Long-form, relationship-building content (i.e., a podcast) is absolutely necessary to have success as a high-ticket coach…EVEN if you already make a killing with a strong social media game.

While it’s almost impossible to track exactly where a client enters your funnel as a follower or listener, the fact is that 95% of my clients were in my orbit for 3-12 months BEFORE signing up for my program.

Specifically, almost all of my clients were podcast listeners and email newsletter subscribers.

Yes, you can stay top of mind on IG, TikTok, etc., and you probably should. BUT, when you realize the compound interest that podcasting creates in your followers, it becomes a must-have in your marketing arsenal.

Here are 3 reasons why every coach needs a podcast, based on my own personal experience podcasting and coaching, and wisdom from my colleagues and clients.

Quick Facts

Podcasted for 2.5 years (partly why this is past-tense)
Podcast changed dramatically partway through when I became a Christian
Business model moved from lower-cost small groups to courses to high-ticket 1:1 coaching to high-ticket group coaching
170 episodes
271,600 downloads
$200,000+ revenue in the first 10 months offering our high-ticket program
Tons of friends in the industry
Information from clients of our podcast editing service

The Three Reasons All Christian Coaches Need A Podcast

1. Expertise, Thought Leadership, Easier Sales Cycles

The most important thing you can take from this is just what I said above:

Almost ALL of my clients were podcast listeners long before they entered their credit card details.

Sure, correlation does not equal causation, but it was one of the few consistent traits shared by my most valuable clients.

With a podcast, you become part of their weekly rhythm. A certain amount of trust and authority is granted to you (whether or not it’s warranted!) simply by virtue of you “being on the airwaves”, speaking authoritatively about a subject important to them, and providing value to them for free.

You are instantly perceived as someone in a position of leadership, someone worth listening to, and someone who has proven they “get” the issue their listeners (i.e., future clients) have.

Now, all of this requires that your podcast is good, but for most coaches, you’re already above average at speaking, communicating your message, and knowing what you’re talking about.

Not to mention that having a good podcast is much easier than you think. The bar isn’t all that high, since there is almost no barrier to entry for most people who have more to say than value to give.

Many of my sales calls included the potential client saying something like, “oh my goodness, I can’t believe I’m actually talking to you”, as though they saw me in an extremely elevated light.

I won’t get into the need for you to be humble and watch your ego, but it certainly helped the sales cycle. Instead of having to answer every single question about what I stand for, how I operate, whether they can trust me to get results…sales calls basically became “is this the right time” and “am I willing to invest in my transformation.”

Way shorter, way easier, way less stressful to sell, because the trust factor is already insanely high. If you don’t love selling, start a podcast.

2. “I Know You Too Well”: Friends Who Fight For You And Want To Pay You Back

One of the craziest things I ever heard from a client is that he stopped listening to my podcast once he became a client because he felt weird knowing me too well.

Now that we had a relationship where I was learning about him, and he was desiring to learn about me and build relationship with me (one of the best parts of building up such good faith via podcasting), he thought it felt like voyeurism for him.

Now, obviously this is a very unique circumstance, but imagine…

He felt BAD because through the podcast alone, he felt he knew me so intimately that it would be weird to carry on listening instead of building a natural, organic relationship as a coach and client.

What does this mean?

It means your listeners often feel like they are your friend, and they are often willing to fight your battles for you…whether that’s by leaving a review, defending you in the comment section, telling their friends about you, buying a course, or becoming a coaching client.

Basically, many of my listeners wanted to “pay me back”, even though I would never expect or ask that.

Even in the uplifting testimonials people would email me, they had my back and kept my movement moving forward.

Listeners who feel personally blessed by you and your content also give you significantly more GRACE when they become a client. This helps if you ever make a mistake (which happens, you’re human), but it also helps in having them buy into your program and do the actual work required to get results.

The benefits of this are obviously huge.

Less customer service headaches. More results. More testimonials. More sales. The flywheel spins faster and faster.

All because your listeners end up knowing you, liking you, and trusting you.

3. Networking Rocket Fuel: Meet People Who Would Never Otherwise Say Yes To You

Big name in your space that you want to talk to?

