Visibility Starts With Attention: Why I Created the Visibility Lab

Attention. We all crave it.

But in this case, I’m talking about attention as it relates to a brand, whether that be a rural community, a bike race, a trail organization, or another organization doing meaningful work in the outdoor space.

You see, we could have the most quaint and welcoming town or host a gravel race with stunning scenery and champagne gravel, but if we can’t capture people’s attention so they know we exist, we’re in trouble.

It all starts with attention.

Visibility.

This semester I’m teaching an undergrad course focused on writing for social media. While we’re writing all kinds of content, from product reviews to travelogues to educational articles and more, we spend a big chunk of our time talking about capturing attention.

For someone to notice a piece of online content, in this case, an article, we need to first figure out how to get their attention. Then we need to give them a reason to stop scrolling. Then we need to convince them to click “read more.”

Our goal is more visibility.

Every brand wants it and needs it. That’s why television commercials are created and airtime is paid for. That’s why social media ads exist. That’s why companies sponsor athletes, events, podcasts, newsletters, and YouTube channels.

Attention.

We either have to pay for it or earn it. And even when we pay for it, we still have to earn it.

That’s why I created the Visibility Lab.

Why Visibility Matters for Bike Races, Trail Organizations, and Rural Communities

I’ve spent a lot of time working with bike races, trail orgs, rural communities, nonprofits, and outdoor recreation orgs. One thing I’ve noticed is that a lack of good stories usually isn’t the problem.

There are stories everywhere.

There are volunteers giving up Saturdays to build trails. Race directors spending months creating an experience riders will remember. Small-town businesses investing in their communities. Rural destinations surrounded by landscapes people would travel hundreds of miles to experience.

The problem, though, is getting those stories in front of people.

And for many smaller orgs, the person responsible for doing that already has a dozen other responsibilities.

The race director is also doing marketing. The executive director is also running Instagram. The tourism professional is also taking photos. The volunteer is also writing the newsletter.

Social media becomes another item on an already very long list.

You Don’t Need a Big Marketing Budget to Build Visibility

Here’s the good news.

Building visibility doesn’t necessarily require a massive advertising budget, expensive camera equipment, a marketing agency, or someone spending eight hours a day creating content. (Yes, those things can help for sure.)

But it does require intentionality.

You need to understand who you’re trying to reach. You need to know what stories are worth telling. You need to learn how to capture someone’s attention and give them a reason to care.

You also need consistency.

One viral Reel probably isn’t going to transform your organization. Neither is one well-written article or one perfectly timed email newsletter.

Visibility builds ...

One useful post leads to another. One good story introduces someone to your organization. They follow you. A few weeks later, they see something else. Eventually they visit your website. Maybe they subscribe to your newsletter.

Then one day they register for your race, plan a weekend in your town, sign up for a dig day, make a donation, or tell a friend about you.

That’s the long game.

Why I Created the Visibility Lab

Over the past few years, I’ve increasingly found myself helping people think through these exact questions.

• What should we post?

• How often should we post?

• What kinds of stories should we tell?

• Are Reels worth the effort?

• What metrics actually matter?

• How do we promote sponsors without making every sponsor post feel like an advertisement?

• How can we create better content when we don’t have much money?

• How do we turn everything we’re already doing into stories people actually want to follow?

Those questions eventually led me to create the Visibility Lab.

The Visibility Lab is practical social media coaching specifically for trail orgs, race directors, rural tourism leaders, outdoor nonprofits, recreation managers, and community volunteers.

It’s especially designed for the organizations that don’t have a full-time marketing department.

Instead of throwing another giant course or library of videos at people who are already busy, I wanted to make the process simple:

One lesson. One idea. One action. Every week.

Something practical that you can read, watch, think about, and actually use.

Building Visibility Through Social Media, Content, and Storytelling

The Visibility Lab isn’t built around chasing the latest hack.

Algorithms change. Platforms change. Formats change. The tactics that worked two years ago might not work two years from now.

The fundamentals are much more durable.

We’ll explore storytelling that builds trust, creating content people want to share, photography and visual storytelling, social media strategy, analytics, volunteer recruitment, sponsor visibility, event marketing, rural tourism marketing, and building community around your organization.

Some weeks will be strategic. Others will be incredibly practical.

The goal isn’t to turn everyone into a professional marketer, but to help you become better at communicating the work you’re already doing.

Practical Social Media Coaching for Small Orgs

There’s another piece of Visibility Lab that I’m particularly excited about.

Once a month, we’ll meet live for Office Hours.

Bring your questions. Bring the Instagram post you’re struggling with. Bring the campaign you’re trying to figure out. Bring your analytics. Bring the event you need to promote.

We’ll review social media accounts, talk through marketing challenges, brainstorm ideas, and learn from what other organizations are doing.

Because while a gravel race in Arizona, a trail organization in Oregon, and a rural tourism organization in Colorado might look completely different on the surface, they’re often wrestling with remarkably similar questions.

How do we get more people to notice what we’re doing?

How do we get them to care?

And how do we turn that attention into something meaningful?

Better Marketing Starts With Getting People’s Attention

BUT ... visibility isn’t the end goal.

Yes, registrations do matter. So do visitors. Volunteers matter. Donations matter. Economic impact matters. Community matters.

However, before any of those things can happen, someone has to know you exist.

They have to notice you.

They have to stop scrolling.

They have to become curious.

They have to pay attention.

That’s where the Visibility Lab begins.

If you’re a race director, trail org leader, rural tourism professional, outdoor nonprofit, recreation manager, or community volunteer trying to tell better stories and get more people to notice the work you’re already doing, I’d love to have you join us.

I know you’re already doing work worth noticing.

Let’s help more people see it.