Hey Pulsers 👋 Take a quick walk with me.
Imagine you built something amazing. Let’s go wild and call it an app that reads minds. It’s sleek and smart with a futuristic UI. You hit publish and…nothing. Not a single reaction.
That’s the visibility gap. It’s the space between how much you think people see your work and how much they actually do. And trust me, everyone experiences it.
Even giants like Airbnb, Slack, and Salesforce have stumbled here. The difference is they learned how to grab attention, get eyes on their work, and make their campaigns impossible to ignore.
For marketers, it’s a reality check. The smartest strategy, campaign, or product won’t matter if nobody notices it.
But there’s hope! Today, we’re diving into how to close that gap, make your work impossible to miss, and finally get the results it deserves.
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What we'll cover
Short on time? Start with the ⭐️. Key insights are highlighted, so you can skim or dive deep.
You can also grab the TL;DR version of this issue here for quick insights and key lessons.
Theme of The Week
The Visibility Gap
You can build something genuinely great and still watch it disappear. All because nobody really saw it.
That’s the good ol’ visibility gap. The quiet space between the work you poured your soul into and the attention it actually gets. It’s where smart products, thoughtful campaigns, and well-crafted strategies go to sit untouched (and unloved).
And here’s the uncomfortable truth: quality doesn’t create momentum. Visibility does.
The VISIBLE framework shows you how to earn attention and hold it long enough to matter.
Brand Campaign: Blockbuster vs. Netflix
The Ultimate Visibility Gap
9,000 stores. Total dominance.
Blockbuster assumed presence meant loyalty. But, Netflix solved ONE real problem and earned attention instead.
One brand survived. One disappeared.
For courses & guides to help you level up as a marketer, check out the Resource Hub at the bottom of this issue.
Marketing Hits & Misses
Image credit: Variety
MISS: Quibi - $1.75B Budget, Hollywood Stars & Zero Resonance
Quibi launched in 2020 as a mobile streaming app for “quick bites” of premium content, backed by $1.75B in funding and stars like Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Lopez, and Chrissy Teigen.
Everything looked loud, everything looked important, but none of it resonated.
Why the strategy failed
Assumed Attention | Misread the Use Case | No Earned Relevance |
|---|---|---|
Quibi thought money, fame, and hype would buy an audience. People noticed but didn’t care | Short content ≠ mobile need. Phones were already full of fast, free, social entertainment | No cultural hook and no emotional pull meant there was no reason to switch from what people already loved |
Public outcome
Shut down just 6 months after launch Source: CNBC | Burned through nearly all funding with little audience loyalty Source: CNN | High awareness, near-zero attachment Source: Medium |
How it could have worked
Start with the audience, not the stars | Test before scaling | Make switching effortless |
|---|---|---|
Figure out why someone would open the app instead of scrolling TikTok or YouTube. What problem were you solving for them? | Launch a few micro-series or pilots, see what sticks, learn fast, then invest big | People needed a reason to switch platforms. A feature, community, or content experience that felt unique and worth leaving a habit behind |
Takeaway: Visibility you don’t earn disappears fast.
Image credit: BR Public Relations
HIT: Duolingo — Weird, Wild, and Suddenly Everyone Cares
Duolingo didn’t assume anyone wanted another language app. It acted like no one cared and behaved accordingly.
Why the strategy worked
Earned Attention | Cultural Relevance | Clear Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
Duolingo showed up where attention already lived instead of asking people to come to them. They earned every view by being entertaining first and educational second | The Duolingo owl didn’t explain grammar. It became a character. A meme. A personality people recognized instantly. Duolingo stopped competing with other apps and started competing with the feed | They chose memorability over credibility. Weird over polished. Risk over safety. And that decision shaped everything. Some people hated it. Most people remembered it. That’s the point |
Public impact
16M+ TikTok followers in 4 years Source: TikTok | One of the most recognizable brand voices online Source: Ad Age | Turned a “boring” category into daily conversation Source: Brand24 |
Takeaway: You don’t win by being the best option. You win by being the chosen one.
🌱 The Growth Lab
Stand Out or Vanish
Step into the lab. Goggles on? Let’s cook.
Meet Rise, a habit-building startup launching their first mobile app. They’re a small team obsessed with behavior science.
Their one goal: help people actually stick with habits instead of quitting after three days.
Their user? Someone like you. Ambitious. Self-aware. Tired of apps that work for a week before you forget they exist.
Here’s their launch copy:
Sounds fine, right? Clean. Professional. Clear.
It’s also completely invisible.
Here’s why.
The Problem: The 8-Second Window
People don’t read anymore. They scan. Research shows users spend just 8 seconds deciding whether to pay attention online.
That’s it. Eight seconds between “might matter” and “next.”
Rise’s message doesn’t survive that window. Not because it’s bad. Because it looks like everything else. Sounds like everything else. Promises what everything else promises.
