matter to your content creation efforts
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 221
All through high school it seemed every lesson and test was about memorizing facts and figures: the pursuit of comprehension.
But education overlooks the deeper need for the creation of understanding.
Comprehension is about remembering dry facts and figures. Understanding is about changing minds and empowering action.
If you’ve ever experienced a moment of stunning clarity, a moment when something you’ve been trying to wrap you mind around suddenly makes perfect sense, you’ve achieved full understanding.
Although the differences between comprehension and understanding might appear minor, they’re still important, mainly because most creators never ask themselves: "Do my followers comprehend my content, or do they truly understand it?"
At first glance comprehension and understanding might seem like one and the same thing. But when you consider that comprehension is knowing what something means; while understanding is knowing why the meaning matters and how to use it—you see the difference.
This difference is the thing that sparks moments of clarity in which suddenly, EVERYTHING falls snuggly into place.
And in terms of content creation, that’s the difference between creating great, truly useful content that helps people, and creating content that sounds like every other piece of generic content out there—and it’s in this space that many content creators fail.
Comprehension: the surface-level illusion
When I was in school, while a big deal was made about English comprehension, there was little thought put into helping students understand the purposes of specific aspects of writing and reading: emphasis, grammar, punctuation, and so on—you know, the grammatical and linguistic nuances of written and spoken English.
When all that students are exposed to is efforts to drive comprehension, all they’re being taught to do is pass tests and to blend in.
While comprehension is important, it’s simply recognition without any real depth of thought.
When someone reads your post, watches your video, or listens to your podcast and they simply nod along, thinking, "Yeah, yeah, yeah … I get it." what’s happening is that they don’t get it at all because you’ve failed to help them see exactly what you’re talking about.
In this case, while comprehension might inform someone through a handy anecdote, or via a well worn cliché, what it’s not doing is helping change that person’s thinking, beliefs, or behaviors.
Example: you write, "Consistency is the key to sustained growth." OK, fair enough.
While this isn’t exactly a new idea, that’s OK: you’re tired, lazy, and just want to get a point across. After all, your audience probably comprehends it—because they’ve heard it before somewhere, right? But has your statement of this opinion shown them how to post more consistently? Probably not.
That’s because on its own, comprehension is bland, commonplace, and passive.
It’s the burger and fries of learning—it’s filling and handy, but, and because one burger tastes pretty much like any other, as far as nourishment goes, it’s greasy, and fattening, and. let’s be honest here, pretty forgettable.
Please, don’t do this with your content. The internet is awash with dull, uninspired, everyday material—little of which raises the bar, or pushes people to achieve more by offering them useful, life-changing insight.
Understanding: the depth that drives life-changing action
OK, so with comprehension, we stopped off for a burger and fries.
If we were daring, we might add a side of onion rings to our order, which now, has us rethinking our nutritional choices.
Maybe next time, we can make better choices.
While comprehension is the spreading of information in the hope that some of it will plug a few holes and soak in, understanding (our choice to order onion rings vs the way the greasy concoction makes us feel an hour later) is the internalization of new information that generates new thinking about our behaviors, choices, and actions.
Understanding is when someone grasps an idea, concept, or thought so deeply that it shifts how they think, or act, or behave.
Example: Instead of telling your readers "Consistency matters," you tell them the story of how one creator went from 0 to 100,000 followers on Linkedin by treating the creation of their content the same way they’d go about brushing their teeth, or putting on clothes before going outside to greet the day—a given in life that no matter what is non-negotiable; it’s something that happens without excuse.
Now, the reader feels why consistency works.
In this way, understanding is the thing that helps an idea or an action stick in someone’s mind.
It’s the difference between knowing something and doing nothing about it and living it because it would be unthinkable not to do it.
Let’s look at the difference between comprehension and understanding using the analogy of a simple jar of jam.
Comprehension: buying jam
You wake up one morning and decide you want jam on your toast.
You drive to the supermarket, walk down the aisle, and grab a jar of strawberry preserves. You pay for your item, take it home, and you spread it on your toast. Yum!
