The Engagement Problem

I don't think members are tuning out. I think they're just trying to keep up.

Over the past two years working with professional associations, I keep hearing the same frustration: "We're creating content, but members aren't engaging."

Here's what I've learned: members aren't disengaged. They're overwhelmed.

Think about it from their perspective. Your average member gets 50+ emails a day. They're scrolling past dozens of social posts while juggling work, family, and a hundred other priorities.

Your newsletter? Buried. Your social updates? Gone in seconds. Not because it doesn't matter, but because there's simply too much competing for their attention.

And here's the pattern I see: when engagement drops, the instinct is to create more. More emails. More posts. More channels. But that just adds to the overload.

My background as a strategic storyteller and media producer taught me something important: it's not about creating more—it's about creating differently. It’s about meeting members where they actually have capacity to engage, not where we wish they would.

And for member organizations, that matters even more. You're not just competing for attention. You're trying to build community, deliver value, and maintain relationships with people who are already at capacity. 

The organizations getting real engagement? They're rethinking their approach. They're choosing formats that fit into members' lives instead of demanding more of their time.

So instead of asking members to keep up with us, maybe we should meet them where they already have space to listen.