How to Get Coaching Clients: From Zero to Hero in 9 Steps

If you’ve ever felt like your client base is stuck in neutral, you’re not alone. 

We all know that finding new coaching clients can feel like searching for a needle in the haystack, especially at the start of our coaching journeys. 

Luckily, we’ve got a roadmap that’ll help you find so many new needles in that haystack—all without pricking a finger. 

Now that we’ve taken that analogy way too far, let’s dive into the 9 actionable steps for how to get coaching clients!

1. Optimize your online presence

First things first: your online presence is basically your digital handshake. You’ve got to make it firm and memorable! 

It’s 2024, potential clients will definitely look you up online before deciding to work with you, so your website and social media profiles need to make a solid first impression.

Professional website

As a coach, your website is your storefront. First, you have to make one, which isn’t as scary as it seems. Nowadays, you can just use a website builder, like SquareSpace or Webflow, pick a template, and have a website up and running within a few hours!

Our advice? Make sure your site is:

• Visually appealing
• Easy to navigate
• Clearly outlines your services with easy-to-comprehend copy

You should also add compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) to guide coaching leads toward booking a session with you. 

(Source)

Lastly, don’t be scared of SEO!

It’ll be key to driving organic traffic to your site. Do a bit of keyword research to find terms your potential clients are searching for, and add these keywords naturally to your site’s content. Optimize your website’s meta descriptions, title tags, and header tags to improve search engine rankings. 

But remember, the golden rule of SEO is to write for humans first, Google second.

Be active on social media

For this step, you first have to ask yourself—where does my ideal client spend the most time? If you’re a career coach, LinkedIn might be your best bet. For a fitness coach, Instagram could be more effective. 

Once you figure out where they hang out, focus on that platform and start being active. Consistency is key here. So if you're going to go down the social media route, be sure to:

• Carve out time to post consistently and regularly
• Engage with your audience
• Find opportunities for social media collabs
• Not give up after a week. These things take time

Don’t forget to hit up Quora and Reddit

People often go to these sites seeking answers and advice from coaches just like you!

If you have a killer blog post or resource addressing a common question, find discussions where people are seeking that exact advice. Jump in with helpful tips and include a link to your blog post for those who want to dive deeper. 

Better yet, don't make the post all about your content. This is especially true on Reddit (people hate self promotion there). Instead, spend the time writing out full and thoughtful answers to relevant questions within these communities and repurpose those answers into high-quality blog posts for your website.

Use clear and enticing copy

When creating your site or writing social posts, use simple and persuasive language that speaks directly to the needs and desires of your coaching clients. Highlight how your coaching skills and service can help them. Remember to focus on benefits, not features, and on your clients, not yourself. 

2. Create high-quality content

Content is king (and queen!) and is a fantastic way to attract clients online and show off your expertise. 

In short, content marketing helps you connect with your audience, provide value, and establish yourself as a go-to authority in your field. Here’s your playbook 👇

Blog posts

Write about common challenges your clients face and offer solutions. Think topics like overcoming procrastination or boosting self-confidence—essentially, choose the ones that relate to your skills. 

Regularly updating your blog with fresh content also helps improve your website’s SEO, making it more likely for clients to find you via Google.

Videos and webinars

People love visual content. It’s fun, eye-catching, and compelling. That’s why an effective method on how to get coaching clients is to host webinars and workshops showcasing your expertise.

Try creating short videos or hosting live workshops to share your knowledge and connect with potential clients. You can make a series of videos on “Daily Habits for Success” or host a webinar on “Goal Setting Techniques That Work”—whatever works for you and your clients. 

eBooks and guides

Another super popular marketing for coaches tactic is e-books and guides. They’re a powerful resource you can use to show off your expertise and coaching style. Use eye-catching graphics and actionable insights, and don’t forget to make them easy to read. 

Once you have one ready, share it for free on your website in exchange for email addresses!

P.S. We’ll talk more about both freebies and the power of email lists in this article, so keep those in mind!

3. Add social proof

Trust is everything in coaching, and nothing builds trust like social proof. To it plainly—when potential clients see that others have had great experiences with your coaching, they’re more likely to choose you. 

Client testimonials

After a successful coaching session, ask your clients for a review. A simple, heartfelt request can yield powerful testimonials. Pair these testimonials with client photos (with their permission, of course!). Visuals add a touch of authenticity and make the stories more relatable.

Next, prominently showcase these reviews everywhere coaching leads may find you—your website, social media, blog posts, e-books, and newsletters. 

If you're just starting, it's important to lean into the concept of done is better than perfect. If you're collecting video testimonials, don't be a perfectionist. In fact, less polished, more authentic-feeling videos can land even better with prospects. 

