This blog post and podcast episode talks about what type of online content format you should use for your coaching or service business.

This is important because the format of the content can determine how much reach and engagement you get from your audience.

You can listen to the audio or watch the video and check out any other notes below.

For a lot of people who haven’t done it before, content creation can seem like a huge challenge. However, if you are a coach, consultant, or someone who offers high-value services, then one of the biggest factors that determine if people work with you is trust. 

Your potential client will be having a relationship with you going forward, so they need to know that you are the right fit for them before they connect with you. 

What Content Format Do You Start With?

For me, videos are the most effective way to quickly build trust and to pull people in. Videos are a way for people to get to know you and your philosophy before they take the plunge of working with you. 

I’ve had clients come in off the back of a video I did in the past. The videos they’ve seen of me built enough trust so when they contact me, it’s to see how I can help their specific needs.

When starting out, start with one method that you think will be most appropriate for your audience and the type of content you know you will be comfortable creating consistently. 

Keep in mind that people consume content in various ways. Some people prefer audio, some prefer video whilst others will be happier with written content in the form of a blog post. 

You will have a variety of people in your audience so if you focus on one medium, you may end up alienating segments of your audience. 

Realistically, you should be doing all three types of content, however, when starting out it can be difficult to do all three so the lowest barrier to entry are blog posts. 

You don’t need to be an amazing writer, all you need to be able to do is explain what you want to say in a cohesive manner. You could then use a content writing service to put your thoughts together into a blog post. 

Blog posting will do two things for you:

1. It Quickly allows you to build up content on your website that establishes authority.

You can have your core topics under the core subject areas that you cover, which you then use as a reference. With this library of content, you can refer clients or potential clients to a particular post if they need further information on a specific topic. 

This will save you time as you can provide a short explanation then refer them to the blog post. I have done this many times when explaining something to my clients and potential clients. 

Aim to start with 100 blog posts. This may sound like a lot but it will be a great body of content that will help establish your authority in your area of focus. 

You don’t have to rush to finish the 100 posts, you can set a schedule of writing one per day, or once per week. Another option would be to set yourself a challenge to get as much content out in 30 days or set a target to do 50 to 100 posts in a month. The main thing is to be consistent with it.

2. Provides SEO Value 

All those posts will be indexed in the search results by Google and will be delivered to people searching for your topics especially if you have long-tail keywords. The topics aren’t generic, you have longer, more specific search terms that fewer people are searching for but aren’t covered as much so you have a higher chance of showing up in the results page when someone searches Google for that type of content. 

The other thing is that you will have a base of content that you can use to share on your social media and it can form a base for your next form of content for example video, which is what I recommend you do next.  

Video

As I mentioned earlier, video is a powerful type of content for quickly building trust as people feel as if you’re there talking to them. Videos are also being pushed by most online platforms because it offers the most engagement and retention for people staying on the platform.

Many people shy away from video because they don’t want to be on camera or they think it’s a huge headache to set up and edit, but you can do it with a mobile phone and a mic – which is what I used to create this podcast. 

I have a post here (link) that talks about what you need for a basic set up. 

If you are in a competitive space where your competitors are not doing videos, adding videos may be what puts you ahead.

You don’t have to worry about editing, people will see that you are real and authentic if you speak to them as if they’re in front of you. 

Podcast 

Finally, podcasting is a more intimate way of connecting with your audience and building trust. It is primarily audio but you can also do a video podcast. This type of content is a way for people to get into your mind, explore your thoughts and it can be delivered in a more relaxed way.  

Be real, be you, people will connect with you. People are looking to connect with other people. That’s what podcasts will do for you.

This helps connect with your audience who prefer to listen whilst on the go, doing things such as driving to work, exercising or cooking dinner. I personally like this content format, I learn a lot and consume a lot of information through this medium. There is a lot of value to be had from podcasts, you may want to consider that.

My takeaway from this is that you should be doing all three forms of content, however, you can start with blog posts to build up your library of content and increase your SEO value. 

Next move on to videos which will give you more traction based on how platforms are pushing videos right now. 

Finally, start a podcast so you can get more intimate with your audience (not that kind of intimate..), in a way that people get to know you. It’s just you talking to people and they can resonate more with you.

—

If you need some extra help, check out some of my other resources here on my website and see some of the ways that I can help you with your online strategy.

Resources:

• My Free Toolkit – Get access to a list of my favourite tools for content creation and running websites.
• Check out episode 49 on audience research.