Episode 649: Why You’re Visible But Not Booked: 4 Experts Share What to Fix First (Live from our Collective Co-Op Retreat!)
Nov 02, 2026
You have pitched, posted, and launched, and the results still are not showing up. Holly sits down with four marketing and visibility experts to find out why, and what to change over the next 90 days.
About the panelists
This panel brings together four business owners who spend their days getting other people seen. Madeline Hornung owns a marketing agency that handles SEO, website design, content creation, and social media management. Cait Howard is the founder of Amplify Boutique, a podcast and YouTube launch management agency she has run since 2019. Kimberly Roy is a visibility and pitching strategist and the founder of Pitch With Kim. Whitney Abraham owns a marketing agency that handles everything from social content to full-scale launches for clients.
How to get visible when doing all the things is not working
Holly puts the question she hears most to the panel: "I am pitching, I went through a launch, I posted all the things, and it is not working. How do I become more visible?" The answers start with the basics people skip. Did you have proof of concept before you launched? Is your time going to the right rooms? And how do you define working, since sales and inquiries can grow while downloads and followers stay flat? The panel also kept coming back to one idea: trust is the currency of conversion.
The second half of the conversation gets into numbers. Work backward from your goal using percentages, which is why 10 buyers from a free masterclass can mean getting well over 100 people into the room. Kimberly Roy shares that the industry average success rate for pitches fell from around 10 to 15 percent last year to 5 to 10 percent this year. Cait Howard explains why podcast analytics are thin and how to track results anyway, with UTM links and a simple "how did you find me?" question on every application.
Then the panel gets practical about trends and next steps. AI-made carousels, images, and pitches are getting scrolled past, while real, slightly messy content stops the scroll. They talk through finding the right rooms, building your own, and following up after you meet someone. Each panelist closes with the one move they would make in the next 90 days, including video, collaborations, speaking outside your usual niche, and turning a launch into a docuseries.
Authenticity leads time and time again.
Kimberly Roy
Key takeaways from this episode
- The industry average success rate for pitches dropped from about 10 to 15 percent last year to 5 to 10 percent this year, according to Kimberly Roy.
- Getting 10 buyers from a free masterclass takes well over 100 people in the room, so work backward from your goal using percentages.
- Podcast analytics are thin, so use trackable UTM links in your show notes and ask every new client "how did you find me?" on the application.
- Trust is the currency of conversion, which means more eyes on your content only helps if people already see you as an easy yes.
- AI-generated carousels, images, and pitches get scrolled past, and the panel says authentic, personal pitches earn more yeses.
- Relationships built in the right rooms can take about a year to turn into business for high-touch offers, so follow up and let go of the timeline.
This episode is for you if
- You have pitched, posted, and launched and you still are not seeing the results you expected.
- You want to get clients through pitching, speaking, and in-person connection instead of only posting every day.
- You are not sure what a good number looks like for your leads, downloads, or launch.
Tune in to hear:
- The one thing each panelist says moved the needle most for their business this year
- What to check first when pitching, posting, and launching are not working
- Why trust is the currency of conversion and how to build it between the follows and the sale
- How to work out what a good number is by using percentages and working backward from your goal
- Why the industry average success rate for pitches fell to 5 to 10 percent this year, and why a no is a not yet
- How to track podcast results with UTM links and a "how did you find me?" question
- The visibility trends the panel loves and the ones they are tired of, including AI-made carousels and pitches
- How to look polished and credible without hiding your personality, especially in a corporate or leadership niche
- Whether you need to be on YouTube or whether audio only is enough
- Easy ways to get comfortable on camera, from Instagram stories to green screen reels and voiceovers
- How to find the right rooms, build your own, and stay connected after you meet someone
- The one move each panelist would make in the next 90 days to get visible
Sometimes the unscalable is actually the most impactful, like the voice notes.
Cait Howard
CONNECT WITH THE PANEL:
Madeline Hornung: https://www.instagram.com/madsavvycreative/
Cait Howard: https://www.instagram.com/heycaithoward/ and https://www.instagram.com/amplify.boutique/
Kimberly Roy: https://www.instagram.com/pitchwithkim/
Whitney Abraham: https://www.instagram.com/whitneyabraham/
Listen to this episode
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Frequently asked questions
Who is on the Crush the Rush visibility panel?
The panel has four business owners. Madeline owns a marketing agency, Cait Howard founded Amplify Boutique, a podcast and YouTube launch management agency, Kimberly Roy founded Pitch With Kim, and Whitney Abraham owns a marketing agency that runs client launches. In this episode they answer audience questions on why visibility efforts stall, how to measure success, and which moves to make in the next 90 days. It was recorded live with questions from the room.
Why is my visibility not working when I am pitching and posting?
Often the gap is in what you measure, who you are in front of, or whether people trust you enough to say yes. The panel suggested checking three things. First, whether you did market research and had proof of concept before you launched. Second, whether your pitching time is aimed at the right rooms. Third, what you count as working, since sales and inquiries can climb even when downloads and followers stay flat.
How do I know what a good number is for a launch or lead goal?
Work backward from your goal and use percentages instead of raw numbers. The panel's example is a free masterclass, where getting 10 buyers usually means filling the room with well over 100 people. Kimberly Roy added that the industry average success rate for pitches fell from around 10 to 15 percent last year to 5 to 10 percent this year. Also look at your own history, because a list you have not warmed up yet will not hit the same numbers as one you have been nurturing.
Does AI-generated content hurt your visibility?
Yes, according to the panel, because people scroll past content that looks AI-made. One panelist said she saw a friend's AI carousel, kept scrolling without reading a word, and she normally wants to hear from that person. The panel also said AI-written pitches are a big reason pitches get a no, and that real, slightly messy video and writing in your own voice stop the scroll. Using AI tools to save time is fine as long as your own voice and face still show up.
Should my podcast be audio only or on YouTube too?
The panel said there are no rules, so start with your goal. Audio only is a lower barrier if you are nervous on camera, and it works well when the goal is nurturing people already in your world. YouTube gives people another way to find you, and Holly shared that YouTube Shorts is her highest downloaded platform even though she only uploads repurposed videos. If you want to ease into video, the panel suggested Instagram stories, green screen reels, or voiceovers first.
How do you get into the right rooms to be seen?
Start with your own network, then look for rooms where your ideal client spends time instead of rooms full of people who do what you do. The panel's examples included speaking at events, guesting on podcasts your ideal client listens to, and building your own room with a conference, dinner, or retreat. After you meet someone, follow up by DM, voice note, or walk-and-talk call, and offer something useful in return. Expect it to take time, since one panelist said her high-touch work often takes about a year to turn into business.
Curious what is actually standing between you and consistent income in your business? Take the free 2-minute quiz and find out where the gap is. hollymariehaynes.com/quiz 💛