Case studies

After you have your basic client testimonials done, it’s time to move on to the big leagues—case studies. These are detailed stories highlighting clients who have achieved big transformations, including specifics about their challenges, steps they took, and results you achieved together. 

Spice these case studies up a bit—use text, video, before-and-after stories, and data (when you can) to make them stand out! 

4. Make scheduling sessions easy

There’s lots of coaching software that’ll help you handle all sorts of tasks, such as managing invoices, selling coaching packages, and creating online courses, but one tool stands out in landing you clients—an online scheduling app. 

This handy tool will automate scheduling coaching sessions, letting your clients book time with you quickly and effortlessly. 

Land those coaching leads

Picture this: A lead is interested in two coaches. They want to schedule a consultation session with each to see who they want to work with long term.

Coach #1 has a “Contact me for an intro session” button. It leads to a contact form that the lead fills out. Next, they have to wait for a reply. Maybe it’s late, they’re in a different time zone, or the coach in question is with another client, but the reply with suggested times and dates takes a while to come.

Coach #2 has a “Book an intro call” button that leads to a coaching scheduling app. The lead can see the open times and dates for the session and instantly schedules a time for the next day. 

Which coach has a better chance of winning the client? 

🔔 Ding, ding, ding 🔔 Correct! It’s coach #2. 

A positive, easy booking experience can do wonders in convincing a coaching lead that you’re the person they want to work with. When you're able to reduce friction in the booking process, it means that you're able to optimize your speed-to-lead as well, giving you a higher rate for success.

Happy clients lead to more coaching sessions

As a coach, your entire business revolves around scheduling and running sessions. You need to make it convenient for your coaching leads to schedule with you, otherwise you risk losing business. Remember, your coaching services are there to help your clients, not create yet another stressor or roadblock.

With an appointment scheduling system like YouCanBookMe, your availability is updated live, 24/7. Your clients can self-schedule on their own time without any back-and-forth messages or delays, leading to happy, satisfied clients. 

Bottom line—The easier your sessions are to schedule, the more land on your calendar.  

5. Network and collaborate

Networking is all about making meaningful connections that can lead to new opportunities and client referrals. There are a few different ways you can start expanding your network; some you can do right from the comfort of your own home. 

Join online groups 

Find relevant social media groups and start posting. And no, we don’t mean start selling! Randomly popping up in a group to sell your services won’t win you any fans.

Instead, share advice that will help people. Building relationships is critical here. Take the time to introduce yourself, engage in conversations, and post useful content. You’ll be building trust and showing people what you can offer. 

Work with complementary businesses

A great tip on how to get coaching clients is to partner with complementary businesses to cross-promote your services. Find businesses that have the same target audience as you without being in direct competition, and then join forces in workshops or events.

Go on podcasts 

The world is legitimately swimming in podcasts right now. Whatever your niche or interest, there are tons of established and small podcasts that are just as obsessed with that topic as you are. 

We suggest starting small, finding a few lesser-known podcasts, and sending pitches detailing topics you’re passionate about. The worst that can happen is you build a connection with another professional in your niche; the best is new clients! So either way, it’s a win.

Network, network, and network some more 

Look for local or online coaching networks and become an active member. Engage in discussions, share your insights, and learn from others. You never know when a new connection can lead to client referrals or valuable collaborations that boost your client base.

6. Offer freebies

Still wondering how to get coaching clients? Well, there’s one thing that everyone absolutely loves–freebies. 

Free consultations or workshops provide a low-risk way for potential clients to experience your coaching style and see the value you offer. Plus, it’s an excellent opportunity to address their specific needs and show how you can help them achieve their goals.

Initial consultations 

Offer a free consultation to your coaching leads. Keep them short (15-30 minutes) and focus on understanding the potential client’s needs and demonstrating how your coaching can help. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback at the end! If they enjoyed it, suggest paid sessions and share links to your other materials.

Workshops

Workshops are an awesome way to let potential clients experience your coaching skills firsthand. When they see your expertise in action, they’re more likely to turn from curious lookers into committed customers.

To make your workshops a hit, promote them widely, choose topics that resonate with your audience, and make sure to engage and interact with attendees. You can even launch workshops through your booking link with YouCanBookMe group appointments: 

Don’t forget to collect contact info so you can add them to your email list and keep the conversation going!

Speaking of…

7. Start your email marketing program

Social media is great for reaching new people but has its downsides. The biggest one? You don’t own or control your audience there. And if the algorithm changes, your reach can plummet overnight. 

That’s where your email list comes in—it’s something you own and gives you direct access to your audience without any pesky middlemen getting in the way. 

