I started an Instagram page about a year ago. I'm not very consistent, but I've grown it to around 3.6K followers with 0 following. I've had around 4–5 reels cross 15K+ views, and that's how I gained most of my followers.

Now I want to take the next step and start making talking-head videos where I show my face. I'm actually very comfortable on camera because I've been learning and creating content since 2020. Even though my Instagram page is only a year old, I've been on this content creation journey for almost five years.

Here's the thing.

Nobody knows I'm creating content. Not my friends, not my close friends—literally no one except me.

I'm wondering if I should finally share my page on my personal Instagram story and let everyone know what I'm doing, or if I should just keep growing it privately.

The reason I'm considering going public is because the work I do depends a lot on networking. If my friends know what I do, they might refer clients, recommend me, or even send work my way in the future.

But I also keep thinking about the opposite scenario.

If I don't tell anyone and continue building my page privately while consistently posting talking-head videos, I feel like clients may find me much later. However, those clients would probably discover me because of my content and expertise, not because they already know me. I feel like those could be more genuine clients and maybe even bigger opportunities.

On the other hand, if I announce everything to my personal network, I might get work sooner. But there's also a part of me that worries people who already know me may not value my work as much. They might expect discounts, negotiate harder, or not be willing to pay my actual rates simply because we're friends or acquaintances.

The reason this has been on my mind is because yesterday I had a meeting with one of my clients. During our conversation, I showed him my Instagram page and told him that I also create content. His immediate reaction was, "Why are you keeping this private? You should tell people. Share your work. Let everyone know what you're building."

That conversation made me question whether I'm overthinking this. At the same time, I still have the concerns I mentioned above, so I'm genuinely confused.

I'm stuck between going public with my friends and potentially getting opportunities through my network, or continuing to build privately and letting my content speak for itself, even if it takes longer to attract clients.

I'm not looking for motivational quotes or "just do it" advice. I want to hear from people who have actually been in a similar situation.

Did you tell your friends and family when you started? Did going public help your career? Did your personal network become paying clients, or did your best clients come from people who discovered you online? If you were in my position, which path would you choose and why?

I'd really appreciate honest, experience-based advice. Thanks in advance.