If you're building your coaching business on social media, you're building on land you don't own. The algorithm changes, your reach drops, and the audience you spent months growing suddenly can't hear you. That's not a marketing foundation, that's renting.

In this episode I walk you through the three things every coach needs to have in place to stop renting and start owning their audience.

You'll learn:

• Why your social media following isn't really yours, and what owning your audience actually means
• How an email list gives you direct access to potential clients without an algorithm standing in the way
• What your website is actually supposed to do, and why most coaches get it wrong
• How a freebie starts building trust with potential clients before they ever spend a dollar
• Two methods for getting eyes on your freebie and growing your list from scratch

Most coaches are told to show up on social media consistently and the clients will come. But in today's market, buyers are taking longer to make decisions and need more touchpoints before they commit. The coaches who build sustainable businesses aren't the ones with the biggest Instagram following. They're the ones who own their audience and can reach them directly. That starts with the foundation covered in this episode.

I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield. I've spent years studying and implementing marketing strategies and I've built and sold my own online courses and programs. I help coaches design programs that transform their clients and grow their business.

Want to understand the market you're building in? Go back and listen to The 2026 State of the Market, find it wherever you're listening.

Marissa Corcoran: https://www.marissacorcoran.com/

Dallas Travers: https://dallastravers.com/

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If you've been trying to sell a course in 2026 and the numbers aren't adding up, the problem isn't your marketing. The market has structurally shifted. Courses are declining, and the practitioners who've been in this industry for years are saying it out loud.

In this episode I break down what's actually driving the decline, what's working instead, and what the 2026 buyer needs from you before they'll spend money.

You'll learn:

- Why standalone self-paced courses are losing ground in 2026

- How AI has undercut the information-delivery model that made courses so profitable

- Why course completion rates are making buyers think twice before purchasing

- What group programs are delivering that courses simply can't replicate

- How today's buyers are still spending, just with more discernment and longer sales cycles

The market hasn't dried up. The model has changed. Buyers aren't spending less on coaching, they're spending more carefully. The coaches and program creators who are winning right now are the ones who understand what buyers actually need before they'll commit, and they're building their offers around that.

I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield. I've spent 17 years as an educator and course designer, and I help coaches build group programs that scale their business without burning out their roster.

Ready to figure out if a group program is the right next move? Book a free Program Roadmap Call and let's talk through your options: https://curtissatterfield.com/work-with-curtis/

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Welcome to Course Creation for Solopreneurs, the podcast that helps you design online courses that actually transform your students and grow your business.

I'm Dr. Curtis Satterfield. I've spent 17 years as an educator and course designer, helping thousands of students learn new skills. On this show, I'll help you build courses that get real results - courses that students actually finish, that generate testimonials, and that grow your business through word of mouth instead of constant marketing.

Send me a message!