How to Find Your Uniqueness as a Coach — Stand Out, Show Value, and Attract Clients
I know there’s a lot of competition out there, and potential clients have to decide who to contact, trust, and spend real money with.
That means your website has a big job to do, especially early on: clearly show the value you bring as a coach.
This is where your uniqueness matters — not as hype or branding fluff, but as a real signal that helps people quickly understand why you, and why now.
Ways many coaches highlight their Uniqueness …
Here are some common ways coaches emphasize their uniqueness. These are good, but aren’t home runs:
- you provide undying support
- you transform lives
- you keep clients accountable
- you offer a private community
- you are “intuitive”
- you are a Christian coach
- you are certified by ICF
Though solid points that show special value to clients, I’d rather make you one-of-a-kind so you’ve got a monopoly ;D
Instead, go extremely rare.
I’m talking “one of a kind.”
My suggestion: Go for a one-of-a-kind perspective — that was shaped by your lived experience.
Some examples …
- You were a surgeon for twenty years and now help people avoid surgery through health coaching.
- You survived cancer and helped twenty others through it, then became a life coach.
- You coached fifteen failing restaurants into thriving businesses and wrote a book about it.
- You lived with Buddhist monks and now help executives lead with clarity and calm.
- You and your partner both lost one hundred pounds and now coach nutrition and fitness.
These are true rarities, and they’re incredibly valuable because they signal depth, credibility, and real-world understanding.
I’ve seen this repeatedly over twenty-five years online: every effective coach has something like this, even if they don’t recognize it yet.
A simple place to start is identifying a defining experience that changed how you see problems, people, or yourself. This could be foundational for your message, your website, and the clients you attract.
What makes you unique?
Got an interesting experience?
Share it below.
I’m actively watching comments and will respond asap, usually within a day. AND DEFINITELY post your website link for a little boost in SEO.
And still not easy… is it time? to be constant?, to find that interesting title, that one of a kind? So far, it still feels like everything in life, keep building steadily forward and keep your personal mission in mind, not just a number.
I suppose you could say that numbers will show you if you’re going forward.
Real leadership lives in the space between opposites. Work and life. Empathy and accountability. Focus and flexibility. Fast and slow. Stability and change.
I spent my life trying to choose. Am I an Army guy or a Girl dad? Am I a functional leader or a coach? Am I an East Coaster or a West Coaster? Am I focused on results or relationships?
Then I realized the true power comes from mastering the paradox and embracing the space between. You can have your cake and eat it too.
As a recently certified life coach who is slowly building his practice, the amount of competition out there on LinkedIn can feel overwhelming. I am also very aware of what every established coach I’ve spoken to has said to me – that it takes time and patience to build a practice that generates regular income and that you should trust your instincts. I fully agree with the comments here about embracing uniqueness and I would add nurturing your networks and avoiding comparisons as much as possible!
My question is around how to stay the course? I think the answer for me is to do the work consistently whilst acknowledging that coaching is one part of my identity and to keep investing in the other parts to ensure I feel fulfilled.
I’m not so sure it’s the competition — but more so the “fear of competition” or the “thought of competition” that puts a sense of fear or worry in place leading to “it won’t work” thought.
I’ve found the reality is more like this …
I’ll say it takes time, not due to competition, but due to trust—building, growing your network, more track record, more confidence from competence, better habits, your unique discoveries, and added skills.
If your moves makes sense, the plan is sound, and you can enjoy the journey — that’s pretty good on the productivity front.
A past client of mine, she talked about being a multi-dimensional person. That resonated with me deeply.
Since this is the comments section, brain farts all around 😛
We are more than the one job we do 8 hours Monday to Friday. I’ve read that the office grind came from centuries of farm work done during daylight hours. The great thing about today is we can surely use tools, tech, and tricks to do better faster (or worser too!).
This really resonates, Kenn. I see a lot of coaches overlook their own depth because it just feels normal to them. When someone genuinely can’t see what makes their experience rare, what questions do you usually ask to help it surface without making it feel forced or “branded”?
== When working on digital strategy (to grow their biz beyond the websites) with clients …
My natural curiosity to understand their story usually unearths it. I like to just immerse into their world, goals, struggles to get a clear picture. And I suppose from doing sites and marketing stuff for a long time, I’ve some things I look for instinctually.
== When doing websites from scratch or some full redesigns …
I do have a question in my Business Questionnaire that I use when formally doing websites from scratch. It’s this, which is a starting point.
