THE CODE
Salary, Promotion, or Stage? How Visibility Actually Moves the Needle on Pay
As we step into 2026 and look ahead, let's get real about something weighing on many of us: why do some peers (often the ones who shine brightest in meetings or online) snag bigger raises and faster promotions, while your game-changing contributions fly under the radar?
The reality in our industry? Visibility isn't optional—it's the key accelerator for pay and promotions. Being undervalued doesn't just hurt your confidence; it translates to real dollars—women in tech still earn around 83-84 cents on the dollar compared to men in similar roles, with gaps persisting or even widening in some areas due to underrepresentation in leadership and emerging tech.
Poor public speaking or low visibility can hold back wages by up to 10%, while stepping into the spotlight builds credibility, networks, and leverage for negotiations.
But here's the empowering part: You can shift this, strategically and starting now.
Why Visibility Directly Impacts Your Paycheck and Path Forward
The gender pay gap in tech hovers stubbornly, driven by lack of recognition and fewer women in high-visibility, high-pay roles.
Public speaking and thought leadership position you as an expert, opening doors to promotions—women who amplify their voice report stronger confidence, better opportunities, and tangible career growth.
Visibility showcases your impact, making it harder for decision-makers to overlook you during review season.
Your expertise is already world-class. Amplifying it ensures it's seen—and rewarded.
Visibility Isn't the Full Story: Focus on High-Impact Problems for Maximum Momentum
That said, visibility alone isn't a magic fix. Randomly posting or speaking won't move the needle as powerfully as targeting the right things.
The smartest visibility play? Align it with solving what your company or industry is struggling with most. Decision-makers notice (and promote) those who tackle big, visible challenges—like scaling AI ethically, optimizing cloud costs amid budget crunches, or bridging talent gaps in emerging tech.
When you focus here:
Your contributions become undeniable impact, not just activity.
You position yourself as a strategic leader, accelerating promotions and pay bumps.
It turns visibility into credibility that translates directly to influence and offers.
Pair this with building in public—a natural extension of stage-ready speaking. Share your learnings transparently on LinkedIn (e.g., "Here's how I debugged that tricky deployment issue saving us 20% downtime"), open-source side projects on GitHub, or quick threads on industry pain points. This builds your authority, attracts opportunities, invites feedback that sharpens your skills, and creates a public trail of your expertise—perfect ammo for salary talks or external roles.
You've got the solutions that matter. Let's make them visible—in the ways that count most.
What's one high-impact visibility move you're making this week? Hit reply—I love hearing your plans.
THE RUN
🎬 Action Steps: Level Up Your Visibility with Intention
Ready to take that next step? Let's make it actionable:
Identify a key struggle. This week, list 2-3 big challenges your team/company faces (e.g., AI adoption hurdles, remote collaboration friction). Pick one where your skills shine and volunteer to contribute ideas or lead a small fix.
Claim an internal spotlight. Speak up in a meeting about a recent win tied to a company priority: "My work on X helped us hit Y metric—here's what I learned." Prep it, say it, own it.
Build in public—start small. Share one learning online: Post a LinkedIn update on a tool/technique you're mastering, or push a small update to a public GitHub repo. Tag it with relevant hashtags to reach the right eyes.
Pitch that micro-talk. Offer a 10-15 minute internal session on a hot-topic solution: "I'd love to share insights on [industry struggle] from my recent project."
Track it all. Keep a running note of your visibility wins and impacts—use it to fuel confident conversations about growth.
Bonus: If solo action feels tough and you're craving structured support, WitVoices Speaker Lab is here. Our free membership includes weekly virtual sessions, self-paced classes to build unbreakable confidence and real stages.
THE WRAP
✋Before you go:
🌞 Keep Shining,
Barkha
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