For the longest time, my content sounded like this:
- “You need to do this.”
- “You should try that.”
- “Here’s the exact framework you’re missing.”
I thought I was being bold.
I thought I was being helpful.
I thought I was “calling people in” by calling them out.
But really? I was repelling the very people I wanted to attract.
The Problem with “Expert Energy”
When you show up like an expert, you might think you’re proving authority. But often, it just comes across as detached, lecturing, or overwhelming. Your ideal client doesn’t feel seen – they feel spoken at.
And nothing kills engagement faster.
The Shift: From Problems to Symptoms
The sneaky truth? A lot of your audience doesn’t even realise the problem they have. So when you speak to problems, it can fly right over their heads.
But you know what they do feel? The symptoms of that problem.
For example:
- A prospective website client doesn’t think their site is the problem. They just know their inbox is worryingly empty.
- A single woman in her 40s doesn’t think her dating app profile is the issue. She just knows her WhatsApp is a graveyard of dead-end chats.
When you shift from speaking about problems to describing symptoms, your audience finally sees themselves in your content. They think: “That’s me.” And that’s when engagement skyrockets.
How to Reframe Your Content for Connection
- Dial down the problem talk: stop shouting about what your audience doesn’t yet know is wrong.
- Balance out solutions: yes, share them, but don’t overwhelm people with fixes they’re not ready for.
- Lean into symptoms: describe the lived, felt experiences that make your audience stop mid-scroll and nod along.
Why This Works
People don’t buy because they understand their problem. They buy because they recognise themselves in the symptoms you describe and trust that you understand their world.
The shift from “expert mode” to “relatable guide mode” made my engagement jump by 2000% — and more importantly, it made my content feel human again.
The Bottom Line
Authority doesn’t come from lecturing. It comes from resonance. And the easiest way to create resonance is to meet your audience where they are – in the messy, frustrating, everyday symptoms of the bigger problem you help them solve.
Want to learn how to make this shift for your own content?
That’s exactly what I teach inside VOLUME: my membership for creators and coaches who want to grow their communities and attract leads that actually convert.
Inside, you’ll learn how to create content that:
- Stops repelling your audience on first scroll
- Connects through resonance, not lecturing
- Brings in consistent, aligned engagement and leads
Because you don’t need to sound like the smartest expert in the room. You need to sound like the person who “gets it.”
If you’re tired of shouting solutions and want to create content that actually connects, VOLUME is where it happens.
It’s my community growth membership for creators and coaches who want to:
- Create content that resonates instead of repels
- Grow a community that engages daily, weekly, and monthly
- Turn that engagement into consistent leads and sales
Because the truth is – you don’t need to be the “expert.”
You just need to be the one your audience feels seen by.
Join VOLUME and let’s get your content working harder for you.
