How to Market Your Coaching and Expert-Led Business Without Burning Out on Social Media
The New Era of Sustainable Visibility
If 2024 was the year of "consistency at all costs," then 2025 is shaping up to be the year we all take a collective breath and reassess.
The social media grind has hit a wall. You know what I'm talking about: the constant posting, the endless scrolling, trying to figure out what the algorithm wants this week. For coaches and experts especially, it's become exhausting.
And the numbers back up what we're all feeling. Organic reach has tanked. Engagement rates have dropped to 0.5% across major platforms, which is a 28% decline year over year. Even if you genuinely enjoy creating content, here's the reality check: the average business owner is now spending 10+ hours per week on social media just to stay visible.
A recent report from Sprout Social put it perfectly: "The marketers who win won't be the ones posting the most, but the ones making data-driven decisions."
Translation? Marketing has fundamentally shifted. It's no longer about volume. It's about vibration. Your energy, your strategy, and actually owning your audience matter way more than how often you show up to post.
Why Traditional Social Media Marketing Is Failing Coaches in 2025
The platforms we used to rely on to grow our businesses? They've changed. They're now built for retention, not reach. Every single post you put out there is competing against paid ads, trending reels, and algorithmic filters that literally decide whether your own followers even see what you share.
Here's the kicker: posting more doesn't equal more visibility anymore. In fact, overposting can actually hurt you. Instagram and LinkedIn have shifted to prioritizing "engagement quality" over frequency. That means a few thoughtful, original posts will perform better than churning out a ton of recycled content.
Want proof of how broken this system is? Let me tell you about my anniversary. My spouse rarely posts on social media. Like, almost never. She's basically been riding the coattails of my social media efforts for years. But on our anniversary, she decided to share a post about us on Facebook.
It went viral. Over 200 likes. 122 comments.
Meanwhile, I'm over here busting my butt writing engaging content every single week, and I'm lucky if I get even an eighth of that engagement. An eighth! If that doesn't tell you everything you need to know about how these algorithms work (or don't work), I don't know what does.
But beyond all the metrics and analytics, there's something else going on. There's an emotional cost to all of this. I hear it from coaches and healers constantly: "I just want to coach. I didn't sign up to become a full-time content creator."
And I totally get it. As a business coach and strategist, I've felt that tug-of-war myself. Here's what I believe: marketing your business shouldn't feel like a second job. It should amplify your work, not drain every ounce of energy you have.
The Burnout Loop You Don't See Coming
Here's the thing about burnout: it doesn't always show up as exhaustion. Sometimes it's quieter than that. It shows up as resistance.
You know that feeling when you dread writing your next post? Or when you second-guess every single caption before you hit publish? Or when you've spent an entire hour trying to outsmart an algorithm that keeps changing the rules on you?
Those aren't just bad days. Those are signs that your marketing strategy is completely out of alignment with how you're actually designed to work.
You might still love your message and believe in what you do. But the medium? It's not serving you anymore. When all your energy is going into platforms you don't even own, you end up in this endless cycle of chasing visibility instead of actually building authority.
But here's the good news: you can absolutely grow your business without living online. And in 2026, that's not just a nice idea. It's essential.
How to Market Your Coaching Business Sustainably (Without the Scroll Spiral)
Let's be clear: I'm not anti-social media. It's still a valuable visibility tool. But it's one channel in a much bigger ecosystem. It's not the ecosystem itself.
The key is to use social platforms creatively and intentionally, not constantly. And I'm speaking from experience here. Even though I've maintained a consistent social media presence in 2025, over the past 6-9 months, I've cared way less about social media and way more about other marketing strategies that I actually prefer to put my energy into. And that trend? It's only going to continue in 2026.
That said, if you're going to use social media, there are ways to do it that won't burn you out. Let me walk you through some approaches that actually feel sustainable.
Part 1: Creative, Low-Burnout Ways to Use Social Media
Repurpose With Intention
Stop chasing new content every single day. Instead, take your long-form assets (podcast clips, blog excerpts, client insights) and repurpose them into simple visuals. I do this all the time. In fact, two of my social media posts every week are directly repurposed from my weekly blog and podcast. Why reinvent the wheel when I'm already creating long-form content? I'll grab a paragraph from my blog or newsletter and turn it into a mini carousel or a 20-second video. That one piece of content ends up doing the work of ten posts, without any of the mental clutter.
