Growing your coaching business is a significant milestone—but attracting clients and turning your passion into a thriving practice is an ongoing challenge at any stage. Whether you’re a career coach, life coach, or wellness guide, building a strong client base is crucial for growth. In fact, 58% of coaches say client acquisition is their top business challenge. No matter how experienced you are, standing out and getting noticed can feel like a tough hurdle, especially with over 50,000 certified coaches globally vying for attention.
The good news? With the right strategies, getting clients doesn’t have to be overwhelming. This guide covers 13 proven strategies to help you attract and secure clients for your coaching business with ease. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to boost your existing practice, these expert tips will give you the foundation to grow confidently. Ready to dive in and discover how to attract clients and grow your coaching business?
13 Proven Strategies to Get New (or More) Coaching Clients
Here are 13 simple, actionable steps to help you attract clients and grow your coaching business, no matter where you are in your journey.
1. Define Your Niche and Target Audience
Specializing in a specific niche allows you to become a go-to expert, making it easier for clients to recognize the value of your services. When you’re clear on who you serve and how you help them, it’s much simpler to craft messaging and strategies that attract the right clients. Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, which can dilute your impact, niching down lets you focus on the unique needs of a specific group.
Actionable steps:
- Identify your area of expertise: Consider your strengths, experience, and interests. Are you passionate about career coaching, relationship coaching, or wellness?
- Profile your ideal client: Think about who your services are best suited for. Describe their demographics (age, gender, location), career or life stage, challenges, and aspirations.
- Understand their pain points: What problems do your clients face? For example, if you’re a career coach, your ideal clients might struggle with career transitions, feeling stuck, or navigating job searches.
- Clarify their goals: Define what success looks like for them. What changes do they want to see? Having a clear understanding of your clients’ goals will help you better communicate how your coaching can support them.
- Create a client avatar: Develop a “client avatar” that represents your ideal client. This could include specifics like their daily challenges, ambitions, and what they hope to achieve through coaching.
With Simply.Coach’s client management tools, you can easily keep track of each client’s goals and tailor your approach to suit their needs
2. Define what sets you apart
Your unique value proposition (UVP) is what makes your coaching services distinct from others. A clear, memorable UVP not only helps potential clients understand your strengths but also demonstrates the unique benefits of working with you. When you’re just starting your coaching business, a well-defined UVP is key to attracting clients by making it immediately clear why they should choose you over others.
How to communicate it:
- Keep it simple and results-focused: Avoid jargon or lengthy explanations. Instead, be concise and focus on the specific outcomes clients can expect from working with you.
- Highlight tangible benefits: Think about what your clients want most—whether it’s achieving better work-life balance, making a successful career transition, or building confidence. Show that you understand their needs and are uniquely equipped to help them reach those goals.
- Reflect your niche: Your UVP should also hint at your specialization. If you’re a life coach focused on wellness, for instance, your UVP should mention how your coaching helps clients create healthier habits or reduce stress.
3. Design a website that speaks to your clients’ needs
Your website is often the first place potential clients will go to learn more about you. A polished, professional website immediately builds trust and credibility, showing clients that you’re serious about your coaching business. An optimized, client-centric website can also help you get clients when starting your coaching business by providing an easy way for them to understand your services and take action.
Essential pages:
To maximize the effectiveness of your website, be sure to include these key pages:
- Home: This is the gateway to your site. Include a brief overview of who you are, what you offer, and the results you help clients achieve.
- Services: Outline each of your coaching services, focusing on the benefits and results clients can expect.
- About: Share your story, experience, and what drives you to coach. This is a great place to connect personally with clients and build rapport.
- Testimonials: Social proof is powerful. Highlight testimonials or case studies to show how you’ve successfully helped others.
- Blog: If you have expertise to share, a blog can help establish your credibility and improve SEO, attracting more traffic to your site over time.
- Contact: Make it easy for clients to reach out. Provide clear contact options, including a form, email, or phone number.
Pro tip
Integrate scheduling tools, such as a calendar or Simply.Coach, to allow potential clients to book consultations directly from your website. This not only saves time but also removes friction in the booking process, making it easier for prospects to take the next step and connect with you.
4. Use testimonials to build trust and attract clients
Social proof is essential for building trust, especially when you’re figuring out how to get clients when starting your coaching business. Testimonials and case studies showcase the positive experiences of your past clients, reinforcing your credibility and illustrating the impact of your coaching. When potential clients see that others have succeeded with your help, they’re more likely to trust your expertise and consider working with you.
