Why It's Easier to Hype Others and How to Hype Yourself

Ever notice how easy it is to rave about your favorite restaurant, hair stylist, or Realtor? You don’t own their businesses, so promoting them feels natural and free of emotional baggage. You’re simply helping out and spreading the word.

Self-promotion, though, is a different ball game. It’s tough to stay objective and emotionally detached. Fear of rejection, self-judgment, and potential criticism makes it feel risky. Yet, the incredible work you do deserves to be known.

Finding the right words or an 'attention-grabbing hook' is challenging. No one wants to risk getting it wrong or confusing people. However, staying silent or vague about your services doesn’t help either—people remain unsure about what you do. So, it literally pays to speak up.

Promoting others isn’t your duty. It's awesome. It's goodwill, but it's not your duty. When you have a business, it is your job to spread the word. To make it easier, here are three ways to get the word out:

Separate Yourself: Just as you promote other businesses, remember your own business needs sharing. Treat your business like a business, not an extension of yourself. Write a glowing testimonial for your business as if you were a former client. Fill in the blanks: “What I love about this business is _______, the best clients for this business are _______, and here’s why: _______, _______, and _______.”

Stay Focused on Helping: If you’re not promoting your services, you’re not helping the clients who need you. They need to see and hear from you to keep you top of mind. Being easy to find and sharing your expertise is extremely helpful.

Self-Promote Your Way: Despite how it can appear, you don’t have to be an extrovert or super confident to promote yourself. Share your business in a way that feels natural—over coffee, in a Zoom meeting, on the phone, in small groups, online content, interviews, panels, or speaking events. Do what comes easiest for you, but make a point of spreading the word.

Self-promotion can be easier than it seems. If you need help doing more of it or finding the right words to communicate the value of your services, send me a DM. I have a program coming up in August that will make spreading the word about your business a breeze.