Wondering what kind of copy you need to start a business or what kind of copy to prioritise now that you are ready to take your coaching business to the next level? This is a copywriter’s guide to all the copy a coach could ever need to attract and convert new coaching clients.
How to Know What Type of Copy Your Coaching Business Needs
Every coaching business is different, so the types of copy you need will be different to the type of copy another coaching business needs. As copywriters, we can make recommendations, but we need a lot of information before we can give you concrete answers. Two of the questions we ask coaches before we work with them are:
What Are Your Business Goals?
The goals of your coaching business will impact the types of copy that will be most effective. That is why when you work with a copywriter, they will ask a whole lot of questions about your business goals as well as the goals of the piece of copy. We need to know how the piece of copy will fit into the bigger picture.
Different types of copy will be more useful for different business goals and business models. The best way to protect your cash flow is to be purposeful about the marketing assets you create for your business. Ask yourself what you need in place to help your coaching business achieve its short and long-term goals.
What Are Your Current Marketing Methods?
Different types of marketing require different knowledge and skillsets, so it’s important to consider if the piece of copy will require different marketing methods than you currently use. For example, PPC ads (pay per click ads) need a completely different set of skills from email marketing. Copywriters will ask about your current marketing methods and your marketing plan because:
- How you distribute the piece of copy will impact the sales messaging
- Well-written copy is only as good as its distribution
If you don’t have a plan in place or the resources to support a PPC ad campaign, you would be essentially throwing money away on copy you are unlikely to use. (We’ve seen it before.) Instead, focus on upgrading the marketing methods you currently use until you are able to hire the expertise you need to run specialist marketing campaigns.
Types of Copy Coaches Use to Attract New Clients
These 6 types of copy are the most common types of copy used by coaches. You may already have some of these types of copy in your business, or you may see other coaches using them. We’ll explain a little bit about the benefits and when the copy is most effective.
Ad Copy
Ad copy refers to the copy in the initial ad at the top of the sales funnel. Typically, you don’t have many words to work with, so this copy needs to be strong. Many types of ad copy are pay-per-click (Social media ads, Google ads, etc.), so the sales messaging needs to be extremely targeted. You want it to be attractive, but only for your ideal coaching clients.
Examples of ad copy include:
- Newspaper ads
- Magazine ads
- Google ads
- Billboard ads
- Social media ads
- Banner ads
- Listing copy
Ad copy is beneficial for coaches looking to grow their business FAST. (When done effectively.) That being said, you need a bit of a budget to pay for the ads upfront, and it is beneficial to budget enough for multiple versions of the ad copy for A/B testing.
Landing Page
A landing page is where your coaching clients end up after they click on your ad. It is long-form copy that informs, sells, and overcomes objections. The goal of a landing page is not to convert as many people who land on the landing page as possible but to convert the coaching clients you want to work with.
Landing pages are essential for a coaching business if you sell a coaching program or any high-ticket offers. High-ticket clients aren’t hard to land as long as they see the value in what you are offering. That is why landing page copy for coaches presents the benefits of a coaching course as a sure deal.
When writing a landing page for a coaching program, a copywriter needs to get inside the head of your ideal coaching client. They need to know your ideal coaching client’s pain points and pleasure points (add-ons that add significant value) as well as all the questions they want answered before they head to the checkout. If you DIY a lot of copy for your coaching business, a landing page is the one place you should consider investing. You risk leaving a lot of money on the table otherwise.
Email Copy
Coaching is all about the relationship you build with your coaching clients. Relationships require regular contact, and email is a great way to do that. There are a number of different types of emails you can write for your coaching business. There are sales emails, nurture emails, cold emails, process emails, and between-session emails. All of these play an important role in your coaching business.
The good news is the majority of your email list is people who are interested in hearing from you. That is why the average ROI for email is approximately $36 for every $1 spent. That figure applies to sales emails, but the nurture emails lay the foundation for a high ROI on your sales emails. Your emails won’t get opened if you only ever email to sell something.
Many coaches DIY their email copy. It is something you can write yourself at the start and then outsource your email copy when you start to grow. We suggest making the investment to hire a copywriter for your cold emails if you want responses.
Brochure Copy
Brochures are not a common marketing asset for coaches, but they can be effective for people who promote their business in person, like at expos, conferences, or trade fairs. Brochure copy is incredibly delicate because there is not a lot of real estate to sell your business (at least for the popular trifold brochure) and you don’t want to overwhelm readers with walls of text. It needs to sell your coaching services in a small number of words.