Ways to get testimonials:
- Reach out to past clients: Even if you’re new to coaching, ask previous clients (or beta clients if you offered free sessions) for feedback on their experiences. You can also ask colleagues who understand your coaching strengths to provide testimonials on your character and coaching style.
- Request specific feedback: Encourage clients to share specific results or improvements they achieved through your coaching. Concrete details make testimonials more impactful and relatable to prospective clients.
5. Develop a social media strategy that drives engagement
To reach the right audience, focus on social media platforms where your ideal clients are most active. For coaches, LinkedIn and Instagram are often highly effective:
- LinkedIn: Ideal for career, business, and executive coaches who want to connect with professionals seeking career growth or personal development.
- Instagram: Popular for life, wellness, and relationship coaches, as it allows you to share relatable content and connect on a personal level.
Content strategy:
A strategic social media presence can attract clients by showcasing your personality and expertise. Here are a few content ideas:
- Share insights and tips: Post actionable tips or motivational insights related to your coaching niche. This positions you as a knowledgeable and approachable expert.
- Behind-the-scenes content: Sharing behind-the-scenes moments, like preparing for a session or creating a new resource, helps humanize your brand and build connections.
- Client success stories (with permission): Occasionally highlight anonymized client stories or common challenges clients face to show how you help people overcome obstacles.
6. Offer a free workshop to demonstrate your expertise
Offering a free webinar or workshop is a highly effective way to attract potential clients and let them experience your coaching style firsthand. These sessions allow prospects to see your expertise in action and feel the value of your guidance, all without any commitment upfront.
Workshop focus:
Select a specific topic or challenge your ideal clients face to make the session highly relevant and appealing. Instead of a broad introduction to your services, dive into something actionable. For example:
- Career coaching: “5 Steps to Defining Your Career Path”
- Life coaching: “Overcoming Limiting Beliefs for Personal Growth”
- Wellness coaching: “Creating a Daily Routine for Stress Management”
By addressing a targeted pain point, you’ll keep the audience engaged and show them that you truly understand their needs.
7. Grow your business with a referral program
Word-of-mouth is one of the most effective ways to grow a coaching business. By implementing a referral program, you’re encouraging satisfied clients to recommend you to others who may benefit from your services. Referrals from trusted sources tend to convert better, as the clients coming in already have a sense of trust in your abilities.
Ideas for incentives:
To motivate current clients to spread the word, offer meaningful incentives. Here are a few ideas:
- Discounted sessions: Give a discount on their next session or package if they refer someone who signs up.
- Exclusive access to resources: Offer access to a members-only webinar, a special guide, or another valuable resource as a reward for referrals.
- Free session for referrals: For clients who bring in multiple referrals, consider offering a free session as a thank-you.
Pro tip: keep it simple and easy to redeem
For your referral program to succeed, make sure it’s easy for clients to understand and redeem their rewards. Overly complicated processes can deter participation, so keep it straightforward. For example, a simple “Refer a Friend” form or an email link where they can share their experience is often all that’s needed to encourage steady referrals.
8. Build credibility by collaborating with industry experts
Collaborating with other experts in complementary fields can significantly expand your reach and introduce you to potential clients who may not have found you otherwise. When you team up with other professionals, you’re able to tap into each other’s audiences, build credibility, and showcase your expertise in new settings. Collaboration is a powerful tool for client acquisition, especially when you’re figuring out how to get clients when starting your coaching business.
Collaboration examples:
- Co-hosted webinars: Partner with another coach or expert to host a live webinar that combines your expertise. This could be a session focused on overlapping areas like stress management and productivity.
- Blog swaps: Write guest blog posts for each other’s websites to share insights and reach new readers.
- Guest podcasting: Appear on each other’s podcasts or join podcasts relevant to your niche to expand your visibility.
9. Share insights through blog or video content
Creating valuable content—whether through blogs or video series—positions you as an expert in your field. Content not only helps educate your audience but also drives organic traffic to your site, boosting your visibility over time. When people search for topics related to your niche, your well-crafted blog or video series can bring them to your site, providing an opportunity for client conversion.
Content ideas:
- Client success stories: Share anonymized stories of client progress to show real-world applications of your coaching.
- Industry insights: Offer your perspective on industry trends, new techniques, or common challenges in your coaching niche.
- “How-to” guides: Create guides on relevant topics, such as “How to Set and Achieve Career Goals” or “Overcoming Limiting Beliefs,” to attract and engage potential clients.
