Digital Marketing for Coaches Who Value Authenticity
- Cara Heilmann
- Jun 4
- 9 min read
You probably decided to become a coach because you wanted to help people. I’ve met thousands of coaches, and I know that the people drawn to this profession have a ton of heart.
But often coaches stumble when they realize that running a coaching business isn’t just about leading coaching sessions. It also includes marketing.
And for a lot of coaches, marketing is a bad word.
It conjures up:
Overwhelm at which approach to take
Resistance to using sleazy sales tactics
Fear that they’ll need to hustle to post on social media platforms 5 times a day
Aversion to cringey self-promotion.
I get it.
I also don’t want to market in a way that makes me feel bad.
But there is good news.
You can use digital marketing to attract clients in a way that feels simple, aligned, and true to your values.
In this guide, we’ll explore what authentic digital marketing looks like for coaches, plus I’ll show you some specific strategies you can use to find ideal clients without selling your soul.
Why Coaches Resist Marketing (And Why That’s Totally Valid)
After training hundreds of career coaches, I’ve found that there are four main reasons coaches avoid marketing.
1. They don’t want to come across as pushy or overly self-promotional.
We’ve all seen coaches who blur the line between personal and professional so much that every post, every conversation, and every connection feels like a sales pitch.
2. They’re turned off by marketing advice that feels manipulative.
They want nothing to do with tactics like fake scarcity, pushing past someone’s “no,” or digging into pain points just to land a sale.
3. They feel overwhelmed by too many options.
Marketing is a broad topic, and many coaches aren’t sure whether to run Google ads, guest on podcasts, post on Instagram, or pursue one of the zillions of other options.
4. They’re afraid to be fully visible.
Digital marketing often means making yourself seen. It means putting out your words and your voice. And that can bring up imposter syndrome, perfectionism, or fear of judgment.
🤔 Do any of those resistances to marketing ring true for you? If so, that’s totally valid.
I also don’t want you to be pushy or manipulative. I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed. And I totally get how terrifying it is to put yourself out there.
But I assure you, there is a way to do digital marketing that feels aligned, simple, and empowering.
Let’s go over each of those four challenges, and I’ll give you reframes and practical tips on how to approach each one in a way that works for you.
Challenge 1: You Don’t Want to Be Pushy — Reframe Marketing as an Invitation
I get that you don’t want to come across as pushy or overly self-promotional. Neither do I! It’s not fun making people feel uncomfortable.
Authentic digital marketing isn’t about coercing people to buy. It’s not about pestering people. It’s not about bragging. And it’s not about dehumanizing everyone you meet into a “potential lead.”
Rather, authentic marketing is about honestly showing who you are and what you offer, and then letting the other person decide if you’re a fit or not.
Simple as that.
If you choose to create content, it will reflect your values and perspective. Some people won’t resonate—and that’s great. You’re not meant to be a fit for everyone.
But some people will feel genuinely drawn to what you share. Many will benefit just from reading your posts or watching your videos. And a few will feel such a strong connection that they’ll want to work with you directly.
This approach is all about creating content that’s helpful. It’s about connecting with readers/viewers and giving them the option to choose you or not. It has nothing to do with convincing or persuading.
When you show up with authenticity, care, and zero pressure, people can feel that. And those who are a fit will come toward you naturally.
Challenge 2: Traditional Marketing Feels Manipulative — Focus on Building Trust
You’re probably grossed out by marketing that subliminally convinces people to buy things they don’t want or need.
I kid you not, I once saw this pop-up form on a website:
Honestly, it’s so bad, I had to just laugh.
So if you’re like me, you probably don’t want to poke at people’s insecurities like that. You also probably don’t want to create a false sense of urgency, scarcity, and FOMO to scare people into buying your product:
That said, it's totally fair to honestly let people know when there’s just one seat left or an offer is about to expire.
But if you’re a coach, chances are people will visit your site multiple times before deciding to work with you. If every visit hits them with a so-called “urgent” call to action, it starts to feel less urgent and more manipulative. Over time, that approach can erode trust instead of building it.
You also probably don’t feel comfortable with marketing messages that overpromise, and use aggressive, clickbaity text to dare people in:
And lastly, I’m sure you feel averse to bro-marketing campaigns that promise easy answers and tug aggressively on people’s desire for status:
Ok, after going through all those examples, you might want to swish around some mouthwash to cleanse yourself.
But again, the good news, you don’t have to do any of this bullsh*t.
You can do digital marketing with transparency, consent, and service. Your marketing can (and should!) match your core values.
If you ever implement a marketing tactic, and it feels gross or weird to you at all, then ditch it!
Here’s what authentic marketing is all about
If I had to boil down authentic marketing to one word, it’d be this:
TRUST.
The more someone trusts you and your offerings, the more they’ll want to work with you.
And what can you do to build trust?
Providing valuable content builds trust.
Being honest and vulnerable builds trust.
Being consistent and reliable builds trust.
None of those scammy tactics above built any trust. But showing up with integrity certainly does.
Now let’s get tactical.
6 Practical marketing tactics that’ll help you build trust
Put time, attention, and care into everything you write or post. Here’s the secret to content marketing: your reputation is associated with every piece of marketing and content you release. If you spam people on your email list, you’ll be associated with discomfort and aggression. If you put out crappy, generic blog posts, you’ll be associated with low quality drivel. But if you put out authentic TikTok videos or thoughtful LinkedIn posts, then you’ll be associated with trustworthy, high-quality content.
Tell real stories from your own journey. If you’re willing to share your vulnerability, you give others permission to be themself. You’ll become more relatable, and you’ll allow your audience to feel a connection with you. It’s a far more reliable (and healthy!) strategy than trying to project perfection.
