Why is publicity important for Course Creators & Online Coaches?

For many course creators and online coaches - myself included - when I am given the exact steps to promote my content I follow it. Like, to a T.

After all, this is what my teachers are telling me and they’re super-successful so why wouldn’t I?

And most of the time, it seems like social media ads (typically Facebook and Instagram) are the avenue that gets pushed. 

And I get it. It’s way easier to teach than publicity, it’s much quicker, there aren’t as many variables and you can see a distinct ROI.

But boy-oh-boy… when you get a sweet piece of media coverage, whatever the avenue, it can TRANSFORM your business. 

One of my favorite examples of some explosive growth courtesy of some bangin' publicity is my business mentor, Amy Porterfield. 

In August of 2019, Amy was featured in Forbes Magazine. After the article was published, Amy's team estimated they saw a 32% growth in podcast downloads, and an approximate 20% growth in email subscribers. 

I mean... daaaaaaaamm, right? 

That kind of result deserves all the emojis: 🙌 🔥 💯 🎉 🤯 🍾

Even if you're not featured in Forbes (like most of us, btw), publicity from any sized outlet can be a list-builder of the highest degree for any course creator or online coach.

Here's some reasons why:

There are multiple ways to do it

Publicity isn’t “one size fits all” and it doesn’t just come in the form of TV spots or major features like the above… I mean sure, those are great, but don’t let that be the only stick you measure by. 

Media coverage comes in many forms, and each of them moves the needle in their own way.

Top examples include:

• TV / Radio spots
• Media mentions in publications (print or online)
• Guest Posts / Articles
• Podcast Guest

...essentially any sort of coverage you aren’t paying for. 

While a feature in Forbes or Inc. would be amazing - your ideal customer might be paying more attention to a smaller podcast or online magazine more! 

Authority Building 

The job of any good publicity hit is to build your credibility. And trust me when I say that increase in authority will bring more business your way.

Don’t believe me? Check out this stat from the Content Marketing Institute: 70% of consumers prefer getting to know a company via articles rather than ads. Customers want to know the people behind the brand, and their thoughts and opinions on industry issues. Customers prefer this over the ad experience.

List-Building

You WILL see an increase in your list with consistent media coverage. Whether you’re able to specifically mention a freebie or not, you should absolutely always direct people to your website or podcast so that they can sign up. 

Last but not least - publicity will bring you more money - faster. 

It may not happen overnight (although how many things in life do?), but people arrive further down your funnel because you’ve already hit some of that “know, like and trust” factor. 

A Chief Marketer report found the content most effective at moving prospects through the sales funnel are articles and blogs [49%] (Chief Marketer). PR articles are an excellent way to move prospects down the funnel. While blogs help too, having articles published in industry magazines show expertise.

So get out there, start sharing your knowledge and see your ICA come to you!