Welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
Today this is a special episode about how to market your VA business, and improve your visibility, by speaking.
Today’s Quote: “Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” – Seth Godin
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Connect with Tracey D’Aviero, VA Coach and Trainer
Episode Notes:
Speaking is one of the most powerful ways to tell your story, share your expertise, and connect with potential clients in a way that written content just can’t always do.
When I say speaking, I don’t just mean getting on a big stage in front of hundreds of people. I’m talking about all forms of speaking. Small workshops. Guest trainings. Podcast interviews. Networking events. Even showing up live in someone else’s community. Especially showing up in someone else’s community.
It’s one of the most powerful ways to position yourself as an expert, build trust quickly, and attract higher quality clients. And the best part is, you don’t need a huge audience to make it work.
So if you’ve been relying mostly on social media posts, or waiting for referrals, this episode might just open up a whole new lane for you.
Why Speaking Works So Well for VAs
So, before you get all nervous about making a big signature talk, let’s get into why this tactic works.
When someone hears you speak, something shifts that does not happen with written content alone. They hear your voice. They understand how you think. They get a sense of your personality. They start to trust you faster.
And trust is the thing that gets people to hire you. I tell you this all the time. If a client doesn’t trust you, it’s much harder for them to make the decision to part with their money, right?
A potential client can read ten of your posts and still feel unsure. But if they listen to you speak for twenty minutes, they can walk away thinking, “I need to work with this person.”
That is the power of speaking.
It speeds up time. It increase trust, fast. It positions you as someone who knows what they’re doing. Who knows what they are talking about.
And for virtual assistants, especially those who want to charge higher rates and work with better clients, this matters a lot.
What Counts as “Speaking”
Before you start thinking this is not for you, let’s expand what speaking actually looks like.
Speaking is not just keynote stages.
It can look like:
✔ Being a guest on someone’s podcast
✔ Hosting a free or paid workshop
✔ Doing a training inside a Facebook group or membership
✔ Speaking at a local networking event
✔ Running a webinar
✔ Participating in a virtual summit or conference
✔ Going live in collaboration with another business owner
There are so many opportunities, and many of them are far more accessible than you might think.
I’ve done a lot of speaking since 2010 – and you don’t have to speak as often as I have!
But you might not even know how I started. I started by speaking to my clients’ clients.
I’ve told you before that I worked with 6 and 7 figure business coaches. And those coaches ran group coaching programs. So they had training calls, group sessions, and guest expert calls.
I became one of their guest experts.
Think about it – every one of their clients needed a VA like me. They were learning to grow their own coaching businesses from my clients – and of course, they needed support to do it.
So it made perfect sense for me to be the resident guest expert – because I gave them very valuable information about how to get started with support, or how to better work with a VA to grow their business.
It was so easy for me to do that speaking, because I knew FAR more about what they needed than they did – and it became the springboard for me to become a coach myself, and for my speaking to the VA community.
Now you don’t need to become a VA coach – but if you are working with a particular industry or niche, and if they host their own clients on training calls, this could be a great way for you to get in front of people who could become your clients.
But that’s just one place to speak, one example. We’ll talk about a bunch of others in a few minutes.
How Speaking Positions You as an Expert
Here’s the shift I want you to understand.
When you are posting on social media, you are one of many voices.
When you are speaking, you are the voice.
Even if it is just for a short time, you are the one teaching. You are the one guiding. You are the one people are listening to.
That immediately elevates your positioning.
You are no longer seen as “just another VA.” You are seen as someone who has expertise, perspective, and leadership.
And that is exactly what higher level clients are looking for.
They don’t want someone who just completes tasks. They want someone who understands strategy, who can think, who can contribute.
Speaking allows you to demonstrate that in real time.
Speaking helps you communicate the way YOU work, in your own words, and it brings your personality into your business too.
And I will always tell you that your personality is so important, especially in your marketing.
It can be the difference-maker for someone who is trying to decide who they should hire as their VA.
What You Should Speak About
This is where a lot of VAs get stuck. They think, “What would I even talk about?”
You do not need to overcomplicate this.
Start with what you already know and what your ideal clients need.
Think about:
What problems do your clients have?
What questions do they ask you?
What do you help them with regularly?
That is your content.
If you are a social media VA, you might speak about consistency, content planning, or engagement strategies.
If you are an admin VA, you might speak about organization, systems, or time management.
If you are more advanced, you might speak about scaling, workflows, or improving efficiency in a business.
You are not trying to teach everything. You are giving a focused, valuable piece that shows how you think and how you help.
I’ve spoken about a lot of different things. In the beginning, I talked all about how I helped my clients.
I helped many of my clients plan and host online conferences – telesummits we called them way back then, and now they are called summits or digital conferences.
So it was easy for me to find topics to support that service without just selling that service.
I talked about webinar platforms, processes and checklist, event planning, all the things that I actually did for my clients.
I talked about events I had helped with – what my role was on the team, and how it made things easier for my clients.
It was storytelling, plain and simple. The easiest way to come up with content is to tell a story about how you helped a client.
How to Turn Speaking Into Clients
This is the part that matters most.
Speaking is not just about visibility. It is about conversion.
You want people to walk away from your talk thinking, “That was helpful, and I want more.”
There are a few simple ways to do that.
First, be clear on who you are speaking to. Your content should be specific, not general. You have to speak to a very specific audience – or even a single person – for speaking to be most effective.
Second, give value, but do not try to give everything. Leave room for them to want deeper support. We call this telling the why but no the how.
Third, always have a clear next step. What do they need to do after the talk?
