Building on Social: Lessons from The Athletes Training Club
Rewind to 2019 — I picked up what’s probably been one of the most influential reads of my career: This is Marketing by Seth Godin. It was so good I read it three times (would’ve been more, but my cat pissed on it — true story).
At the time, I was looking to start an online coaching business. As a strength and conditioning coach with a passion for business and marketing, it felt like the natural next step.
The biggest takeaway from the book? The MVM — Minimum Viable Market. In a noisy digital world, you don’t need 100,000 followers. You need 100 raging fans. And to get them, you need to speak directly to one person.
From that seed, The Rugby Performance Coach was born — which eventually evolved into The Athletes Training Club.
Inch Wide, Mile Deep
Doubling down on amateur rugby union players felt, at first, like I was limiting myself — closing off the business to the masses and capping its growth.
A lot of coaches I speak to now feel that exact same fear.
But once you actually understand your audience, their intent to buy, and the real market share you can capture — you realise something important: a sustainable and scalable business is absolutely possible by going niche.
Going an inch wide and a mile deep with my content allowed me to do exactly that. I spoke directly to the pain points, wants, and needs of everyday rugby players. I understood them. It felt like the content was made just for them — because it was.
And it snowballed. More engagement. More shares. More enquiries. More sales.
The top of funnel worked — and it worked hard.
Failing, Learning, Failing Again
But let’s be real — it’s not as simple as “speak to your niche and the revenue will roll in.”
You’ve got to give people what they actually want.
Early on, social media content in the S&C space all looked the same. It felt like James Smith had indirectly shaped the playbook — everyone doing straight-to-camera rants or whiteboard videos. Steven Bartlett later called this “the wallpaper filter.” At the time, I just saw it as a way to grab attention and provide value.
But people didn’t care about me. What they loved was rugby — big hits, tries, full length of the field sprints. So I took those clips, re-shared them, pointed people to the caption, and packed it with value.
I learned what types of videos generated shares, saves, comments — and I used each format tactically depending on my goal.
Some posts flopped. And yeah, early on I wanted to delete them. Now I keep them. They’re reminders of what didn’t work — and they’re often more valuable than the viral stuff.
From Highlights to Identity
Over time, I realised I’d created a highlight reel — but my conversions weren’t matching my engagement.
I needed to build more identity. More brand. So I introduced carousels.
Carousels became the second step in the funnel. Rugby clips brought new people in, but the carousels helped build trust — they showed who I was, my coaching philosophies, and what I stood for. And when paired with a clear CTA (click the link in bio), they started driving leads.
I called it “carousels for calls.”
And, again, I learned. Carousels that featured certain players outperformed others. I doubled down on what worked. I binned what didn’t.
Stories for Sales
Reels > Carousels > Stories. I’d built a full marketing funnel on one single platform.
Yes, I had an email list. A WhatsApp group. But I started noticing something: the people viewing my stories were the same every day. These were my most engaged followers. The ones most likely to buy.
So I kept it simple — and this is where so many online coaches drop the ball — I told them exactly how they could work with me.
Through case studies. Through direct asks. Through consistent, daily reminders.
Don’t assume your audience knows how to work with you — they probably don’t. Tell them.
The Takeaway
After some serious reflection, especially as I start building The Athletes Training Club again, I think the biggest lesson is this:
Most coaches see their funnel as too straight. Too linear. But that’s not how buying behaviour works in fitness.
Most people decide at least once a week they’re going to “change their life.”
You don’t have to be the best coach in the world to land that moment. You just have to be top of mind when it happens.
And being top of mind comes from multiple touchpoints. From repetition. From showing up in reels, carousels, stories — then maybe deeper with a WhatsApp group or email list.
But here’s the core message:
Social media cannot be a tick-box exercise.
Your content needs strategy. Your customer journey can begin — and end — on the app. You don’t have to take them off-platform if your funnel is built properly.
