131: Overcoming your fear of being seen online

In this episode, I’m sharing how to overcome the fear of being visible online - a struggle so many entrepreneurs, coaches, and course creators face when growing their business.

If you’ve ever hesitated to post on social media, worried about showing your face on video, or felt nervous about sharing your story, you’re not alone. I know exactly how vulnerable visibility can feel, and I’ll walk you through the most common fears that hold entrepreneurs back from building a personal brand and attracting clients online.

But this isn’t just about the mindset blocks, it’s about taking action. I’ll share confidence-boosting strategies, practical visibility tips, and simple steps you can start using this week to show up more authentically, grow your audience and build your online business with ease.

Whether you’re just starting out or scaling to your next level, this episode will give you the mindset shifts and marketing strategies you need to be seen, get confident on camera, and connect with your ideal clients.

Press play and let’s uncover what becomes possible for your business when you finally allow yourself to be visible online.

Free Masterclass:

• Click here to register for 'How to Build an Offer You Can Sell on Repeat' Masterclass

Get in touch:

• Click here to book a free Discovery Call
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Transcript

Karen [00:00:00]:
Hello and welcome to the Online Business Uncovered. This is episode 131. And in today's episode I'm going to be talking about something that I think a lot of entrepreneurs struggle with and that is visibility. So in today's episode, I'm talking about overcoming your fear of being seen online. So let's jump right in and let's get started. Welcome to Online Business Uncovered, the show that lifts the lid on what it really takes to turn your brilliance into digital products, passive income and time freedom. I am your host, Karen, an online business strategist, course creation expert and your go to for building a business that works for you and not the other way around. If you are an ambitious entrepreneur, feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or maybe you're just ready for a smarter, more sustainable way to grow, then you're in the right place.

Karen [00:00:57]:
Because each week I'll be bringing you inspiring conversations, practical strategies and step by step guidance to help you create scalable, repeatable digital products that sell even while you sleep. So if you're ready to stop trading your time for money, reclaim your time and finally build a business that gives you the freedom that you deserve, hit, subscribe and tune in every Thursday. Let's uncover what's truly possible for you, starting now. 

Hello and welcome. Thank you for joining me today. I'm your host, Karen and I really do appreciate you hitting that play button to listen to another episode. So today I am talking about visibility and overcoming your fear of being seen online because I think this is something that stops a lot of entrepreneurs and business owners from growing their audience and building their their business online. But before I dive into today's episode, I want to invite you to go and grab some free training that I have on my website.

Karen [00:02:08]:
It's called 3 steps to turn your expertise into an online income stream. Now if you've been wondering how to package up what you know, so that brilliance that you have that you're sitting on, which is your gold mine and you want to start thinking about what products that you, you could perhaps create that you can sell and repeat and then you can scale that income and make more money, then this training will walk you through the exact steps to get you started. So you can access it on my website, www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com. so I will pop the link in the show notes for you to access. But go and get that training. It's completely free and it's going to help you to get started. Okay, so back to today's episode and I am talking about overcoming Your fear of being seen online. Now, this is a common challenge that I think a lot of people struggle with.

Karen [00:03:11]:
I know in the past it's something I definitely have struggled with. It's that little voice that pops up in your head the moment you think about either posting a selfie or maybe hitting go on an Instagram live or even recording a video. It leads to you maybe questioning your outfit, your hair, your voice, and all the other things that in the grand scheme of things don't matter. But you do. You go to that place and you, you, you, you feel. You start to feel vulnerable because you're putting yourself out there to be judged. And like I say, I've been there. There were days where I'd spend a good 45 minutes setting up my phone, adjusting the lighting, telling myself that today is the day that I'm going to post the video.

Karen [00:04:01]:
And then I've taugh outfit because something has come into my inbox and I've jumped on that because it's an easier thing to do because I think sometimes being visible feels uncomfortable. And we don't want to be uncomfortable. We. We want to be comfortable in everything we do. So if you've ever found yourself hiding behind your canva graphics, I'm putting my hand up because that's so me. Or even waiting for the right time to show your face online. Or maybe you're just avoiding it altog then I think today's episode is really going to help you because I'm going to unpack why being visible is so scary and how to shift your mindset. And I'm going to provide some practical steps that you can take this week that's going to help you to start showing up confidently.

Karen [00:04:55]:
Now, before I dive in, I have a membership Sell youl Brilliance Online where I teach my members how to create their first online course and digital products. And this is something that I have to say comes up a lot, especially when my members are looking at creating content for their course and it's requiring them to be on video. One of the most common questions I get asked is, do I have to be on video? I don't know if I want my face to be seen. So I just wanted to share that because it is so common and I don't think it matters whether you've been in your business a month, a year, or 10 years. I think this is something that can really show itself when you are doing things that do require you to be more visible. So why does visibility feel so scary? Because it does. But here's the thing, it isn't just about a marketing strategy. You being visible is not just about you marketing your products.