You comprehend the idea of fruit preserve as jam—you know what it is, how to use it, where to get it if you run out, and that it tastes good on your toast.
But in this scenario you’ve put in zero effort to learn how it’s made. Your knowledge is passive; transactional. You’re an informational passenger watching the world glide by.
This is how most content works. People scroll, they consume, they nod along, and they move on. As outlined above: they get it—but it doesn’t change them in any way.
Understanding: making jam
Now, imagine instead of buying jam, you buy fresh strawberries, sugar, and pectin.
You wash the fruit, you chop it, you place it in a sauce pan with some water, you bring the mix to a boil, and you simmer it down, test the set of the mixture, and, when you’re happy with the mixture, you pour the fruity goo into clean jars on which you’ve attached labels in your own handwriting that say: STRAWBERRY JAM/JULY 2025.
Because you didn’t simply buy the jam, because you made it from scratch, now:
You don’t just know jam—you understand its production process.
You’ve learned the importance of ratios of fruit to sugar to water; you’ve learned the patience of reduction, you’ve gained a new skill, and you can feel pride because you created something new with your own hands from raw ingredients.
This is the difference between consuming information (comprehension) and internalizing knowledge (understanding).
Why this matters for creators
Most content is supermarket jam—it’s easy to grab off the shelf and spread on your intellectual toast, but it’s just as easily forgotten because the content creator usually puts in little effort to help you see a new way of doing things.
Meanwhile, the creators who take their audience through the process rather than simply explain things STAND OUT.
Want your ideas to stick? Do this:
Show the ingredients → Don’t just state conclusions; reveal the "raw materials" (struggles, mistakes, iterations).
Simmer it down → Walk people through the why, not just the what. Make them feel the heat of the process.
Let them taste the difference → Help them experience the result of applied knowledge, not just passive consumption.
Go beyond explanation → Show why it matters. Use stories, metaphors, or personal failures that make the lesson visceral.
Force a mental shift → Don’t just state facts; challenge assumptions. "You don’t need more ideas—you need to act on the ones you’re ignoring."
Demand reflection → End with a question or call to action that forces the reader to apply it. "What’s one thing you ‘know’ but haven’t acted on?"
Comprehension is buying the jar. Understanding is making the jam.
While comprehension gets likes. Understanding gets results.
Why any of this matters for you as a content creator
Most content stops at comprehension. It’s recycled advice, vague platitudes, or surface-level tips that sound smart but don’t land.
If your content isn’t changing how people think or act, you’re just adding to the noise.Here’s a question most creators never ask: "Do my followers comprehend my content, or do they truly understand it?"
At first glance, these seem like the same thing. But the gap between them is where great content thrives—and where most creators fail.
Comprehension is recognition without depth. It’s when someone reads your post, nods along, and thinks, "Yeah, I get it." But here’s the problem: Comprehension doesn’t change behavior.
Example: You write, "Consistency is key to growth." Your audience has heard it before. But has it made them post more consistently? Probably not.
Comprehension is passive. It’s the fast food of learning—filling but forgettable.
Understanding: the depth that drives action
Understanding is internalization. It’s when someone grasps an idea so deeply that it shifts how they think or act or behave.
Example: Instead of just saying "Consistency matters," you tell the story of how one creator went from 0 to 100K followers by treating their content like brushing their teeth—non-negotiable, no excuses. Now, the reader feels why consistency works.
While comprehension says “Yeah! I hear you …” understanding exclaims “Wow! I’d never thought of it like that before!” The latter sticks; you carry it with you, night and day. When you fully embrace a new idea, you’re mind isn’t simply updated with new information, it’s changed forever!
The bottom line
To avoid sounding life everyone else, your content either needs to challenge current thinking and accepted assumptions, or it needs to change (or lead) the narrative.
If your content isn’t changing how people think or act, you’re just adding to the noise.
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gary
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P.S. Next time on Shaking the Tree: Deflated egos
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.