# The Fastest Way for a Coach to Go from Invisible to In Demand Without Running Ads

> Host your own virtual summit. Here's how I went from no list and no connections to speakers asking to join, and the steps you can copy.

URL: https://virtualsummits.com/growth-strategy/coach-invisible-to-in-demand-no-ads
Author: Steve Eriksen (https://eventraptor.com/about-steve)
Publisher: EventRaptor (https://eventraptor.com)
Published: 2026-05-07
Updated: 2026-11-01
Section: Growth Strategy

If you're a coach, therapist, healing practitioner or other expert who's good at the work but still waits on referrals, I'll give you my answer first. **The fastest way I know to go from invisible to in demand without ads is to [host your own virtual summit](/why-you-should-host-a-virtual-summit).** You interview respected people in your niche, they invite their audiences, and you become the person who brought everyone together.

I've seen this from both sides. Jennie and I have hosted 13 summits of our own and over 40 summits for clients. The clearest proof, though, comes from my first two summits, back when nobody in my new field knew my name.

So this is a story followed by a lesson. I'll tell you what happened, then turn it into steps you can copy for your own business.

## Key Takeaways

- Build your summit around one specific problem your best clients have, so every speaker and registrant arrives already caring about it.
- Invite speakers whose audiences overlap with yours, and write each invitation around what that speaker gains, because their trust is what you're borrowing.
- Have a clear offer ready before registration opens, since a well-loved summit with no offer adds names but very few sales.
- Write your follow-up before day one, so registrants are invited into conversations while their interest is still warm.
- Plan a second summit early, because the first one gives you the reputation that brings speakers to you.

## Where I Started With No List and No Connections

On July 6, 2020, I left my job to start a coaching business. Before that I'd been Chief Technology Officer at Brave Thinking Institute from 2014 to 2020. I'm an engineer, a self-described tech and automation nerd, and an extreme introvert. Speaking for four minutes at a monthly company meeting used to terrify me.

I had a six-week course priced at $497. I had no list to speak of, no credibility in the new field, no connections and no audience.

I couldn't afford to test ads. And waiting years for content to build momentum wasn't an option either. So I looked for a way to borrow the trust I didn't have yet.

## What Happened at My First Two Summits

My first summit, the Solopreneur Accelerator Summit, started on August 31, 2020, eight weeks after I started the business. It had 27 speakers over four days, and I built it in two weeks. Please don't copy that timeline.

For the first two days I barely introduced myself. On day three I started pushing through the fear, and that was the start of a long process of getting over it.

My list grew from about 100 people to 750, which meant 650 new leads. I sold four places on the $497 course and $3,500 in VIP tickets, about $5,500 in total, eight weeks into a brand-new business.

Then came the moment I'd call in demand. My second summit, in January 2021, had 37 speakers, and **more than half of them approached me**. It added 863 people to my list, and the three-day event it promoted took more than $30,000 in orders for my group coaching. Seven months in, those two summits had added about 1,500 people to my list and brought in more than $40,000 in sales.

*These are my own results from 2020 and 2021. They don't predict what another host will get. Your niche, offer and follow-up will shape your numbers.*

Why did it work? On one podcast episode, Demir Bentley described speakers as lending the host their knowledge, trust and credibility, and giving up a day of their life to do it. That borrowed trust is the engine. A summit builds relationships first, and the sales come afterward from the people who now know you.

## How Hosting Compares With Ads and Guest Spots

| Approach | Who brings the audience | Whose list grows | How people see you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running ads | You pay to reach strangers | Yours | Someone they've never heard of |
| Speaking on other people's stages | The host | Mostly the host's | A helpful guest expert |
| Hosting your own summit | Your speakers and you | Yours | The person who gathered the experts |

Guest spots are still worth doing, and I've written about [building authority on other people's stages](/authority-building/coaches-build-authority-without-posting-content-every-day). Hosting puts you at the center, though, and the list stays with you.

## Six Steps You Can Copy

### 1. Pick One Problem Your Best Clients Are Stuck On

A narrow topic attracts people who care about it and speakers who teach it. For example, a business coach who works with new consultants might host a summit on pricing services for the first time. Everyone who registers already has the problem your paid work solves.

### 2. Invite Speakers in a Way That Respects Their Time

Podcast guest Nicole Ware warned hosts against blanket emails and long lists of demands. Pitch each speaker personally and build real trust, and most will promote because they want to. Our speaker directory lists more than 3,800 speakers who want to be invited to events. Jennie also runs Speaker Connections, a free Zoom networking event on the first and third Tuesday of each month where hosts meet speakers. If you're worried nobody will say yes, read [how to land speakers before anyone knows your name](/summit-planning/host-first-virtual-summit-small-list-no-credibility), then [choose speakers who raise your authority](/summit-planning/speaker-selection-authority).

