Visibility For Introverts: The Quiet Approach to Audience Growth

Visibility for Introverts – The Quiet Approach

Do you struggle to maintain a social media presence as an introverted coach / service provider?

Social media can be extremely draining, even more so if you're introverted or lack confidence. Constantly finding yourself in a state of stress about having to show up online, when everyone else seems to manage it so easily.

For me personally, it led to social media burnout and I just felt miserable! I know that I have a message to share, but daily (multiple) instagram posts and videos stole my energy and my spark.

With energy being my most prized (and often lacking) commodity, I knew I needed to find alternative solutions. I abandoned my instagram and headed back to what I love – writing. 

I’ve been very excited to see faceless marketing currently trending in my socials these past few weeks, so wanted to share from the perspective of someone who truly understands what it’s like to feel like you’re selling your soul just to establish your business.

As an introverted, self conscious, and exhausted menopausal woman with chronic illness – social media is not my favourite place to be.

The idea of having to do daily videos of me talking (I’m from Somerset UK, so I have a stereotypical English farmer's twang), fills me with dread!

But there are alternatives, including my chosen path of blogging and using quieter platforms like Pinterest. These too offer the potential to connect with, and grow an audience for my businesses, but without the need for me to show up in a video!

The pressure is much less focused on me, and although blogging and Pinterest aren't easy options – they take a lot of work – they are less intrusive personally, and that's why I love them!

*Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something via the link, I may receive a small commission. This doesn't affect the price you pay.

If you have any questions, reach out for a chat [email protected] or check out my other blogs

The Challenges of Social Media When You're Introverted

Social media plays a pivotal role in today's society, and even more so when you're trying to establish a brand a business online. The competition is fierce, and a big following is often needed to achieve the dizzy heights of success.

That's not to say that you cannot be successful and grow a business with a smaller audience, but you need to be seen and noticed, and that takes a lot of time and energy.

Being visible – creating reels and going live on the platforms is considered key when growing your audience, as it helps people connect with you and develop that trust before they want to work with you or buy from you.

But for those who are introverted, or who lack confidence in these situations – or those who don't feel comfortable going all out on the platforms, it can become a massive block for growth and business success.

Time spent on socials to ensure you're engaging and keeping your presence can be draining both physically and emotionally. It can be difficult to maintain boundaries with social media, and very easy to get sucked into obsessing over your reach and how many likes / comments you get.

All things I have always actively avoided on socials!

Some of the main issues include:

Stress – The stress and pressure felt to show up, engage, promote – but not too much, to be real, to be punchy, to be unique and enticing… Confusing right? The internal stress as well of having to step (think moon landing sized steps) outside of your comfort zone day after day after day is relentless. It takes a toll and is a fast ticket to burn out.

Exhaustion – As with stress, the need to show up so frequently, and mass produce content after content isn't easy for many. Part of my introversion and ND brain means perfectionism can be an issue. Content creation takes me HOURS. The things that some may find quite easy with repurposing and getting the message out, is difficult when you're just exhausted.

Dejection / Loss of Confidence – After plugging away at it for weeks and weeks, spending hours upon hours creating these beautiful pieces of content – you get a couple of likes and nothing changes. Of course consistency is needed, but staying motivated and excited for your work isn't easy when you feel like you're just talking to yourself.

Staying Authentic – This was a big one. The need for me (and most introverts / empaths / HSP's) to be authentic and genuine can be difficult when you're swept up in the numbers game on socials. It's the same with writing captions, (thanks again perfectionism..!) or showing up to sell your services – the ick feeling was always so intense!

You may have noticed, I'm a waffler and I like to express things in longer form, where you can put feeling and yourself into your words. It's not about a hard sell, it's more about building a connection. For me it's about sharing my own knowledge and experience as a coach, counsellor, teacher and 40-something woman with chronic health issues.

An inner desire to help feels completely at odds with some of the messaging I see on social platforms, and that's why I changed things up!

Alternative Platforms

After months and months of pushing out content, I hated my business. I wanted to ditch coaching completely and just go back to my counselling work. I was done with it. But, my excitement for my plans (and a dash of stubbornness) wouldn't let me.

So I looked for alternatives. How could I continue to grow an online presence that didn't make me feel like this was the worst job in the world?

I became serious about blogging and Pinterest with the help of the fabulous Sadie at PIPs and Faye at Pin Growth Academy

Blogging

Blogging is a great way to focus on growing your audience and business, but be prepared to put the work in.

Blogging is a way you can express yourself freely without the limited word count in a caption. You can share your knowledge and experience, create digital products to sell and use it as a way to grow an email list with optin forms and freebies.

Creating an SEO website for your blog is key, and consistency with your posting is essential if you want to see growth.

You can earn money through affiliate schemes, promoting not just yours but other peoples products and services.

Be prepared for this to be a longer term investment of your time, but if you do it right, spend the time and learn the best ways to achieve organic growth on Google search, it's a brilliant alternative to social media.

Seek support if you want to make this really work for you. My favourite membership is PIPs with Sadie Smiley – who is unbelievably talented at blogging, passive income and getting people to get the work done!

This is a useful post to help you get started with blogging by Grateful Heart – it's definitely worth a read as well

Pinterest

Oh how I love Pinterest! Even someone who talks about productivity and managing your energy as an introvert or someone with chronic illness, Pinterest has already begun to increase traffic to my website!

Pinterest, like blogging isn't an easy option. It also takes work and consistency to grow and maintain. However, if you find the whole engaging and being visible a problem, Pinterest is perfect for you.

It's a slow burner like blogging, but once you have created your pins and linked them to your site they stay there forever! They don't get lost in the neverending content feed of new posts.

