If It Doesn't Fit in an Instagram Bio, It's Not Clear Yet

I was on a call this week helping someone sharpen the message for a new brand, and we hit a wall I see ALL the time.

They knew exactly what they were building. They could talk about it for 20 minutes straight. The mission, the audience, the why, the research behind it. All of it real, all of it good.

But when I asked "okay, so what's the hook... what does someone see that makes them come in?"... it took ten minutes to answer.

And that's when I said the thing I end up saying on half my calls:

"I know YOU know what you want. But I want other people to know what you're saying."

That's the whole game with messaging. It's not about whether the idea is clear in your head. It's whether it's clear in a stranger's head after five seconds. Because five seconds is all you get.

So here's the test I gave them, and it's the test I'll give you: can you say it in an elevator? Does it fit in an Instagram bio? If someone asked what you do while the doors were closing, could you answer before they opened?

If not, you don't have a messaging problem. You have a distillation problem. The clarity exists... it's just buried under everything else you know.

Here's how to dig it out.

First, niche down further than feels comfortable. On this call, the audience started as "everyone over 50." Sounds focused, right? It's not. It's still too broad to hit anyone in the chest. We tightened it, and the second we did, the whole message snapped into focus. A message for everyone lands with no one. Pick the person. Let's say you're a fitness coach... "fitness for busy people" is wallpaper. "Strength training for dads over 40 with 30 minutes a day" is a magnet.

Second, position against the tired story your audience is sick of hearing. Every audience has one. They get bombarded with the same stale messaging from every direction, and they've learned to tune it out. So don't add to the pile... push against it. If everyone talks to your audience about their problems, talk to them about their potential. That contrast IS the hook. You're not just describing what you do, you're rejecting the thing they already resent.

Third, show it, don't preach it. The person on this call had an instinct I loved: instead of telling people what to do, go do it yourself and film it. Lead by example and bring the audience along. Nobody wants another voice telling them how to live. But watching someone actually DO the thing, survive it, and grow from it? That builds trust no tagline can touch. You're not creating content ABOUT your audience. You're creating content FOR people like you, as one of them.

Then, once you can say it in one breath... everything else gets easier. The bio writes itself. The content has a filter. You know what to say yes to and what to cut.

Genuinely, the founders who win aren't the ones with the best ideas. They're the ones whose ideas can survive the elevator.

So here's your homework. Take what you're building and write the one-sentence version. Not the paragraph. The sentence. Say it out loud to someone who knows nothing about your business and watch their face.

If they get it, build. If they squint... distill again.

Stay in the fight, Kevin