You probably know too much to be an effective marketer for your business. Meet the Expertise Trap

Is there anything more soul-destroying in business than knowing you're an expert, but still feeling invisible?

Your DMs are often full of "this looks great, but I'm not sure it's 100% what I need" or "OMG I love your content!"

Your launches aren't flops... but they're more nervous-sweats than Champagne Campaigns.

And your site gets you the odd lead, but it's usually after years of relationship building. Which begs the question: is it actually your site that sealed the deal?

In short, selling still feels hard, even several years into your business (and with several extra years of experience under your belt since you started out).

Meanwhile, someone with half your credentials and a fancy schmancy brand shoot is booked out and posting Stripe payment notifications to their stories, seemingly from a yacht somewhere near the Maldives.

Firstly, let's agree: they're annoying. And secondly, let's do something about it. Because... been there.

Here's the TRAP EVEN EXPERTS FALL INTO: Expertise ≠ Visibility

When I first started my business, I actually asked a coach whether I needed to market myself. My 'educated' hunch? Nahhhh.

The truth was, I was terrified of putting myself out there. As a camera-shy creative introvert, the intensity of what regular marketing seemed to require of me felt horrible.

But hey, I had a LinkedIn profile! I was getting referrals! People already knew me! Surely my work would just... speak for itself?

Oh honey...

Here’s what I’ve learned the hard way — and what I see all the time in other smart, experienced business owners:

You can have expertise coming out of your arse, but you’LL STAY invisible until you can clearly show the value of that you do.

I felt for years that I should be an impeccable marketer, because marketing hinged on my biggest skillset: writing good copy.

But, while I'd spent years honing my copywriting abilities, what I hadn't got to grips with was a simple question that's crucial for consistent sales: why people should buy from me. Or, in marketing speak: how to differentiate myself from everyone else with the same experience and qualifications.

In the beginning, I got good at talking about what I do. But I was terrible at talking about what that did for people. And this is something I see time and time again with other business owners whose high-level of expertise is actually doing their marketing a disservice.

HEREIN LIES THE RUB: You probably know too much to be an effective marketer for your business

From the inside, it makes no sense that people aren't buying.

But this isn’t about the quality of your work. It’s about the quality of your words.

More specifically: it’s about what they're not doing.

Just like how too much industry jargon can kill your copy, too much insider knowledge can kill your message.

You're so good at what you do that you've lost touch with what it's like to not understand a thing about it.

Even on the days where Imposter Syndrome rears its head (and you realise your period is due tomorrow, quelle surprise!) your expertise level is still basically a 10.

But your customer's? It's more like a 2, at best.

You need to meet them where they're at — and if you're not managing to articulate the value of your offer in a way that feels unique, clear and memorable, there's going to be a messaging mismatch.

For experts, this is so common.

Because when you’re deep in your work — when it’s instinctual, embodied, obvious to you — it’s hard to remember that it’s not obvious to anyone else. You’ve got the curse of knowledge. You’re fluent in your own brilliance and your messaging assumes everyone else speaks the language.

Spoiler: they don’t.

People don't buy what you do. They buy what it does.

If you're still selling what you do, it's not enough. Your message needs to go from selling what you do to selling what that does for people.

You need to meet them where they're at with specific messaging, a sticky brand hook and transformation-focused copy that makes the result of what you do crystal clear.

When your message is still rooted in the do, here's what that can look like:

You're bogged down explaining the process instead of the payoff

→ “I manage your social media” vs. “I help you spend less time posting and more time authority building so your perfect people get to know you better and say yes faster”

You hide behind credentials

→ “20 years in the field” is impressive, but it’s not a hook

You serve at a high level but speak like you’re still just getting started

→ Your voice doesn't match your authority

You're selling your offer like it’s a service menu

→ No real point of view or 'why now' statement — you're handing people a bunch of packages and expecting them to understand what's in it for them. They won't.

You talk like a peer, not like a leader

→ Useful when writing for other experts, but not if your audience needs to trust you as the ONLY answer

You’re not invisible because you’re unclear. You’re invisible because they are.

They can’t see what your work really does — so they scroll past, opt out, or go with someone who spells it out better.

If your marketing’s falling flat, ask yourself:

→ Am I talking about what I do or what it does for my client?

→ Am I writing for an expert, or someone who needs my help?

→ Am I prioritising my process, or clearly demonstrating the payoff?

→ Does my business have a standout 'hook' or perspective that differentiates it, or am I blending in with the rest of my category?

→ Am I playing it safe by using things my competitors say that I think sound impressive?

Ready to find the sweet spot between client clarity and uncopyable copy? Discover how we can craft a hook that gets your remembered and reached for.