How I increased my visibility

I recently received an email from someone asking:

I’m curious if you have advice on what might be the best way to get
traction/visibility? Seems like you have had a great deal of success
positioning yourself to be easily found and known.

Here’s what I told them:

This is a tricky thing. Often it can be hard to backtrack and identify the
source of success and share tips in a context that works for you and your
situation. But I’ll do my best and I’ll focus on telling my story rather than
making specific recommendations for you.

First, I think it’s useful for you to know that when I was starting out in my
career, I wasn’t really planning on building a “following.” Instead, it kind of
happened naturally as I shared and created stuff.

I was just really curious about web development, so I’d dig into topics, learn
as much as I could, then share what I learned—whether that was on my blog,
Twitter, or StackOverflow and then eventually at meetups and conferences.

At the time, I was just trying to contribute and engage with the community, but
those small acts of sharing consistently added up over time.

One big factor that helped my content stand out was the choice to teach concepts
in a way that reflected the things I wished I’d known earlier. This wasn’t a
strategic move, but more just something I enjoyed doing.

I tried to break down complex topics into manageable steps, demystifying them as
much as possible. That process took me deeper into each topic, and the result
was that I ended up building resources that resonated with people who wanted a
more accessible path to learning.

When I created something like EpicReact.dev, for instance, I focused on the core
challenges I saw people face and tried to deliver something they’d find
genuinely useful in their day-to-day work. I determined what these core
challenges were by teaching a lot over time.

Another part of it was simply about being present and showing up regularly.
People come to rely on that consistency, and it builds trust.

I think consistency in sharing—whether it’s a tweet, a blog post, or an
open-source contribution—can compound over time in a way that builds credibility
and a sense of connection with others in the community.

It also opens up collaborations and opportunities you don’t expect when you’re
just actively sharing what you know. The more questions you answer, the more
people ask you. I made myself the kind of person people wanted to ask questions
to because I was simply there to answer the questions. And I magnified the
answers by posting them online.

Finally, a huge component of this has been embracing an approach of continuous
learning and sharing. As I grew and gained experience, I adapted my content and
approach to reflect where I was in my own journey.

The willingness to evolve, try new things, and respond to what I see happening
in the community has been key to staying relevant and resonant. And I’d say,
don’t underestimate the power of staying true to your unique voice and
values—that’s what makes people feel connected and engaged in the long run.

You can read more about my story in my 2010s decade in review
post. But hopefully this gives you a sense of how it all started and evolved.

Good luck!