How to
Increase
Bookings

To build a strong brand, consistent effort and repetition are key.

We’ve studied successful coaches and compiled their best practices in this PDF. Our focus is on your long-term success with HSE.

Transitioning your brand from operator to coach may require effort, but it’s worth it. If you build it, they will come.

Quid Pro Quo

Verification Checkmark

As a coach, the beauty of the HSE platform is that you get what you put in. We have a checkmark system to verify your profile that gives you the following privileges:

Coming up first in skill-based searches;
Eligibility to be featured more prominently on the website;
Featured placement in paid advertising campaigns;
Profile amplification via email, Slack, and the HSE Community of 20K+ GTM executives.

Here are the requirements to be considered for verification:

Add your booking link to 2 or more of the following: LinkedIn, Twitter (X), YouTube, email signature, or newsletter;
Complete 10 or more paid bookings through your link;
Generate at least $1,000 on the platform;
Maintain a rating above 4.8.

Quid Pro Quo

Notify your network (update your work experience)

You can broadcast your work updates to your entire network so that everyone sees them. This is a perfect move to make right when you launch your HSE coaching page. Here’s the standardized verbiage for adding HSE in your work history:

Coach

Hard Skill Exchange

Hard Skill Exchange is the world’s first real-time 1:1 skill-building marketplace where proven operators upskill, exchange, and monetize their expertise.

Bolstered by a challenger community of over 20K+ innovative C-Levels & VPs from the likes of Cisco, Okta, Salesforce, DocuSign, Gong, and many more, HSE is shattering the prevailing e-learning paradigm of static courses, mass-cohorts, content repositories, and professional talking heads.

Quid Pro Quo

Update your headline & featured section

Let your network know that you now offer consulting services. Customize your LinkedIn headline with a compelling message; options below:

Book a personalized marketing consulting session with me on HSE (link in featured)
Book a 1:1 coaching session to talk RevOps (link in featured)
Need sales advice? Book time (link in featured)
Coach with me on HSE (link in featured)

Make sure the message showcases your unique skills and expertise.

Quid Pro Quo

Create a custom button

Make it seamless for your network to single click across to your HSE coaching profile. Convert inbound viewers from your posts and networking activity into clients.

Step 1: Add a custom button to your coaching profile on HSE
by clicking the pen tool and scrolling down.

Step 2: Select “book an appointment” for the button call-to-action (CTA) and fill in your custom HSE coaching page URL.

Quid Pro Quo

Twitter (X)

Add your HSE coaching page link to your Twitter (X) bio and pin a tweet to drive bookings.

Step 1: Add your URL to your bio

Step 2: Create a tweet and pin it to the top of your feed “Need marketing advice? Now you can book me for a 1:1 coaching call only on @hardskillx: URL”

Access Points

Promotion Across Multiple Channels

Boost engagement by adding your booking link across all digital touchpoints: LinkedIn, Twitter (X), email signature, Substack, Medium, and more. Turn every platform into an access point, making it simple for your audience to connect with you and book your expertise.

Build Awareness

LinkedIn Posting Strategy

Get the word out about your coaching profile on HSE
and share your availability.

Step 1: Update your career history with a new job title as a Coach at Hard Skill Exchange (make sure the notify button is on.) Example

Step 2: For the first couple of weeks, create multi-format posts every 2-3 days to engage your audience: videos, PDFs, text, polls, etc. After 2 weeks, shift to posting once a week to maintain momentum.

Note: When sharing content on upskilling or GTM best practices, always include a strong call-to-action (CTA) linking directly to your HSE page to drive engagement and action.

Build Awareness

Direct Message / Email Strategy

Send your HSE profile link via DMs on LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and Slack when appropriate with value-forward messaging.

Offer a discount for the first session. Learn how

Option 1

Hey Jon, I just launched my 1:1 coaching profile on HSE — open to talk shop on sales messaging and positioning strategy? Here’s my link: [link]

Option 2

Hey Sylvia, Finally got my coaching page up on HSE in case you need some marketing help: [link]

Option 3

Lylle, I just got approved to this super cool 1:1 coaching site (HSE) and I’m offering a complimentary session to talk shop on public speaking. Shall we find time? [link]

Build Awareness

LinkedIn Post Styles

Ensure you share an insight about an area of your expertise, a story, or some milestones in your career that lend instant credibility to the subject matter you are coaching on.

