Since launching her company in 2017, Sara has followed the conversation across formats: blogs, social audio, and short-form video. During the pandemic she helped grow Breakfast with Champions on Clubhouse into a media company with a community of more than 100,000 members. Today she helps brands and leaders sharpen their point of view, expand their reach, and turn visibility into opportunity.
“You can grow without doing anything that you don’t want as part of your digital presence.”
“Your experience is your POV.”
In her WIE Suite Masterclass, The Visibility Advantage, moderated by WIE Suite member and communications coach Jean Meyer, Sara took on a piece of conventional wisdom that has frustrated many experts, and women in particular: that the path to growth on social media runs through lip-syncing, dancing, applying makeup, or blending a smoothie. Her alternative is simple. Instead of asking, “What trend should I join?” leaders can ask a more useful question: “What do I know that people are talking about right now?”
At the heart of her approach is relevance. When expertise is paired with a clear point of view on a topic already in conversation, it can reach audiences, journalists, podcast hosts, and potential clients that a polished but disconnected post never will. The goal is not to be louder. It is to be findable, memorable, and unmistakably yours.
Sara walked members through a structure for individual posts, a system for planning content, and practical answers to the questions that kept coming in from the chat: how to do this with a day job, which platforms to choose, and how to get past the cringe.
Sara began by giving members permission to set aside several so-called best practices, starting with the idea of cringe. She separated it into two very different things. The first is the discomfort of stepping out of your comfort zone, such as turning the camera to selfie mode for the first time. That, she said, is a diving board worth jumping off, much like the first time you took a big stage.
The second is being asked to do something that feels like an ill-fitting outfit: a trend, a dance, or an overshared personal story you would not want attached to your digital footprint forever. Her advice is to lean into the first kind of discomfort and refuse the second. If a social team insists you do something that sits wrong with you in order to grow, she noted, they may be great at their job, but they are not the right team for you.
She offered similar permission on trends and oversharing. If a trend is filling the feed above and below you, it is probably noise, unless you have a distinct take on it. And you never have to open a LinkedIn post with a personal tragedy to earn attention. You can stand in your own knowledge instead.
Sara’s case for showing up rests on how people now use these platforms. They use them for search. Journalists spot trending stories and call the people behind them. Podcast hosts look for their next guest. Even AI tools are increasingly indexing social content. For experts, that adds up to a significant opportunity.
She also framed visibility as something close to a responsibility. Every time you see someone who knows less than you go viral, or read something you completely disagree with, you have the chance to share your own perspective. And it is not too late, too early, or too trivial. We live in a commentary culture, she explained, where audiences want someone knowledgeable to talk them through what is happening, whether in video, podcasts, or writing. Experts are well positioned to be that voice.
Sara shared a three-part structure that she says applies to video, LinkedIn posts, Instagram, and nearly anything else a leader might publish. Her best content starts with a perspective that is unique to the leader’s experience, in the leader’s own voice, with some guidance and a little spice. Then she builds it in this order:
1. A strong lead, not a hook. Sara prefers the word “lead” because it feels familiar to anyone who has written academically or read a newspaper. It should be a sentence that makes someone want to keep reading or listening. She recommends using social SEO here by naming whatever is in conversation right away, rather than opening with a seven-second introduction of who you are. Her example was an iced coffee at a job interview, a debate that moved from TikTok to LinkedIn to traditional media. Her first line simply referenced the trending video.
2. Middle introductions and soft CTAs. Audiences tune out pre-roll and mid-roll ads, so Sara moves her introduction and call to action into the story itself. Somewhere in the middle, she mentions who she is and what she does as part of the narrative, for example, as someone whose agency has worked with thought leaders. By then, viewers are in active listening mode, and the information lands.
3. A moment that pushes feedback. Engagement expands reach, so Sara includes one element designed to invite a response. It is not rage bait, just a point where reasonable people might disagree, like Team Iced Latte versus Team No Ice. She also likes to add a non sequitur, such as a reference to a show, article, or song the topic reminded her of, which gives people another thread to pull.
When Jean asked why the introduction moves to the middle, Sara pointed to human nature: we click away from anything that does not immediately grab us. She added that when everyone opens the same way, audiences tire, and a generic opener does nothing for searchability.
To answer the question of what to post beyond a single piece, Sara divides content into two categories.
Portfolio content is the bread and butter, the evergreen material that shows who you are, what you believe, and how people can work with you. It can be planned and batched. Sara noted that people tend to click through the last three or four posts on a profile before deciding to follow, so this is the content that validates you.
