Hi Reader,
Here's how to turn a simple podcast into your most powerful client acquisition tool (without needing a million listeners).
In 2016, I started my very first podcast out of my childhood bedroom with no audience, no credibility, and within a year that show helped me land my dream job in the Bay Area, coaching Fortune 1000 executives, professional athletes, and anyone coming back from an injury (that was really my specialty).
Since then, I've helped produce shows that have gone on to do over a million downloads, becoming successful client acquisition channels. I test these strategies in real-time on my own show, the Habit Chess Podcast, and with my consulting clients.
Let me break down the realistic approach to podcasting for coaches. Not the "become a celebrity" model, but one where you start benefiting from day one.
What Problem Are We Actually Solving?
As a coach, much of my day was spent delivering: meetings, writing programs, giving feedback. When I onboarded new clients, I was focused on ensuring they have a great experience. And delivery quickly became the thing which took away time from marketing at every stage of growth. This tug-of-war is something you've likely experienced.
Start by knowing exactly how many clients you need for a successful coaching business on your terms.
At Functional Bodybuilding, 40 clients was a full-time load (I typically had 60-70 on my roster), while other coaching companies had coaches handling 200 clients at lower price points.
Whether your business needs 5, 20, 40, or 200 clients, knowing this number removes the vagueness around your podcast goals.
You don't need to hit millions of impressions or become a top-ranking show. This clarity will save your show before it even launches.
Your Podcast Solves Three Key Problems:
1. The Client Problem
My dream scenario was clients coming to me pre-sold. When people selected me as their coach from our form and mentioned they knew me from podcasts, our calls were different. Instead of me explaining who I was, they spent the first 15 minutes "fanboying" about their favorite episodes. They had already spent hours with me on their own time, drastically changing both the sales experience and their long-term success.
2. The Brand Building Problem
If you're a solo independent coach rather than part of a bigger company, you need more brand building. I loved that feeling of meeting someone who had consumed hours of my content, and I wanted to duplicate that experience again and again.
3. The Talk Time Problem
Your time is valuable, especially when handling 40+ clients. I developed templates for common questions, and my podcast became an extension of this.
For example, tempo training was something I constantly explained, so we created a 30-minute deep dive episode on it. When clients asked, I'd give them a short answer plus the episode link. And surprisingly most actually listened.
My clients would tell me: "It feels like you and Marcus have bugged my house. Every Friday your episodes cover exactly what I'm thinking about!" That's a great sign you know your ideal listener.
One CFO of a publicly traded company (who wrote a book) listened to all my episodes when he became my client. As another client of mine who was also a coach beautifully put it: "Your clients want to see and hear the information from YOU. That's who they're hiring not the latest influencer."
The Coaching Podcast Funnel
The bottom of your funnel is likely the entry to your coaching service, maybe a free call or trial.
The middle is your podcast, where trust is built.
The top is your social platforms (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, etc) where people first discover you.
Accept that early on, your podcast may be more of a nurture channel than an acquisition channel. It helps convert people already in your world into your free or paid offers. After a couple years and product-market fit, it becomes an acquisition channel too.
Remember the 7-11-4 rule from Google (popularized by Daniel Priestley): people typically need 7 hours of content consumption, 11 different touch points, and 4 different locations before becoming a customer. Podcasting makes hitting the 7 hours infinitely easier than trying to do it with 60-second reels.
The short-form content takes people to the long-form content where trust is built.
Using Your Podcast as a Content Pillar
Use your podcast as the source material for everything else. Newsletters, social posts, clips, threads, etc. When I worked with Marcus Filly, people would say his newsletter was a great follow-up to our episode. That was intentional! Everything feels connected. Even if you are saying the same thing in multiple places.
You'll develop Instagram fans who only consume your 90-second clips but never listen to full episodes. That's fine! If they're connecting with you two minutes at a time, that's evidence your process is working.
I've worked with many finance folks and they're not all on Instagram. They're listening to podcasts or maybe on LinkedIn more than TikTok. Your podcast lets you cater to people on different platforms without spreading you thin.
What Should You Talk About?
First, cover what commonly comes up in your client interactions. Mix this with content that might help you get reach:
- Guests: This is tried and true. On my first podcast, I got hitter after hitter in my niche, to where by 10 episodes, I was landing dream guests because of the credibility I'd built.
- Solo episodes: This is underrated and hard to pull off, but gives you complete control over production. Minimal dependency on guests. It grows slower but creates an unbreakable bond with listeners.
Don't create for your peers. Create for your clients. And don't just think about YouTube views or downloads. When clients share your episodes with friends or family, that creates a much more natural referral bridge than a direct ask.
Building Your Catalog
What you're building is a body of work that converts. Keep adding to it consistently until suddenly you have 100 episodes. This is a litmus test many famous guests use before considering a show.
Your podcast shows how you think, what you're learning, and humanizes you in a way your Instagram feed doesn't. Your podcast content doesn't get diluted like social posts. The perceived value is higher. And so shelf life is longer.
Remember you don't need millions of listeners. You just need enough to fill your coaching roster.
Need a hand with starting or growing your podcast with YouTube? Click here to book a free podcast strategy session.
In your corner,
Misbah Haque
Founder & Consultant at Pod Mahal
Writer & Host of Habit Chess
P.S. Want a library of B-roll that's your own footage instead of stock stuff? Download this.