You could share a methodology, a guide, or a video of you explaining a skill or telling a story. Add value, experiment with various formats and themes like polls, carousels, video, and share your original authentic self.

Post Template 1

I’m thrilled to be coaching on Hard Skill Exchange. My expertise is in sales, marketing, and RevOps based on my time at LinkedIn, Salesforce, and Oracle. Milestones:

Scaled the West Region to 5MM ARR in 2 years
Achieved President’s Club from 2017-2019
Closed the largest enterprise deal in company history at Arctic Monkey

Grab this link now for 10% off on a 1:1 coaching session: [link]

Post Template 2

I believe that “the leader defines the culture.” I’m offering 1:1 coaching on HSE to help develop your executive management skills based on my time exiting 3 scale-ups, and as an executive advisor to top Silicon Valley startups. If you’re ready to take your career to the next level, grab some time with me at this link to explore executive coaching: [link]

Build Awareness

Amplifying Posts

Here’s a simple hack to rapidly get more views on posts by manually sending them to more 1st connections.

Key Insights

The nature of social media is fickle; you can’t be sure a single post will reach beyond 5-10% of your audience plus you don’t know exactly who will see it.

We’ve tested many formats and frequencies and find this simple approach yields the best outcome if you’re pressed for time:

We’ve tested many formats and frequencies and find this simple approach yields the best outcome if you’re pressed for time:

Build Awareness

Twitter

Twitter is one of the best channels because it has so much overlap with LinkedIn so combining is a great way to expand your reach.

Step 1

Pin a relevant tweet to inform your audience that they can book a 1:1 coaching session with you.

Step 2

Every 3-4 days, share engaging highlights from your previous coaching calls to keep your audience hooked.

Step 3

Pose a thought-provoking question that you were asked on a call, and provide a compelling answer to captivate your audience.

Build Awareness

YouTube

When growing your following on YouTube, we recommend adding a thumbnail to your video, highlighting that viewers can book you for a 1-on-1 coaching session. It’s best to also include your custom HSE URL in the video description and on your profile.

Build Trust

Now that your audience is aware you’re on HSE, let’s leverage some proven strategies to build trust thus increase conversion:

3-5 Omnichannel Touches Matter

Why? People are crazy busy. Put yourselves in your client’s shoes.

Scenario

You post on LinkedIn at 10am Monday and a prospect sees it. They go into a board meeting and completely forget.

You amplify the post on Tuesday by pushing it to Twitter. They randomly see it again and do nothing.

On Wednesday, you update your work history with your job change to coach on HSE. They finally see it and hit “like,” then leave a comment congratulating you. You reach out immediately, get into a dialog, and set up a complimentary first session.

Bonus Tips

Accelerate your conversions with these proven tactics:

Create urgency with expiring discounts

Generate a custom promo code for first-time or returning clients to drive bookings before the offer ends.

Adjust pricing for early traction

Lower your rates initially to boost bookings, gather reviews, and create shareable content. For example, if your standard rate is $125/hr, try offering $79 for the first 4-6 weeks. Experiment with pricing to find what works—10 clients at $250/hr is better than none at $500/hr. We see strong performance in the $50-250 range.

Leverage community channels

Share your offers in relevant Community Slack channels. Be sure to follow the HSE community guidelines to avoid any violations.

Join HSE Slack

Well played;

you’ve got your first client!

Now that you’ve booked your first sessions, here are some things to keep your clients coming back for more and growing by invitation and referrals.

Deliver an engaging and valuable video call

Be punctual, friendly, and provide meaningful insights to create a memorable experience that encourages rebookings.

Request positive reviews

Reviews build trust. Collecting great feedback will help new clients feel confident in booking your service.

Ask for referrals

Happy clients are your best promoters. Encourage them to share their experience on social media or with friends. Referrals drive the strongest awareness and trust.

How to Increase Bookings

How to
Increase
Bookings