– – –
How are you/your coaching unique?
When you show what’s unique about what you or your coaching, it makes you rarer (more valuable) and more talented (if that uniqueness is deemed valuable by your clients).
How do you differ from other coaches (or competitors)? It could be …
* the kinds of clients you work with (niche)
* specialization in a type of challenge faced like overweight teens
* a unique previous career that’s relevant
* a life/professional experience or challenge overcome
* lots of years of experience in a field
* a unique coaching program, technique, or approach
Once you decide what to share as unique, tell me why it’s valuable to the client.
‘Done right, it creates meaning and connection…’
Sure — but what about when it’s done wrong?
You gave great examples, Kenn, and I agree: your uniqueness should ideally tie into your niche and speak directly to the people you want to help. But I’d argue it doesn’t always have to be perfectly aligned to be valuable. If someone grew up on three continents, or competed as a top athlete, or lived through something that forged their character — that story can differentiate them no matter what niche they’re in, as long as the “niche” solves a real need.
What I see at times, though, are coaches sharing ‘unique’ stories that have zero relevance to anything related to their business: a relationship coach talking about their real estate license and ikebana certification, for example. That’s not uniqueness — that’s noise. I believe it’s important to share the parts of you that are most relevant – most trust-building – in the eyes of your ideal clients.
And… you definitely made me think…
I stopped sharing my unique stories on my websites.
Where would you share something like this? Who do you see doing this well? (who has the time to read all that? – that’s my limiting belief around this)
“But I’d argue it doesn’t always have to be perfectly aligned to be valuable.”
Great! I’d buy that. Thanks for chiming in.
For a coach’s website, I love telling stories on the ABOUT PAGE or at least a short lesson about it, and then linking to a longer blog post. As well as queuing them up in emails sent to your list (or automating them to be sent to the list as well).
Other online places, I know we all know:
* Social posts are great, to your profile.
* Client calls are great.
* IN podcasts, we all know.
* Group posts out there.
Obviously, in a sales funnel or sales video, for example.
I’m sure you’ve seen those a kagillion times.
Always great to have your insights here EG.
For most coaches, our uniqueness is what makes our business unique – sounds obvious, but if you don’t sell your own qualities that sets you apart from other coaches within the same field then how do clients understand why to choose you? I know that whilst there are many career coaches supporting clients with a career change, there is nowhere else that clients can get what I offer – that is working with ME 🙂 Embrace uniqueness!
Yeah — It’s uncomfy for some folks to point out their strengths, skills, and accomplishments. Me included. But if we look at this from the client’s point of view, they WANT TO KNOW the good stuff. They want your best, so share it, say it, give it.
For more ways to help clients choose you:
* your past client stories
* a model or framework you use to bring results
* articles that teach (show you give back, care, have some wisdom)
Yeah … where there’s WILL, there’s a way.
I should make a mug with this slogan. 😛
Will, your past experience or event you talk about?
Is it the head teacher role or?
This is the most important work you can do and exactly what I help coaches with. Personally, I look at 6 key areas when developing my client’s stand out factor. What do you use to draw this out?
For me, it’s like this …
So, I build websites.
And to make them exciting, we need to present the coach’s “best stuff” that clients want to know about.
And so I end up in a client’s story / life / experience.
And since I enjoy people’s stories, I just end up finding those experiences.
** Shrug **
It is now a part of my process, so there’s a question in my Business Questionaire.
Is there a key step or question or thing you do in your 6 steps?
Got a name for your 6 steps? Six Step To Offers That Sell Your Stuff 😀
My About section on my website includes my pathway to becoming a positive psychology coach (multiple burnouts before discovering the power of positive psychology tools to transform my life & influence my career transition.) Are there other ways to showcase uniqueness on a website besides the About page?
I’d definitely inject your uniqueness throughout — but smoothly, relevantly.
Like on a coaching service page, you can be like, “Having burnt out in my job, I learned that we need to infuse positive perspectives and habits into our life journey — our projects, challenges, goals, and all. That special power is under a lid that needs removing. And so in my coaching approach, we build in this positive pull element.”
I think hearing about a burnout story could be viral (people can relate and learn and get inspired).
“Burnout reversal series” of articles for you. 😀
Read the article and I like how it points out that I should make my uniqueness very specific to me and not what most people do.
Yep! Be the “one of a kind” your clients just gotta work with 😛