Big name in a shoulder industry you want to work with and JV with?

Author of your favourite book?

Good luck cold DMing and asking for an hour of their time for free.

BUT…

Ask to interview them for your podcast?

“Sure, let’s book a time.”

I am still blown away by the wisdom received from and relationships built with my podcast guests.

People who I’d pay to speak to as a coach were willing to give me an hour of their time and answer my biggest questions. Many ended up becoming at least occasional contacts, if not full blown friends and collaborators.

And, many connected me with their networks, too.

To this day, I still can’t imagine a more impactful way of networking, meeting people, and opening up new opportunities.

Even IF podcasting didn’t make the sales process easier and more profitable…

Even IF podcasting didn’t turn your listeners into an army of fans who have your back…

I’d still recommend every coach do it for the relationship opportunities alone.

How To Start A Podcast If You’re A Coach

OK, you’re convinced.

You’re ready to start a podcast to acquire more clients, create an army of super fans who have your back, and meet amazing people who will open doors for you.

Here’s a brief overview of how to actually start a podcast, in point form for ease of use.

Note: there’s no “right” answer to any of this. Pick what you will ACTUALLY do, not what you think you SHOULD do.

Step 1: Branding

What angle will you take with the content?
What does your ideal client need to hear?
How will you leave them feeling FULL of value after every episode?
What type of show will you have…solo episodes, interviews with guests, some combination of the two?
How long will the episodes be?
How often will you publish?
How will you ensure you always have topics and guests ready to go? Off the cuff, or will you create a list of podcast ideas?
Get podcast art made (Fiverr, Upwork, graphic designer on staff, etc.)
Get an intro and outro made (eventually…don’t let this stop you, just start recording, it honestly doesn’t matter at first)

Step 2: Start Recording

Pick an audio recording program (Zoom, Audacity, Garage Band, Riverside, Squadcast, etc.)
Hit record. Speak. Hit end. Download the file.

Step 3: Edit

Unless you’re in a soundproof room with an amazing audio setup, you WILL want to edit your audio. People will put up with low quality video, but they WILL NOT put up with low quality audio. It’s way too distracting and annoying.
Learn how to edit, train someone on your team to edit, or outsource to an agency who specializes in this (like us)
If you’re doing it yourself (which…why?) choose something simple like Alitu, Audacity, Descript, or go more hardcore and get Adobe or a similarly robust software
Edit things like mistakes, long silences, background noise, matching loudness if you’re interviewing a guest, etc., and consider editing in an intro file, and outro file, and even midroll files to advertise your coaching services

Step 4: Upload and Publish

Pick an audio host (Buzzsprout, Libsyn, Simplecast, etc.)
Write show notes (ideally including timestamped chapter markers, overview of the show, CTAs to your free resources and social media accounts, resources mentioned in the show, guest info if applicable)
Upload audio file to host, add show notes, and publish
Upload video file to YouTube, add show notes, and publish

Step 5: Marketing

Get creative…podcasts are one of the few things that do not exist within a social sharing network (unless you podcast on YouTube, but even then, it’s harder to get someone to listen to an hour long podcast than it is to watch a 2 minute funny video)
Make clips from your episodes and post anywhere videos can be posted (YT Shorts, IG Reels, TikTok, etc.)
Mention new episodes in a weekly newsletter to your list
Make carousel posts on Instagram if it fits your aesthetic with quotes from the episode
Be a guest on other podcasts

The most annoying part of the process for coaches is editing. You’ll want to ensure the quality of your audio matches the quality of your brand, especially if you sell high-ticket coaching. It can’t be staticky, filled with background noise and mistakes, or have mismatched audio levels if you’re interviewing a guest.

Everything else is fairly straightforward.

If you’re ready to go, but want some help, book a call with me here.

Happy to answer any questions if you want to get a head start, and also happy to talk about how we help Christian coaches save hours and headaches every week. Our clients record the episodes, and we do literally everything else…editing, show notes, uploading, scheduling, AND creating short videos for social media.

Hope this helps. God bless.