Content creation has become the best and most effective way to build a coaching business.
We’ve gone from in-person networking to reaching worldwide audiences…and we can do it all from our phones!
But not all content is compelling.
How many times have you received marketing emails and sent them straight to the bin?
How often do you start to read an Instagram caption and then get so bored that you move straight to the next post?
As business owners, we need to create content that compels and converts.
And most of the time, that means creating A LOT of content.
But content creation isn’t as simple as firing up the camera on your iPhone and posting a few pictures.
Words have become the golden ticket to great content, which means that carefully crafted copy—whether you speak that copy into a video or send in a digital newsletter—is the foundational element of an effective marketing strategy.
And while writing copy for a million marketing channels may feel overwhelming, there are strategies to maximise your time and effort so you can pump out a lot of great content with just a few days of focused work.
Batch your copy to get more coaching clients
Content batching is the surefire strategy for getting more coaching clients with content marketing.
Instead of struggling every day with putting together the copy and visuals for posts across multiple platforms, you can spend just 3 days a month creating and prepping content that sells.
This strategy is simple for the solo business owner who isn’t ready to outsource copy or content work, and it also takes hours off the plate for more experienced coaches who have the resources to hire copywriters and content managers.
If you’re just starting out as a coach who wants to get more clients through content, you’ll go through each of these steps on your own.
And if you’re already at the stage where you have a team to help out, simply do step one and then hand off steps 2 through 4 to your copywriter. From there, step 5 is the perfect task for a virtual assistant or a simple afternoon for you.
Step 1: Choose a monthly theme that pops
At the beginning of each month, spend some time deciding on your main sell for the month.
(Pro tip: you can pick the theme for each month at the beginning of the year to get a better idea of your whole marketing strategy!)
Your main sell could be a specific coaching package or a certain type of coaching.
Your theme could also revolve around a unique aspect of your offers.
So, if you’re narrowing in on working with coaching clients in the fitness space, what do you see coming up for a lot of your clients right now?
As a culture, we tend to encounter or think about similar things. For example, in the spring, people start to think about new routines or having clearouts in their homes.
What can you build on from these cultural moments, or what do you notice your clients bringing up?
Once you pick a theme, give yourself time to daydream about it.
This whole step should take the first half of day 1.
Think about what stories you have from your personal life or experiences that relate to that theme.
What lessons have you learned?
What funny things have happened to you when it comes to this theme?
This step in your content creation plan as a coach is the fun part. Do your daydreaming on a walk or in the bath. Keep a notepad nearby the whole morning, because once the tap of inspiration opens, it will spill gold!
Step 2: Write your blog post copy in a day
Now, this step might sound daunting, but trust me, it's doable!
Set aside a solid chunk of time—the whole afternoon of day 1—to crank out a long blog post.
(Or, if you have a copywriter, hand over your monthly theme and let them spin you some magic!)
And when I say long, I mean 1,800 to 2,200 words.
(This is the target for good SEO, but it also ensures that you have enough material for the other steps in this process.)
Start by sketching out the key points for each post.
Most of the time, this works best as an outline for a blog post. What are the main points you want to discuss? Or can you break your blog into actionable steps?
Type out the main points or steps as subheadings so you get an idea of how the whole post will flow.
From here, the next and only thing to do is write.
I know writing can feel daunting to a lot of people, which is why a copywriter can be a fantastic investment.
But if you’re not there yet, don’t get too in your head about this part.
You’re writing about a theme you picked, using stories and lessons from your life.
And trust me: nobody is grading this. You don’t need to worry about passing or failing!
Just get the words down.
If you’re lucky, you’ll enter a state of flow, where the words will just fly out in a couple of hours…
…then you can grab a drink or do a little dance.
Or take the rest of the day off. You’ve earned it!
Step 3: Transform blogs into engaging emails
The second day of your content creation plan as a coach is another day of writing.
Yep, content creation is based on writing…so you’ll have to get used to it until you can hire a copywriter.
But you’ve done the foundational work of writing a big blog post with multiple sections and subheadings, so getting your emails for the month written will be a bit easier.
