A huge stepping stone would be to give users a better understanding of how the fediverse actually works. I’m a tech guy and I was pretty confused the first week I joined. I think most people here are tech people.
I don’t know what the solution to this problem is, but I believe it would lead to a much more consistent stream of newcomers.
Doesn't the usual "It's like email, you choose your provider but can interact with everyone" enough?
Then you just say "Oh, and some providers decided to block some others, but this list is usually fine: lemm.ee, sh.itjust.works, populi.xyz, reddthat.com, or use the country instances: lemmy.ca, feddit.de, feddit.uk, etc."