How an online business coach makes $5,000 to $10,000 on weekends — all through Instagram

In late January, I was the lucky recipient of one of the best voicemails I’ve ever heard.

We’re talking a hall-of-fame audio recording.

I laughed. Truly LOLed.

And then I almost cried. (Okay, that’s a stretch. But I shed a proverbial tear.)

Because this voicemail was not only hilarious, it also contained some pretty awesome news.

The voicemail leaver: Becky Keen. An amazing online business coach who’s all about connecting passion with profit — and a recent enrollee in my Show Me The Strategy! Instagram Growth Package.

The voicemail content: some pretty great news about her biz. Here’s what Becky said:

“A social media manager found me on Insta by searching for coaches. Hahahaha! Anyways. I’m so f***ing pumped. That’s going to be like a $10,000 package.”

(Listen to the actual message below. You gotta hear Becky’s laugh! 😛

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @elisedarma

When I got that voice message, it had barely been a month since Becky received a customized Instagram strategy guide from yours truly and since we had a one-on-one call to talk it all through.

But that message wasn’t the first bit of happy news Becky had to share.

In early January, within three weeks of our call, Becky reached out to tell me that she had booked two clients (bringing in $20,000+ in sales) AND received an invite to guest-star on a popular podcast — all through Instagram.

No words. In just about two weeks, Becky had locked in two clients – directly from Instagram.

And then came the podcast invite! Am I confusing you with these timelines?

Lemme sum this all up.

A month after getting started with a shiny new Instagram strategy, Becky had THREE new clients and a podcast appearance booked. 

And as of March 2021? Check out this DM I received from Becky:

Another $22,500, and it all happened through her Instagram account @beck_keen.

As in, all of these opportunities happened because these people found Becky’s coaching biz on Instagram and were sold by what they saw, read and heard.

Becky’s Instagram business account wasn’t always so productive, though. In the early days of her coaching company, she was just winging it.

“I didn’t know what Instagram was… I started sharing on Instagram literally to try to feel connected to other people. There was nothing strategic about it.”

So what changed? A light went off. 💡

Becky, like so many business owners, took another look at Instagram and thought that ‘hmmm, maybe that just-for-fun photo-sharing app isn’t actually just-for-fun.’

“I was realizing that Instagram could be a platform where I could get clients.”

Bingo. After Becky’s Instagram strategy session with me in December 2018, she was ready to put her learnings into action and turn her Instagram account into a client-generating machine. And it worked.

Becky’s big wins weren’t a big surprise to me (only because I’m a huge believer in the power of Instagram and I’ve seen the insane results it’s produced for my other kickass clients).

But I was so pumped that they happened so quickly for her. And I naturally wanted to know more.

I asked Becky to spill the tea on which Instagram strategies had the biggest effect on her business, and what advice she’d give other online business coaches about using Instagram to grow their client list.

Here’s what Becky had to say. 👇

If you would prefer to watch Becky share her story in video format and hear how this all went down straight from her, scroll to the bottom of this post.

1. She used Instagram Stories to make authentic connections

One look at Becky’s Instagram Stories and you can tell she’s someone who keeps it real.

• Her kids make regular appearances.
• Becky shows up makeup-free and in a post-workout sweat.
• There’s no script.

Becky’s approach to Instagram Stories* works because it matches her business ethos. Her online coaching business is all about making a profit while honoring what your true self is passionate about.

“People comment on my Stories all the time. They say that watching my Stories is like getting a real snapshot into who I am… If you show up as you, then you will attract your ideal client, your ideal audience.”

Her biz champions authenticity. Her Instagram Stories reveal authenticity. And that has helped Becky make authentic connections on the app. *Need to brush up on your own Instagram Stories game? Check out my guide to using Instagram Stories for business.

2. She developed — and stuck to — an eye-catching grid style

Instagram is a visual platform (duh), which means the quality of the visuals matter.

And not just the quality of each image you post, but how your feed looks as a whole.

Before Becky decided to make Instagram a priority, her feed was a bit all over the place.

A beautiful beach here, a family snapshot there, maybe an inspirational quote or two. The content was good.

But if you were a new visitor to her feed, your first glance wouldn’t really tell you much about Becky’s vibe. And that first visit is so important.

It’s like quickly flicking through a magazine in the grocery store checkout line.

