Best Of: The Difference Between Your Free and Paid Content

Best Of: The Difference Between Your Free and Paid Content

by | Jul 17, 2023

Best Of: The Difference Between Your Free and Paid Content

When it comes to creating and sharing content for your business, there are two types; Free and paid. 

But how to you determine what should be included in your free content such as your freebies, blog posts and videos, and what should be saved for content for your paid programs? 

If this question has been on your mind, this episode will be a huge help.

Here’s what you’ll discover:

  • The purpose of your free content and how it plays an important role in your marketing and client attraction strategy
  • 8 popular types of free content you can use to attract your ideal clients
  • What to avoid doing with your free content
  • Examples of free content you can start sharing today

Tune in or read the post below to learn how to use both forms of content in your business to get the best results. 

I received a great question about how coaches should distinguish between their free and paid content; what should be offered as part of content such as freebies, blog posts and livestreams, and what should be saved for content for paying clients. 

Alma asked this question and then went on to say “I feel like if I just touch on the subjects of healthy nutrition or exercise tips without getting into the “nitty-gritty” in the materials available for free, people would sense that there isn’t much value in them.”

This is such a great question, and it may be something you are wondering too, so we wanted to cover this on the podcast.

Purpose of Free Content

Let’s talk about the purpose of your free content, we’ll share a few different examples, and then we’ll talk about your paid content (your coaching programs and courses) and how to set that apart, as well as how to use your free content to lead to your paid programs. 

It’s important to first point out that your free content is actually part of your marketing strategy because it’s an important piece of the awareness and attraction phase where people get to learn more about you and determine if they can learn something valuable from you. This is called content marketing. 

According to the Content Marketing Institute: “Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

So, content marketing – your free content – is a client attraction strategy and it’s a key part of how you will bring people into your world.  Think about the people you follow on social media – you probably follow many of them because you learn from them on a regular basis.  You learn bits and pieces of information, but you don’t learn an entire process from A-Z, right? Your free content builds trust and rapport and is oftentimes the first step in the customer journey or sales funnel. Here’s one example: People read one of your blog posts, they see your social media icons, and they follow you on Instagram. Once they check out your IG bio, they see you have a free offer or a Facebook group, and they request to join your group or they opt-in for your freebie.

Your free content can come in many forms, including: 

  1. Blog posts
  2. Social Media (posts, stories, Reels, YouTube, Clubhouse, etc.)
  3. Webinars
  4. Free PDF downloads
  5. Video series
  6. Podcasts
  7. Livestreams
  8. Podcast

Where it can get confusing, as Alma mentioned, is how much information do you offer for free, where you make it valuable enough and what should be part of your paid programs.

With the list of 8 options above for free content, each one of those should play a part in creating awareness and desire for your paid programs and let people get to know YOU as a person and your brand.  This is a process that takes time, and it takes multiple touch points over time.

Your free content should be part of the customer journey where you get to educate and inspire your audience about topics that you cover in your programs and how your program helps your clients achieve their goals. 

Here’s the big distinguisher between your free and paid content:

Your free content shares small pieces of helpful information on a specific topic but it does not give a system or a roadmap for a transformation or desired outcome. Your paid program provides the entire solution.   

Your free content is only small chunks of the solutions you offer. You aren’t taking people from point A to point B and beyond – you are making them aware of what you do, who you help and how you help them, and you provide helpful tips

and inspiration along the way.

Think about the people you follow on social media – let’s take someone who is an Instagram expert, like Jasmine Star (we had her on the podcast back on episode 117 about How to Easily Navigate the Changes on Instagram).  She is one of my favorite people to learn from when it comes to IG. She shares fun and helpful tips and strategies, but if you want to learn her whole system and you want more access to her, you need to enroll in her paid program, Social Curator, which is her monthly subscription where you get a complete monthly IG strategy, IG posts, captions, and images for IG.

You can take some information from your paid program, but just share a small part each time, and make it specific to your niche, so you are attracting more of your ideal clients and building trust with them.  People will still learn something of value, but it’s not going to solve an entire problem.