Trending content is the lightning strike. This does not mean a viral voiceover; it means speaking with a strong point of view about something everyone is already discussing. It brings people to your profile, and because platforms want to keep viewers engaged, it can ride the wave of interest in the topic.
Splitting the two takes pressure off every post. Not every piece has to explain what you do and win new eyeballs at the same time. Sara recommends at least one trending post a week, and more if you want to grow faster. For overall cadence, she suggested a minimum of three posts a week, with five preferred, and said that reposting across platforms is perfectly acceptable because different people prefer different networks.
Many of the questions came from members with demanding day jobs, and Sara’s answers were practical.
Start with the goal. If you want a presence simply so that you exist, you do not have to build a personal brand because everyone says to. But if you want to book speaking engagements, support your company, write a book, or grow your influence, you need consistency.
Decide between time and money. Some leaders hand execution to an agency; others invest their own time. There is a spectrum in between.
Batch your content. Sara loves a content day, whether monthly or quarterly, and said three to six months of portfolio content can be captured in a day. The caveat is to set your goals and strategy first, so you are not filming answers to generic AI prompts and wondering why nothing happens.
Use a thought partner. If you do not have a team, Sara suggested training an AI tool diligently, sharing the accounts you admire and the ones that drive you crazy, or bartering ideas with a friend. Then long-list your FAQs: the questions people always ask, the answers you always give, and what you wish more people knew. Those become your core content and inform how you respond to trends.
Start small on equipment. An iPhone, a tripod, one big bright light, and a wireless mic if the sound is poor are enough.
For leaders starting from zero, Sara recommended LinkedIn and TikTok. LinkedIn remains an expectation in many professional industries. TikTok is often where things break first, so even lurking keeps you at the forefront of the conversation and shows how people structure commentary. She noted that clients have been recognized at industry events for TikToks, and that she has earned press from the platform. Videos can also be transcribed and adapted into LinkedIn posts.
On LinkedIn versus Substack, her answer was to show up on both, consistently, while putting the bulk of your time and resources into whichever one you can truly support. She considers Substack an entire social ecosystem, not just a newsletter tool.
To reach your ideal customer, go where they are and follow who they follow. Then wink at them in your middle introduction by grounding yourself in the specific work you do. A financial advisor who wants estate planning clients, for example, might mention that they recently helped someone with their estate plan.
Asked for a parting shot, Sara returned to a theme from the start of the session: social media should not feel as hard as it does for so many thought leaders. When something is not working in any other part of life, we change our approach. Online, though, people often respond to disappointing results by posting ten times as often with small tweaks.
Her advice is to go back to the drawing board and change the big things: your goals, your strategy, and the way you use your expertise. Whether that means an hour with a consultant or a conversation with a trusted peer, the point is to stop adding pressure and start adding clarity.
The takeaway for WIE Suite members is that you do not have to become someone else to be seen. Your experience is the point of view. Pair it with what people are already discussing, lead with it clearly, and leave room for others to respond. As Sara put it, you can grow without doing anything you do not want in your digital presence, and the expertise you already have is where visibility begins.
How do you make a “dry” industry compelling? Tie your expertise to what everyone is already talking about. A tax or wealth expert can explain the financial ramifications of a high-profile divorce or a corporate scandal, then introduce themselves in the middle, much like a guest panelist.
How much of your personal life should you share? Sara says it has to match your comfort level. “Social media is real life,” she said, so consider whether you naturally share personal context in a keynote or a team meeting. Check your organization’s policies. If you have children, think about their long-term digital presence; she practices what she calls social media consent with her own kids, who see and approve every post. Building intimacy does not require personal content; it can come from a closer touchpoint to your thought leadership.
Can you reference celebrities or other creators? Yes, as long as it is authentic and you credit them. It works like an SEO search term and becomes part of the larger conversation.
What about imposter syndrome? Gut-check whether it is a general fear of putting yourself out there or a sign you are straying from your lane. Speak to what you know, which will also perform better.
Why are women coached on visibility while men are presumed competent? Sara reframed the question. In her view, the issue is not that men are exempt from building platforms; it is that feminized labor online is often dismissed as less serious. She encouraged women to build influence wherever they want it, in their community, online, or both.
Jean also raised paid contributor programs at outlets like Forbes or Fast Company. Her take: they carry credibility, but only if you can consistently produce something at least once a quarter.
