286. Self-promotion is NOT a dirty word

Self-promotion gets a bad rap—but staying quiet is costing you opportunities. In this episode, I reframe self-promotion as service, trust-building, and a powerful tool for creating opportunity.

If you’ve ever felt awkward talking about yourself, this is your permission slip to start showing up and being heard.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why self-promotion is essential for influence and career growth

• How to reframe “bragging” into sharing value

• The link between visibility and trust

• Why staying silent makes you invisible (not humble)

• Simple ways to start promoting yourself—without feeling icky

Self-promotion isn’t about ego—it’s about impact.

Transcript

Hello, and welcome back to That Voice Podcast.

I’m Sally Prosser, and let me tell you straight—
self-promotion is not a dirty word.

This came up with a client the other day.
He’s a C-suite executive. He hasn’t been in his new role for long, but he wants to start making changes—which means influencing people.

And influencing people isn’t just about speaking confidently.
It’s about communicating your competence.
Letting people know who you are and what you’ve done.

He’s not some blow-in. He’s qualified. He’s experienced. He knows his stuff.

And I’m sure you do too.

But people are not mind readers.

I said to him, “You need to communicate your story.”
And he said, “Yeah Sal, I just feel a bit awkward with all this self-promotion. I don’t want to sound arrogant or full of myself.”

So we worked through it.
And I wrote in my notes: Self-promotion is not a dirty word—do a podcast.

And here we are.

Because communicating your value is essential.

If you feel icky about self-promotion, you’ll get leapfrogged.
You’ll struggle to have influence.
And you’ll shut yourself off from opportunities.

Now, my client is a senior professional.
But if you’re listening and you’re a business owner or a founder—far out—you have to make friends with self-promotion if you want to grow.

I see it all the time.
Smart, capable, brilliant people… holding back.

Because they see self-promotion as something negative.
Something that says, “Who do you think you are?”

And where does that come from?

Often—childhood.

What were you taught?
Stay quiet. Be polite. Be humble. Don’t talk about yourself.

Those stories can hook in and quietly sabotage you as an adult.

So let’s reframe it—so you can go after the opportunities and results you actually want.

First: self-promotion is service.

If people don’t know what you do, they can’t benefit from it.
They can’t hire you, recommend you, or learn from you.

You’re not showing off… you’re showing up.

Second: self-promotion builds trust.

People don’t trust what they occasionally see.
They trust what they consistently hear.

Your voice—your actual voice—is one of the fastest ways to build that trust.

Think about it. Around an executive table, like with my client—
if people aren’t clear on your credentials and experience, of course they’ll be more sceptical of your ideas.

Quick example—
we’re renovating again. Bathroom last year, now the laundry and bedroom.

Our project manager spoke so clearly about the job.
He told me he’s been in the industry for 30 years, has done plenty of apartment work, and is confident he can deliver.

Now, he already had the job…
but hearing that? It increased my trust in his ability.

Some might say… his self-promotion made me feel better.

And third—this one’s for you:

Self-promotion creates opportunities.

Have you ever seen someone get an opportunity you wanted…
and then realised they just put themselves forward—and you didn’t?

They spoke up.

I share this story in my book Voiceprint—how I got my first job on air in radio.

I literally looked up the station’s reception number in the phone book—pre-Google—and called them.

The more you put yourself out there,
the more you let people know who you are, what you do, and what you’re great at—
the more opportunities come your way… even ones you didn’t know existed.

Because silence doesn’t make you humble.
It makes you invisible.

No one can advocate for you if they don’t understand you.
No one can open doors for you if they don’t know what you bring to the table.

I get so many referrals from people I’ve never even met.
They’ve seen and heard me enough online that they confidently recommend me.

They’ve heard the podcast, a friend mentions they need help with speaking—and that’s it.
They don’t need convincing.

My self-promotion has already done the work.

And this might sting a little…

Every time you don’t speak up,
someone less qualified—but more visible, more audible, and more comfortable promoting themselves—gets the opportunity.

So what do you do with that?

Start small.

Stop thinking of it as “bragging”
and start thinking of it as sharing.

Share what you’re working on.
Share what you’re learning.
Share the results you’re creating.

Anchor it to impact.

Instead of “look at me,”
it becomes, “here’s how this helped someone.”

Because self-promotion isn’t about making yourself bigger.
It’s about making your impact visible.

And start using your voice daily.

In meetings.
Online.
In how you introduce yourself.

The more you express yourself,
the more self-promotion becomes a natural—and positive—part of who you are.

Because this is also about identity.

You promote yourself—and that’s a good thing.
Because you value yourself.

You have something to offer.
People to help.
Ideas to share.

Of course you’re a self-promoter. Why wouldn’t you be?

So this week—
share one thing you’d normally keep to yourself.

Say it in the meeting.
Post it online.
Own it.

And notice what changes.

Because self-promotion isn’t a dirty word.
It’s a powerful word. A bold word. A word that opens doors.

And maybe—when you lean into it—
you’ll start to see just how capable you really are.

And yes, growth can feel uncomfortable.
But every time you’ve grown in your life… it’s been worth it.

And this episode wouldn’t be complete without a little self-promotion from me.

I’ve been living and breathing voice and communication since I set up a speech and drama studio at 16. I turned 40 last year—you do the maths.

I’ve reported on TV, been a spokesperson for a major company, published a book, delivered a TEDx talk, and helped hundreds of people become more confident in what they say and how they say it.

So slide into my DMs.

Because I know what I’m doing—
and I know what becomes possible for you when you learn to confidently share your voice.