The 3 Ways To Get Clients
One year ago I took a risk and launched a Netflix-style, bingeable podcast series called How to Get Clients. Twelve months later, one episode from that series stands out above everything else. Episode four has an average consumption rate of 110 percent, which means listeners aren’t just finishing it. They’re rewinding it and playing sections again. So to celebrate the first anniversary of the series, I’m bringing that exact episode to the Best Damn Coach feed. It covers the only three ways to get clients that exist. Once you can name which door you’re actually using, growing your client roster stops feeling like a guessing game.
The three ways to get clients
There is no secret strategy that successful coaches are hiding from you. Every client you will ever sign comes through one of three doors. You build an audience, you borrow someone else’s, or you buy access to one. I like to make big concepts feel small, because I started with zero business or marketing experience. Words like client acquisition and ROI seemed really foreign to me, so I had to find ways to just get it for myself. Now I get to hand you the shortcut. Let me walk you through each door and what it looks like in practice.
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Build an audience (and why email beats social)
Building means growing your own following organically by providing value. For most coaches that looks like posting on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, or Facebook. It also includes podcasting and speaking, whether virtually or on a stage. But the part most coaches miss is what I call the passionate voyeurs. These are people consuming your content without ever liking, commenting, or introducing themselves. I’ve had clients invest in my highest-ticket offers whose names I had never seen anywhere. They just said “I’ve been watching” and booked the sales call. So keep showing up even when engagement looks quiet, because trust is building with people you can’t see yet.
Then bring those people closer with an email list. When you post on social media, less than 3 percent of your followers will even see your content. If 100 people follow you, roughly three of them see the post you spent an hour creating. Compare that to email, where a healthy open rate runs 25 to 35 percent. The same 100 people on a list means at least 25 are reading. Three versus 25 is not a hard choice, and that math is exactly why we spend far more time nurturing our email list than posting on social. It’s also why I host a weekly webinar and create downloads like the series workbook. Each one gives me a direct line to my ideal client.
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Borrow an audience full of your ideal clients
Borrowing means getting in front of somebody else’s people. Guest on other podcasts. Go live with someone on Instagram or LinkedIn. Write a guest blog or newsletter, or speak at someone’s event or summit. One listener hears you, feels an immediate connection, and steps into your world by following you or opting in to a free resource. Now they’re part of your audience too.
One strategic filter matters here, though: not all audiences are equal. My programs serve female coaches, mentors, and service providers. Could I help a room full of brick-and-mortar product businesses? Sure. But that’s not who my offers are built for, so I don’t spend energy there. Before you pitch anything, ask whether that room is full of your ideal clients. For me, the two most effective borrowing plays have been guesting on podcasts and guest teaching inside other communities. In fact, if you host a podcast or run a community of coaches, I would love to come teach this framework to your people.
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Buy an audience: the fastest and riskiest path
Buying means paid traffic. Think Meta ads on Instagram and Facebook, Google ads, podcast ads, paid space at an event, or even a spot in a local magazine. This is the fastest of the three ways to get clients, and your audience can grow exponentially depending on your budget. It’s also the riskiest, because ads spend real money whether or not your foundation is ready.
I’ve watched too many coaches join programs promising 30K in 30 days, only to find out the fine print required a hefty ad budget they didn’t have. Others ran ads before their messaging and offer were ready to convert the leads. Paid traffic amplifies what already exists. If the foundation underneath is shaky, ads just make the shakiness more expensive.
How to choose your focus
None of the three ways to get clients is better than the others. What matters is the foundation underneath them, because the same framework fuels all three. A single freebie can grow your list organically, give you a call to action on a guest podcast, and sit behind your ad campaign. So instead of trying to do everything at once, get honest about three questions. Which of these are you doing right now? Where does most of your time actually go? And where do you want to grow next? Grab the series workbook and write your answers down, because clarity here tells you exactly where your next client is coming from.