It will be the same for a freebie you offer. It should be about one specific topic, so your ideal clients can get a small win. Your free offer shouldn’t be a 30-page eguide. A big mistake we see is overwhelming people with too much information.  A great free offer is more about what they can take action on vs making it too long for them to consume and never put anything into place. When you get very specific about who your freebie is for and the quick mini win it will get your ideal client, it makes it easier to come up with ideas.

Say your niche is helping moms who have just been diagnosed with celiac disease. You know from experience, that one of their top struggles is likely how to pack food and snacks when they travel.  Maybe your freebie is a list of 20 gluten-free, celiac-friendly foods that are perfect for traveling.

The list will give them a quick win, but there is so much more they need to learn and implement in order to implement a gluten-free lifestyle, from how to avoid cross contamination in their home, how to cook for the whole family when you are the only one who has to be GF, how to eat out when you have celiac, and so much more.  There is a lot they have to learn, and your free guide gives them one small part of what they need to know. They can now start to see that you are a trusted resource, and they may want to learn more about how you can help them by working with you.

Take this podcast as another example.  We now have over 300 episodes full of free and helpful content. We also have a paid program called the Wellness Business Accelerator which is our 12-week course for wellness business owners who want to fill their practice.  In this program, we take our students through a very detailed, and step-by-step process to dramatically accelerate their business growth, so they can start getting clients in as little as 60 days.  People can get free content on the show to get small wins, which we love hearing about, and for those who want more support and a proven blueprint and process to follow, they can enroll in our paid program – the full solution. 

Recap

The goal with your free content is to draw people in to learn something short and sweet and leave them wanting more, then direct them to the next step such as sign up for your freebie, join your Facebook group, read a blog post, watch a video or something else. Your free content should ultimately lead people to your paid programs, and that’s how content marketing works. 

Speaking of content, you can save yourself a lot of time by repurposing your hard work, and we covered how to do this on episode 144 where we talked about 5 Simple Ways to Repurpose Your Content to Reach More People.

Resources and Links mentioned on the show:

Episode 117 – How to Navigate the Changes on Instagram

Episode 144 – 5 Simple Ways to Repurpose Your Content to Reach More People

Kathleen’s Facebook Group

Kathleen’s Instagram

Karen’s Facebook Group

Karen’s Instagram

Wellness Business Accelerator

;

Let's Connect on Facebook:

Click here

Subscribe and listen to The Wellness Business Podcast on your favorite platform!

Supercharging Your List Building: 5 Vital Elements for High-Converting Freebies

Supercharging Your List Building: 5 Vital Elements for High-Converting Freebies

by | Jun 19, 2023

Supercharging Your List Building: 5 Vital Elements for High-Converting Freebies

​If you have created a free resource to grow your email list and it’s not getting the number of leads you had hoped for, or you’re getting ready to create a brand-new free offer, it’s important to know the 5 vital elements needed for a high-converting freebie. This week on The Wellness Business Podcast we’re sharing the 5 elements you need to know, so you can attract more of your ideal clients and grow an email list full of quality leads. 

In this episode you’ll discover… 

  • The 4 ‘sweet-spot’ details to pay attention to when creating a new free offer that will make it a gotta-have it resource for your dream clients
  • The 5 vital elements that every high-converting freebie must have that makes it irresistible in any chosen format
  • Why designing a freebie that is niche-specific and highly valuable, (vs. general health information), is a game-changer for attracting the right people that are perfect for your paid program

One of the lessons we teach inside the Wellness Business Accelerator program is called – Create the Perfect Lead Magnet & Landing Page to Attract Your Ideal Clients. Many of our students think they have a pretty good freebie already, but quite often once they go through the lesson, they can make it even better by focusing on the ideal client they want to attract. That’s the beauty of having two experienced coaches working side-by-side with you through this program.

In fact, here’s what one coach had to say after completing this lesson and implementing the process we teach:

Supercharging Your List Building: 5 Vital Elements for High-Converting Freebies

Once we help coaches improve the positioning and messaging of their lead magnet, their email list quickly starts to grow with all of the right type of potential clients, which become warm leads.