Micro-Moments Over Marathon Posting
Here's what's working now: short, high-value moments. A 15-second "mini-coaching tip" or a one-line truth can actually travel further than those long, carefully crafted captions. Especially when it's authentic and unscripted. This year, I've been really leaning into Threads for these micro-moments. It's so easy to just drop short, random, profound thoughts on that platform. And the engagement there? It's effortless compared to other platforms.
Focused Engagement Over Daily Hustle
I don't try to engage every day anymore. I give myself a lot of grace here. If I have 15 minutes to hop on and engage or respond to Instagram DMs, I do it. But I've let go of beating myself up if I don't spend a fixed amount of time on each platform. I lean way more heavily on networking, coffee chats, podcasting, and other strategies that feel more aligned with how I like to connect.
Leverage Community Energy
Get your clients to share their stories and results. I ask mine to post a quick reflection or testimonial and tag me. But I've also learned to embrace collaborations on social media. The other day I recorded a short video with another speaker, and I'll rely on that collaborative energy to show up and do the work for both of us. It's organic visibility that's rooted in truth, not performance.
Bridge Your Platforms
Every post I create now has a purpose: it leads back to something I actually own. A blog. A podcast. My email list. I'm really intentional about what I post. I focus all my content around my offers, building my thought leadership, or promoting a blog, podcast, or collaboration. I don't have time for random posts that entertain but don't add anything to my brand awareness. That's how you shift from chasing attention to cultivating real connection.
Part 2: Sustainable, Non-Social Media Marketing Strategies That Actually Work
This is where my business truly expanded. When I started marketing off social media and focused on strategies that build long-term authority, everything shifted. These aren't abstract tactics. They're the exact approaches I've refined over the past year to create consistent visibility, deeper client relationships, and sustainable growth.
Let's walk through them.
1. SEO & Blogging — Long-Term Visibility That Compounds
I've been a blogger for years. But at the beginning of 2025, when my focus shifted to offer strategy, my blog content became much more focused on offers. Here's the problem I ran into: practically no one is searching the term "offers" online. That keyword has almost no search volume.
So I've had to find a way to focus my content on more SEO-related keywords without losing my expertise and core specialty. It's been a learning curve. And on top of that, I now have to learn AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) because I've noticed my website is getting traffic from ChatGPT. Wild, right?
This marketing strategy will absolutely continue to be part of my 2026 strategy. Oh, and I've also started experimenting with Pinterest to drive more traffic to my long-form blogs. More on that later.
2. Email Marketing — Building Relationships You Own
I've been an email marketer forever. Even when I first started coaching back in 2004, I sent a weekly email newsletter out of Constant Contact. (I know, I'm dating myself.)
Email marketing is essential, even if you think no one reads emails. I have over a 50% open rate weekly, so I can tell you people are definitely reading. And here's the thing: it's the only platform you truly own.
My newsletter has become a conversation, not a broadcast. It's where I share behind-the-scenes reflections, strategies I'm testing, and offers designed specifically for the people already in my world.
3. Podcasting — Voice, Connection, and Depth
At the beginning of 2025, I completely switched my podcast strategy. In 2024, all my episodes were guest-focused. And I found that 90% of my guests never even shared their episodes. So I was basically giving them a platform for visibility with zero effort from them.
In 2025, I rebranded my podcast and flipped the script: 75% solo episodes and 25% guest episodes. And every single episode is centralized around one key topic—crafting, scaling, marketing, and selling aligned and profitable offers.
The growth has been incredible as a result of this change. Podcasting is a long game, but it builds a kind of loyalty social media never could.
4. Live Workshops, Webinars & Free Challenges
This is a great strategy and one that's used often by business owners. Personally, I've avoided it. But not anymore.
In 2026, I'll be conducting $97 paid quarterly workshops. Thank you to my recent podcast guest AnnMarie Rose and one of my paid community hosts, Michelle DeNio, for encouraging me in this area.
When people experience your teaching live, even for an hour, they feel your clarity and care. These short-term experiences generate warm, qualified leads who convert better because they've experienced you in real time.
5. Strategic Partnerships & Collaborations
I can't even count the number of partnerships and collaborations I've participated in this year. Summits, bundles, Instagram Lives, resource swaps, podcast guesting—you name it.
This might be my favorite marketing strategy for this year and beyond. The energy exchange is powerful because you're cross-pollinating with audiences that already trust the other person. One good partnership can outperform weeks of social posting.
6. PR & Guest Contributions
I don't have a ton of personal experience with PR and guest contributions, but I have a lot of business colleagues who do. And it's incredible to see the number of features in magazines and other outlets that have helped my friends grow this year.