Stick to a content schedule. If someone likes your work but hears from you sporadically and unpredictably, it subtly undermines their sense of how reliable you are. The key to a content schedule is picking something you can actually commit to—even if it's just one post a month. Consistency is far more important than frequency.
Respond thoughtfully to comments, DMs, and emails. This is where you build a personal connection with your audience. It’s where you can help people feel seen and respected. It’s how you transform yourself from an anonymous internet person into a real human who cares.
Hire someone to design your website. For better or worse, if your website looks homemade, it’ll signal amateurishness and a neglect of quality. Good design makes you seem legitimate. And if your website seems legitimate, people will assume your coaching skills are too.
Share testimonials from past clients. If someone is considering hiring you, they’ll want to know that your coaching works, at least for some people. So share past success stories through client testimonials or client interviews.
Challenge 3: You’re Overwhelmed By All the Options — Pick One Option and Try It For a Few Months
There are a LOT of approaches to digital marketing.
Honestly, it can be overwhelming.
My advice?
Don’t do them all.
Make it easy on yourself and pick one or two approaches to start with.
Try it out for a few months. And pay attention to two metrics:
Is this approach attracting people to your website or offerings? If it doesn’t work, you’ll need to make some tweaks or try something else.
Do you enjoy the process? If you don’t enjoy it, then your marketing efforts won’t be sustainable. Plus, why choose an approach that isn’t fun?
Here are a few options to pick from:
Search Engine Optimization / Blogging – a great pick if you like to flesh out your ideas in longform pieces.
Podcasting / Guesting – this is a good route if you love deep conversations and have the social capacity for them. Plus, it helps with building your network.
LinkedIn – this is an especially useful track if you’re a career or business coach.
X/Twitter - best for building thought leadership in public. Great if you think in quotes or enjoy real-time dialogue.
Instagram or TikTok – ideal for visual storytelling and quick tips. Works well if you're comfortable on camera and enjoy creative expression.
YouTube– try this if you do well on camera and like the idea of telling a story with visual content.
Workshops / Webinars – this is a great way to give people a live experience of your work.
If you want to go deeper, here are 10 effective tactics for finding coaching clients. Whichever route you pick, it’s helpful to be consistent with a schedule.
A schedule doesn’t have to be daily. You can post a newsletter once a month. Just pick something you can commit to and start there. Then, as you get the hang of it, you can pick up the pace.
Consistent posting is a lot more effective than a flurry of posts over a few weeks, then nothing for months.
Connection over reach
And one final point here: connection beats reach.
Ten engaged readers from your niche who devour everything you write are far more valuable than 10,000 random followers who can’t even remember your name.
Challenge 4: Online Visibility Feels Scary — Start with Safe Exposure
If you’re not used to putting yourself out there, then it can feel undeniably scary.
But here’s the thing—as a coach, you have a service that can genuinely help people.
There are actual people out there who have problems. People whose lives will improve if they hire you as a coach.
But they won’t be able to find you unless you make yourself visible.
You might feel afraid to fail. Or afraid of being judged. Or afraid of going for what you want.
This is all totally normal. Almost all of us brush up against imposter syndrome, perfectionism, or the fear that we’re not enough.
But hiding doesn’t actually protect you—it just hides your gift from the potential clients who need it most.
So here’s my advice:
Start small—but start.
You don’t have to launch a giant campaign. Start with one post talking about your journey that led you to become a coach.
Here’s my version of that.
Making yourself visible is like a muscle. It might feel awkward or vulnerable at first. But if you keep doing it, it will get easier and easier. Eventually, it might even become energizing!
Stretch your marketing out over time
Over time, with enough content, people will be ready for your coaching. General sales research suggests that a lead needs 7-13 touchpoints (i.e. interactions with your marketing content) to be warm enough to turn into a lead.
Dousing someone with those touchpoints too quickly is the issue with most marketing. You know those ads that chase you around the internet or the people that send you 20 emails in one week but then immediately start trying to sell? That's what you don't want; but stretch out helpful content and you're sure to build a solid base of loyal readers/viewers who will trust you enough to try out your coaching.
You’ve got this. And remember—someone out there needs what you offer. Give them the chance to find you.
Putting It All Together: Your 5-Step Digital Marketing Plan
Ok, here’s your simple digital marketing strategy:
Pick one channel. Choose the platform that feels most natural—email marketing, podcasting, LinkedIn, Instagram, whatever fits you.
Start with one honest piece of content. Share a story, a tip, or a client win that reflects your values.
Add one clear invitation. Let people know how to take the next step—DM you, book a call, grab a resource.
Stick to a doable rhythm. Weekly, monthly—doesn’t matter. Just pick something you can commit to as an experiment, on platforms and mediums that don’t feel exhausting, and then check in after a few months.
Track connection, not just clicks. Focus on real resonance over vanity metrics. If it feels good and sparks conversations, you’re doing it right.
That’s it. Start small. Stay in alignment with yourself. And let people know what you’re up to.
Want Some Support for Your Marketing Journey?
I’m going to get meta for a moment—this article is a piece of marketing content, and I used all the principles I just wrote about.
I did my best to write a valuable post that teaches you about digital marketing. Hopefully, this post was useful and built some trust.
And below, I’ll make an offer—that you can say yes or no to—for those who want more support and feel like my company might be the right people for the job.
So here’s my offer!
The International Association of Career Coaches just launched our Business & Marketing Foundations course. We designed it specifically for career coaches who want to attract more clients without feeling overwhelmed, lost, or out of integrity.
You’ll get a plug-and-play website, 12 weeks of community, detailed learning modules, and live coaching.
👉 If you’re interested to learn more or enroll, check out the program here.
And either way, best of luck!