We will be opening the doors to the Wellness Business Accelerator again this fall, and you can be among the first to be notified by joining the VIP waitlist here.

First, it’s important to point out that any free offer or lead magnet creation needs to have a sweet spot and that sweet spot starts at the intersection of these 3 specific details.

  • Grabbing the attention of the right people so they will immediately say yes this is for me, or no this is not for me.
  • Includes information that is perceived as valuable – meaning that it is promising a specific outcome so they know exactly what they are signing up for and what they can expect when they subscribe, rather than a general health topic that could be appropriate for almost anyone.
  • Gives next step action items to move the subscriber forward – so you don’t leave them hanging wondering what’s the next step to get more information or how they can work with you.

Creating a compelling lead magnet that addresses a specific problem or provides valuable information to your target audience is a big part of running a successful coaching business. You absolutely need a way of building an email list of ideal customer subscribers and when the people on your email list are a perfect fit for your program you’ll find it much easier to enroll them into your program whenever you are launching.

Your lead magnet could be in the form of an PDF guide, a cheat sheet, a checklist, a template, a video tutorial, a mini-course, or any other form of digital content. As long as it’s considered a helpful piece of content, no matter which format you choose, you’ll be building your email list with the right people.

Supercharging Your List Building: 5 Vital Elements for High-Converting Freebies
Here are the 5 vital elements that every high-converting freebie must have.

1. Compelling Title – This means that the title is niche specific and grabs the attention of your dream client. For example:

Not specific: 5 Foods Every Woman Over 50 Should Eat

That title is pretty generic. Other than it’s for women over 50 it really doesn’t give much information who it’s for or who it will help

Instead, if the title was: 5 Foods Women Over 50 Need to Eat Daily to Prevent Hot Flashes & Reduce Belly Bloat, you know exactly who it’s designed to help.

This title is a lot more specific and an easy “yes, that’s for me”, or “no, that’s not for me” scenario as you promote the freebie on social  media.

2. Bio at the end

We’ve noticed that coaches often want to make their bio the first thing their new subscriber sees as they go through the new resource they just got access to. Here’s the deal, your new subscriber is more interested in the content you promised them than they are your credentials and personal story. There is a time and place for that information which is at the very end of the freebie on the last page.

The bio should include a little information about you, 2-3 short paragraphs, along with a call to action and a headshot of you,. In this case the call to action could include a recommendation about how to implement what they’ve learned in the freebie as well as next steps to get to know you better, such as follow me on social, join my FB group, or visit my website for more great info.

3. Education/Information (but not too much) – Think of your freebie as a way to educate or inspire with practical solutions, actionable steps, or insights that they can implement to achieve their goals or overcome challenges, however, it’s important not to give so much information that they feel like they are good to go and don’t need to know anything else or the information feel overwhelming.

As you create your lead magnet, a good rule of thumb is to keep asking yourself this question about each piece of information you include, “Does my new subscriber really need to know this information to have success with this resource?”

A great example of this, and one we’ve seen many times, is that coaches want to give way too much background information and then it feels like a science lesson vs. helpful and informative. Your new subscriber wants the crib notes version or the shortcut to get results. Only share what they need to get a quick win vs. all the background info. They aren’t the coach, you are, and they don’t need all the details. 

4. Something easy to implement so they feel like they are making progress

This step is really important in the overall scope of your new subscriber feeling like this resource is valuable. Of course, they are going to want to take action or implement something to see if what you teach works so include a small step that they can take to get a small result. You’re not trying to fix the big problem with this one resource, rather giving them hope about what’s possible for them.

5. Next steps to work with you – discovery call or link to paid program

Some of your new subscribers will be satisfied with the information that they just received and take the slow approach to implementation. Then there will be other subscribers that are excited, inspired, and ready to take action so it’s up to you to be specific as to their next step as we mentioned before.

It’s perfectly reasonable to include a link to your paid program so they can check it out or better yet, give instructions about how to book a discovery call with you so you can have a personalized conversation with them. There will absolutely be people that want to discuss your program and your coaching services with you and will book a call with you immediately.

Save this post and refer back to it when you are ready to create your own irresistible free offer and let me know how it goes! 

