Email Marketing for Coaches: How to Start and Grow an Engaged Email List

Are you a coach wondering how to use email marketing for your business?

Email marketing is still one of the best ways to nurture, engage with, and create a community that knows you, likes you, trusts you — and eventually buys from you.

Email marketing allows you to establish a deeper connection with your audience, to deliver consistent content, to build trust, and ultimately to find more ideal clients and grow your coaching business. 

In this blog post, we’ll explore why email marketing is one of the best marketing platforms for coaches, the numerous benefits it offers, and practical steps to start and grow and engaged email list.

Why Use Email Marketing for Your Coaching Business

Despite the popularity of social media platforms, email marketing is still a more effective way to engage with your audience and sell your services. (That’s because the email marketing converts better than social media, generally speaking!) 

With its ability to nurture relationships, deliver valuable content, and drive conversions, email marketing is an essential strategy for coaches looking to make a lasting impact.

And anyone can do it! Email marketing doesn’t require a degree in marketing or even a lot of tech knowledge. It simply takes being able to consistently create (or repurpose) content that connects with your ideal audience and an email marketing platform that can help you send emails on a regular basis.

Benefits of Email Marketing for Coaches

Email marketing can help you book out your coaching programs, sell courses, and build a community. Here are some key advantages that email marketing provides that other marketing platforms don’t:

• You own your email list. You don’t own your audience on social media platforms. It’s not uncommon for your account to get hacked on Instagram or even get shut down completely. (Believe me, it’s happened to a lot of business owners I know!) When that happens, you have no way of getting in contact with your audience. Alternatively, when you have an email list, you basically own your email list. Now you are still dependent on platforms like Mailchimp or Convertkit to help you deploy emails on a regular basis. But your list is yours.

• You’re (more) in control of who sees your content. How many of your followers actually see your content on social media? A fraction of them. And you have little to no control of that unless you pay for ads. Your emails go directly to the inbox of your subscribers who then can decide whether to open them or not, bypassing any algorithm. 

• Email allows you to develop deeper connections with your audience. The goal of email is to nurture your audience and actually build relationships with them. You can do this by sharing engaging content that you don’t share anywhere else, while also asking for their opinions and feedback.

• Email is a great authority builder. Through consistent email communication, you can stay top of mind with prospective clients, so if and when they are ready to hire a life coach or health coach, you rise to the top of the list. By sharing valuable insights, success stories, and actionable tips, you establish yourself as an authority in your coaching niche.

• Email allows you to segment your audience and personalize your messages: Segmenting your email list enables you to provide highly targeted content to specific groups of subscribers. This personalization enhances engagement and ensures that your audience receives information that is most relevant and valuable to them.

• Email is a cost-effective, time-effective marketing tool that stands the test of time. Keeping up with TikTok fads is exhausting. Email marketing is a cost-effective and time-efficient strategy for coaches, that once you learn, you can use time and again to nurture your audience. With the help of automation tools, you can schedule and send emails in advance, freeing up time to focus on other aspects of your coaching business.
• Email allows you to nurture an engaged audience that is ready to buy. The problem with social media is that so many of the leads are cold. They don’t yet know, like, and trust you. That connection is more quickly and more easily accomplished through email marketing. So that when you are ready to launch your next program, you have an audience who is ready to buy.

How Coaches Can Get Started with Email Marketing

Now that you understand the benefits, let’s dive into how you can get started with email marketing:

1. Create an Irresistible Lead Magnet.

Develop a valuable free resource, such as an ebook, checklist, or video series, that addresses a specific pain point or offers actionable tips. Creating a quality lead magnet serves to entice potential subscribers to join your email list while providing something that is valuable to them.

2. Design an Eye-Catching Opt-In Form.

Place a visually appealing opt-in form on your website, blog, or social media profiles. Make it prominent and use persuasive copy to encourage visitors to subscribe to your email list.

3. Choose a Reliable Email Marketing Service.

Select an email marketing service provider that suits your needs. Consider factors such as ease of use, automation capabilities, and integration options with your website and other tools. (I use and recommend Convertkit!)

4. Craft Engaging Welcome Emails.

Once subscribers join your email list, send them a warm and personalized welcome email series. Introduce yourself, highlight the benefits of being a subscriber, and deliver the promised lead magnet.

Once you get started with email marketing, aim to email your list once a week or at least once every other week. You want to stay connected to grow an engaged list.

Tips for Coaches to Grow an Engaged Email List

Growing an engaged email list is an ongoing process. Here are some tips to help you expand your reach and keep your subscribers engaged:

1. Provide Valuable and Relevant Content: Consistently deliver high-quality content that resonates with your audience. Share your expertise, success stories, and practical tips related to your coaching niche. Make each email valuable and tailored to the needs of your subscribers.

2. Optimize for Mobile Devices: Ensure your emails are mobile-responsive, allowing them to be easily read and navigated on smartphones and tablets. A seamless mobile experience is crucial, as the majority of people now access their emails on mobile devices.

3. Encourage Social Sharing: Incorporate social sharing buttons in your emails, enabling subscribers to share your content with their networks. This can significantly expand your reach and attract new subscribers who resonate with your coaching message.

4. A/B Test Your Emails: Continually test different elements of your emails, such as subject lines, call-to-action buttons, and email copy. A/B testing helps you identify what resonates best with your audience and optimize your emails for higher engagement and conversions.

Email marketing can help you grow your coaching business

Email marketing empowers coaches to establish deeper connections with their audience, nurture relationships, and grow their coaching businesses.

By leveraging the benefits of email marketing, coaches can deliver valuable content, build trust, and ultimately make a lasting impact on their subscribers.