Gradient overlay changes size when used with track matte? Pictures of example included..

Hi all! Fairly new to motion design and ran into a problem I'm having trouble articulating. When I create a track matte ( in this case, using a pink gradient solid as the alpha and filling the letter "T") it seems that the gradient overlay layer style is resizing itself to fit the layer size of the letter "T". In this photo, the pink gradient background shows what the gradient looks like before it's applied as a track matte. You can see in the photo that the gradient spreads are different.

How can I maintain the gradient overlay size/appearance in the pink background and have it show up in the letter? I'm essentially trying to make an invisible letter that I can apply drop shadow to and move about the composition..

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks all and Happy New Year.