If I had to start my business again tomorrow with no audience…

No followers.

No email list.

No social media reach.

No website traffic.

I’d do exactly what I did the first time.

I’d borrow somebody else’s audience.

Because one of the fastest ways to grow your business is to get yourself in front of people who have already gathered your ideal clients in one place.

That’s exactly how I built my audience when I moved from the corporate consulting world into the public business space.

Back then, I didn’t have a big following.

I didn’t have a huge email list.

I certainly wasn’t known online.

So I started reaching out to podcast hosts.

Conference organisers.

Event planners.

Summit hosts.

And I made a very simple offer.

“Here’s what I do.”

“Here’s who I help.”

“Here are three things I can teach your audience.”

“Here are the outcomes they’ll walk away with.”

That’s it.

And it worked.

Because event organisers are always looking for people who can provide value.

1️⃣ Stop Looking for Your Industry

This is one of the biggest mistakes I see people make.

Let’s say you’re a financial adviser.

Most people immediately start applying to finance conferences.

But who’s attending those conferences?

Usually other financial advisers.

Not necessarily your ideal clients.

Instead, ask yourself:

Where are the people I want to work with already gathering?

If you’re a financial adviser, your audience might be:

Business owners

Salon owners

Coaches

Consultants

Trades businesses

Health professionals

Go where your audience is.

Not where your competitors are.

That single shift can completely transform your lead generation.

2️⃣ Have Two Non-Negotiables

Whenever I agree to speak on a stage, podcast, webinar or summit, I have two non-negotiables.

The first is:

I must be able to access the recording.

Why?

Because every piece of content should become more content.

One podcast interview can become:

Social media posts

Reels

Blog articles

Email content

Website content

Future promotions

One hour of speaking can create months of marketing assets.

The second non-negotiable is:

I must be allowed to make an offer.

Not necessarily a paid offer.

But I need a way for people to continue the relationship.

That might be:

A free guide

A checklist

A workshop replay

A resource

A lead magnet

Because visibility without lead capture is a missed opportunity.

3️⃣ Build Your Email List Every Time You Speak

One of my favourite strategies is incredibly simple.

I offer a free copy of my slides.

That’s it.

No complicated funnel.

No hard sell.

No pressure.

At the end of the presentation, I display a QR code.

People scan it.

They enter their details.

The slides are delivered automatically.

And because people genuinely want the slides, they happily opt in.

In many cases, I’ve had more than three-quarters of the room join my email list using this strategy alone.

It’s one of the easiest lead generation tactics I’ve ever used.

4️⃣ Don’t Just Think Physical Events

A lot of people think speaking means standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people.

Not necessarily.

Some of the best opportunities today are:

Podcasts

Online summits

Webinars

Facebook communities

Virtual conferences

Membership communities

The audience doesn’t care whether you’re in the room physically or digitally.

What matters is that you’re providing value.

5️⃣ Every Audience Is a Growth Opportunity

The fastest way to grow your business isn’t always creating more content for your own audience.

Sometimes it’s putting yourself in front of someone else’s audience.

Because every podcast interview.

Every webinar.

Every summit.

Every guest appearance.

Every speaking engagement.

Creates visibility.

Visibility creates leads.

Leads create opportunities.

And opportunities create sales.

So if you’re looking for a powerful way to grow your business this year…

Start looking for rooms that already contain your ideal clients.

Then show up and serve.

The audience is already there.

You just need to get in front of them.

Sarah x

If you want to learn how to grow your audience, generate more leads, use AI, automation and business systems to scale your business faster, come and join us inside Legends Lab.

👉 Join here: https://sarahcordiner.com/legends

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