Resources and Links mentioned on the show:

Link for WBA waitlist

Kathleen’s Facebook Group

Kathleen’s Instagram

Karen’s Facebook Group

Karen’s Instagram

Wellness Business Accelerator

;

Let's Connect on Facebook:

Click here

Subscribe and listen to The Wellness Business Podcast on your favorite platform!

BEST OF: 5 Ways to Market Your Health Coaching Business

BEST OF: 5 Ways to Market Your Health Coaching Business

by | May 29, 2023

BEST OF: 5 Ways to Market Your Health Coaching Business

One of the top struggles we know most wellness business owners have is knowing how to market their business, so they can get a steady flow of new clients. Since this is such an important topic, we are bringing back an episode we did a few months ago that shares 5 simple but effective marketing strategies you can start using right now.

Marketing can be kept very simple, especially in the beginning as you’re testing things out and you’re feeling more confident about your niche and your skills as a coach. You don’t need a complicated 5-step sales funnel or any high-tech tools to be successful. You just need to make a plan that includes some foundational concepts and be consistent.  Just like everything else, you’re going to keep learning as you go, so be patient with yourself and realize that not everything you try is going to be home run, and it’s all part of the process to test and experiment.

Before we cover the 5 strategies, it goes without saying that you must first be clear on who your ideal client is – your niche, so your marketing and your messaging is reaching the right people. You want people to know right away if you are for them or not. You don’t need a build a huge audience, you just need to build an audience of people who want what YOU are offering. 

If you are still working on narrowing down your niche, be sure to check out episode 265 where we covered 3 Simple Steps to Validate Your Niche Marketing Message.

Let’s start with strategy #1 – Publish content on a regular basis.

Share content on social media and email that is related to your niche and how you help people. The most effective form of content is video because it helps people get to know you much quicker than just image posts.  Not all of your posts have to be video, but you want to include it as part of your strategy. Short form video such as Reels are good for reaching more people and allowing others to find you when you use trending music and hashtags. Pick 1-2 social media platforms and go all in rather than dabbling in a few and not being consistent. 

Other forms of content are good too such as blogs and podcasts. 

TIP #1: Focus on the forms of content you have time for right now and that you will enjoy the most.  The most important part of the success of your content is being consistent, so make a plan you can stick with on a regular basis – whatever that looks like for you. 

TIP #2 – Repurpose your content – you can use your blog content for part of your emails, social media posts, and vice versa.  One topic can be broken up in several ways to be used in multiple places in different formats.   

2. Have an opt-in on your website to collect email addresses.

Growing your email list will be one of the most important things you do for your business and it will also be a key indicator in the profitability of your business. When you’re feeling discouraged about your reach on social media and/or the algorithm changes again, you are still in control of your email list and no one can take that away from you.  Even if your email open rate is 20%, that is still much higher than your reach on social media.

We recommend you have your opt-in showing on your home page, and also use a pop-up opt-in if possible. A pop-up opt-in is where your free offer pops up after people are on your website for a certain amount of time. At a minimum, be sure to have your free offer on your home page towards the top, so visitors see it as soon as they land on your page.

If you don’t have a website yet, that’s okay. You can still promote your freebies on social media to grow your email list. You can use something like MailerLite where the free version includes email management for up to 1,000 subscribers as well as landing page templates for your freebies and sales pages. Having a website is not a must as you get started, so don’t let that hold you back.   

5 Ways to Market Your Health Coaching Business

3.  Email your subscribers weekly, if possible, so you stay top of mind.

You may know this is a good idea, but you might be wondering what your emails be about.  Topics, can be taken from your social media posts, and it can also come from questions you get from clients or prospects, any myths you want to bust or common misconceptions about your area of expertise are some ideas to consider. 

Most people will not be ready to work with you when they first get your freebie or follow up sequence, so this is why keeping top of mind is so important. If people opt in for your free offer and they don’t hear from you for 2-3 months, when they do get an email from you, they are likely to unsubscribe because they don’t remember who you are. 

