Every coach has been there – especially when you’re just starting out: you need clients, and the quicker the better. At least, that’s how it feels. So, how do you attract people to work with you?

When coaches ask “How do I advertise my coaching business?” the tried, trusted (and tired) answers are: SEO, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, squeeze pages or set up a marketing funnel. Or my favourite, a baffling combination of all of these presented as if it’s some kind of Secret Formula™ for success! I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you don’t need any of this. In fact, I’ll go further and say, I can’t tell you what you “need” or “should be doing”. What I can and will do in this guide is show you how you can start to put your coaching business out there without the need for what you might be thinking of as “advertising”.

In our community of coaches, the question of ‘product mix’ often comes up. People want to know how best to expand their portfolio of services: How do I start a course? How do I create a programme? How do I set up a community? Good, valid questions, although frequently people worry about them before they’ve even got their first product sorted (or selling). So how do you create the perfect mix?

We get asked a lot about the equipment and software we use to make our videos so we have created this article to show you some of our recommendations.

Whatever your motivation for being a coach, your coaching is a business. As such, it’s there (at least in part) to make money. Yet, just like everyone else in the world, you only have so many hours in the day. How do you make the most of those hours?

Social media is a great tool, especially LinkedIn. Making connections, networking, joining like-minded communities, and of course, finding clients. But like any tool, it only works when you know how to use it. In this short guide, I’ll answer the three most common questions and talk about how as a coach you can use LinkedIn to attract clients who are the perfect fit.

Marketing is often talked about in relation to ‘products’ – but how does that apply when you view what you do as a service? What’s more, why bother thinking in product terms? Why not just market your services? For the simple reason, people (potential clients) are more comfortable buying products. Products – whether the latest iPhone or a tin of peas – are tangible, demonstrable, easier to attribute value to.

Qualifying as a coach is a fantastic start to an exciting rewarding journey. You get to make an impact on your clients’ lives. Your training has taught you all about how to coach, including practical experience through co-coaching. The challenge now is finding some clients. But how to find them when the ink is still wet on your coaching certificate?

Many coaches seek out or create communities for their clients. It is often said that creating an ‘online course’ is the answer to many coaching business problems. For some of your clients, a group coaching process may be the best way forward. And that’s another kind of community – one in which people on a coaching journey (and you, their guide!) can support each other. The reality of creating either of these is often a lot more work than you might expect and it’s easy to be overwhelmed when searching for online tools. In this blog, we share our research on the best options for building an online coaching community.