Marketing for coaches has never been trickier. The coaching industry has never been more saturated.
And not everyone is as credentialed as they say they are, making it harder for the true experts (like you!) to stand out.
On top of that? Social media algorithms are making it harder than ever for you to reach people you can help.
Now for the positives. Marketing for coaches can be so much easier when you learn how to create and share content that triggers buyer behaviour.
Most coaches rely on tips, tricks, and educational content to connect with people online, but you’ve probably seen for yourself that this strategy is no longer cutting it.
In this blog, I’m going to dig deep into my expertise as a copywriter for coaches and show you exactly how you can promote your coaching business and win clients in 2025.
(Spoiler alert: it’s not just about social media marketing.)
The best bit? You’ll learn how to get more clients by creating LESS content. (Yes, really!)
Let’s dive in, shall we?
300+ phrases that will make your audience say ‘I love this!’ and ‘Yes, I’m in!’ 👉 Get ‘em here.
Marketing for coaches: Do you really need it?
Yes. Yes. Double yes.
Why? Because referrals and word of mouth only tend to work for so long. The same goes for networking. Pretty soon, you’ll need to reach a much wider audience and that’s what marketing is for.
It helps you showcase your value and expertise to the people who need you most. And that means you can have a steady stream of clients year-round.
Marketing for coaches: 8 steps to promote your coaching business and win clients
Who are these steps for? Short answer, they’re for all kinds of coaches, including…
- Fitness coaches/ PTs
- Systemic coaches
- Life coaches
- Confidence coaches
- Career coaches
- Relationship coaches
- Nutrition coaches/therapists
- Business coaches
- Leadership coaches
- Health & wellness coaches
- Strength coaches
- Sleep coaches
- Meditation coaches
- Yoga coaches
… and every other coach in between.
Let’s go…
1 Do your research
The very first step on your marketing for coaches journey? It’s understanding who you’re marketing to.
You need a really in-depth knowledge of your target audience, a knowledge that goes deeper than demographics like age, occupation, and location.
You need to know what makes them tick, what challenges they’re up against, and what language they are using to describe their frustrations and goals.
I never start any marketing project without these ultimate client clarity prompts. Click here and you can get them for free!
2 Focus on activation over education
When it comes to marketing for coaches, one of the biggest mistakes I see is focusing on educational content.
Social media is absolutely packed with tips and tricks, but – spoiler alert – educational content rarely leads to sales.
Why? Because it tends to attract lurkers and freebie seekers rather than buyers. And often people will consume your educational content and feel like they can go and solve their problems themselves, without your support.
This is where activation content comes in. Activation content is content that taps into your audience’s emotions and triggers buyer behaviour.
Activation content includes four content types…
- Problem awareness content
- Agitation content
- Solution awareness content
- Authority content
Want to know how to use each of these to attract clients? Point 3 to 6 of this blog is covering them in-depth.
3 Make your audience problem aware
Most people don’t wake up in the morning and think, ‘I need a coach!’. But they do wake up and think about their problems.
And that’s why you need problem awareness content.
Problem awareness content is about educating your ideal clients on the problem they are facing.
But here’s the thing: Your ideal clients often misdiagnose their problems and are therefore focused on the wrong solutions.
They are aware of the symptoms they are experiencing and all of the emotions that come with that, but they will often misdiagnose the problem.
And that means they look for the wrong solutions.
They think the problem is ‘X’ but as the expert, you really know the problem is ‘Y’. Your job in your marketing is to show them what’s really going on.
Master problem awareness content inside Emails To Earnings
4 Tap into your audience’s frustrations
Effective marketing for coaches means tapping into your ideal client’s pain points and frustrations.
To do this, you need to think about the journey your ideal client goes on when they encounter a problem.
First, they diagnose what’s going wrong, and then they’ll try different things to try and solve it.
And often they’ll make lots of mistakes at this stage. They’ll waste a lot of time, energy, and money doing the wrong things to solve their pain points.
This is where you need to step in as the expert, relate to the irritation, frustration and panic they are feeling, and show how your service, programme, or methods are a legitimate way to solve the thing they’re struggling with.
Learn how to do this inside Emails To Earnings
5 Use storytelling to showcase your results
Before we invest in anything, we like to know it works.
And that’s why a key marketing for coaches method is positioning your product or service as the solution by showcasing how it has worked for others.
One of the most effective ways to show that your product or service works, is through compelling case studies.
Dig into your DMs and emails and find testimonials and feedback your past clients have shared with you.
Resist the urge to share these are a screenshot on your Instagram grid or stories.
Instead, turn them into mini stories that showcase how your previous client moved from Point A (where they are dealing with a specific problem) to point B (Where their problems have been solved using your solution.)
I show you exactly how it’s done inside Emails To Earnings.
6 Include authority content
Before they buy from you, your ideal clients need to know, like, and trust you.
Authority content is a key marketing for coaches strategy because it tells potential clients why they should buy from YOU over your competitors. It’s about showcasing your unique skills, talents, experiences, personality, and expertise.
AKA the things that set you apart from everyone else.
Good authority content builds connection and community and allows your audience to connect with the human behind the brand. This is why marketing for coaches must include personal storytelling.
And there are several ways of doing that.
Maketing for coaches: Different types of authority content to share…
- Expressing opinions on commonly held beliefs related to your industry
- Sharing the struggles and setbacks you’ve encountered and how you overcame them
- Showing the behind-the-scenes of your business and how you do things
- Sharing your backstory (how you came to do what you do)
Want to get a handle on authority content? I teach that inside Emails To Earnings too.
7 Don’t forget about website content!
Marketing for coaches isn’t just about social media marketing, you know! In fact, social media is the least reliable and least safe place to promote your coaching business.
It offers the lowest return on investment compared to other marketing platforms (like blogs and emails) and there’s always the risk that Instagram, TikTok, Threads, etc could disappear overnight.
Your website is your digital shop front. It’s where potential clients can learn more about you, your services, and how you can help them transform their lives.
But it’s of little use if your ideal clients can’t find you.
That’s where SEO (Or search engine optimisation, if you aren’t familiar) comes in.
How to improve your SEO
Optimising your website with keywords helps search engines like Google recognise who you are and what you do – and that means you’ll appear higher up in the search results and more coaching clients can find you.
Incorporate blog posts that address common questions your target audience has, share success stories, and provide insights that showcase your expertise, and you could start ranking for hundreds of keywords.
And when you do? You could start getting enquiries while you sleep.
8 Don’t neglect email marketing!
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times. Social media can be great for visibility, but email is where it’s at if conversions are the goal.
Email marketing is hands-down one of the most effective marketing for coaches strategies because it builds trust and nurtures leads consistently.
(It’s five times more effective than any other marketing method, don’t you know!)
Your email list is the only audience you truly own – because let’s be real, your social media accounts could disappear overnight.
It also gives you a direct line to your ideal clients.
Marketing for coaches: How to make email marketing work for you…
- Build your list with an irresistible freebie
- Send emails that build trust and showcase your expertise. (Click here to learn how)
- Include clear CTAs that inspire readers to book a call or join your programme
Marketing for coaches: A final thought
Marketing for coaches can feel like a mammoth task, but I promise you, when you focus your efforts in the right places, you don’t have to spend all day creating content.
Because seriously, who actually has the time?
Remember: Choose content that ACTIVATES your audience and don’t rely solely on social media to generate new leads.
SEO blogs and audience-nurturing emails typically offer a much higher return on investment. And that equals more coaching clients and less time creating content.