Karen [00:06:06]:
Visibility is deeply personal because when you put yourself out there, you're essentially opening yourself up to being judged, to being misunderstood, or even to be ignored. And nobody wants to be ignored. And I think our brains are wired to hate that. We do not want to be ignored. We do not want crickets, and we certainly don't want to be judged for what it is that we have to say. And I've seen this with clients, and I. And I felt it myself. This fear, I think, usually falls into a few categories.

Karen [00:06:40]:
It's either a fear of judgment, which is, what will people think of me? Will they laugh at me? Will they criticize me? Will they think that I'm not expert enough to do this so they're gonna judge me for it? Or maybe it's a fear of failure. What if I try this and it flops? And what if nobody comments? Or maybe it's even a fear of success. It could be that if this works, what if I can't handle the attention, the growth, or even the responsibility? And what if I let people down? What if I'm not as good as what I think I am? Or it could be comparisonitis where you're looking at people who seem to be effortless on video. Maybe they are creating regular videos and they just are smashing it. They're doing such a brilliant job that maybe you're looking at them and you're thinking, how on earth could I compete with that? There are a few things that obviously that fear, those categories that our fear can fall into. And visibility can often feel risky as well, because it's requiring you to be so vulnerable. I think it's one thing to post a generic quote, but I think it's another thing to actively show your face or share your voice or be honest about your quirks or even to share your personality. I think sometimes us to do that requires us to go to that real sort of space of vulnerability, which just feels, as I said, really uncomfortable.

Karen [00:08:26]:
But here's the truth. People don't connect with perfect. I don't think people are interested in perfect. I know I'm not. I like getting to know somebody. I like understanding who that person is. I like seeing what their personality is like and whether there's a synergy there or a match. And I think that's how we connect with people, is to how we are.

Karen [00:08:49]:
I think that is authenticity. So if you are worried that being visible online is going to make you vulnerable? It will. But sometimes I think we have to go to that place in order to really establish a connection with our audience. But there are things that we can do, I think, to kind of reduce the fear. And it starts with how we look at it and how our mindset is something that I have learned over the years. And honestly, like, when I. When I say the whole visibility thing, it has been one of these things that it's an evolution for me, let's just say that. And I'm getting comfortable with it.

Karen [00:09:33]:
You know, every week I jump behind this mic and I share the things that I'm interested in that I want to talk about, and I share my knowledge and expertise and all of that. But there is that fear of judgment, and there is that fear that somebody going to listen to my podcast and think, bloody hell, she doesn't know what she's talking about. This is a waste of time. So there is that fear there. But I guess I sort of feel like my mindset is if I could just help one person, if I can make a difference to one person, and I can give them a strategy, an insight, a tip or something that's going to help them move forward in their day, in their business, then this podcast is worth it. So I guess I tend to sort of reframe my. My mindset around the good that I am trying to do, and I think that's really important. I think when we make it about other people and we're showing up and we're serving, but we're serving to support other people, it isn't about us.

Karen [00:10:34]:
And then I think it makes it easier to be visible because it's about doing good. And I think when we're doing good, we want to be visible because we want to do more good. So I think reframin mindset in terms of how you see visibility and the impact that it can create. I mean, I know through this podcast I've had many entrepreneurs reach out to me and tell me that episodes have really made a difference to them, or maybe I've shared something and it's really landed. And because of that, they've been able to do something that. That has done something that's helped them move forward. So because of that, I want to do more of it, which requires me to be more visible. So I think it's about looking at why you're being visible, what is the thing that you're wanting to achieve from it, and if it is because you really genuinely want to help and serve other people by.

Karen [00:11:31]:
By talking about what it is that you do, then make it about them and take the way from. From it being about yourself, because it makes so much difference. When I realized that I could put it on that person I'm trying to talk to, I became lighter because it was like, well, it's not about me. It's about making sure that my message lands with that person. So that's what I would encourage you to do. Think about the person that you're wanting to speak to and make it about them. But outside of that, I just want to kind of give you some other things to think about. So as I said, it's about service over self.

Karen [00:12:13]:
When you focus on helping your audience instead impressing them, the pressure absolutely lifts. And your visibility is about the people you serve. They need to know you exist. They need to know what you offer and what you do, because you are going to be that person that's going to solve their problem. You're going to inspire them from what you do in your story, and you're going to help them to feel less alone. And I think that in itself is worth that discomfort that you're going to feel by being visible because you're making it about somebody else. So that, first and foremost, that's what I would encourage you to really think about. Secondly, focus on just speaking to one person.

