Influencer or Digital Gardener? How quiet voices create resonance in a noisy digital world.

Is loud, multi-platform visibility necessary to create work that resonates? On becoming a guide, getting over the idea of being an influencer, and publishing your work.

This week, I had a lovely Seed Planter call with a fellow Canadian who discovered my work via Substack.

She shared that coming across a recent piece I wrote here was her first introduction to my work, and asked if writing with gentler language comes naturally to me. It led me to reflect on the question:

Is loud, multi-platform visibility synonymous with cultivating resonance and authority in your online presence?

I don't believe it is.

A Quiet (but Visible), Confident Guide

I make regular investments—coaching, consulting, and online education—to further my personal and professional growth. Last week, I had an inspiring conversation with Mark Waters, learning about Cinematography and YouTube Optimization. It’s wild how the online world can connect you with people you’d never expect to be learning from!

Many of these investments were made in people I personally resonated with. People who were most likely to understand where I was coming from and had the insights to help me make breakthroughs.

They aren’t all loud. In fact, many are quiet, assured, experienced, resonant contributors whom I also discovered online over the years. Their thoughtful approach made me eager to learn from them, more so than louder voices who felt distant from who I am.

In "Building a StoryBrand", Donald Miller writes about being the Guide, not the Hero in your audience, reader, or ideal customer’s story. To take this concept one step further, it could be important to consider that there are different kinds of guides.

What kind of guides do you resonate with? What kind of guide could you become for others who need your voice?

Influencers vs. Digital Gardeners

So why the hesitancy? Why is it so hard to get over ourselves and begin hitting publish on our work?

Perhaps we tie too many of our ideas around online visibility to being an “influencer” or “online personality”. But there’s a large difference between that and being a thoughtful contributor… A digital gardener.

When I think of “Personal Branding” or an “Online Presence”, large creators immediately come to mind. They’re the influencers filling up your Instagram stories, or they’re those who have amassed a large empire with their courses. They speak loudly and proudly, and know exactly what cadence and tone to use to capture and retain your attention.

An influencer in this regard, may feel compelled to maintain a persona or adhere strictly to a specific framework or editing style. They might need to peddle more clothes or products, despite having just shared something similar not too long ago. It sounds exhausting… And being on the back-end of some of these campaigns, it usually is.

You can be you

We don’t always think about those who are quietly working on their craft, and just happen to share insight into their processes and their minds online. Their presence isn’t loud or sales-y. It’s matter of fact.

They could be the child psychiatrist being interviewed on the Diary of a CEO. Or the interior designer, who now has a collaboration with Crate & Barrel. We don’t have to think that big right now, but it could be you… And the connections and opportunities you create by writing and sharing your work here.

Digital Gardeners thoughtfully choose ideas from gardens they explore—the books, the experiments, the Substacks, the conversations. They process these discoveries through their unique lens, and create something meaningful they can share.

Sometimes their work resonates immediately; sometimes, it resonates later when the right person stumbles upon their garden.

There’s room for your garden

Even if other large creators cover the same topics you care about, their audiences simply prove there's a genuine need and interest in that field. But they aren't you.

They don't have your experiences, your warmth, your background, your concerns, crossover interests, or personal breakthroughs. Your creativity is the way you see and the way you share.

The more intentionally you plant seeds in your digital garden, the more clearly visitors can discern if your voice aligns with theirs, and decide if a comment, follow, booked call, or product is the next best step for them.

Publishing for yourself

Lastly, a message for those who want to create for the sake of creating. PLEASE do. Today I wrote about cultivating a digital presence, however if that is not even remotely a goal for you, please keep making, expressing, and sharing anyway. What you share, larger goal or not, will continue to resonate with someone who needs to hear it.

I wish I had kept with documenting my daily delights and random ponderings from when I was a teenager exploring the world of the Internet, hah. Somewhere along the way, I got caught up in overthinking “content”. This journal here on Substack is an exercise for me to get back into regular creation. Thanks for walking it with me.

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If you're ready to cultivate a brand that resonates deeply, streamline your content creation, or build a meaningful online presence that supports your vision and values, I warmly invite you to discover how Craft & Being can partner with you on your journey.