How to resurrect from the visibility graveyard

Kipainoi’s letter…

Most leaders are invisible—and they don’t even know it.

It’s not a lack of passion holding them back…

It’s the fact that no one sees their work.

Maybe you know someone stuck in this stage.

They share their work,

and they post once in a while.

But the weight of competing priorities crashes them.

They start believing that the hustle of creating and sharing content is not worth it.

But here’s the truth…

Your work doesn’t speak for itself—you have to give it a voice.

The difference between leaders who grow and those who fade is…

Visibility!

Have you ever felt like you’re working SO hard,

you are making an impact, but somehow…

no one seems to notice?

Like, you're out here putting in the hours…

doing great work, but the world is just… silent.

That, my friend, is called The Visibility Graveyard…

where impactful work is buried and forgotten.

Here’s the truth: Hard work on-ground alone isn’t enough.

We’ve been told, ‘Let your work speak for itself.’

But in today’s world,

If people don’t see your work, it might as well not exist!

Most people struggle with consistency when amplifying their work

because they rely on motivation rather than habits.

As Aristotle put it,

Without systems,

accountability…and a rhythm for visibility,

even the best work remains unseen.

If you wait for the ‘perfect moment’

or worry about what people will think…

others, often less experienced,

are out there telling their story,

they are getting opportunities,

and they are growing their impact.

You will not hit rock bottom again if you remember these numbers

• 80% of content organizations create goes mostly unused. (sirius decisions)

• 70% of marketing lacks a consistent or integrated content strategy. (forrester)

• 87% of organisations agree that developing engaging content is hard. (forrester)

So if you struggle with focusing for 20 minutes a day creating content, you are not alone.

In just five steps today,
I’ll guide you on how to create content around your work
and be able to share it consistently, while keeping your frontline work alive.

The single most important skill for a leader is communication

Frontline leaders often operate in crisis mode…

there’s no time to craft new content every single day.

The result? Social media pages go quiet, websites remain outdated,

and partners don’t see the full scope of their impact.

From that one piece,

break it into short form content:

pull out quotes, turn insights into tweets, and clip short videos.

This way, one effort fuels multiple platforms,

making it easier to stay visible without extra work.

When you create long-form content,

you can re-purpose what you have to say

and build a sustainable foundation for sharing your work consistently, without the daily scramble.

Most frontline leaders are stretched too thin—

juggling programs, fundraising… fieldwork…

But you don’t need a full-time communications team to stay consistent.

A virtual assistant, an intern, or a volunteer can help you stay on top of things.

They can help you repurpose and schedule your long form content.

Getting an extra hand means you don’t have to do everything alone.

By focusing on one long piece of content,

you can keep doing the work that matters

while your assistant ensures your updates reach the right people.

It’s easy to get stuck in the loop of…

“I should post something” but never finding the time.

Leaders end up only posting when they’re in crisis mode,

when funding is needed urgently, or when a major issue arises.

Set aside one day per month to create and schedule content in bulk.

Use free tools like Meta’s Creator Studio, Zoho Social, or Buffer to pre-schedule posts.

Don’t leave the heavy-lifting creative work to the assistant…

You know best the painpoints and successes of the work you are doing.

Take a day to document your team’s work,

Film 1-2 long videos in one session,

or draft several posts at once.

This way, your assistant’s job will only be scheduling…

but if you plan to do it yourself,

you still don’t have to think too hard about the next content to post

This way your cause still stays visible even when you’re busy on the ground.

By batch-producing your content, you shift from reaction mode to proactive storytelling,

keeping your audience engaged without daily stress.

The worst feeling is posting something and hear nothing back.

No likes, no comments, no shares… just silence and embarrassingly low impressions.

Many leaders focus so much on posting their own work

that they forget social media is a conversation, not a billboard.

If you’re only posting but not engaging with others,

your content gets buried in algorithms,

and your audience tunes out.

Spend just 10 minutes a day engaging with others.

Like, comment, and share posts from partners, funders, and community members.

Ask questions, reply to comments, and tag collaborators in your updates.

The more you interact, the more visible your content becomes,

and the stronger your relationships grow.

Engagement isn’t extra work—it’s the secret to making your content go further without needing to create a tone!

The key to staying consistent isn’t working harder—it’s working smarter.

Without a clear system,

sharing content becomes an afterthought.

Every post feels like starting from scratch, leading to inconsistency and burnout.

Use templates, content calendars, and automation tools to make posting easy.

Set up a Google Drive or, like me, use Kortex, to store photos, testimonials, and key updates in one place.

Use pre-made content templates for newsletters and social media to cut down writing time.

Automate posts with tools like Zoho Social, Buffer, or Hootsuite

so content goes out even when you’re in the field.

A simple system removes the mental load of figuring out what to post, helping you share consistently without adding stress.

Being a grassroots leader means juggling a hundred priorities…

but staying visible shouldn’t feel like one more burden.

With long-form content, an assistant, creating in bulk, engagement, and simple systems,

you can amplify your work without losing time.

The more consistently you share, the more support, funding, and recognition you attract.

Start today—because the world needs to see the impact you’re making.

Watch out for weekly tips, resources, and case studies on effective grassroots communication.

I hope all of that was helpful.

Enjoy your weekend.

— Kipainoi.

Find the need | Communicate like a pro
Read more posts like this here. | Watch the previous letter on The Kipcast below.

Watch the Kipcast here. Last episode below.