Go back to that long blog post.
Pick out the headings and subheadings.
You can get 1 or 2 emails out of each section, and your subheadings can serve as your subject lines.
Once you’ve pasted those headings into a new document, expand on your ideas from the blog.
This is where you need to think about what you’re selling that month so you can turn your stories and advice from the blog into opportunities for problem-solving.
Think of it this way: since you’ve already been through these things or have thought about them or trained on them, you are in a position to solve problems around this theme for your coaching clients.
Be sure to give them value!
Sure, a sales email is meant to sell, but we create customers and fan bases because we give stuff away.
We build trust and authority.
So, for each email, write something that brings your reader value. This could be a piece of advice or a link to a podcast or book on the topic.
Then, take your reader further. Show them how working with you around this theme is valuable.
So, if I were to write a sales email based on this blog, I’d probably give my reader concrete steps on how to write a great story…
…and then I’d remind them I can take that task off their plate if/when they’re ready.
Give them the tools to help themselves, and then offer your expertise and time so they can focus on other parts of their businesses if they want to.
Step 4: Mine your words for gold
Okay, so now you have a long blog post and a series of emails.
You have tonnes of content and oh-so-many words written.
Now you can pick out the best bits to make social media posts.
This step and the next step will take a day (your last day of content creation for the month, hooray!).
Or, once your copywriter gets back to you with your blog post and your emails, hand them off to a virtual assistant or social media manager to complete these steps.
If your goal is to post 3 social media posts a week, then you’ll need 12 tips or lessons to highlight from what you’ve already written.
Think about the journey you want to take your audience on this month.
How do you build these lessons and stories? What do they need to know first, and what is the big, ultimate lesson?
On a new document, write headings for 12 lessons or tips that build on each other.
Then, simply take the words from the blogs and emails—a few sentences at a time—and paste them into a post.
When you have these 12 captions ready, add a call to action at the end.
This is a sentence where you simply tell your reader what to do next.
Here are some examples:
Comment below about a time you went through this.
Click the link to find out more.
Hit the like button if you know what I’m talking about!
Share with a friend who needs to see this.
With all your captions ready, you can paste words into graphics or snap a few pictures that can act as visuals for the post.
If you’re into video, simply record yourself talking freely about the topic. Even if you say things really similar to the written caption, it works!
And now all of your creation work is done, so settle into the rest of day 3 for some admin.
Step 5: Format and schedule your content
Now that your content is finished, you’ll just have to sort and schedule it.
Paste your blog and emails into your platforms. (Don’t forget to add metadata, subject lines, links, etc!)
Then use a tool like Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule your posts for the entire month. Mix it up with different types of content—text, images, videos, you name it.
Research hashtags to boost your visibility.
This step is a great task for a virtual assistant or intern…or your teenage neighbour who is looking for some extra cash.
This is also a great task for you to do while you catch up on your favourite guilty-pleasure reality shows because it doesn’t require a lot of thinking.
No matter how you get this last step done, do this bonus step for me:
Celebrate.
Because you’ve just created a month of copy and content in 3 days flat.
So how do I get more coaching clients with copy?
Creating copy and content for a coaching business can feel like a chore.
And I get it: your job is to work directly with clients, not to write and market and make sure that your blog posts are SEO friendly.
But the reality is that to get coaching clients, you have to get yourself out there.
And today’s marketing landscape is all about words.
From the blog posts that get eyes on your business to the emails that build relationships with potential clients to the social media posts that keep you relevant, the words your use impact your brand and how much (or how little) platforms like Google push your content out to new people.
The way that you put words together in your blog posts and social captions can make or break your entire marketing strategy with the way SEO works.
And the words you write in your emails either keep people reading (and then buying), or tempt potential customers to move them to the bin straight away.
If you’re ready to outsource those words to someone who knows the science and strategy behind making them effective, I’d love to chat. Click here for a free discovery call.
And if you’re not there yet, I have lots of free resources to help you craft content and copy that convert. Here are my latest how-to guides: Guide to a successful launch and Copywriting trends to use right away.
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