The People You’re Not Marketing To—But Should Be
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If your message can’t survive secondhand… it won’t survive the decision.
You nailed the pitch.
But behind closed doors?
Your message hits a silent wall: the ghost audience.
These are the blockers, validators, skeptics, and champions shaping decisions when you're not in the room—and if your messaging can’t hold up in Slack threads, recap emails, or hallway convos… it’s dead on arrival.
In this episode of The Storyteller’s Edge, Ginger Zumaeta breaks down the invisible forces that quietly kill momentum—and shows you how to build a message that actually survives the retelling.
Let’s hit the highlights:
1. Not Everyone Who Matters Is in the Room
There’s a whole web of influence hiding behind the scenes.
→ Blockers: Risk-averse folks (legal, compliance, finance) who quietly stall anything that feels uncertain.
→ Validators: The technical experts who double-check the math. Lose them, and you lose momentum.
→ Amplifiers: Your internal allies. They want to spread your message—but only if you give them something sharp to repeat.
→ Anti-Champions: The skeptics with power. You don’t win by ignoring them. You win by addressing them head-on.
2. Map the Ghost Audience
The decision-makers aren’t just on the org chart.
They’re in the shadows, shaping decisions without being in the meeting.
So ask:
“Who else needs to be comfortable with this?”
Then use the Stakeholder Influence Canvas to map them all—and plan your message accordingly.
3. Craft a Message That Can Be Repeated
You need a one-liner that travels.
Try this:
We help [X team] do [Y result] without [Z obstacle].
→ “We help sales close faster—without waiting on marketing for custom decks.”
→ “We help ops leaders reduce downtime—without adding
manual checks.”
Why it works? It’s short. Clear. Easy to repeat.
And most importantly—it survives secondhand.
4. Bake in Objection Resistance
The hardest objections are the ones you never hear.
Here’s how to defend your message when you’re not in the room:
→ Name the fear first: “Yes, switching platforms is disruptive…”
→ Add a micro-proof: “…but we rolled this out in 14 days at [peer company].”
→ Use “yes, and” language: Show you get it—and you planned for it.
This builds trust before the doubt creeps in.
5. Make It Stick (Even When You’re Gone)
This isn’t just about clarity—it’s about survivability.
If your message only works live, it dies the moment it’s repeated.
So simplify it. Sharpen it. And make sure it hits emotionally—not just logically.
Because that’s what people remember.
That’s what gets repeated.
And that’s what moves decisions forward.
Final Thought:
If you want your message to stick, it has to earn the right to travel.
Build it for the room.
But test it for the retelling.
Key Takeaways:
- There’s always a ghost audience—map it.
- Your best pitch isn’t what you say—it’s what they repeat.
- Bake in objections before they show up.
- Secondhand storytelling is where decisions really happen.
- Use the X-Y-Z formula to craft repeatable, role-specific messaging.
Grab the Stakeholder Influence Canvas and start mapping your real decision web.
Because the most important conversations?
They’re the ones you’re not in.
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