Karen [00:12:55]:
So instead of imagining an Internet full of eyes watching you, which is really scary, really overwhelming, and just makes you want to kind of go and hide, think of your favorite client or maybe one of your best friends and talk directly to them. Whether you're creating a video, an IG Live, a podcast episode, a video, a YouTube video, a TikTok, whatever, talk directly to that person that you want to speak to. So that intimacy that you're then going to have is going to change everything because you'll be able to speak in a more conversational tone that draws people in. My third tip is about sort of authenticity. Be yourself. But you don't need to share every single detail of your personal life. Set boundaries on what you will and won't talk about, and share the stories that you feel comfortable with. But you don't have to share everything.

Karen [00:14:00]:
One of the things that I guess I struggle with in terms of sharing is about my. My personal life. I don't share a lot of it on this podcast because it's my personal life. It's something that I want to safeguard. So I. From time to time I'll share snippets, but I won't share the ins and outs of everything because I'm just not comfortable with that. I'm here to help, I'm here to serve, and I want to support people, but I've got to safeguard the privacy of my family, so I tend not to share a lot about them. So set your boundaries, decide what it is that you're comfortable with, what you're not comfortable with, and keep within those lines.

Karen [00:14:44]:
And I think that will help you to know what it is that you're going to talk about, and that's going to help you to become visible as well. And then my fourth tip is about action. Action beats anxiety, because confidence doesn't come before action. It comes because of the action that you take. The more action you take, the easier it gets and the more confident you feel. And I'm always telling my members, you can't think your way into confidence. Like, you cannot do that. You have to act your way into it.

Karen [00:15:26]:
So you have to do in order to achieve. And by achieving, you build that confidence up. When I launched this podcast, I had no idea what it was I was doing. I knew it would be an evolution, it would be a journey. And I had to be okay with making mistakes. And by doing that, I was able to release my first episode, and then my second episode, and then my 10th episode, and then my 100th episode. The more action I've taken, the more confident I felt over the thing that I've done. Same thing with my membership.

Karen [00:16:06]:
Before I launched my membership, I had no idea how to run a membership, but I'm 14 months into my membership now, and I've got a lot of members from my launch at the very beginning. I'm figuring it out as I go along, and I'm okay with that, because I know I'm going to make mistakes because I'm human, but I'm going to learn. And when you learn, that builds confidence, because you're probably learning in the best environment of doing so. We have to be okay with making mistakes, fluffing up, you know, tripping over our words, maybe not being so polished, but we just need to take that action because by doing so, we'll move ourselves forward. And we can only achieve our goals if we're moving forward, because if we're not moving forward, then we're staying stagnant or we're actually falling behind. So action will be anything in the long run, because as long as you're doing, you are learning and you're moving forward and you're growing. Most importantly, you're growing. So some practical steps for being comfortable at being Seen.

Karen [00:17:20]:
Okay, so some low pressure ways to start building your visibility because it's a muscle. We got to train it, we've got to get comfortable and we've got to do it. So what I would say is start in a safe place. So record a short video of yourself. Be somewhere where you're comfortable. So maybe it's a bedroom, maybe it's your lounge, maybe it's an office space that you feel like you've got privacy and you can do what you need to do, but you feel comfortable. Just practice talking to the camera, watch it back and just take on board what you're like. Okay, sometimes.

Karen [00:17:58]:
And this is something, this is really interesting because again, this is something that comes up in my membership about members when they record their course videos and then they listen to it back and then it's the sound of their voice that they're not comfortable with because they think they sound differently to what they do on video. And it's true, we do. How I think I sound when I listen to an episode back, I sound completely different. But it's getting comfortable with that and being okay with that. People are just going to hear you speak. They're not going to be thinking, oh my God, you know, she, she doesn't have a good voice. Or, you know, you know, that doesn't sound right. People are just going to let.

Karen [00:18:37]:
It's more about the value and what you're offering up than it is about the voice that you're speaking in. But we get so caught up in these details that it can stop us in our tracks. And I say to my members that just don't worry about it. That's how you sound. Own it, because nobody will sound like you. So we just need to own who we are and, you know, just show up in the most authentic way so that people can connect with us on a deeper level. They get to know who we are, what we're about, how we can serve, how we can help and build that connection from ground up and be okay with how you look, what your voice is like, all of that stuff. Because in the great scheme of things, it really doesn't matter.

Karen [00:19:22]:
If showing your face on camera feels too big right now, then I would encourage you to start with some audio. So record a voiceover for reel or maybe create a podcast episode that you can share online or maybe even share voice notes in your stories so you don't have to jump it all in and be and have your face everywhere. You can simply just start with your voice and sharing your voice with people. And the lovely thing about voice notes on stories and that is people can get to know you. And I think voice has character. So they can start visualizing who you are and start like say, building that connection with you. Now, sometimes we wake up and we don't want to be visible. The last thing we want to do if we've had a bad day the night before, or maybe you've had a bad night's sleep, the last thing you're going to want to do is be visible.

