Common Questions About Running Ads as a Coach
Do I have to run ads to get clients?
No! Many successful coaches get clients through referrals, networking, partnerships, speaking, content marketing on social media, podcasting, and direct outreach *without ever* running ads.
Ads are a tool, not a requirement. If you do not yet have a clear offer or consistent sales process, there are much easier ways to find clients first. So, don’t panic about running ads, and instead focus on free organic marketing channels while you dial in both your messaging and your sales funnel. Once you build an audience and the rest of your business systems, you can then *maybe* use ads to amplify your message. (Or hire someone to help you!).
Go deeper:
🎧 Podcast: How Coaches Get Clients Without Ads
What should I think about before running ads as a coach?
Before running ads, make sure you know what you are selling, who it is for, and where people will go after clicking, and that your sales funnel is both strong and tested. Ads don’t magically get you clients, instead ads amplify what already exists.
If your offer is unclear, your landing page is weak, or you do not know how to convert leads into clients, ads can become the least fun expensive guessing game of all time.
Go deeper:
🎧 Podcast: How Coaches Get Clients Without Ads
What platform should I run ads on?
The best platform depends on where your audience already spends time and how they buy. Common options include Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram, Google Search, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
When you run ads on search platforms like Google and Bing, people who are actively searching for your solutions will see your ads. When you run ads on Meta, they act more like commercials, interrupting the scroll in the feed. However, Meta ads allow for so much more connection, description, and flexibility. So give it some thought and think about how you best show up and your potential client’s behaviors.
What are the pitfalls of running ads?
Great question! There are a lot of potential pitfalls, which is why ads are probably not the place for you to start. Common pitfalls include unclear targeting, weak messaging, poor landing pages, low-quality leads, and spending money before your sales process works.
Another major mistake is expecting ads to solve a business model problem. Ads can drive attention, but they do not fix weak offers or poor follow-up. So if you don’t have a clear niche, compelling offer, and sales funnel you can count on, ads will not help you.
Ads also do better when they amplify what already exists, which means you do need a strong organic marketing channel to help warm up your audience so your ads convert at a reasonable price. There’s no way around organic marketing, you’ve got to embrace it if you want coaching clients.
Go deeper:
🎞️ YouTube: Why Ads Are a Bad Fit for New Coaches
How much should I spend on ads each month?
Good news: There is no single right number. Your budget depends on your goals, pricing, profit margins, and how much testing you can afford. You want to keep a careful eye on your cost per lead and your cost per acquisition (and if you don’t want to track your numbers, do not run ads!).
Many coaches are better off starting small, well under $100 a day, measuring results carefully, and scaling only when they know the ads are profitable. Spending more does not automatically mean better results. Increase your ad rate slowly, only after you see things working.
Should new coaches run ads right away?
Strong no. New coaches benefit more from learning how to sell, refining their niche, and getting early clients through organic methods first. Make your life less stressful and focus on one of the free marketing platforms to start (you can do this!).
Once you know your offer converts and you understand your audience, and you’ve built an organic marketing channel to warm up your audience *so that* your ads convert, ads can become effective.
Go deeper:
🎧 Podcast: Why New Coaches Should Usually Wait on Ads
Can ads work for coaches?
Yes, if you have some key things in place. So please heed these caveats: Ads can work well when paired with a strong offer, a clear audience, a good landing page, consistent follow-up and an existing warm market that you build through an organic marketing platform.
Ads are usually most effective when they are scaling something that already works rather than trying to create demand from scratch. It’s hard to get them profitable if they are the only thing powering your business.
Go deeper:
🎧 Podcast: When Ads Actually Work for Coaches