Build an email list

The first step is to build an email list. Remember those valuable freebies and content we suggested you create earlier? They’ll come in handy here! 

Create opt-ins offering up your freebies in exchange for email addresses. You can add these to so many places—various pages on your website, blog posts, social media posts, and webinars. 

Create engaging content

Whether you’re writing a weekly newsletter full of tips and resources or an email campaign to promote your new coaching package, there are a few things to keep in mind when writing your emails. 

1. Personalize your emails—Use their first name and tailor content to your subscribers’ interests. This makes your emails feel more relevant and engaging.
2. Write compelling subject lines—Grab their attention with subject lines that make people want to open your emails. Make them curious or highlight a benefit. Example 👉 “What if you could change it all?”   
3. Provide value—Share real-life stories, useful tips, and exclusive insights to keep your subscribers interested and looking forward to your emails.
4. Include clear CTAs—Each email should have a clear call to action, whether booking a session, downloading a resource, checking out your latest blog post, or signing up for a webinar.
5. Track and optimize—Keep an eye on key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. Use this data to refine your email content and strategy.

8. Build enticing offers

Our second to last piece of advice on how to get coaching clients is to make your offer too good to pass up.  

We already know you’re a great coach; now you just need to give your leads the last little nudge to take the plunge and find out for themselves. How? By offering discounts and packing your services! 

Give discounts

Who doesn’t love a good deal? Offering discounts and promotions can entice coaching leads to give your services a shot. There are many different discounts you can offer, such as 👇

• New client discounts—Incentivize new clients to try your services by offering X% off. 
• Seasonal or limited-time discounts—Run holiday specials or limited-timed promotions when you notice you have more free spots in your calendar than usual.  
• Referral discounts—Reward clients who refer new business to you with a discount on their services.

Package your services

Bundling your services into coaching packages can make them more appealing and convenient for clients. Packages make it easier to convey the worth, value, and results of your coaching. 

Instead of just offering sessions, try building a specialized program that targets specific goals and challenges. 

Feel free to combine this tip with the one above, creating packages that bundle multiple sessions at a discounted rate. It’s a win-win; clients get more value and you get long-term engagement! 

9. Use paid advertising

Now it’s time for the big kahuna—paid advertising a.k.a. a fantastic way to get your message to just the right people. 

With tools like Google Ads and Facebook Ads, you can zero in on specific demographics, interests, and behaviors, making sure your ads are seen by people most likely to benefit from your coaching.

Think of it as a way to really focus your efforts and make sure your ads connect with potential clients who are searching for exactly what you offer. With the right approach, these platforms can be super effective in helping you find and reach those ideal coaching leads!

Mini Google Ads guide

1. Keyword research: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to discover what your future clients are searching for. Think of phrases like "life coach near me" or "best business coach."
2. Crafting your ad: Write an ad that speaks directly to your potential clients’ needs. Highlight what makes you unique and include a clear call to action (CTA), like "Book Your Free Consultation Today." 
3. Landing pages: Your landing page should be a continuation of your ad! If your ad talks about life coaching, ensure the landing page does, too. Remember to make it visually appealing and include a strong CTA that makes it easy for visitors to take the next step.
4. A/B testing: Try out different versions of your ads to see what works best. Vary the headlines, images, or CTAs. For instance, test one ad with a CTA like "Book a Free Consultation" and another with "Download Your Free Coaching Guide."

Quick Facebook Ad how-to

1. Audience targeting: Use Facebook’s detailed targeting to zero in on your ideal clients based on their demographics, interests, and behaviors. 
2. Ad formats: Mix it up with different formats, such as carousel ads, video ads, and lead generation ads. Videos can be especially engaging—how about a short clip introducing yourself and explaining how you can help?
3. Catchy visuals and copy: Use eye-catching images or videos and write copy that addresses your audience's needs. An example could be, “Feeling tangled in career choices? Let us guide you towards a clear, successful path. Click to find clarity and direction!”
4. Budget management: Start with a small budget and increase it as you see what works. Allocate more funds to high-performing ads and pause or adjust the ones that aren’t performing as well. Don’t stress if your ads aren’t immediately bringing in the big bucks! It’ll likely take some good ol’ fashioned trial and error.

That’s all, folks!

We’ve given you the tools and strategies—now it's all in your hands. From creating valuable content and adding social proof, to hosting webinars and building an email list, you have so many paths to take to attract new coaching leads.

Ready for one last parting piece of wisdom? Remember that you don’t have to try all these strategies at once! That would just be a one-way ticket to burnout. 

Instead, try a step-by-step approach. Why not set aside 30 minutes to an hour every day to start working through each of these strategies? Just watch; in no time, your calendar will be bursting at the seams with new coaching sessions. Good luck!