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Your inbox probably told you several different things this week.
Instagram is dying. LinkedIn is changing so you need to go there/leave. You absolutely need to be on TikTok or you’re leaving money on the table. Oh, and have you considered a podcast?
It’s exhausting.
And it leads to one of two outcomes: you try to be everywhere at once and burn out quickly, or you become so paralysed by the options that you don’t show up anywhere consistently at all.
Neither of those is going to help your business grow.
So let’s talk about how to find the best marketing channel for your business. Not the trendy one, not the one your favourite business coach swears by, but the one that actually works for you.
The real problem isn't finding the best marketing channel
Here’s the thing most marketing advice gets wrong: they treat channel selection like a technical decision when it’s actually a very personal one.
And a lot of that comes from comparison. When you feel the pull to jump on a new platform, what’s actually happening is you’re comparing your behind-the-scenes to someone else’s highlight reel, and assuming their results came purely from the channel rather than from the work they’ve done across years to build trust, a clear message, and a good offer.
The channel isn’t the magic. You are.
Someone doing really well on LinkedIn has usually been building relationships there for a long time, knows their audience deeply, and has a clear offer that resonates. Copying their channel won’t automatically copy their results. What is transferred is the clarity. Know who you’re talking to, what problem you solve, and what you want them to do next. That clarity works on any platform.
So the best marketing channel for your business is the one you will show up on as yourself, showcasing your business’s full potential without dreading it. Because a mediocre post on a channel you actually enjoy is worth ten brilliant posts you never write because you’ve been avoiding the platform for weeks.
And that avoidance happens because most people pick channels for the wrong reasons:
- Someone told them they should be there
- A competitor seems to be doing well there
- They read an article saying it has the highest reach right now
- They feel guilty for not being on it
None of those are good reasons. And the problem is that it will show in what you create, if you create at all.
Let’s look at what actually matters.
Three questions to find your channels
1. What comes naturally to you: writing, talking, or showing?
This is the first question I ask when a client comes to me stuck on this exact problem. Not “where is your audience?” but “how do you naturally communicate?”
Some people find it easy to sit down and write. Give them a blank page and they’re off. Others find that painful but will happily talk for an hour. And others are visual thinkers who love putting together images or video. Most of us have a natural lean, even if we can do all three.
If writing comes naturally to you, blogging, LinkedIn, and email marketing are your friends. You can repurpose written content across all three without it feeling like starting from scratch every time. Writing also tends to suit people who like to think things through before they share them.
If you prefer talking, video or audio formats suit you better. YouTube, podcasting, TikTok, or even showing up live on Instagram Stories can feel much more natural than staring at a blank document. If you’ve ever found yourself rambling voice notes to friends instead of texting, that’s a clue.
If you’re a visual thinker, Instagram, Pinterest, or short-form video where the visuals do most of the work might be where you shine. Visual thinkers often have a strong sense of aesthetic and find it easier to communicate through images, colour, and composition than through words alone.
There’s no wrong answer here. The point is to notice what feels like you rather than what feels like a performance. This won’t tell you exactly which platform to pick yet, but it gives you a really strong starting point.
2. Which channels do you like or dislike, and why?
This is where we get into your actual relationship with the platforms themselves. Not which ones you think you should be on, but which ones you genuinely enjoy.
I always ask my clients which ones they like. And so should you. And then ask yourself: is that because you enjoy consuming content there, or because you’d actually enjoy creating there too? Those can be very different things. Plenty of people love scrolling Instagram but find the pressure of posting there completely draining. Others find that once they start creating on a platform they love using, it feels surprisingly natural.
Then look at the ones you dislike. What specifically puts you off? Sometimes it’s the format. Sometimes it’s the culture of the platform. Sometimes it’s the mechanics: some channels expect you to post daily, others reward less frequent but more thoughtful content. Some thrive on lots of commenting and engaging with others, while others let you post and step away. Knowing why you dislike a channel tells you a lot.
Neither your likes nor dislikes are wrong. They’re just information.
3. Where does your audience actually hang out?
Now that you know how you communicate naturally and which channels feel good to you, it’s time to look outward. Because the best marketing channel for your business is where you and your audience overlap.
Think about who you’re trying to reach and where they spend their time online. Coaches and consultants working with entrepreneurs might find their people on LinkedIn. It could be that your audience is really active on Tiktok. If you’re not sure, ask yourself: where do your best clients say they found you? Where do you know they post? You might already have more data on this than you think.
Sometimes the overlap is obvious. Sometimes it takes a little creative thinking.
If you love a channel but your audience doesn’t seem to be there, don’t dismiss it immediately. There’s often a way to make it work, and if it’s already coming naturally to you, that energy shows in what you create. A channel you genuinely enjoy will almost always outperform one you’re forcing yourself to use.
But, let’s say there is a channel you really feel could work for your audience but the format isn’t one you’re great at.
Then here’s a little cheat code: Create content in the format that comes naturally to you first, then repurpose it for the platforms where your audience lives.
A VA or AI tool can help you turn a video into a blog post, a podcast into LinkedIn content, or a written piece into a visual carousel. That way you are using your strength the best.
Do you already know what to do but have trouble with consistency?
I have a solution!
A quick honest take on the channels people ask me about most
“Should I be on Instagram?”
Instagram feels like a love it or hate it deal these days. It’s still a strong platform for visual businesses and personal brands, but it got a lot harder AND there are a lot of people that didn’t want to be there anymore. I understand, I don’t post on IG myself anymore either, nor can you find me there personally.
If you love the visual side and Stories feel natural, it can still work really well. If you’re forcing it and every post feels like a chore, your energy shows in your content. Just leave it.
TikTok
If short-form video energises you and you’re comfortable with a more casual, spontaneous format, TikTok can grow an audience faster than almost anything else right now.
And please don’t think you will have to follow dancing trends to be visible there. There are a lot more options. Plenty of people do really well there with straightforward, value-led content that doesn’t involve a single trending audio clip.
YouTube
So, which marketing channel should you choose?
Start with one. Just one.
Pick the channel that ticks at least two of your three boxes: you enjoy creating content for it, your audience is there, and you can see yourself showing up consistently without it destroying your week.
Show up there properly for three to six months before you even think about adding another channel. When that first channel feels genuinely manageable (No, I did not say perfect, just manageable), then you can think about what to add next.
Look into which circle your marketing channel belongs to and pick a channel for another circle.
And if you’re still not sure after all of this? That’s exactly the kind of conversation a Pick My Brain session is made for. We can look at your specific business, your audience, and what you’re actually working with, and figure out where your energy is best spent.
Because the answer really does depend on you. And that’s not a cop-out, it’s the point.
