How to use video content to build your coaching business
After nearly 10 years of coaching, the numbers don’t lie: most of my clients either come directly from my YouTube audience, or are people who have binged on my video content before getting in touch.
While this won’t be the case for all coaches, I prefer creating video content as my primary way of producing value, so having my clients also come to me from videos is perfect for me.
If you also like creating videos — e.g. you’re extroverted, enjoy editing, and find public speaking relatively easy and fun — then let’s talk about how to use this talent to build your coaching business authentically.
It’s not about the numbers
I should point out, I’m NOT a professional YouTuber or video creator. This is not a post about how to go viral or create a large audience through videos. This is about how to create amazing coaching clients.
I only have a few thousand subscribers and most of my videos only get a few hundred views. And yet this relatively small audience brings in a six figure coaching revenue for me every year.
I don’t allow ads on my videos either (which my audience really appreciates). The only call to action on my videos is usually asking people to contact me directly for more support.
I recommend you get clear on what you want. If coaching is your primary business, then don’t also try to make side-money through ads with your videos, or get too lost focusing on how many subscribers, views and likes you get. Those numbers aren’t important.
In coaching, the only number that really matters is how many coaching sessions you’re having per week. Make sure to always remember this when you create your videos. If your videos fill your week with coaching sessions, then no other numbers matter.
Content topics
I never have writer’s block. I have a HUGE list of potential video topics waiting to be done. And this is for a simple reason:
All of my videos directly answer a question from a real person (or reflect questions that came up during coaching sessions).
For example, this is my most popular video:
I used to constantly make the mistake of trying to think of a good topic for a video that I believed my audience needed to hear. Then I switched over to just asking people what they wanted, and making videos specifically for them.
I’ve never looked back. This is all I do now.
Go to your people, no matter how few they might be at the start, and ask them what they want to know; what they’re struggling with; what would help them achieve their goals, and so on.
Also, share personal stories. Whether you won or lost, share the story about the time you learned something that you see applies to your audience as well.
How to make a great quality video
Firstly, don’t get too caught up in making a great video! The videos I’ve made that bring in the most clients are actually really low-budget with minimal editing.
Check out the low quality of this video, which many of my clients have referred to as one that prompted them to ask for coaching with me:
The only production quality you really need to care about is basic lighting and sound. Get a decent microphone (I use a Blue Yeti Nano), and ensure you film yourself facing the light (a window is best — natural lighting beats lamps).
When it comes to editing, limit yourself to “jump cutting” (removing long pauses and unneccessary information) and removing background hiss noise. That’s it! A quick Google search will teach you these simple editing techniques.
For editing video I use Power Director, and for sound I use Audacity.
I film myself in my office. I don’t do a fancy background or even wear nice clothes. The videos look like you’re on a casual video call with me. My audience tell me that this gives an impression of authenticity — a no bullshit, all value and no filler approach that they appreciate. And it is authentic — this is how I look and talk in normal situations.
This video below is a great example of me in my comfy clothes, talking like I talk. It’s also another example of a video that directly leads people to ask for my coaching:
Quantity over quality? Yes!
An ironic rule for content creation is to focus more on quantity than quality.
What this means is making sure you pump out as many videos as you can. It doesn’t mean you fill those videos with bullshit, of course. You need to try your best to create specific, helpful content.
But rather than trying to be perfect, treat videos more like an ongoing conversation with your audience. Pick a question, make a few bullet points about what you’d like to say, film the whole thing in one take, quickly edit out the errors and nonsense, and then publish. And then repeat again and again and again!
Just getting started? Try one video per day.
Watch your videos after they’re published, note some lessons about what you liked and didn’t like, and then move on to the next video creation.
This is how you get better at it over time while still constantly creating value and building your audience and business.
My clients often joke that I’ve got “a video for everything” because after 8 years of creating videos I can find one for almost any specific question they have.
Use video to communicate
Whenever you’re interacting with a client or potential client outside of a coaching session, try to use video messaging as much as possible.
Take the better messages, edit them, and then post them publicly as well (make sure you respect the privacy wishes of the person you were interacting with when you made the video).
If you have Zoom/Skype sessions for coaching, steal clips where you gave great advice or made interesting insights, and publish those too.
Create a huge library of both short and long videos where you are helping real individuals in real time, and then publish them to a wider audience as well.
Most of my clients come from videos I made to help a specific individual. Ironically, it’s rarely the individual I’m helping who becomes a client, rather it’s someone else who was also interested in the same topic (but more ready for coaching).
Like this video, which I created for a person who never got back to me, but has since created many new clients:
Promotion
I’ve done so much research and paid for courses and all that to learn about how to “beat” the YouTube algorithm and make the most of SEO.
You know what? It doesn’t matter.
The videos that have had the most traction broke all the rules. And many of my videos that didn’t “do well” with organic traffic are also some of my most profitable.
What I’ve discovered is that if you focus on answering very specific questions from real people, and use their words in the title and description etc., you have the best chance of the video becoming popular.
And even if it doesn’t, remember the main purpose: serving and creating clients. If a video has only 30 views but brings in 2 new clients, you’re already making more money than even some viral video that has millions of views but only makes revenue from Google ads.
But be shameless. Whatever network you’ve got, publish the video there.
Share it on social media. Send it out as a newsletter to your list. Send it via personal message to 10 contacts you think would appreciate it (and ask them to share it too). Make sure every video clearly invites the viewer to move forward with coaching. The best thing I’ve found is a small step that creates a personal connection, like “Email me your insights from this video”.
A little trick: find a question on Quora.com that matches your video, and then post your video as an answer. I’ve had a lot of traffic from Quora.
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The big picture
Think of this as building a library of wisdom for your clients.
Aim to leave no stone unturned in your field of expertise. Make sure every specific question they have is solved with a video answer.
In the long term, people will discover you and be blown away by how much freely given insightful knowledge you offer. Then they’ll binge on your videos, ensuring they qualify themselves for coaching without any effort on your part.
In my experience, when someone emails me with, “I’ve been watching so many of your videos…” I know I’ve got a great new client.
If you want more support with this topic or generally growing your coaching business, check out my mentoring program here:
