WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FREE PUBLICITY FOR COACHES?

by Simone Sauter

Free publicity. In a world of expensive advertising campaigns, it’s hard not to be excited at hearing those words. But as a coach to the coaches, a question that I get asked pretty often is: what’s in it for me? What are the benefits of free publicity?

When something is “free”, it’s often perceived as lesser in some way. We’re looking for a catch, a loophole. If it’s so good, why is it being given away for free?

Publicity is a little different. Publicity is earned media. Your publicity comes free in exchange for content, either in the form of an interview or article, that you provide to journalists/bloggers/podcasters – it’s as simple as that.

So, what exactly will coaches get from this? Read on to discover the top nine benefits of free publicity for coaches.

Free Publicity Benefit #1: You Become Visible

One of the benefits of free publicity is that you become visible to wide audiences. Leading websites can have 2 million, 5 million, or even 20 million readers. If you’re featured on the website as an expert or contributor, that’s 20 million people reading about you and your coaching business. 

Whatsmore, if you get featured on the right website, you’ll become visible not just to any audience, but to an audience of ideal clients. The audiences of these websites will be interested in your niche, and will therefore be more likely to click through to your website and convert into new clients.

So, one of the major benefits of free publicity for coaches is the awareness it creates for your business.

Free Publicity Benefit #2: You Build Your Audience Super Fast

Being featured in the media, especially by online PR, builds your audience fast. So, why is that?

This is because, if you are featured on a website that suits your niche, you will have a lot of people clicking through to your website.

If you include a freebie on your site that people can opt into, either a free course or a PDF, then you can capture these leads and build them into your own email list. Then you can market to and nurture this mailing list, and eventually convert them into clients.

Free Publicity Benefit #3: You Become a Recognised Expert

The third benefit of free publicity is that when you are featured by well-established, popular websites, blogs or magazines in your field, this is like a seal of approval on your expertise. This is a third-party endorsement that not everybody is going to get in the media. 

People know these features are limited and rigorously checked, so when you are featured this adds a level of credibility you won’t get elsewhere. So, people will see you as the “go-to expert” super fast. Becoming a recognised expert in your niche will help you to rise above the noise online and get seen by ideal clients. 

Free Publicity Benefit #4: You Build Trust With Your Audience

With this seal of approval on your expertise, another benefit of free publicity for coaches is the trust that you build with your audience.

For example, if you’re a featured expert, and you’re interviewed about your coaching business, people will be able to hear in-depth about the amazing results you’ve had for your clients.

Whatsmore, unlike advertising, this isn’t just what you’re saying about yourself. The journalist’s comments about the success of your business will be far more valuable than any comments you could make by yourself.

Free Publicity Benefit #5: Clients Will Reach Out to You

The fifth benefit of free publicity shouldn’t be a surprise. With all the positive press surrounding your coaching business, it’s then only natural that this will have long-lasting effects, and you will continue to find new clients long after the initial article or interview.

The reason for this is simple. With more exposure, you become more recognisable. As long as the services you offer and the values you stand for are clear, then clients will be drawn to you.

I have experienced this personally. I built my relationship coaching business in the breakup coaching niche, solely through free publicity. Within only a couple of weeks, my first clients reached out to me and after a certain point, my email inbox was filled with people who wanted to work with me because I knew my expertise.

I wasn’t chasing after clients, clients were chasing after me!

Free Publicity Benefit #6: You Impact People’s Lives

There are many reasons for starting a coaching business, but making an impact on clients and audiences is a major one. Coaches start their business because they are passionate about what they do. Sometimes this even comes from a personal experience.

This is the case for me. When, out of the blue, my ex left me after more than 10 years together, I was heartbroken. I went through a very difficult time in my life. And after that, I decided I wanted to help other women to go through this process much faster.

So, I founded my breakup coaching business, because I wanted to help other people. I wanted to share with them that a breakup doesn’t have to be as difficult as they think. Even outside of my paid clients, just sharing my expertise and my story, just motivating people was important. The more people you reach, obviously, the more impact you have.

So, this is a benefit of free publicity that reaches beyond money and business and helps you to change the lives of others through the wide reach of a media feature.

Free Publicity Benefit #7: You Can Increase Your Prices

Free publicity can make a big impact on the financial side of your business, too. If you become the “go-to expert” in your niche, and people see that you get results for your clients, then you will stand out from the crowd in the eyes of your ideal client.

If you know someone who has great expertise and you admire them, you are more likely to want to work with them. But then, let’s say they only charge $500 for their coaching package. As mentioned earlier, clients tend to doubt anything that’s too cheap. Put your prices too low, and potential clients might start to question your skills.

If you’re perceived as the “go-to expert”, then you can very easily increase your prices, because this will fit with your ideal client’s expectations. Prospective clients will already have an image of you and your expertise before you begin working together, and for the knowledge of a “go-to expert”, they will fully expect to pay more money.

Free Publicity Benefits #8: You Can Build Your Mailing List

I mentioned this briefly at the beginning of the article, but another benefit of free publicity is that it can build your mailing list. If you’re writing a guest post for another website, ensure you link out to your site, at the very least in your bio. You might even be able to link to your website in the text.

That’s where you can lead people to opt in to your freebie, in my case, a free PR masterclass. From that, you can capture email addresses and build your own audience. Make sure that you have content ready for your email list, including newsletters and updates to keep subscribers engaged.

Free Publicity Benefit #9: You Open Up New Opportunities

I’ve left the best till last! One of the best benefits of free publicity for coaches is that you will get opportunities you never expected. That’s exactly what happened to me when I got started with my PR. 

I got a lot of free publicity very quickly. I actually got a message from a huge German publishing house asking me if I’d be open to write a book with them. I did and my book became a best-seller. So, with doing my own PR, I got the exposure and then a deal with a publishing house.

They found me through an article I was interviewed for, and they were so impressed by my story that they reached out to me. And now I am a best selling author.

I know that many coaches want to write a book of their own one day and I can tell you, it is much, much easier to get a book contract if you have been featured in the media. If you approach a publishing house with that third-party endorsement behind you, it will be much easier to get the book deal you’ve always dreamed of.

Outside of my book deal, I got invited to speaking gigs, and formed great partnerships. These are just a few of the unexpected benefits of free publicity.

So, how do you get free publicity super fast?

If you’re a coach who wants to learn more about how to get featured in the media and rise above the noise online, you can download my free “3 Million Euro Case Study” where I share with you my Publicity Rockstar Method. This is the unique method my clients and I use to get featured in major media outlets, including Forbes, Cosmopolitan and Mindbodygreen.

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