Your brain filters it out before you even read it.
So let’s run the experiment. Strip out what kills attention. Find what creates it.
Step 1: What Gets Stripped (and Why It Fails)
“Our new app helps you”
This opens with the brand, not the reader. People scan for self-relevance first. Anything brand-first gets filtered as background noise.
Track your habits, set reminders
That’s expected. Every habit app does this. Features don’t earn attention unless they’re surprising or extreme. This is neither.
Stay consistent every day
A vague outcome. The brain doesn’t pause for abstract promises. It pauses for specific tension.
Take control of your routine
A call-to-action without earned interest. CTAs don’t create attention. They convert it. You need attention first.
The conclusion: Nothing here creates urgency or curiosity in the first two seconds. So it gets skimmed, skipped, or forgotten.
Step 2: Find the Friction
Good hooks don’t come from brainstorming clever lines. They come from real user friction.
Ask this question: Where does the user already feel annoyed, guilty, or stuck before ever opening this app?
Three frictions surface:
1. Forgetting: People lose track of their habits
2. Quitting: People start strong, then drop off
3. Shame: People feel guilty about breaking streaks
Each friction is real. Each could work. But you can only choose one.
Step 3: Test the Hook Options
Option A: Forgetting
“You don’t fail habits. You forget them.”
✅ Instantly relatable
❌ Less urgent. It doesn’t create enough tension for action
Option B: Quitting
“Most habits die after day three. This one doesn’t.”
✅ Creates conflict and specificity
❌ Requires proof to back up the claim
Option C: Shame
“Stop feeling guilty about habits you never keep.”
✅ Emotional punch
❌ Riskier tone that could feel accusatory
Step 4: Make the Call
For a cold audience scrolling fast, Option B wins.
Why? It introduces tension and specificity in one sentence. It contradicts what people expect (habits fail fast) and implies a solution (this one works differently). The brain pauses because something doesn’t match the pattern.
That’s the hook. Lead with it. Everything else exists to support it.
Step 5: The Edited Version (What Changes in the Real World)
After bringing on board a professional content marketer like myself, Rise finds out what’s been stalling their sign ups and now they have a new campaign copy!
Same product. Same goal. Completely different outcome.
Why This Version Works
Leads with tension: It names a familiar problem instead of listing features. “Day three” feels real, so people pause.
Commits to one friction: It focuses on quitting, not everything at once. Clarity beats coverage.
Normalizes failure: Slipping is expected, not punished. That emotional safety makes it stick.
Earns the CTA: Attention comes first. The CTA invites a try, not blind belief.
🎙 From The Timeline
Attention Over Perfection
Here’s the part people don’t mention. Showing up isn’t enough. You have to make a choice that matters. If every post, every message, every product feature tries to please everyone, your audience scrolls past. The brands that stick in your mind focus on one thing and make it impossible to ignore.
📌 Tip: This week, pick one place your brand appears. Make one bold choice. Show up consistently. Watch what actually lands.
Micro mastery
Pulsers, your mission ✉️
Attention is being stolen in real time. Your job is to intercept it.
You’ve got one piece of copy, one shot to spot what makes people stop, and zero room for distractions.
Solve it in under 3 minutes and…you’ll start seeing visibility everywhere. Miss it…and your work stays invisible.
Access your mission here ⬇️
Key Highlights
✅ Do’s
Focus on One Friction: Lead with the single tension your audience feels most.
Earn Attention First: Show why people should pause before selling features.
Test and Iterate: Experiment fast, measure results, and double down on what works.
❌ Dont’s
Don’t Assume Attention: Hype, money, or fame won’t make people care.
Don’t Overstuff Your Message: Too many features or outcomes create noise.
Don’t Scatter Focus: Trying to please everyone dilutes impact.
Before I forget 😮💨: Some of these conversations continue inside a small group I’m experimenting with. Feel free to join here.
🎬 That’s a Wrap
Alright Pulsers, we’ve examined the gap, tested the hooks, and seen what works. Now it’s your turn.
Show up, grab attention, and make your work impossible to scroll past.
Mantra of the week
Be seen, be felt, be remembered. Visibility isn’t given—it’s earned.
One more thing: Why did the marketer bring a flashlight to the campaign launch?Because even the best idea can disappear if nobody sees it!😂
Till next time,
Faridah
📚Resource Hub📚
For Complete Beginners
HubSpot Digital Marketing Course - SEO, Social, Email, Analytics
HubSpot Content Marketing Course - Plan & write campaigns that convert
OpenStax Principles of Marketing - Strategy & Consumer behavior basics
For Intermediates Who’ve Run a Campaign or Two
SEMrush Academy - Scale campaigns with SEO, PPC & Content
Google Skillshop - Master analytics & paid ads
Buffer & Free Guides - improve social engagement & consistency