Scanning those pages is how you decide whether to buy it or not. Fast forward to today. Becky’s feed is now this beautifully organized work of art. Seriously, go look. *Low whistle*

• Defined color palette? ✅
• Tile layout (quote, photo, quote, photo) ✅
• Consistent content themes? ✅

But Becky’s feed is more than just good looks. It visually communicates the qualities of her coaching business — confidence, soulfulness, aspiration, etc. And that’s huge for visitors.

“The pattern has helped me, but I think it’s also visually appealing to other people. When they go check out my profile, then they WANT to follow me.”

3. She included calls-to-action in every post

Becky has never had a lack of things to say on Instagram. Far from it. Girl gets honest in her posts.

Forget snappy, punny Instagram captions; Becky goes deep and shares honestly about ambition and feeling unmotivated and being unapologetic and mothering and all the things.

But back in her pre-strategy days, she would post those super eloquent captions without asking for anything in return.

These captions would end with a period, not a question mark.

If you don’t give anyone a reason to respond to you, posting on Instagram can feel a lot like talking to a wall.

What’s the point? After our strategy call, Becky switched things up.

She decided to end almost every one of her posts with a question or prompt that her followers could respond to.

She also snuck a call-to-action (CTA) into her bio — “Take the QUIZ.”

And see that Linktree link under her bio? It turns her CTA into multiple CTAs.

When visitors click the link, they’re given the option to book that session and to read a blog post, check out Becky’s website, and so on.

And guess what? The CTAs are working. When Becky’s leads book their free session, they have to fill out an intake form before the call.

One of the questions on that form: “Would you mind sharing how you found me?” Becky says the answer is increasingly Instagram 👏

Becky’s intake form to book a call with her reveals how new people are finding her: from Instagram. 🏆

4. She meaningfully engages with her community

Online business coaching requires building meaningful, personal connections. Being open, being responsive, sharing… it’s all part of the business model.

Becky nails it; in her business, and on Instagram, where she facilitates *real* dialogue and offers *real* value. It’s not that hard. But Becky commits to it. She consistently:

• Replies to direct messages (psst: here’s how to use Instagram direct messages to grow your biz!)
• Replies to comments
• Starts conversations
• Provides valuable information, without giving her services away for free

The other super powerful thing Becky does: she pushes these conversations further.

When she’s having a great back-and-forth with an Instagram follower who seems like a good fit for Becky’s biz, she’ll invite them to have a call or to attend an event.

She seizes the opportunity and most of the time, the person on the other end is eager to say yes.

Becky actually filled all the spots in her six-month mastermind program by direct-messaging people in her Instagram circle who had reached out, commented on posts or expressed interest in working with her, but who hadn’t yet made the leap to become a client.

No advertisements. No paid search. Not even a post in her Instagram feed.

Just direct messages, and it worked. Crazy!

A peek inside Becky’s DM strategy on Instagram. #takenotes

“If I’m having a great conversation with someone, and I feel like they’re a good fit to work with me or to come to one of my live events, I will absolutely say in the message ‘hey, I’m hosting this thing, is this of interest to you? Or ‘would you like to hop on a call so we can have a conversation about working together?’ I regularly make $5,000 to $10,000 on a weekend by direct-messaging people to fill programs, retreats and coaching spots.”

Becky’s Instagram advice for other online business coaches

If you’re an online business coach who wants to use Instagram to find clients and grow your company, Becky recommends to “look at Instagram as a growth strategy, where you’re building the foundation and stacking on top of that.” Her other big piece of advice: think of Instagram as being a long-game strategy.

“I’m in it for the long game, and I think that’s really important when you’re building an audience that’s about getting leads versus a whole whack of followers who are never going to buy from you. People sometimes come to me and tell me they’ve been following me for one to two years. It’s taken that long for them to want to buy from me.”

Want to attract clients on Instagram like Becky did?

Maybe it’s time to finally start your Instagram strategy. Or maybe it’s time to rethink your Instagram strategy. Becky loved the custom-made Strategy Guide that my team and I produced for her.

It’s my Instagram hat-trick for busy business owners who want to change their Instagram results from mild to wild. ⚡️

Curious?

In the Show Me The Strategy! Instagram Growth Package, you’ll receive:

• One completely customized Instagram Strategy Guide that includes hashtag research, caption options, social media templates, bio and name recommendations, and SO much more,
• One 60-minute call with me, Elise Darma, to talk through your new Instagram strategy and to answer any and all of your burning Instagram questions. We can also use that call time to train any team members of yours who will be running the day-to-day of your Instagram account. Secretly? I’m hoping that the next hilarious voice note filled with absolute glee is from you!

HEAR IT FROM BECKY: