Your Audience Isn’t Just on Google Anymore — How to Get Found Online as a Coach

The question isn’t where should I post — it’s how does your content get found online?

A little while ago, a client told me how he’d found Tiel Virtual Solutions. I was expecting a Google search, maybe Instagram or LinkedIn, possibly a referral. It was none of those. He’d been chatting with ChatGPT, asked it to recommend a Kajabi specialist, and my name came up.

I’ll be honest — I had to sit with that for a moment.

The way people discover businesses, courses, and experts has shifted — quietly, steadily, and more completely than most of us have stopped to notice. The old assumption — “I just need to rank on Google and the right people will find me” — is no longer the whole picture. It’s not even most of the picture.

If you’re a coach or course creator who’s been showing up on one or two platforms and wondering why it doesn’t feel like it’s working, this article is for you. By the end, you’ll have a clearer picture of how to get found online — where your audience is actually spending their time, and how to show up there without burning yourself out in the process.

Where Coaches Get Found Online Now

There was a time when “getting found online” meant one thing: SEO.

Get your website ranked on Google, and the right people would come to you. That still matters — but it’s no longer the full story.

Search has expanded well beyond Google. Younger audiences — and plenty of not-so-young ones — increasingly turn to Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and Pinterest before they ever open a search engine. They’re looking for real people, real experiences, and real answers. They’re not just Googling. They’re asking.

And now, they’re asking AI tools directly. ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and others have become a part of how people search now. Someone might ask an AI for the best resources on building an online course, or for a recommendation for a Kajabi specialist — and the AI will return results based on what’s out there, what’s well-structured, and what’s been consistently helpful.

Then there’s the quiet power of communities — Facebook groups, Slack channels, Reddit threads. These spaces are full of real conversations. When someone asks “can anyone recommend a good health coach?” and five people name the same person, that’s discovery in its most powerful form.

Research consistently shows that buyers need multiple touchpoints before they make a decision — and that number has only grown. Your audience is finding you — or not finding you — across multiple places long before they ever reach out.

What AI Discovery Actually Means for Your Content

When I found out a client had discovered me through ChatGPT, my first instinct was to wonder what I’d done to make that happen. The answer, honestly, is nothing specific. It wasn’t something I’d set out to achieve. It was the result of showing up consistently, writing clearly, and being genuinely useful over time.

That’s the thing about AI tools — they pull up content that is clear, specific, and authoritative. They’re not impressed by keyword density. They reward content that actually answers questions well.

This isn’t a reason to overhaul your entire content strategy or start “optimising for AI.” It’s a reason to keep doing what already works: writing helpful, specific, well-structured content that speaks directly to the people you serve. If your blog post answers a real question clearly, if your newsletter feels like it was written for a real human — that’s exactly what gets referenced, recommended, and discovered. It’s also one of the most sustainable ways to get found online as a coach.

Consistency and specificity. That’s what showed up for me in that AI recommendation. And it’s what will show up for you, too.

The Channels Worth Paying Attention To

You don’t need to be everywhere. In fact, trying to be everywhere is one of the fastest routes to content burnout. But it’s worth knowing what’s actually moving the needle for coaches and course creators right now — so you can be intentional about where you invest your time.

Short-form video (Instagram Reels, TikTok) — These platforms are built for discovery. The algorithm puts your content in front of people who don’t already follow you. If visibility is your goal, short-form video is one of the most powerful tools available right now. You don’t need to be a professional videographer. You simply need to show up as yourself, and be consistent.

LinkedIn — Often underestimated by course creators, LinkedIn has quietly become one of the best content discovery platforms for service-based businesses. With over 1.3 billion users, there’s a strong case for showing up there — especially if your audience includes professionals, educators, or aspiring business owners.

Email newsletters and forwards — This one is often underrated. A newsletter that genuinely helps people gets forwarded. Someone shares it with a colleague, a friend passes it along in a Facebook group, and suddenly someone who’d never heard of you is on your website. Email is your most direct line to your audience — and good content travels.

Niche communities — Facebook groups, Reddit threads, Slack and other community spaces. These generate word-of-mouth at a surprisingly high rate. When someone recommends you in a group of 3,000 people who are your exact ideal client, that’s discovery that no algorithm can replicate.

AI tools — As mentioned earlier, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and others are increasingly being used for research and recommendations. Clear, specific, helpful content — especially on your own website and blog — is what gets recommended here.

The point isn’t to be active on all of these. The point is to choose 2–3 intentionally to build real online visibility — based on where your specific audience is actually spending their time. Not where you assume they are. Not where the latest trend report says to be. Where they actually are.

How Your Content Can Travel Further Online

Here’s where this gets practical. The question isn’t “should I post on Instagram or write a blog?” — it’s “how can the content I’m already creating reach more of the right people?”

This is the repurposing mindset — and it’s the foundation of sustainable content marketing for coaches and course creators. It’s what makes showing up across multiple touchpoints feel manageable rather than exhausting.

Here’s exactly how I approach it with every piece of content I create.

Every month, I start with one blog article — the cornerstone of my entire content approach. It’s long-form, searchable, and built to live on my website for the long haul. Once that’s written, everything else flows from it.

The article becomes the foundation for my newsletter — a more personal take on the same idea, sent directly to the people who’ve already said yes to hearing from me and trust me.

From there, I create a full social media suite: three short promotional posts that drive people back to the full article, two tip posts that pull specific insights and invite conversation, as well as a carousel reel that walks through an idea from one angle to another and a short talking reel that delivers the core idea, both in video format. Each one is adapted for the platform it’s landing on — not copy-pasted.

One article. One clear message. Seven or eight ways for the right person to find it.

That consistency — the same message showing up in different places, in different formats — is what builds familiarity. Familiarity builds trust. And trust is what eventually brings someone to your door.

Consistency of message matters more than consistency of platform. You don’t need to be on everything. You need what you’re already creating to travel further.

Showing Up So the Right People Can Find You Online

Before you add a new platform or commit to a new content format, it’s worth pausing to ask: where is my audience actually spending their time?

Not where you think they are. Not where the latest marketing podcast told you to be.

But where the specific people you want to reach are genuinely showing up — and what they’re looking for when they get there.

A simple audit can help. Look at where your best past clients came from. Pay attention to the communities they mention, the platforms they reference, the way they describe how they found you. That information is far more useful than any trend report.

Then choose 2–3 channels intentionally and commit to showing up there consistently. The goal isn’t to be everywhere — it’s to build connected touchpoints. When someone hears about you in one place, they should be able to find you easily in another. Your website, your newsletter, your social presence — these should all point toward each other and make it easy for people to go deeper.

A content ecosystem, in other words. Not a collection of disconnected posts — but a system where each piece of content has a home, a purpose, and a clear next step for the reader.

You’re Not Chasing Algorithms — You’re Building Something

The creators and businesses that grow consistently aren’t the ones who are everywhere. They’re the ones who are connected — where each piece of content leads somewhere, and every platform points back to the same clear message.

And the thing about that ChatGPT recommendation? It wasn’t magic. It was the result of showing up helpfully and consistently, over time, in a way that made it easy for people — and apparently, AI tools — to recognise what I do and who I serve.

That’s available to you too. Not by adding more platforms to your plate, but by building a content ecosystem that works together — and helps you grow your online business in a way that feels sustainable.

What’s one place your audience is showing up that you haven’t thought to meet them yet?

If you’re ready to think through your content strategy — what to create, where it should live, and how to make it travel — I’d love to chat. Book a teatime chat with me and let’s map it out together.