Explore Simply.Coach’s Presence – Content Library for Coaches, Mentors & Therapists for inspiration on creating impactful blogs or video series that showcase your expertise and engage your audience effectively.
Pro tip: Consistently post, even if it’s once a month
Regular posting keeps your content fresh and encourages repeat visits. Even if you only post one blog or video a month, consistency is key to building engagement and authority over time.
10. Expand your network in coaching communities
Engaging with others in your industry—both online and offline—is essential for building connections and attracting new clients. Attending local meetups, conferences, or webinars where your ideal clients or fellow coaches gather helps you stay visible and relevant. Networking allows you to showcase your knowledge and build trust, laying the foundation for client relationships.
Tactics
- Join coaching-related groups: Become active in groups on platforms like LinkedIn or Facebook, where your target audience may be. Share valuable insights and participate in discussions to establish your presence.
- Attend meetups or webinars: Look for events that align with your niche or coaching focus. Participating or speaking at events is an excellent way to build credibility and meet potential clients.
- Host or co-host events: If you’re comfortable, consider hosting a small local event or an online webinar that allows you to connect with others directly.
11. Engage potential clients with valuable lead magnets
A lead magnet is a free resource that provides immediate value to potential clients while allowing you to capture their contact information, typically an email address. Lead magnets are a highly effective strategy for how to get clients when starting your coaching business because they create a low-risk way for people to experience your expertise. Once they see the value of your content, they’re more likely to engage with you for coaching services.
Lead magnet ideas:
- E-Books: Create an e-book covering a topic relevant to your niche, like “The Ultimate Guide to Career Transitions.”
- Checklists: Offer a practical checklist, such as “5 Daily Habits for Stress-Free Living,” to help potential clients take actionable steps.
- Templates: Provide templates that guide clients through specific processes, such as a “Goal-Setting Workbook” or a “Weekly Productivity Planner.”
How it works:
When someone downloads your lead magnet, they’re entering your ecosystem, where you can follow up with emails that provide additional value. Through a carefully crafted email sequence, you can nurture this relationship, sharing insights, tips, and, eventually, an invitation to connect for a coaching session. Lead magnets help build trust, making it easier to convert interested prospects into clients over time.
12. Boost your coaching business with strategic ads
Paid ads can be a powerful way to boost visibility and reach people actively looking for coaching services. Platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn allow you to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors, helping you reach your ideal audience. Ads can be particularly effective for getting clients when starting your coaching business, as they put your offerings directly in front of people who may be seeking coaching.
Ad strategy:
- Define your audience: Focus on targeting individuals interested in self-improvement, career development, or wellness, depending on your niche.
- Offer a workshop or lead magnet: Your ad could promote a free workshop, lead magnet, or introductory session (like “Join Our Goal-Setting Workshop” or “Download Your Free Wellness Checklist”).
- Create compelling ad copy: Highlight the specific benefits clients can gain from your coaching and include a clear call-to-action.
13. Showcase your coaching value through a trial session
Offering a risk-free trial or discovery session is one of the simplest ways to attract hesitant clients. This no-commitment option lets potential clients experience your coaching style and see if it aligns with their needs. When starting your coaching business, a trial session can be a great first step to show prospects the real value you bring.
- How to structure the trial: Use the session to demonstrate your approach without giving away too much. Focus on understanding their needs, asking insightful questions, and providing a glimpse into the types of results they could expect from a longer-term coaching relationship.
- Call to action: At the end of the discovery session, encourage clients to take the next step with a clear CTA, such as booking a full package or signing up for a series of sessions. A well-crafted call to action could be as simple as, “If you’re ready to start working toward your goals, I’d love to continue this journey together. Let’s talk about the best package for you.”
Read: Best Client Retention Strategies for Coaches & Coaching Businesses
Conclusion
Building a coaching practice is a rewarding journey, but attracting clients and creating a strong foundation takes time, strategy, and persistence. By following these 13 essential steps, you’ll be on the path to establishing a coaching practice that resonates with clients and drives meaningful impact. Whether you’re refining your niche, elevating social proof, creating valuable content, or engaging directly with potential clients, each step is designed to help you build trust and visibility as you grow your business. To make your journey even smoother, consider using Simply.Coach to streamline your processes and enhance your client experience. With features like integrated scheduling, client management, and seamless workflows, Simply.Coach enables you to focus on what matters most—helping your clients achieve their goals. Ready to take your coaching business to the next level? Sign up for a free trial or schedule a demo to see how Simply.Coach can support your success.
