How to Get VA Clients on Instagram Without Paid Ads
You’ve been posting on Instagram for weeks now. Maybe even months.
You’re sharing tips. Showing up in Stories. Trying your best to look professional and helpful.
But the only people engaging? Other VAs.
And the enquiries you do get are from people who think £15/hour is generous. Meanwhile, you’re spending more time scrolling “for research” than actually working with clients.
I get it. I’ve been there.
When I started my VA business in 2022, I had no fancy website, no big following, and no budget for ads. Just Instagram and three months to make it work before my husband would officially worry.
By month 2.5, I was fully booked. By month 3, I brought on my first associate.
Not because I got lucky. Because I figured out how to get VA clients on Instagram without spending a penny on ads – just a specific strategy for attracting the right clients instead of posting and hoping.
Let me show you what actually works.
Why You’re Not Getting VA Clients on Instagram Right Now
You’re posting generic tips that attract other VAs, not clients.
Posts like “5 ways a VA can help your business” feel helpful, but they’re too broad. Your ideal clients scroll past because it doesn’t speak to their specific problem.
You’re doom scrolling instead of strategising.
You tell yourself you’re researching content ideas or checking what other VAs are doing. But really? You’re procrastinating because you don’t know what to post.
You’re attracting the wrong people.
The £15/hour clients. The “can I pick your brain?” messages. The people who ghost after one project. Not the clients you actually want to work with.
Sound familiar? Let’s fix it.
The Strategy to Get VA Clients on Instagram (That Actually Works)
Talk to Your Ideal Client’s Actual Problems
Stop posting general VA tips. Start creating content that speaks directly to the person you want to work with.
Instead of: “5 reasons you need a VA”
Try: “Spending 2+ hours a day in your inbox instead of serving clients? Here’s what to delegate first.”
See the difference? The second one addresses a specific, painful problem your ideal client is dealing with right now.
Write down 3 problems your ideal client has. Create content around those. That’s how you get noticed by the right people.
Show Your Personality, Not Just Your Services
People hire VAs they trust and like. Not just service lists.
Share behind-the-scenes of your day. Talk about mistakes you’ve made. Be honest about the messy bits of running a business. Let your actual personality come through in your captions.
You don’t need to overshare your life. But if you sound like every other VA out there, you won’t stand out.
Use Instagram to Start Conversations
Most VAs post and disappear. They drop content and hope someone books a call.
That’s not how this works.
The clients who’ve paid me the most all started with a casual DM conversation. Not a sales pitch – just a real conversation where I asked questions and genuinely helped.
What this looks like:
- Reply to your ideal clients’ Stories (not just other VAs)
- Comment on posts from potential clients
- When someone engages with your content, DM them: “Hey! Saw you liked my post about inbox management – is that something you’re struggling with?”
It feels uncomfortable at first. But this is how you build relationships that turn into paying clients. According to research on social media marketing, direct messages are one of the most effective ways to convert followers into customers.
Make Every Post Lead Somewhere
Every post should get people into your DMs where you can actually have a conversation.
Try ending posts with:
- “DM me ‘SYSTEMS’ if you want my free delegation checklist”
- “Which of these are you dealing with? Let me know in the DMs”
- “Want help figuring this out? Send me a message and let’s chat”
Give people a low-pressure way to start a conversation with you. Conversations lead to discovery calls. Discovery calls lead to clients.
Be Consistent (But Not Obsessive)
You don’t need to post three times a day and live on Stories.
You just need to show up regularly enough that people can see you’re active and know what you’re about.
For most VAs, this looks like:
- 3-4 feed posts per week
- Showing up in Stories a few times a week
- Engaging with ideal clients’ content for 10-15 minutes daily
That’s it. You don’t need to be glued to your phone. Just consistent. Studies show that consistency matters more than frequency when building an engaged audience on social media.
What to Actually Post This Week
Stuck on ideas? Try these:
Post 1: A specific problem your ideal client has and how you solve it
Post 2: Behind-the-scenes of your day as a VA
Post 3: A common mistake you see business owners making
Post 4: A recent win (even small ones count)
Post 5: A relatable struggle moment
None of these are salesy. But they all position you as someone who gets it and knows what they’re doing.
Stop Doom Scrolling and Start Getting Clients
If you’re tired of posting randomly and hoping for the best, The Social VA Membership gives you exactly what to post, when to post it, and how to turn engagement into actual clients.
You’ll get content frameworks, caption templates, monthly live training, and a community of VAs who understand what you’re going through.
No more guessing. Just a clear strategy to attract clients who actually value your work.
Join The Social VA Membership here and let’s get you visible to the right people.
You don’t need paid ads or 10K followers to get VA clients on Instagram. You need content that speaks to real problems, the confidence to start conversations, and consistency.
Your ideal clients are out there right now, overwhelmed and needing help. Stop waiting for the perfect moment and start showing up.
What’s one thing you’re going to try from this post? Let me know in the comments!
About Lottie
I left teaching in 2022 and built a fully-booked VA business in 2.5 months. Now I run a multi-award winning VA agency with my husband and help new VAs build businesses that actually give them freedom.
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