Welcome to Create Content that Sells
This is your go-to newsletter where I showcase the systems and strategies I use to monetize a 1-person online business through organic content on LinkedIn.
Read time: 5 minutes
I might start sounding like a broken record at this point but I want to emphasize this message as much as I can.
LinkedIn is a simple platform, complicated by those who want to sell you something
I know this from experience. I've had “experts” make LinkedIn seem like a complicated platform because of their interest in pitching me their services.
It's business 101: Find a problem and then solve it.
In this case I've seen quite a lot of life coaches fall victim to this strategy from LinkedIn experts. That you end up think the problem is “you”
You come across many posts on the feed that look like this:
“The best LinkedIn engagement strategy in 2025”
“How I got 36 leads from this one LinkedIn post”
“What's better, engagements or impressions?”
You end up feeling overwhelmed and stressed. You try and do things your own way
Which from (experience) means, “If I'm kind enough and empathetic, then I'll get clients”
Sound familiar?
You start out with lots of enthusiasm, but time & "noise" on social media take their toll on you. You don't see results nor progress.
What starts as an active, motivated approach to getting clients turns into a cycle of strategy-hopping with little to no progress.
You start hearing experts say, this is what you should be doing:
“Write better hooks.”
“Build your community.”
“Invest in your personal brand.”
Which are important things but these are distractions.
Soon, the focus shifts from client acquisition to:
"Maybe more followers will give me social proof"
"Maybe if I comment more, more people will see me"
"Maybe if I enrol in this free course I'll grow a stronger brand."
Client acquisition starts taking a back seat.
I'm here to say stop.
Here's where the focus should be:
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Offer
Most coaches struggle not because of their content but because of their offer/service which is fundamental. The brick and cement of the house.
On a piece of paper next you, answer these questions:
Who are you a coach for? (Woman in leadership, SaaS development etc)
What problem are you solving for them? (Mindset, Therapy etc)
How do you solve the problem for them? (4-week coaching program, Zoom meeting or in-person)
How much are you charging and how? ($349-$10,000 and is it once-off payment or monthly retainer
If you can't say what you do in one sentence, you've not fully understood what you do and who you help.
Once that is figured out. The focus will be on building the perfect coaching business on LinkedIn. Here's a checklist of things to do:
Optimize your LinkedIn profile (Your profile picture, banner, about section, featured section and your 3 main settings)
Create 2 free resources to provide value (a template, guide or pdf which provides value and fixes half the problem) and a video which details how you help them with additional FAQs. (Ex. LinkedIn OS Playbook)
Set up a 30-day content strategy (Use the prompt in step 2)
Start reaching out to potential clients (The DM system I use)
Then rinse and repeat step 3 and 4. Post 5x a week and reach out to potential clients.
Step 2: Post Some Damn… Good Content
Your content might be free to consume but it doesn't mean, don't put in the effort to make it worth reading and valuable at the same time.
Don't use ChatGPT to write your content, please…
You come across as someone who is lazy, unbothered and doesn't care to put in the effort. Your content goes a long way to building your brand. So be known for something good, even if the content is free.
You can structure your content like this:
Monday (Long-form educational post)
Tuesday (Short-form educational post)
Wednesday (Promote your newsletter)
Thursday (Promote your free guide)
Sunday (Share a story about your life)
Don't forget to comment on other people's content 20 minutes before and after posting your content to warm up the audience and allow for more people to see your content.
Use this ChatGPT prompt for content ideas:
Just copy and paste.
You are my new content calendar editor. I want you to come up with 30 content ideas I can use for my LinkedIn for the next 30 days. Each piece of content should be tied with a Contente Theme + Purpose.
Content Themes:
Value Bomb
Authority Builder
Client Win
Deep Dive
Lifestyle
Actionable
Content Purpose:
Grow Following (Gain Authority + Trust)
Obtain Emails
Sell Products/Services
Type of Post:
Carousel Post
Personal Image Post
Normal Image + Text Post
Here's the exact audience I target: [insert audience here]
Here's what I sell: [insert what you sell here]
Here's how I help my audience: [insert what you do]
Give me a copy and paste content strategy for the next 30 days. For the actual post, I want the hook only. Use bold points, use numbers, and be relatable. End each hook with ":".
Here it is and don't forget to fill in the blank spaces for your audience, what you sell and how you help your audience.
Ask chatgpt to put it into a table so it makes a lot more sense when creating your content
That's more than enough for one newsletter.
Now please…go and implement what I've just shared. Have any questions? Reach out to me on LinkedIn (Aphiwe Khumalo)
I won't repeat how to get clients on LinkedIn. Last week's newsletter covers that (The DM system I use)
Want audio version of this newsletter? (Audio version of step 2) f
Can't implement this on your own? Book a call and let's grow your coaching business together! Book a call on our page
Till next week,
Aphiwe Khumalo
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Comment on other people's content for an hour a day, when you can.