4. Host a Facebook group or other online community.

One of my zones of genius and favorite topics to talk about is Facebook groups, and that’s because you get to build a community around your area of expertise. A Facebook group is different than a Facebook business page because your group is where people will gather, hang out and interact with other people – they aren’t doing that one business pages.  Your group is also where people get to know you, and you get to know them and find out more about what they want and where they struggle. This is important for your marketing and for ideas for your content – for your free content as well as ideas for your coaching programs and other offers.  Some ideas for this podcast come from questions in the groups that Karen and I host.  They sometimes also give us ideas for webinar topics and other offers.  When you can find out where your ideal clients struggle the most and you find out more about their Why – that’s priceless. 

If you want to host your own Facebook group but you aren’t sure how to run one, and how to get your ideal clients to join, my Group Accelerator mini course, walks you through everything you need to know, step by step.  You’ll learn how to grow a highly engaged group that turns members into clients, and the mini course is 50% off right now. 

5. Be a guest on podcasts

One of the best ways to grow your audience and your following is to leverage other people’s audiences, and podcasting is one great example of this. We did an entire episode all about how to get booked on podcasts, including how to research podcasts for possible guest opportunities. It was back on episode 89.  If you set a goal to get on one podcast a month, you would be amazed at the growth of your business in a few short months. Plus, it allows you to make new connections with the hosts and you never know what opportunities can come from that.  Sometimes, another podcast host will hear your interview and they may reach out to have you on their show too.

Before that imposter syndrome creeps up, just know that you don’t have to know everything to be a podcast guest – just focus on that topics you are most passionate about and feel the most comfortable talking about.  Of course, you want the topics to be related to your niche, but you can be newer at what you do and still be a great guest who can share helpful information.

Where can you begin?

Don’t let this overwhelm you; start with one thing for now and do that until you can add something else.  Maybe you aren’t able to outsource anything at the moment, and that’s okay too. When you are able to, hire a virtual assistant or social media manager who can take some of these tasks off your plate.  A virtual assistant can even help research potential podcasts for you to be on.

We can’t wait to hear where you are in the process and what strategies you can add or be more consistent with in the coming months. 

Resources and Links mentioned on the show:

Group Accelerator 50% OFF

Episode 89 – Insider Secrets to Getting Booked on Podcasts

Episode 265 – 3 Simple Steps to Validate Your Niche Marketing Message

Kathleen’s Facebook Group

Kathleen’s Instagram

Karen’s Facebook Group

Karen’s Instagram

Wellness Business Accelerator

;

Let's Connect on Facebook:

Click here

Subscribe and listen to The Wellness Business Podcast on your favorite platform!

5 Reasons Hosting Wellness Workshops Results in More Paying Clients

5 Reasons Hosting Wellness Workshops Results in More Paying Clients

by | May 15, 2023

5 Reasons Hosting Wellness Workshops Results in More Paying Customers

One of the best ways to showcase your expertise, get in front of potential new clients and enroll people into your programs is to host workshops.  This marketing method is so effective because you get to share information that is relevant to your ideal clients and then at the end of the workshop, you share how you can help them reach their goal or solve their top problems that are related to your niche.   

Whether you’re delivering a workshop in person, or you choose to reach more people by hosting an online workshop in a webinar format, they are one of the best ways to showcase your authority, and build trust, even when you’re just starting out. 

In this episode you’ll discover:

  • The 5 key factors why workshops work so well to not only attract new leads but also improve your overall enrollment rate above any other marketing tool out there
  • How workshops open doors to new opportunities and income streams simply by showing up consistently to deliver valuable content
  • Why workshops are so powerful in the relationship-building process, resulting in immediate sales and future clients.


Here are 5 Reasons Hosting Wellness Workshops Results in More Paying Clients.

