Digital Delusions: Why Founders Stay Invisible Online
Everything you need to stop lurking and start leading online
This was written with founders in mind, but the principles and tactics apply to anyone facing the same doubt—whether showing up online is worth it.
(It is.)
The reason most tech founders struggle to grow their audience is because they overthink visibility.
They tell themselves their product isn’t ready, their niche is too boring, they’re buyers aren’t even on that platform. So they hide behind the curtain, tweaking, building, refining, while their competitors with half the product and twice the guts steal the spotlight.
Time to change the script.
We’re going to walk you through:
Why no niche is too small
Why consistency beats perfection
Why your “boring” topic is content gold
Why people buy from people, not brands
Why Substack LinkedIn is fastest feedback loop
If you’re a startup founder, this matters. Posting online build trust faster, validate ideas in real time, and attract partners, users, and talent. You don’t need a perfect product or a polished pitch. Just a keyboard and the will to show up.
Let’s start by killing the “too niche” myth.
No Niche Is Too Small
Your niche feels tiny, until you remember LinkedIn has over 1.1 billion users.
Even the most obscure idea has its tribe. Whether you’re building a fine-tuning platform for edge devices, LLM agents for procurement workflows, or computer vision for factory floors—someone out there is trying to solve that problem.
LinkedIn’s scale guarantees your target audience exists. And if you post consistently, the algorithm will find them for you—because that’s how LinkedIn keeps people scrolling (by serving them relevant content) and ad dollars flowing.
The biggest mistake founders make? Waiting until they’re “big enough” to start talking. By then, it’s too late to benefit from the compounding effects of early attention. Plus your competitor—who started earlier and posted through the messy middle—is already the voice in the space. You’re not just late. You’re catching up.
Start simple:
1. Search your niche on LinkedIn,
2. Join the conversation: leave comments and send DMs
3. Post at least twice a week, focusing on questions your target audience is asking.
Visibility doesn’t wait for product-market fit. It starts the moment you hit “post.”
Consistency Beats Perfection
The LinkedIn algorithm doesn’t care how polished your post is. The algorithm rewards consistency.
Creators who post weekly get 5× more reach than those who post whenever they feel like it. Why? Because repetition builds familiarity—and familiarity builds trust. You don’t need to write a masterpiece. You just need to post.
A client I worked with was barely posting—just here and there. We switched to posting twice a week. The result? In one month, their impressions exploded—up 726%.
Block 30 minutes to plan three posts each week:
One to teach. One to share. One to reflect. That’s it.
Next, let’s tackle the “boring niche” myth.
Your “Boring” Niche Is Content Gold
LinkedIn isn’t TikTok. People open it to learn, not scroll endlessly.
78% of users visit to keep up with industry trends—that’s your chance. Your “boring” technical insights? Pure gold to the right crowd. And those folks convert way better than casual scrollers anywhere else.
Too many founders water down their content to try and appeal to everyone. Don’t fall into that trap. Specificity builds authority. LinkedIn’s algorithm sees that and pushes your content to the people who actually care.
Answer your customer’s question in public.
Share one clear idea or insight per each post.
Use the comments to dive deeper. That’s not just content—
it’s a magnet for your ideal audience.
Next up: how to sharpen your value prop and positioning.
Substack & LinkedIn Are The Fastest Feedback Loop
You don’t have to wait for the perfect pitch to get feedback—your audience is already online and ready to respond.
These platforms are like a free, real-time focus group where you can test ideas and messages instantly. Founders who put thoughts out early learn faster, adapt smarter, and avoid building what no one wants.
For example, a founder I know shared a few variations of her AI compliance tool’s value prop in posts and comments. The version that sparked the most engagement became the core message on her website—and helped her secure pilot clients within weeks.
This fast-feedback loop is a secret weapon most founders still overlook in 2025.
Ask questions.
Start conversations.
Notice what sticks—and what doesn’t.
Next: the hidden power of showing your face.
People Connect with People, Not Logos
Founders who post from personal accounts get 7× more engagement than company pages.
Why? Because people trust people. People engage with people, not faceless, dehumanized brands. Yet many founders still hide behind generic company updates.
Post from your personal profile.
Tell stories. Share the ups and downs.
Then (if you really want to) reshare from your company page.
One founder working on AI-driven threat detection shared a candid post about how their system caught an internal vulnerability before it became a breach. That post sparked a flood of comments from CISOs and security leads, and demo requests jumped 60% that month.
Next up: deal flow.
LinkedIn Is the B2B Growth Engine
Some still dismiss LinkedIn as “just social media.” But for B2B, it’s the highest-value channel out there.
80% of all B2B leads from social platforms come through LinkedIn. The buyers and decision-makers you want are already there, researching and reaching out.
And they’d rather connect with smart founders than get cold emails or bland company blogs.
Share what you’re learning.
Show how you’re solving problems.
Add a soft CTA like, “DM me if this hits home.”
That’s how many of my clients landed Fortune 100 intros, without ever spending a dime on ads.
Final Thought
You don’t need a polished pitch, a perfect product, or a massive niche.
You just need to start.
LinkedIn isn’t optional for founders, it’s your leverage.
Visibility compounds. Credibility builds. Opportunities multiply the moment you show up, consistently, as yourself.
Start posting or stay invisible. Your call.
That’s it for now—more soon!
Catch you next time,
Creator of LinkedIn Audience Building for AI/ML Engineers
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I read and reply to every single message!
Nice! I'm a recent founder and I started to write a weekly post on substack. Do you also have substack tips en tricks?