How to Start Finding Accent Students on Social Media (Without Feeling Salesy)(Part 2)

Part 2 of 4-Week Series: How to Build a Successful Accent Coaching Service (Even If You’re Starting from Scratch)

If you missed Part 1, you can find that here!

So many people love accents, language, and communication but never realize they can turn that passion into a high-value service people are happy to pay for.

Accent and communication training is one of the most in-demand, flexible, and low-overhead services you can offer. You can see students online or in-person. You don’t need a big audience, any expensive equipment, or another degree…just the right method and a clear way to reach the students who already need your help.

In this 4-part series, we’ll walk through the exact steps to build a real client base and start working with paying students—even if you’ve never done anything like this before. 

Each week, we’ll cover one practical, low-pressure strategy pulled from my Free Getting Started Guide for Accent Coaches. These are the same steps hundreds of my students have used to get paying clients and build a career they love.

Part 2: How to Start Finding Accent Students on Social Media (Without Feeling Salesy)

If you're considering offering accent training as a service, you've probably asked yourself these questions (I know I did! And I hear it in my strategy sessions with new instructors all the time.):

“How would I even find students?”
or
“I’m not techy. I’ve never posted before. Who would even listen to me?”

When I was building my client base for my private practice back in 2014, the options were much more limited.  Email, paid ads, flyers, and word of mouth.  Yeah. That was about it. 

But it's so much easier now! We are very lucky to have access to a huge audience of students looking for exactly what we offer, and much of that is due to social media.

Love it or hate it (or like me, a little of both!), social media is one of the easiest, cheapest, and most effective ways to attract new students, even people who have never heard of “accent coaching” before.

And you don’t need a big audience, a fancy camera, or years of experience.
You just need a phone, your voice, and a little courage to show up.

Why Social Media Works (Even If You’re Just Starting Out)

Most of your future students don’t even know “accent coaching” exists.

But they do know what it feels like to:

• Be asked to repeat themselves at work
• Worry they sound unprofessional in meetings
• Miss opportunities because of their accent

So when they are scrolling Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn, they are not looking for an accent instructor. Like most of us, they are on social media looking for ways to relax or for something entertaining to watch. That's why cat videos do so well.

BUT...when you share something helpful (even one short tip or story) that solves a problem about their speech, they stop scrolling.

They feel seen.
And they think: “Wait… maybe this is what I’ve been looking for.”

When this happens, you don’t need to convince anyone.
You've brought up the problem they have experienced. And you offered a solution. And that builds TRUST!

Social media doesn’t just help people find you. It helps them trust you.
And trust is what turns quiet lurkers into “How do I work with you?” messages in your DMs.

How to Show Up Without Feeling Weird, Salesy, or “Fake Online”

Think of social media as a conversation, not a performance.
Your goal isn’t to be perfect. It’s to be helpful and human. 

Here’s what that looks like:
✅ Share tips: Short videos, posts, or stories that solve real problems (like how to pronounce three words professionals often mix up).
✅ Answer questions: Reply to comments or share quick FAQs.
✅ Show your personality: Say hello on video and share why you’re excited to help people improve their speech! People don’t hire accounts; they hire humans. Even a 30-second video filmed on your phone can create trust.

You don’t need to be the ultimate expert.
You just need to show people, “I understand what you’re going through and I can help.” 

You also don’t need to show your face if that feels uncomfortable. Many successful instructors (like myself for most of my early career) grow their audience with voice-only videos, slides, or simple graphic posts.

When your audience sees you genuinely helping others without a hard sell, they don’t think, “She’s trying to sell me something.”
They think, “I want to learn from her.”

It's a lot more fun than trying to “market yourself” and I promise it gets easier the more you do it.

What to Post (Even If You Have No Idea Where to Start)

You don’t have to overwhelm yourself by posting every day.
Start small! One or two posts a week is enough to begin.

Here are a few ideas that attract high-quality students:

• Quick fixes for tricky sounds like TH or R
• A common pronunciation mistake you’ve seen (or made yourself!)
• “Before and after” examples showing how a small tweak makes a big impact
• A common myth about accents like “You have to lose it completely to be successful”
• Real moments from your own learning or coaching journey
• A simple intro: “Hi, I’m [Your Name], and this is why I love helping people feel more confident when speaking English.”

Each post helps someone realize:

“You’re the expert I didn’t even know I was looking for.”

The Real Goal Isn’t Followers — It’s Conversations

You don’t need to go viral.
The magic happens when:
📩 Someone comments, “This is so me.”
💬 Someone DMs, “I’ve been struggling with this too.”
❤️ Someone saves your tip because it helped them right away.

That’s when you know your message is landing because it’s reaching real people who are ready for help.
That’s what builds trust.
And trust is what books your first (or next) student.

Your Next Step

You don’t need a perfect plan.
You don’t need to wait until you “feel ready.”
And you definitely don’t need to be an influencer.

It won't happen overnight, but it will happen. You just need to show up — even with 150 followers — and start speaking to the professionals who are silently searching for support, clarity, and confidence when they speak.

All you have to do is...

Post one thing.
Say one helpful sentence.
And keep showing up like a real human.

Because someone out there is waiting to hear exactly what you have to say — and your words might be the thing that finally motivates them to reach out and schedule that session.

Read Part 3 here!