  1. Demonstrate your expertise: By offering a free workshop, you can showcase your knowledge and skills to potential clients. This can help establish you as an authority in your specialty and build trust with potential clients.
  2. Build relationships: A free workshop is an excellent way for potential clients to get to know you and your business without feeling pressured. It also allows the host to deliver a valuable workshop filled with information that they are giving away for free so they’ve earned the right to pitch their paid program without feeling salesy or pushy. This style of learning environment can help build relationships with potential clients that can lead to future coaching opportunities.
  3. Create a buzz: Offering a free workshop can generate excitement and interest in your coaching services, especially when you promote it through social media and letting your email subscribers know.
  4. Upsell opportunities: Once attendees are at your free workshop, you can, and should, offer them additional services or paid programs as the next step after the workshop.
  5. More Income Through Referrals: If attendees have a positive experience at your free workshop, they are more likely to refer others to your coaching business and future workshops. This can help attract new clients and co-hosting opportunities through word of mouth and referrals.

Another example of how this can benefit you and your business is that as you start to become known as a host of valuable workshops you’ll be asked to do them as a paid speaking opportunity which adds another revenue stream to your business.

Using workshops as a year-round marketing strategy can help you enroll clients on a regular basis. 

Have you hosted any workshops yet?

Resources and Links mentioned on the show:

If you want to make it quick and easy to deliver high-converting workshops, check out Karen’s done-for-you workshops.   

Save 30% on Karen’s Flash Sale on her Wellness Workshops.

Use code SPRING30 for your savings from May 16-18, 2023. 

Kathleen’s Facebook Group

Kathleen’s Instagram

Karen’s Facebook Group

Karen’s Instagram

Wellness Business Accelerator

;

Let's Connect on Facebook:

Click here

Subscribe and listen to The Wellness Business Podcast on your favorite platform!

How to Increase New Email Subscribers Each Month

How to Increase New Email Subscribers Each Month

by | Mar 21, 2023

How to Increase New Email Subscribers Each Month

Growing your email list is something you probably already know is important, but you may not realize that the size and quality of your email list is directly tied to the profitability of your business.  That’s because most of the people who enroll in your programs will do so as a result of your emails and not directly from social media. That doesn’t mean you won’t get ANY clients from social media, but when it comes to sales, email is where a lot more transactions will happen. Even if you do a lot of in-person networking, growing your email list and staying in touch with your subscribers really isn’t optional if you want to get new clients on a regular basis.

After creating an awesome freebie or lead magnet, you want to get as many subscribers from it as possible, but you may be wondering HOW to do it.

Today, we’re sharing how to increase new email subscribers every month, so you are consistently welcoming new people into your ecosystem.

Before we share how to grow your email list each month, we need to touch on something first because getting new subscribers from your free offer isn’t just about promoting it on social media – it goes back to the free offer itself.

Whether it’s a PDF guide, a video or something else, your freebie needs to do a few things, including:

  • Solve part of a problem you know your ideal client has
  • Lead to the next step in the customer journey, such as joining your coaching program or booking a discovery call
  • It also needs to have a compelling title, so when your dream clients see it, they think “I have to have that” and they sign up for it.   

Let’s dive into how to promote your freebie to get more subscribers. 

1. The first thing that’s important to do with your email list-building strategy is to share about it in different mediums on social media.  It’s easy to think you should just share it once after you create it, but it takes repetition, and it takes people seeing it more than once before they take action.  This is a big mistake that is commonly made, and it means your followers only have one chance to sign up for it.

Here’s one example of what this could look like:

Week 1 – Share a static post about it on Facebook and Instagram

Week 2 – Do a Reel or other video of your choice such as a livestream

Week 3 – Post about it in your Facebook group

Week 4 – Write and share a blog post on a topic related to the free resource and include the link where people can get it, and then share your blog post on social media

There are more ways you can promote your free offer, but these 4 are a good place to start. Each format will allow you to reach different people.  After month 1, be sure to include different email list building strategies each month – twice a month in different formats.  Kathleen and I pick our top freebie and we promote it over and over again each month. We always include one of our freebies in our FB groups, so new members can get on our email list too. Keep in mind that you are probably getting followers each month, so you want to make sure they know about it too.

