So you can book more and higher-paying clients, gets those speaking gigs, and get approached for cool opportunities.

I went to the Female Entrepreneur Association’s (hosted by Carrie Green) Christmas party in December. Multiple people approached me excitedly:

“You’re like Facebook royalty to me!”

“I love everything you do”

“My goal is to have a business like yours!”

“You’re a powerhouse of inspiration”

This has happened multiple times – in LA, in Amsterdam, in London. I’m not going to lie, it’s a cool feeling!

How can you build your own authority and credibility so that you get this kind of validation, get approached for podcasts, and book more clients at higher rates?

Let’s walk through five easy ways to build your authority and credibility as a business owner, entrepreneur and all-round butt-kicking human.

1. Are you on video?

I’ve talked about it before – video is the #1 way to building relationships online. And if you want to build your authority and credibility, you need to build those relationships too – people need to be able to trust you!

Video helps because people can see you. Hear you. Get a sense of your body language, your tone of voice, and thus so much more of your personality than through a blog post or a newsletter.

It’s a shortcut to building relationships and trust with you, without seeing people in person or one-on-one on video calls.

Here’s a bit of proof from some footage at my past events. Even without hearing us, can you get a sense of the atmosphere and personality coming through?

And it doesn’t have to mean you need to start a full-blown Youtube channel with a production team.

How about doing a Facebook or Instagram Live on a topic people keep asking you about? Or even a short clip you can post on social media.

2. Ask for that opportunity.

Seriously. Pitch that podcast – I got myself booked on seven podcasts in two weeks just by sending a friendly Instagram or Facebook message with a topic I thought their audience would find useful! You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take – so take a shot. Whatever feels easy, or just challenging enough that you feel like you can do it!

You could start with people you already have had contact with. Many new podcast hosts share about their podcasts in Facebook business groups, and are actively looking for guests. Ask, or you don’t get.

Here’s a simple script to steal.

Hi [name]!

[Nice, personal thing about them or their show – the interesting angle they’re taking, that episode you liked]. If you’re looking for guests, I thought an interesting topic for your audience could be X or Y, because of Z [benefits of this topic to the audience]. What do you think?

Disclaimer: this isn’t ‘how to pitch a top podcast’, it’s how I’ve casually pitched podcasts hosts who had some idea of who I was through mutual connections or Facebook groups I was in. If you’re pitching someone who doesn’t know who you are, you definitely want to make the pitch more thorough.

3. Share your wins.

What have you achieved? It took me two years before I added my MSc in Marketing Strategy to my email signature. I didn’t really think it was a big deal and I was worried I would look like I was showing off… was I wrong! Many of my clients said that seeing my qualification (not many people doing what I do have that background) made them more interested in working with me.

Sharing your wins helps build credibility that you’re walking the walk. I also love taking this from another angle, and sharing my lessons!

I’m sure you’ve seen them before – from burnt out to booked out. Why I should have started with systems and processes instead of hiring a VA. Why I had to cancel my Prague retreat. They’re all lessons I learned from, and I want to offer my audience a chance to get a shortcut by learning from my mistakes.

4. Share client results.

Sharing client results lets people see – oh, she’s real! Her business works, people are working with her, and seeing success! This doesn’t mean you have to wait till a client had a six-figure launch or anything drastic.

Some of the client wins I’ve shared are simple.

• How they’ve saved time by automating a step in their business.
• Hiring their first assistant.
• Booking a new client at a higher rate.
• Having a mindset shift.
• Feeling happier and edging away from burnout.

Haven’t had many clients yet? How about doing some free, value-packed, pitch-free sessions to people who you think could be ideal clients, or hang out with your ideal clients? Spoiler: literally how I started my business 🙂

5. Events

Attending – or hosting – events goes a huge way towards building your authority, credibility, and trust. You’re real! People have met you! If you do this well, you have a much higher chance at new client, referrals or opportunities you couldn’t get otherwise – trust me, I speak from experience. There’s a reason I love running and attending intimate live events! In fact, I’m writing this while waiting to start a retreat in the UK with 8 other kickass female entrepreneurs.

Hosting events – even meetups, like I do with my friend Maria-ines for Rising Tide Society Netherlands, or the bigger, international ones I host myself – gives your so much credibility and authority. It gets you seen as more of a leader, builds stronger relationships with your attendees, gets you recognised more easily, and adds extra credibility to anything you pitch afterwards.

Attending events with people in your ideal audience builds your authority and credibility, too!

And no, that doesn’t mean shoving business cards in people’s face (we’ve all been to one of these events, right? Ugh.)

It’s deep listening. Asking insightful questions. Letting people know you are interested in who they are.

It’s following up afterwards, or prepping beforehand. I always try to peek at the guest list so I have an idea of who’s coming, and who I’d definitely love to talk to.

That being said…

Want a intimate, life-changing weekend in Amsterdam and a live event with just 20 other entrepreneurs that will help you grow + scale faster than you’ve been doing?

I gotchu. 

I’m deeply excited about Scale Your Strategy Live – where I’m taking everything I’ve learned growing my own business and those of my clients, and helping you do the same.

All the info is here – pictured below are my lovely mastermind unicorns at our recent private event!

If Amsterdam isn’t on your plans this year, click here to book a no-strings-attached call to see what else we could do together to help you hit your goals.

Your turn: what step from this list you can do this week to build your authority a little more? If you do this publicly, tag me (@MaggieGiele) so I can cheer you on!

Love + magic,
Maggie