The paradox of engagement: Why your real audience is silent
Would you rather have 50 of your ideal customers quietly consuming your content, or 10,000 people liking, commenting—but never buying?
This is the paradox of engagement. The content you put out is reaching people, but you have no idea who they are or how it’s impacting them. And in today’s world of relentless tracking, I don’t blame them for staying quiet.
Silent Engagement Is Still Engagement
If you’ve ever felt like you’re creating in a vacuum—posting, writing, sharing, and getting crickets in return—you’re not alone. But the silence isn’t a lack of impact.
I’ve lost count of the times someone has brought up something I wrote or said in a conversation, despite never engaging with it online. Friends, colleagues, even industry leaders have referenced my content without ever leaving a single like or comment. Recently, Tim Ferriss literally printed out an article I wrote and used it as a discussion point on his podcast. Did I know it had reached him? Nope.
This happens all the time. People are absorbing your content, even if they don’t signal it.
The Fear of Visibility
Part of the reason people don’t engage is because engagement itself has become a signal. The second you hit “like” or comment on something, algorithms take notice. Your name gets attached to it. In some industries, that kind of visibility can have unintended consequences.
And then there’s the tracking. Visit a website, accept a cookie, and suddenly, your email, job title, and phone number might be in someone’s CRM. I’ve seen it firsthand. So I get why people hesitate to engage publicly.
Keep Showing Up Anyway
Just because people aren’t interacting doesn’t mean your content isn’t working. It’s reaching the right eyes—you just won’t always see the proof in real time.
I’ve been posting videos consistently for weeks, and I have no idea who’s watching. But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop. Because I know that if I keep putting out content, the right people will find it. They might not always “engage,” but they will remember.
And when the time is right, they’ll reach out.
So if you’re feeling discouraged by low engagement, don’t be. A lack of likes isn’t a lack of impact. Keep creating. Keep showing up. The right people are paying attention—even if they’re silent.