In fact, with Pinterest, the older posts tend to do really well as they build more traction over time. With each pin linking to your website or product, you'll be getting eyes on your content for months / years!

The lovely Faye at Pin Growth Academy is great at helping with this and has a comprehensive library of resources and training within the membership.

Emails / Newsletters

Email marketing, particularly where you send regular newsletters with personal stories, expertise sharing, resources etc. can be another great alternative.

The only thing with this is that you need to be seen for people to sign up or subscribe to hear from you. But, this can be achieved through blogging / pinterest / your own website, and possibly through ads as well as organic traffic.

A weekly newsletter filled with interesting and useful information and resources is a great way to connect with your audience and let them get to know who you are and what you're about.

I'm launching an email-based productivity subscription soon – a bit of an unknown at the moment, but the aim is to provide accountability and support to people without them needing to join a group or get overwhelmed within yet another community.

It will include weekly check ins and planning tools, time saving resources, weekly reviews possible coworking opportunities and more!

I'll keep you posted on this one, but if you're interested, you can get on the waitlist for more information.

Podcasts / Youtube

Starting your own podcast or youtube channel could be another option if you like talking – just not the more social aspect of social media.

You can share your experiences, thoughts and knowledge through audio, creating either short clips or longer form content.

These are also a great way to create more blog posts. There are various apps that will transcribe your spoken word into written form. If writing is more difficult – this could be a complete winner for you!

You can do this inside tools like Right Blogger – an amazing Ai tool for bloggers. You can upload your videos and it will produce the written blog form!

What Feels Good To You?

I am a big fan of being your authentic and unique self in life, and as a professional. It doesn't always feel easy when you sense that inner pressure to do things that don't align with your values.

But I understand that for many of us in the online coaching / therapy / digital product world – you're kind of stuck with needing to do something, due to the need to grow an audience to sell to.

What I have come to understand though, is that if you are completely fed up and demotivated with the demands of being visible online, how much growth are you going to see anyway, and how long do you think you'll stick at it?

You don't need to compromise your preferences, style and uniqueness to sell. There are other alternatives, like the ones I've mentioned in this post.

I think my main lesson has been that things work out differently for different people, but for many (yes, even those who appear to be rocking it out there), they feel the drain of the slog as well.

If it's making you miserable, or draining all of your energy, ask yourself – “what else could I do”?

Think about what lights you up. What you could talk about or speak about forever without getting bored?

I also think it's a good to remember that there isn't a one-cap-fits all with online business and sharing our work. We are all different, and those who need your support are all different. What you can offer and what you bring to the table is unique to you.

And remember – things take time. So give yourself grace, and have some patience with yourself and with what you're working towards. Embrace being a beginner and find your own path.

Visibility for Introverts: Self Care Tips

I wanted to share some quick self care tips for those who are faced with these kind of issues. Removing some of the pressure and giving yourself permission to find your way is something I always encourage people to do.

Here are some other tips to protect yourself and your energy:

Balance your visibility online with rest and self care.

If you do need to continue to use social media platforms, you get to choose how much of you shows up and how often. Create some content that is faceless, create reels of older images or videos. Everything doesn't need to be fresh. Repurposing needs to be your best friend!

Establish Boundaries.

Set yourself boundaries when working on your business marketing. Whether this is limiting the amount of visibility you do on social media, or the amount of time you spend creating content.

If you do choose to go with blogging, ensure that the goals you set yourself are realistic and have patience! Success doesn't happen overnight, so be clear on the pathway and keep going.

Work with your energy.

Monitor your energy, and use this as a way to plan and schedule your tasks. Make sure you take time to rest and recharge to limit burn out and keep your mind fresh and creative.

Balancing your goals for visibility, social media and content creation with self care will help you maintain your energy and momentum.

Final Thoughts

There are alternatives for you if you're an introvert coach, therapist or entrepreneur with low energy / chronic health issues.

The pressure to maintain a visible presence on social media can be exhausting and overwhelming, which can drain your energy and your enthusiasm for your work. Think about why you're feeling this amount of pressure. Are there ways you can reduce these feelings?

Some of the alternative platforms discussed in this article could be a great option for visibility for introverts, as well, and can help you achieve the goals that you have without impacting your well-being quite as much.

Explore the different approaches and find what works best for you. I understand that there's often money pressures driving decisions, but knowing that there are alternatives can be helpful to release some of that pressure.

Remember, you are your business, and it's up to you how you choose to run it. I stopped listening to ‘helpful' advice about not blogging and only doing social posts and videos etc.

I joined an amazing group of people who are also introverts / ADHD'ers / low in confidence, and have felt encouraged to approach my business how I want to. (Strategy included in there as well of course..!)

I would love to know how you use social media, or if you're feeling like this yourself. If you have any questions around visibility for introverts and how that might look for you, I'd love to hear from you!

And don't forget, if you would like to join the waitlist for information about my email-based subscription, complete this form and you'll also get 75 free journal prompts as a thank you!

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Meet Lynsey

Hey there! I'm Lynsey, a coach, counsellor, and mentor for low energy, introverted or low confident female coaches & small business owners. With over 5 years’ experience of running businesses, and over a decade as a tutor and trainer, I've learned the value of effective time management that energises you through working with your energy.

I've lived with chronic illness – ME/CFS since 2011 and since then I re-trained as a counsellor, and achieved a distinction for my MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice; all while running 4 businesses! I want that for you as well & it is possible with the right support and pathway to success.

Improving your mindset, finding acceptance and developing a solution-focused approach to achieving your goals is my passion. Blending mental health support where needed, as well as a supportive space and methods to manage your work more effectively.

If you'd like to know more about working with me, you can email [email protected] or find me on socials (links in the menu)

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