That could be working with you, joining your program, booking a call, downloading a resource, attending another training. If you do not guide people on what to do next, many of them will do nothing, even if they loved your session. I’ve messed this up a lot so I don’t want you to!
Never, ever forget to tell them what to do next – to get in touch with you, to connect with you, to download something so they are on your mailing list – something.
This is a call to action. Usually your best call to action is how to book a call with you, but often people get shy to do that because they sense that it will be a sale call (which it often is, honestly).
A download can be a great idea, but my favourite call to action for the beginning talks you will do is really connecting with you on social media (think Messenger).
Where to Find Speaking Opportunities
Now that you know the kinds of speaking I’m talking about, let’s talk about where these opportunities actually come from.
Opportunities do not usually just appear. You find them. You create them.
Start with your existing network. Who do you already know that has an audience? Who runs a group, a membership, or a program? Who has a podcast? Reach out and offer to do a training or be a guest. Keep it simple. You do not need a long pitch.
You can say something like: “I’d love to come in and do a training for your audience on [topic]. I think it would really support them with [result].” That’s it.
You can also look for podcast guest applications, summits and virtual events, local business networking groups, online communities in your niche. The more you put yourself out there, the more opportunities you will start to see.
And think about it, you aren’t offering to sell anyone anything – you are offering to bring education and value to their audience. You get visibility, you get practice speaking, and they get the information that they are all so curious about.
You become the expert they don’t even need to go and look for.
Over time you will get invitations to speak, but there is nothing wrong with reaching out to people to ask.
I don’t think of it as a pitch. Maybe some people would, but to me a pitch is when I want them to help promote me or when I want to sell something to their people. I mean of course you do, but it shouldn’t start like that.
It should be hey, I’ve prepared this talk that I think would be really helpful for your clients/audience. If you are interested in having me speak I’m available. Hardly a pitch, I think.
Confidence and Speaking
Of course, we can not – or maybe I can not – talk about speaking without talking about confidence.
Because this is where many VAs hold themselves back.
They think:
“I’m not ready”
“I don’t know enough”
“Who would listen to me?”
Please understand, I have been there. I have done that. I wrote the book on it. Not literally, but you know what I mean.
If you really don’t think anyone would listen to something you have to say, then you haven’t pinned down something. Your audience, your services, something.
If you are stuck, please reach out to me. I can help you cut right through to the chase on this one for you! Promise!
You do not need to be the most experienced person in the room. You just need to be a few steps ahead of the people you are helping. And you need to be willing to show up and share.
Confidence is built through action. I said this in the last series. Confidence can come before action, but most often it comes after it.
The first time you speak, it might feel uncomfortable. The second time, a little better. Over time, it becomes natural. And every time you do it, you reinforce your expertise, both to others and to yourself.
I have been super nervous in talks. I’ve flubbed up my presentation. I’ve forgotten stuff, I’ve forgotten to tell them how to get in touch with me afterwards.
You might make mistakes, but the more you do it the easier it gets.
The best way to showcase you is to have a great host. I like to think I’m a great host. I prep you a little ahead of time to tell you what I will say (I can even send questions ahead of time if it helps you prepare), and during the interview I ask clarifying questions if something isn’t clear. I guide the interview. When you have someone do that for you, the chance of you making mistakes is a lot lower.
When you are doing a presentation, a demo or a powerpoint, there is more room for error. I will always take an interview over a presentation anymore. They are easier. Less prep.
Just storytelling, which is what Seth and I told you off the top is the best way to tell people how you can help them.
I love this podcast. I don’t talk to other people most times, but I do hope you feel that I am talking to you.
How to Get Started (Simple Plan)
If you are listening to this and thinking, “I want to try this,” let me give you a simple starting point.
Pick one topic that you feel confident speaking about. Create a simple outline. It does not need to be perfect.
Reach out to three to five people who have access to your ideal audience. Offer to do a short training or be a guest. That’s it!
You don”t need a big plan. You just need to start.
Once you do one, it becomes easier to do the next, and over time, this can become a consistent marketing channel for your business.
And because I absolutely walk my talk, I want you to know that if you want to be my guest on this podcast, I’d love for you to reach out to connect with me.
Even if you don’t know what you would talk about, I promise you that you have expertise that your audience would love to hear about.
The Bigger Picture
Speaking is not just about getting clients right now.
It is about building your reputation. It is about becoming known for something. It is about positioning yourself as someone who leads, not just supports. And that has a long term impact on your business.
It opens doors. It creates opportunities. It brings in better clients. And it allows you to grow in a way that feels aligned and sustainable.
Do You Need Help?
If you want support with this, whether it is choosing your topic, structuring your training, or building the confidence to actually put yourself out there, that is exactly the kind of work we do inside my programs.
I help virtual assistants not just build a business, but show up in a way that attracts the right clients and opportunities.
So if that is something you are ready for, come and work with me.
Getting visibility is about getting as many eyes and ears on your business as possible. And speaking is a great way to do that.
It’s marketing – and I can definitely help you with that.
Go to YourVAMentor.com/links to connect with me and let’s chat about how I can help you get clients.
If you have been looking for a way to stand out, to build confidence, and to attract better clients, speaking is something I highly recommend you start exploring.
You don’t need to wait until you feel ready. You just need to start.
If you’re ready to take the next step in building a more confident, profitable VA business, be sure to check out my programs and resources at YourVAMentor.com.
I’m here to help. I’m Tracey D’Aviero, The Confidence Coach for Virtual Assistants and I can’t wait to help you attract better clients, raise your rates, and grow a business that truly reflects your skills.
Until next time, keep showing up, taking action, and being ridiculously good at what you do.