On building a visibility practice - in real time & offline
And an invitation for a visibility challenge
Hi Friend,
Happy December to you.
When people ask me about the post-Being Seen buzz, I hadn’t anticipated the full demands of a launch. I figured it would be a busy couple of weeks, and life would quickly get back to business as usual. The snow globe flurry would settle.
Spoiler: this didn’t happen. Instead, it’s been a new level of business as usual. A full, demanding season. Which is what I wanted. And it means Being Seen’s doing the work it was meant to. Which, in a time of bro-coding and algorithms suppressing women’s visibility, this is more needed than ever.
As an intuitive business coach reminded me last week (yes, this is me now): this is a movement. So, we keep moving.
Actually embodying visibility
Before launching Being Seen, I knew I would have to step up my own visibility. I’ve shared how being in PR brings its own complex dynamic with it: your job is literally to shine a light on other people. Not yourself. Layered on top of the other sets of complexities that visibility brings.
I’d be completely lying if I didn’t say that at times, sharing a post on LinkedIn has given me a niggly twinge: “You should be prioritising your clients.”
Truth is, I also expected to be more visible online. I set out weekly posting schedules. Mapped out my week to see where there would be shareable highlights for Instagram. Set monthly targets of how many LinkedIn posts to do.
I couldn’t drive up the volume of output. I’d get home to the end of the day and realise I hadn’t documented the cute coffee shop I’d had a meeting in. Or grabbed the selfie of the dinner with my gorgeous ex-work friends.
Did it even happen if I haven’t posted it on Instagram?
Being visible off-line
Any reader of this newsletter knows that it took me all of 7 minutes to give myself a hard time on my lack of Reels and B-roll. That I hadn’t amplified my Instagram presence. Side note: we did break LinkedIn at launch which was a lot of fun. Thank you again to everyone who shared.
My intention is to truly embody the visibility I advocate for women at work.
Then I thought about all the ways I have been visible in my business.
The undocumented ways I’ve been in the room, shown up.
The connection coffees expanding my network.
The meetings to explore future Being Seen collaborations and potential opportunities.
Attending client strategy days and briefing breakfasts and launches as a way of being part of their worlds.
I’m a huge champion of behind-the-scenes content. In Being Seen, we explore the many ways you can integrate your work and meetings and life into how you connect with your community. I wouldn’t know how to run my business without LinkedIn.
But visibility isn’t always about being online either.
If you’re heading into a meeting that demands your full presence.
If you want to use the time building relationships and not be looking at a screen.
If you simply want to fully be in the moment - without distraction.
We lead with our presence and our connection– visibility follows
Visibility needs clarity
As I go even deeper into visibility thinking, what’s emerging is this: it starts with clarity.
Clarity on how you want to be seen.
Clarity on why you want to be seen.
Clarity on who you want to be seen being.
I know I’m someone who wants to be seen as present. As connected. Who leads with full focus.
Whose visibility is the product of this.
Sure, I can sneak in a cheeky location shot. I’m not yet adept at loo selfies yet but you know, there’s time.
As we head into next year, I want to expand my capacity to do both. Online and offline. I want to integrate deeper, to embody more. This is the work. This is building visibility practice.
With that, I would love to invite you to join me.
I’m launching a Visibility Challenge the first week of January.
Four weeks of you and me being beautifully, unapologetically seen.
I haven’t figured out the logistics – or even the title – yet. I had the idea on Tuesday.
It’s going to be a series of micro-actions to build on our presence, expand connections and start the year with a little momentum for our visibility practices. A little luminosity for winter days.
As someone who has never posted to Instagram or LinkedIn more than once a week – this is the bar I’m setting. Low touch. Strong gains.
I’ll share details soon. It’s going to be free. Let me know if you can join me below or hit reply. And get a head start by sharing with a friend.❤️
See you in two weeks.
With love,
Antonia xo
YES! Loved reading this, and congrats on all the success you're having so far :) I look forward to hearing more about the visibility challenge x
As always, I love this. The visibility challenge sounds great too!