### 3. Show Up as the Host, Even When It Feels Awkward

I hid for two days, and I'd tell you not to. Introduce yourself, ask good questions and share a little of your own view in each session. Dr. Greg Eckel said that after his summits, people knew his story before they ever got on the phone with him. That only happens when you show up on camera.

### 4. Have Your Offer Ready Before Registration Opens

At one summit I was too exhausted to put a proper offer together. Speakers and attendees loved it, and it added 476 new people to my list, but it made only about $1,800 during the event. I still count it as a success, because those people will keep buying for years. Even so, the lesson stuck with me. Decide what you'll invite people into before the summit goes live.

### 5. Write the Follow-Up Before Day One

"Build it and they will come" is a myth. I've watched hosts add hundreds of people to their list and convert few or none of them. In my experience, a good follow-up process might turn 10 to 15% into clients. That's what I've seen, not a promise. A simple version offers one focused next step on the summit topic, then a deeper program for people who want the full change.

Lucy Bedewi's summit shows what a small starting list can do. Her list grew from 25 people to 825. She booked 4 discovery calls right after she presented, and all 4 became clients. *This is one person's result. It doesn't predict results for another host.*

### 6. Plan Your Second Summit Sooner Than Feels Comfortable

The second one gets easier because you now have a process. It also changes how people see you. Elissa Arnheim said that once she'd run a summit, other hosts started inviting her to be interviewed on theirs. My own second summit filled with speakers who came to me. If you want a gentler first lap, here's how to [run your first summit in 90 days with a small list](/summit-planning/first-virtual-summit-small-list-90-days).

## A Note for Therapists and Healing Practitioners

A summit suits you because you get to teach rather than sell, alongside peers who can become referral partners. Present it as public education. Summit content isn't therapy, so don't frame it that way, and never use stories or testimonials from therapy clients. Before you promote anything, check your licensing board's advertising rules.

## What EventRaptor Takes Off Your Plate

We built EventRaptor because no summit system on the market worked for my coaching clients. We designed it around a 70-year-old group coaching client who'd only been using computers for two or three years. In December 2021 she ran a twelve-speaker summit on it without help from anyone else.

Here's the work you stop doing by hand:

- Speakers apply, sign their agreements and upload what's needed on the platform, so there's no chasing them through email threads.
- Your schedule, speaker pages and attendee dashboard are built from the speaker and session records.
- Each speaker gets a promoter link and can see the leaderboard, so you know who's sharing.
- Reminder and follow-up emails go out on the event's timing.
- Registrants sync to GHL/CRMRaptor with tags, so your follow-up can start the day they sign up.

If you'd rather just teach, host and sell, [our done-for-you team can run the whole summit](/lets-build-your-summit) for you. More than 575 summits have run on EventRaptor since July 2021, and we take no ticket fees on summit sales.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Can I Host a Virtual Summit With No Email List?

Yes. My list was about 100 people when I ran my first summit, and it grew to 750. Your speakers bring most of the audience when they promote, so put your effort into choosing speakers carefully and pitching each one personally.

### How Many Speakers Do I Need for a First Summit?

A one-day summit can work with roughly 5 to 10 speakers, and it's easier to manage than a big multi-day event. My first had 27 speakers, which was a lot to handle in two weeks. Start with a number you can look after properly.

### How Long Does It Take to Plan a Summit?

Give yourself about three months. Podcast guest Nicole Ware urged hosts not to rush, and I built my first in two weeks, which I don't recommend. Extra time goes into better speaker relationships and a follow-up plan you've actually finished.

### Will Respected Speakers Say Yes to an Unknown Host?

Many will, if your topic serves their audience and your invitation respects their time. Speakers get exposure to new people, and a well-run summit makes them look good too. After my first summit, more than half the speakers on my second approached me.

### Is a Virtual Summit Appropriate for Therapists?

It can be, as long as you present it as education and keep it within your licensing board's advertising rules. Avoid clinical claims and client testimonials. Inviting peer practitioners can also build professional referral relationships.

## Your Next Step

This week, write down the one problem your best clients keep bringing to you. Then list ten people who teach some part of it and whose audiences overlap with yours. That list is the start of your first summit.

If you'd like help turning that list into a summit plan with a clear offer and follow-up behind it, [Book your Client Attraction Planning Call](/planning-call). We'll look at what you sell and how people find you now, and help you work out whether a full summit, a smaller one-day event or better follow-up makes the most sense first.