Stop Trying to Be Seen by Everyone.

If you’re trying to be seen by everyone, you end up diluting what makes you worth seeing in the first place. That’s when things start to feel off… like you’re talking, but no one’s really hearing you anymore, because you’ve tried so hard to fit in that you’ve lost what made you stand out.

It’s easy to chase reach, the numbers can look reassuring, but reach isn’t connection and connection comes from focus, so instead of spinning your light in every direction and hoping someone catches it, think like a lighthouse, hold your beam steady in one direction, trust that the right ships are already looking for it, and let the wrong ones keep sailing.

The urge to widen the message usually kicks in when confidence dips, you see louder voices and start editing yourself to fit what you think people want, the problem is, the more universal you try to sound, the more invisible you become, People don’t remember what looked good, they remember what felt true.

If you find yourself softening a thought until it barely says anything, pause, ask who you were really speaking to when you first wrote it, picture their day, their worries, the thing they are sick of hearing in their own head, then write to that one person and leave the rest, because they were never your people anyway.

Think practical too, the right readers share language with you, they repeat your phrases back in DMs, they ask follow up questions that open the next piece of content for you, they show you where to go next, and that is the rhythm you want, a small, responsive loop of signal and reply, not a loud room where you can’t hear yourself think.

You don’t need broader, you need braver, which is often quieter, more specific, and closer to your lived experience, and yes it can feel vulnerable, but specific is what gets remembered, and remembered is what gets shared.

If you want a place to keep that focus intentional , use a simple ‘centre-first’ approach, write from what you stand for, step into their shoes, map what they need, then write it out like you’d explain it to a friend - one line, speak like a human not a headline, and it will come together in a much clearer and aligned way.

When you let your message be a lighthouse, not a light show, you save your energy for what matters, and that’s when things start to grow naturally.

By the way, If you’re still working out what to say (and to who), the Audience Clarity Map will help you get clear without overthinking it.

Are you on LinkedIn? I set up the Grow Inspire Hub - a free page built for the ones who care too much to give up. It’s a space for founders and visionaries who are building quietly, with intention, and doing things their way. Inside, you’ll find simple tools, gentle reminders, and a bit of real human support to help you keep showing up as yourself, so your work can grow without you losing who you are.