Growing your email list is something you probably already know is important, but you may not realize that the size and quality of your email list is directly tied to the profitability of your business. That’s because most of the people who enroll in your programs will do so as a result of your emails and not directly from social media. That doesn’t mean you won’t get ANY clients from social media, but when it comes to sales, email is where a lot more transactions will happen. Even if you do a lot of in-person networking, growing your email list and staying in touch with your subscribers really isn’t optional if you want to get new clients on a regular basis. After creating an awesome freebie or lead magnet, you want to get as many subscribers from it as possible, but you may be wondering HOW to do it. Today, we’re sharing how to increase new email subscribers every month, so you are consistently welcoming new people into your ecosystem. Before we share how to grow your email list each month, we need to touch on something first because getting new subscribers from your free offer isn’t just about promoting it on social media – it goes back to the free offer itself. Whether it’s a PDF guide, a video or something else, your freebie needs to do a few things, including: Solve part of a problem you know your ideal client has Lead to the next step in the customer journey, such as joining your coaching program or booking a discovery call It also needs to have a compelling title, so when your dream clients see it, they think “I have to have that” and they sign up for it. Let’s dive into how to promote your freebie to get more subscribers. The first thing that’s important to do with your email list-building strategy is to share about it in different mediums on social media. It’s easy to think you should just share it once after you create it, but it takes repetition, and it takes people seeing it more than once before they take action. This is a big mistake that is commonly made, and it means your followers only have one chance to sign up for it. Here’s one example of what this could look like: Week 1 – Share a static post about it on Facebook and Instagram Week 2 – Do a Reel or other video of your choice such as a livestream Week 3 – Post about it in your Facebook group Week 4 – Write and share a blog post on a topic related to the free resource and include the link where people can get it, and then share your blog post on social media There are more ways you can promote your free offer, but these 4 are a good place to start. Each format will allow you to reach different people. After month 1, be sure to include different email list building strategies each month – twice a month in different formats. Kathleen and I pick our top freebie and we promote it over and over again each month. We always include one of our freebies in our FB groups, so new members can get on our email list too. Keep in mind that you are probably getting followers each month, so you want to make sure they know about it too.

2. Include who the free resource is for and how it will help them.

Even though this is a free resource, you still have to “sell” it. Everyone is protective of their email address, so it has to be something really good, that your audience thinks will help them.

Here’s what you want to include in your posts and videos when you are promoting your freebie:

  • Who the free resource is for
  • How it will help them – what problem it will help them solve
  • How they can get it

Here is an example for a post for a guide called “5 Secrets to Eating Gluten Free While Traveling.” 

Your post could say something like this:

Traveling when you’re on a gluten free diet can be challenging, right?  You don’t want to be stuck at the airport or on the road without any good food options you trust.

I know what a struggle this can be and that’s why I have put together this FREE guide that shares 5 Secrets to Eating Gluten Free While Traveling.

Download your free copy here: [url to landing page here] 

Discover my top insider tips for travel-friendly snacks and food to take with you on the go, plus recommended apps to use once you reach your destination, so you’re never left wondering where to find food you can eat. 

So, you address the problem you know they have, and how your guide will help them, and then the link so they can get it. When you explain it in an easy-to-understand way, you’ll have more people opting in for it.

The two most common reasons why coaches aren’t growing their email list more each month is that they aren’t sharing about their freebie often enough (in different ways) and the benefits aren’t really clear.  When people see your post and/or they click the link to the landing page where they learn more, it has to be very clear who it’s for and what the benefit it. If people are confused or unsure, they don’t take the next step.

When you incorporate these strategies, you will be pleasantly surprised at how many new subscribes you’ll be welcoming each month.   

Resources and Links mentioned on the show:

Kathleen’s Facebook Group

Kathleen’s Instagram

Karen’s Facebook Group

Karen’s Instagram

Wellness Business Accelerator

;

Let's Connect on Facebook:

Click here

Subscribe and listen to The Wellness Business Podcast on your favorite platform!

The 3 Key Differences Between a 
Free and Paid Workshop

The 3 Key Differences Between a 
Free and Paid Workshop

by | Oct 24, 2022

The 3 Key Differences Between a Free and Paid Workshop

If you have been thinking about doing workshops for your health coaching business, you may have wondered if you should offer them for free or if you should charge a fee.

There are two amazing ways to use workshops in your coaching business. The first way is to share the content free of charge with the intention of 1) growing your email list and 2) building a relationship with the workshop attendees.

