Lift The Bar

In today’s fitness industry, where the internet is packed with trainers posting similar workouts, nutrition tips, and motivational messages, what truly sets you apart is you. Your personality and your coaching philosophy are the most powerful differentiators you possess. When your content expresses both clearly and consistently, you become recognisable, relatable, and memorable, and that’s exactly what attracts the right clients and helps them feel confident choosing you over someone else.

To create content that genuinely reflects who you are, the first step is understanding your own coaching philosophy at a deeper level. Many trainers know what they do, but not all can clearly articulate why they do it. Spend some time defining the core principles that guide your approach. Are you a coach who prioritises technique and education? Someone who champions body confidence and sustainable habits? A trainer who loves efficiency and simple, no‑nonsense programming? Once you write down these principles, they become a lens through which you can filter your content ideas, ensuring everything you share aligns with your values rather than short‑term trends.

Your personality is equally influential. Clients don’t just hire you for information; they hire you for the experience of working with you. If you are naturally warm and encouraging, let that softness come through in your captions and videos. If you’re known for being direct, funny, or high‑energy, reflect that, too. Too many trainers tone themselves down online because they think they need to sound more “professional”, but authenticity resonates far more strongly. People want a coach who feels real, not rehearsed.

Sharing personal insights can be powerful as well. Talk about what shaped your approach to coaching: the successes, the setbacks, the mentors, and the lessons learned along the way. These stories help your audience understand your perspective and make your advice feel grounded in real experience rather than theory. This doesn’t mean oversharing your private life, it’s about giving context to your expertise and creating an emotional connection with the reader or viewer.

When your content mirrors the atmosphere of your coaching sessions, you build trust immediately. Consider how you interact with clients in person. If you tend to use humour to put people at ease, use it online too. If you emphasise education and explaining the “why” behind exercises, integrate more teaching moments and breakdowns into your posts. Consistency across platforms and in‑person interactions creates a seamless client experience.

Another important aspect is showcasing the types of clients you enjoy working with and the problems you’re best at solving. If your philosophy revolves around helping beginners feel confident, share content that demystifies gym equipment or explains basic movement patterns. If you love supporting clients through mindset barriers, post about motivation, discipline, and resilience. The more specific you are, the more clearly your ideal audience will recognise themselves in your content.

Share insights from your clients too.  By showcasing your clients’ real life stories, their wins, struggles, light bulb moments and strategies for success you provide more opportunities for your audience to connect with you and what you do.  You don’t have to identify the clients if they would prefer you didn’t, but you can still use their words and unidentifiable parts of their story to show how you work, who you work with and what they get out of working with you.

It’s also helpful to highlight your interests and quirks. The small things that show you’re a human being, not a fitness robot. Whether you’re obsessed with coffee and cake, love football, or can’t function without your cats, these details make your content warmer and more engaging. People relate to people, not perfectly curated feeds.

Finally, remember that content reflecting your coaching philosophy isn’t just informative; it also sets expectations. Your audience should get a sense of what it feels like to work with you. Are your sessions structured and focused? Creative and dynamic? Gentle but effective? Clear messaging helps potential clients self‑select, meaning you attract people who are a natural fit and save time filtering out those who would struggle with your style.

When you align your content with your personality and coaching philosophy, you do far more than market yourself.  You build a brand that feels grounded, distinctive and unmistakably yours. You create a space where the right people feel seen, supported and inspired, long before they ever step into a session with you. Something people want to be a part of. And that is a fantastic situation to be in.

For more on similar topics LTB members can access the How I've evolved my instagram to serve my aspirations webinar, content creation download and more (drop Claire a message if you are looking for help on a particular topic or issue).

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