The Courage to Be Seen

It can be hard to find the courage to share your story with others, especially when you are not sure how they will react. How do you know if what you have to say is worth sharing? You don't!

Allow me to share a quick story. Over a two year period, I wrote a blog post every single day. No engagement, no comments, no feedback. I assumed I was screaming into the void of the internet, and hired someone to change all of my posts to "inactive".

A couple of weeks later, I was in Chicago speaking at a Women's Business Event and someone raised their hand and inquired why I took down my blog. Of course I was stunned and replied that no one was reading it. All of a sudden, the room erupted with women saying "I read it. It was good!" I replied "Listen. I had no idea I was surrounded by a bunch of voyeurs! Say something like 'Hey girl hey!' Let a sista know that she is not alone in these internet streets! But seriously, I didn't realize how much I needed the feedback that my words mattered, so now we need a break because ya'll made a sista cry." We all had a good laugh, and I made the commitment to fix the problem once I returned home.

Upon arriving home, I went into research mode and found a guy on Elance-oDesk, now Upwork, who discovered that although I did not use keywords, engagement or search engine optimization, a whopping 1,700 were spending 7 minutes on my website everyday!

And to think that I felt unseen, unheard, and unsupported!

Blog posts infused with video reels, podcast interviews and visual imagery can catapult your brand from obscurity to a household name.

Here are 3 ways you can use your blog posts, podcast or video reels to boost engagement and drive traffic:

- Share your unique story. Your story has the ability to educate, entertain and empower another. Your words can truly open hearts and minds.

- Share yourself behind the scenes of a photo/video shoot or live/virtual event. Be authentic and vulnerable with your audience about how you feel when faced with tough situations - this will build trust, loyalty and connection in return.

- Start posting "interview clips" on your favorite social media platform. Ask the audience questions to increase engagement and strengthen your connection.

Tell more, what are you willing to do today to cultivate the courage to be seen?