Karen [00:20:17]:
So consider badge creating when you feel brave. So for example, maybe you wake up one day and you have a burst of energy and you're like, right, okay, today I'm going to record some videos. Just do some batch recorded whilst you're in that headspace. And then those days where maybe you don't feel so brave, you have content in your library that you can share and you can share stuff like behind the scenes shots or a day in the life of or maybe a carousel with just one picture of you. Or maybe like as I said, a reel with a voice note. You get to choose because this is your content. And then I think if you do want to go live and maybe you do want to kind of create some consistent content through going live online, then do something before that make you feel good. If I go live, what I'll do is I'll listen to one of my favorite songs and I'll have a bit of sing song or something.

Karen [00:21:20]:
What that does, it raises my energy and my vibration levels. So it really pumps me up and gets me into that headspace and getting psyched into doing what I'm going to do. Or it might just be going for your favorite coffee at your cafe that's going to calm you down. Just find something that, that gets you into that headspace of being ready to hit the play button. Anchor visibility to something that is really positive for you. So it might be that you have some kind of routine and you being visible online becomes part of that routine. Make it positive and have fun with it. You, you are sharing your brilliance with the world.

Karen [00:22:05]:
Make it fun. And then I think instead of jumping in and going all in, just commit to one small change. So maybe this week do one thing that helps you to be visible. So that could be posting a photo of yourself or it could be sharing a voice note online, or it could be doing a Facebook Live or an Instagram Live. Just do one thing a week that is going to break through that barrier of discomfort, make it realistic, make it achievable, so you actually Follow through. And then the more you do it, the more comfortable you're going to become. As I said previously, confidence doesn't come before action. Action comes before confidence.

Karen [00:22:59]:
So the more you do this, the more confident you're going to become. And you'll find that you'll build a momentum and it'll be that momentum that will start to help you grow your audience online. Nobody starts out feeling confident. Whenever somebody starts anything new, there's always going to be that worry that they're not going to be good enough, they're going to fail. All of that Stu, that goes on in our heads. But I suspect the entrepreneurs or the business owners that you admire are the ones that look natural on camera. But I guarantee they would have started out awkward, they would have started out nervous, and they would have started out unsure about what to do as well, because everybody starts from the same place. The difference that I think sets people apart are the ones that persevere, that take the action.

Karen [00:23:56]:
They're the ones that end up building that confidence and being natural online because they, they stick with it and they do what is needed in order to, to, to have that visibility, because they understand that audience growth will come from that visibility. So I encourage you to take action, however small, and just start doing one thing this week that is going to help you to get seen online. Because visibility isn't about being perfect, I promise you that. Don't worry about being perfect. It's about being consistent, building trust, and letting people feel like they know you. I think that's the key thing, that's the most important thing to do to build that authentic connection with your audience. And you can't connect with people if you are hiding from them. The right people will be drawn to you.

Karen [00:24:57]:
When I talk to my members in my membership, the, the thing that comes up when I say to them, why did you come to my webinar? Or how, why did you decide to join the membership? It always comes down to my energy. I could deliver a masterclass and fluff my lines and be very imperfect, but it's the energy that I bring to the table that draws them in. So don't get hung up on perfection, because perfection doesn't exist. So here's your challenge. Post one thing online this week that requires you to be visible. It could be a photo of you, it could be a 30 second video of you, or it could be a voiceover where people get to hear you. And I would love you to tag me on Instagram if you do this at Karen Underscore digitalcoach I want to celebrate your wins Before I finish today's episode, I would just like to invite you to a live masterclass that I'm going to be delivering on 2nd September at 7pm UK time. It's only for 60 minutes, but I'm going to walk you through how to create your first scalable offer that you can sell online.

Karen [00:26:10]:
So this is where we get to transform your ideas into something that you can sell and make money from. So come along, the link is in the show notes or head on over to my website www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/masterclass and book your place today because I'm going to be limiting spaces because this is a very actionable workshop. Okay, so thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. I hope you found this episode of value. And of course please do feel free to share with others who you may think will also benefit from listening to today's episode. 

And if today's discussion has sparked some inspiration and maybe you are eager to get started online and you are ready to create your first scalable offer, then come along to my free master class on the 2nd of September at 7pm I will be back next week with another episode, but until then, have a great week. Thanks for tuning into today's episode of Online Business Uncovered. If today's conversation has sparked an idea or gave you a dose of clarity, then please make sure to check out the show notes for all the links and resources mentioned.

Karen [00:27:28]:
New episodes land every Thursday, so here, hit follow or subscribe to stay in the loop. And if you're loving the show, a quick rating or review goes a long way in helping more brilliant entrepreneurs like you find this show. Until next time, keep showing up, keep sharing your brilliance and remember, freedom in business is possible and it starts with taking the next right step. Sam.