3 Marketing Mistakes I Made as a New Health Coach
Wanna know a secret?
Whenever I feel insecure about my work, I read something I wrote two, three, or even four years ago to remind myself how far I’ve come.
It’s like a litmus test for imposter syndrome.
I look at all the teeny, tiny mistakes I made with my writing, and pat myself on the back for all the ways I’ve improved.
When we’re new to solving a problem, we’re bound to make mistakes. It’s one of the most relatable parts of being human.
And if we’re open to it, making mistakes is one of the fastest ways to get to where we’re going. Because it means we’re willing to explore the problem in new or creative ways to work through it.
My own career pivot from holistic health coach to content strategist is a perfect example. It’s basically a highlight reel of trial, error, and eventual breakthrough.
The mistakes I made early on in my journey have become an invaluable piece of how I support clients with their content today.
3 marketing mistakes I wish I'd known sooner (and what I’d do differently)
My online business journey officially began in 2018, when I became a certified health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. My mission was to empower people to take control of their health. But there was just one teeny tiny problem…
I had no idea how to turn that mission into a profitable online business.
So I did what most new coaches do. I started creating content—writing blog posts, posting tips on social media, building my email list, and teaching workshops at my local yoga studio.
I thought my knowledge and passion for health would naturally inspire people to work with me. Spoiler alert: It didn’t.
I spent two years on that content marketing treadmill, and it didn’t help me book clients or make enough money to leave my fulltime job.
Looking back, the problem was never my ability to help people. It was my marketing strategy.
Even though I was “showing up consistently” and doing all the things marketing coaches were telling me to do, I was making a few major mistakes that were keeping me burnt out and under booked:
Mistake #1: Marketing like an influencer instead of a business owner
In the early days of my business, I modelled my content strategy after what popular wellness influencers were doing—sharing my healthy lifestyle, random nutrition tips, and lots of aesthetic smoothie bowls (but listen, they were REALLY good smoothies…😅).
I thought more followers equaled more clients. If I could get enough people to like my content, my business would magically grow.
But in reality, those smoothie recipes weren’t helping me connect with people who were interested in coaching or showcase the value of my program.
✨ What I’d do differently: Instead of posting random content about my life as a health coach, I’d create content that communicates the three phases of the customer journey:
Awareness: Your ideal client becomes aware they have a problem they need to fix or a desire they wish to fulfill.
Consideration: Your ideal client is actively searching for ways to solve their problems or achieve their goals.
Decision: Your ideal client is ready to invest in a solution and is weighing the different options presented to them.
Creating content that follows this framework helps you build trust, educates people on the real problems they’re facing, and positions your offer as the right solution to solve that problem.
Mistake #2: Not knowing who I was helping
For the first two years of my business, I wasn’t ready to choose a niche because I didn’t have much coaching experience. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to specialize in gut health, hormone health, or something else. As a result, my content was really vague.
My audience knew that I was into health and wellness, but they didn’t understand how I could help them because I wasn’t speaking to a specific person or solving a specific problem they had.
Generic health advice on my website like… “Eat more healthy fats!”, “Calm your nervous system!”, and my personal favorite, “Heal yourself with nature…” weren’t helping anyone achieve clear, concrete goals.
✨ What I’d do differently: One of the best ways to speak to your ideal client when you don’t have a ton of experience is to speak to the version of you two or three years earlier that was struggling with this problem.
I’d get clear on the things I was struggling with before becoming a coach, and speak directly to those pain points and desires in my content.
Mistake #3: I never talked about my program (like…ever!)
I developed a six week coaching program that helped people make five core changes to improve their health. But it was buried so deep on my website, no one knew it existed (oops!).
I was so focused on gaining followers and building my email list, I forgot the most important part of marketing…talking about how you can work with me.
In those early days, I assumed that anyone who liked my content (who wasn’t my mom) would simply go to my website, click on my contact form, and ask, “Hey…how can I work with you?”
But most people are so distracted or busy with life, they aren’t going to take that extra step. (In fact, most people won’t even make it to your website unless you tell them to go there!)
Your job as a business owner is to make working with you the easiest decision someone can make by guiding them every step of the way.
✨ What I’d do differently: Instead of using my content to share free health tips 100% of the time, I’d build my strategy around my offers instead. I’d share things like:
My unique framework for getting clients results, and why it’s different than other coaches.
The specific tools and skills I use in my program so people can picture what it’s like to work with me.
Results and testimonials from past clients to build trust and credibility.
The details of my program like the structure, length, features, and price to give people the information they need to make a decision.
The hidden value of my mistakes
Looking back, these mistakes taught me three valuable lessons I use every day as a content strategist for other health practitioners and coaches:
More followers ≠ more clients
Growing your following is a great tool for visibility, but it isn’t the only litmus test for whether your content will convert.
The best way to gain clients, especially if you’re newer to business, is by building relationships. Instead of trying to go viral, focus on nurturing the people in your existing community and grow slowly as you work with more people.
Vague messaging confuses buyers
The best way to improve your content is to make it more specific. It may sound counterintuitive, but specificity makes your content more relatable.
Make sure you’re solving one specific problem for one specific person. If you’re still struggling to identify the situations your ideal clients are facing, visit online forums, comment sections, and competitor’s content to research what people are saying.
Marketing should always lead back to your offers
There’s nothing wrong with creating free content that helps or inspires people. It’s a great way to build relationships and stay top of mind while people learn how they can work with you.
But remember—you likely didn’t start your business to become a content creator. The goal of your content is to not only educate people on their problem, but let them know why you’re the right person to help them solve it. And you do that by talking about your offers over and over and over again.
Here’s the biggest lesson I learned:
Content marketing isn’t about getting people to like and follow you. It’s about guiding the right peoplethrough a repeatable and well-defined journey so they are crystal clear on who you are, who you help, and how you help them.
And that’s exactly what I’ll help you accomplish inside my Content Clarity Guide — a custom, 30+ page messaging guide you can use to create content for your business.
It’s the exact framework I wish I had all those years ago, so I could figure out:
✔️ Who I was talking to in my content and the exact problems they’re struggling with
✔️ How to share my unique story and experiences in a way that connects with the right people
✔️ What set my program apart compared to what other coaches were offering
So if you have thoughts like… "I know my work is valuable, but I don’t know how to talk about it in my content.”— that's exactly what the Content Clarity Guide is designed for.
Book a quick, 30 minute call with me for a walkthrough of everything included in the guide, so you can start creating content that finally turns followers into dream clients.
Hey, there! I’m Keriann
I help online coaches, practitioners, and service providers turn their expertise into strategic and engaging content.