Earned media still matters—not just for visibility, but for credibility. A single guest post or feature on a respected platform sends a signal that your expertise is recognized beyond your own channels.
7. Referrals, Testimonials, and Client Case Studies
Referrals, testimonials, and client case studies are one of the hottest ways to show proof that you create results. Every opportunity I have to grab a testimonial, write a case study, or leverage my community to give me a shoutout, I jump on it.
Why? Because these produce very warm leads, and they're practically effortless to sell. Referrals now bring in more aligned clients than any algorithm ever did.
8. YouTube & Visual Search (Pinterest)
Although I've done very little to tackle the YouTube beast, I know a lot of business owners who are having great success with it. If you enjoy teaching visually, these platforms are gold.
But like I mentioned earlier, I am experimenting with Pinterest and starting to gain a little traction. I'll know more in another 3-6 months whether this strategy will actually work for me. But remember: Pinterest is a search engine, and the organic visibility lasts way longer compared to traditional social media platforms.
Both YouTube and Pinterest reward depth, not frequency. Perfect for those of us who value clarity over chaos.
How to Build a Sustainable Marketing Ecosystem
If you're ready to step off the hamster wheel, here's where to start:
1. Choose one core content pillar
Pick one main platform that becomes your thought leadership hub. A blog. A podcast. A YouTube channel. Whatever format feels most natural to you. This is where you go deep, where you build your authority, where you create content that lasts.
For me, it's my blog and podcast. They work together. The blog gives me SEO traction and evergreen content. The podcast lets me connect through conversation and storytelling. Together, they form the foundation of everything else I do.
2. Repurpose with rhythm
Once you have that pillar, you can create micro-pillars. For instance, my core pillar is offers, but my micro-pillars are offer strategy, offer ecosystem, offer structuring, offer messaging, offer visibility, and offer sales. I can create so much content from this strategy alone.
From there, pull micro-content from your pillar once a week to keep your presence alive without the pressure of creating something new every day. One blog post can become five social posts. One podcast episode can become ten quote graphics or a carousel. You're not starting from scratch. You're amplifying what you've already created.
3. Build your email ecosystem
This is non-negotiable. Nurture your audience weekly with stories, strategy, and calls to action that lead to your offers. Your email list is the only audience you truly own. Algorithms can't touch it. Platform changes can't erase it. It's yours.
Treat it like the relationship it is. Write like you're talking to one person who matters. Share what's working, what you're learning, what you're offering. Make it feel like a conversation, not a sales pitch.
4. Create marketing cycles, not marathons
Stop trying to be "on" all the time. Instead, create periods of visibility followed by rest, reflection, and refinement. Launch something. Promote it. Then step back. Breathe. Evaluate what worked. Adjust. Rest.
Your marketing should feel like breathing. In for inspiration. Out for creation. When you honor your natural energy rhythm instead of forcing yourself into someone else's hustle model, you magnetize results that actually last.
Key Takeaways
So let's bring it all together:
Organic reach is declining, but alignment is rising. Sustainable marketing starts with ownership. Build channels you control—your email list, your blog, your podcast. These are assets that grow with you, not platforms that can change the rules overnight.
Visibility should feel nourishing, not depleting. Social media is a tool, not a requirement. If it drains you, scale it back. If it energizes you, use it strategically. But never let it become the only way you show up.
Consistency doesn't mean constant. It means clarity, rhythm, and resonance. It means showing up with intention, not obligation. It means creating from a place of alignment, not desperation.
Your best marketing isn't about showing up everywhere. It's about showing up fully where it matters most. To the people who are ready for you. In the spaces that feel aligned. With the energy that's sustainable for the long haul.
Design Your Sustainable Visibility Roadmap
If you're tired of chasing algorithms and ready to market your business in a way that feels strategic, soulful, and actually sustainable, it's time for your Offer Power Plan Session.
In 90 minutes, we'll map out a plan for aligned visibility. We'll talk about your offers, the systems you need, and the rhythms that will attract the right clients without burning you out.
No more guessing. No more overwhelm. Just a clear, personalized roadmap that works with your life, your energy, and your business goals.
👉 Book your Offer Power Plan Session and start marketing with more clarity, confidence, and calm.
Lori Young is a certified business coach, offer strategist, and host of The OfferMojo Show. She helps coaches, healers, and soul-led service providers design, market, and sell aligned offers that feel as good as they sound. With a blend of soulful strategy and practical systems, Lori teaches entrepreneurs how to simplify visibility, amplify their energy, and build businesses that support their life—not consume it.