Because of the high cost of printing brochures, it is beneficial to hire a copywriter to write brochure copy rather than DIYing. You want your brochure to convert so you can earn money on your investment. Hiring professionals like copywriters and graphic designers increases the conversion rate of your brochure.
Digital brochures are an extremely effective way to create a referral packet your current and former coaching clients can use to refer you to their friends. You can create an attractive-looking brochure that sells your coaching program without worrying that the referrer will leave out key info. It’s also easier for them to refer people to you because they can just send a link over. You could even promote this digital brochure on LinkedIn or other social media platforms.
Website Copy
A coach’s website is not just a digital directory listing; it is the cornerstone of your digital presence. It can perform a number of roles depending on how you run your coaching business. For example:
- Community hub where you build relationships with coaching clients
- Source of resources and free information
- Place to sell your coaching programs and courses
- Way to attract organic leads
- Record of your success and expertise
- Part of your sales funnel
Many coaches have websites that fulfil multiple of those roles.
There is a lot of debate over whether coaches need websites or if they can sell using social media and landing pages from their email marketing software. Our opinion is that you should create a website for your coaching business as soon as you are able to. Even if you just have a simple page with some information about your business and a contact page to start with. A website is something you have full control over, so your coaching clients can always find you and contact you, no matter what is happening with social media algorithms and accounts.
As your business grows and you can afford to upgrade your website, look to invest in working with a website copywriter and website designer to turn your website into an evergreen marketing asset. A common misconception is that these experts only serve to make your website look more professional. While they definitely do that, they also create a website that is an extension of your personality. The website is also specifically created to further your business goals, whatever they may be.
Website copy is something coaches can DIY at the start but should invest in when they’re ready to take their business to the next level.
Microcopy
Microcopy is short pieces of UX copy (user experience copy) designed to make the user’s experience go smoothly. Examples of microcopy include form copy and confirmation or error messages so you can tell if you’re filling out the form correctly.
While microcopy can seem small and insignificant, infusing your microcopy with personality gives you a chance to wow your coaching clients with otherwise dry parts of copy. Even something like an error page, email sign-off, or out-of-office message can help your ideal coaching clients feel like they’ve gotten to know you a little better.
Microcopy is usually included in other copywriting packages, so ask the copywriter who is working on that part of your business to include microcopy in their quote.
What Is Direct Response Copy?
Direct response copy is a term used in the marketing industry for copy that asks the user to respond by taking some sort of action. This action could be:
- Signing up for something
- Clicking a link
- Buying something
- Downloading something
- Responding to an email/letter
Direct response copy will usually be accompanied by a link, QR code, phone number, or website address so you know how to take the action.
The majority of copy is direct response copy, so even though someone may label themselves a “direct response copywriter” the truth is that all copywriters are direct response copywriters. That includes copywriters who write social media copy. If it has a CTA (call to action) in it, it’s direct response copy.
What Is Long-Form Copy?
Long-form copy is exactly what it sounds likes; it’s just a long piece of copy. Generally, to be considered long-form copy, the piece of copy will be over 1,000 words. Examples of long-form copy include:
- Whitepapers
- Landing pages
- Websites
- Books and eBooks
- Long advertorial articles
- Pitch decks or multi-page brochures
Coaches should have a mix of short-form and long-form copy to market their coaching business. The decision to use either will depend on how the copy will be distributed, who will be reading it, and the goal for the piece of copy.
In order to capture the reader’s attention and keep it throughout the piece of copy, long-form copy will often start with a hook that shows the value of the piece of copy. Then, value is delivered consistently throughout the long-form copy in order to keep the reader’s attention.
Another consideration when writing long-form copy is that you need to break it up visually, so it doesn’t look like a wall of text. This means paragraphs of varying length, headings, and even tables, diagrams, and dot points to give the reader’s eyes a break.
What Is the Bare Minimum Copy My Coaching Business Needs?
This will vary significantly depending on your coaching business. For a lean business model, most coaches should prioritise a website, landing page, and emails as the initial marketing assets for their business. These are the pieces of copy that are necessary to sell a coaching course. The great news is some of these can be DIYed at the start (if the coach has good writing skills) and then upgraded later to take the coaching business to the next level.
The key factor in the bare minimum copy you need for a profitable coaching business is your sales funnels. Rather than looking at the individual pieces of copy you need, look at your entire sales funnel and what copy is needed for that funnel to function. There is no point in hiring a copywriter to write a landing page if you don’t know how you’re going to send traffic to that landing page. Also, an experienced copywriter is unlikely to work with you if you cannot give them information about the entire sales funnel. That information is essential for writing strong copy.