In the category of email list builders, workshops are definitely more time and effort than something like a PDF guide, but the results can be significantly better.

The second way to use workshops in your coaching business, and what we will going over today, is to charge for the workshop. Paid workshops are a great way to give your followers a low-cost way to work with you, (which can definitely be part of the nurturing process and relationship building that is needed to help them get more comfortable with a higher investment down the road), and it’s a great way to give your revenue a boost anytime you want.

So, you may be wondering what the difference is between a free workshop and a paid workshop. For the most part, they are the same but there are three key differences that set them apart to make them charge-worthy.

Here are the 3 key differences between a free and paid workshop:

#1) Add a layer of on-the-spot coaching while going through the workshop

This is a huge-value add in the eyes of your paid workshop attendees. Having the ability to ask you questions and get immediate feedback will be extremely valuable to those in attendance.

We know that for some coaches imagining themselves doing on-the-spot coaching sounds very scary but it’s not as scary as you may think. Here’s a few parameters to make this part of your workshop doable for even a brand new coach.

  • Ask your attendees to keep their questions specific to your workshop topic that way your conversation doesn’t go off the rails and you won’t lose track of time.
  • If someone asks you a question that is either way too much to answer in the moment or is completely off topic all you have to say is, “That’s more than I can answer during this workshop but if you email me I’ll be happy to help.”
  • Rest assured you do not need to answer every single question during the breakout on-the-spot coaching sessions during the workshop. You won’t want to lose the workshop momentum that you’ve created so 1-2 short Q&A / Coaching sessions during the workshop is perfect.

The 3 Key Differences Between a 
Free and Paid Workshop

#2) Complete the workshop workbook with your attendees during your time together (these can be called implementation breaks)

Working through the workshop workbook with your attendees will be extremely valuable to them because they’ll have a topic specific manual when they are finished with your paid workshop.

Some people have a hard time paying attention to a speaker while simultaneously taking notes or filling in a workbook. That’s why stopping every 10 minutes or so to help them get caught up with the workbook keeps everyone successfully completing your workshop. It also allows you to market the workshop in a way that tells your paying clients that they are going to walk away with a completed workbook for future reference.

#3) A free workshop is typically 1 hour in length, but a paid workshop should run anywhere between 2-3 hours.

The expansion of any workshop material from 1 hour to 2 or 3 hours is 100% the difference in implementation time and on-the-spot coaching. Anyone paying for a workshop (live training), is going to have a level of expectation that their questions will be answered and they’ll walk away with a step-by-step implementation plan related to the workshop topic.

One way to do this is to extend the Q&A time at the end. This part of your workshop goes above and beyond what you would offer in a free workshop and guarantees that no question goes unanswered. The magical part about leaving added time at the end to answer every question is that your audience will get a deeper feel for your abilities as a coach and will move them much further along in the customer journey toward a larger investment into one of your higher paid programs.

The added Q&A time plus the implementation time to complete the workbook will offer a relaxed atmosphere conducive to learning.

A few final paid workshop guidelines –

  1. Paid workshops like what we’ve discussed today would range anywhere between $27 – $57 per enrollment
  2. There won’t be a program sales pitch at the end of this workshop but you can feel free to follow up with each registrant with an email sequence leading them to your next most appropriate offer
  3. Once you run this workshop in a live format it’s easy to then make the recording available on your website as an evergreen offer.

If you’ve been considering offering paid workshops to add to your offerings, the ideas we shared today should help you get off to a great start!

Save your spot for Karen’s upcoming free workshop on November 2nd.

5 Reasons Why the Most Successful Coaches Use Workshops to Grow Their Businesses

How this low-tech strategy will outperform social media every single time for getting new clients

Resources and Links mentioned on the show:

Karen’s Free Workshop: 5 Reasons Why the Most Successful Coaches Use Workshops to Grow Their Businesses

Kathleen’s Facebook Group

Kathleen’s Instagram

Karen’s Facebook Group

Karen’s Instagram

Wellness Business Accelerator

;

Let's Connect on Facebook:

Click here

Subscribe and listen to The Wellness Business Podcast on your favorite platform!