3 Tips to Make Your Coaching Ads Perform Better on Meta

In my video I walked through three practical, high-impact tips that will help your coaching ads on Meta (Facebook and Instagram) stop wasting budget and start bringing back real ROI. If you've ever felt frustrated that your ad spend isn't delivering, this post expands on those ideas, gives clear examples you can use today, and explains why these changes matter.

Why many coaching ads underperform on Meta

Meta’s platform is great for visibility, but it’s also optimized to serve the platform’s priorities first. That means your creative, copy, and funnel need to work with the platform — not against it. The most common problems I see are vague messaging (features over benefits), trying to hard-sell cold audiences, and using negative/friction-heavy language that the algorithm deprioritizes.

Tip 1: Lead with benefits and transformation, not features

People don’t buy programs or frameworks — they buy outcomes. If your ad says “Join my Prospect Builder Program” or “8-week mindset program,” a cold scroller won’t immediately understand what that means for their life. They’re scrolling fast; you have a split second to make them stop.

“People invest in what they will be like after going through your program.”

What to do instead:

• Headline focus: Promise a clear emotional or life outcome. Example: “Eight weeks to feel clear, confident, and ready to attract what you really want.”

• Body copy: Paint the before → after picture. Lead with how life will be different, then — if needed — mention features (modules, calls) as secondary details.

• Quick formula: “In [timeframe] → you’ll feel/experience → because we’ll help you [big transformation].”

Short ad copy example:

• Before: “Join our 8-week mindset program with weekly coaching calls.”

• After: “In just 8 weeks, feel clearer, more confident, and ready to attract the career and clients you want.”

Tip 2: Don’t try to sell expensive offers to cold audiences

Cold traffic hasn’t met you yet. Pushing a high-ticket program or a time/money investment straight away is an uphill, expensive battle. There are exceptions (very low-cost tripwires under $20 with a fantastic offer, or holiday impulse buys), but generally, you’ll save money and increase conversions by warming people up first.

What warming looks like:

• Lead magnets: Free guides, checklists, short video trainings, or quizzes that provide immediate value and capture contact details.

• Engagement content: Behind-the-scenes posts, stories, and short reels that build connection and credibility.

• Retargeting: Serve offer ads to people who interacted with your content or downloaded your lead magnet. They’ll be warmer, cheaper to reach, and more likely to convert.

Example funnel sequence:

1. Cold ad: Benefit-focused lead magnet (e.g., “Free 3-step guide to attract ideal clients”).

2. Retargeting: Video or testimonials to build trust and social proof.

3. Offer ad: Pitch your program or paid course to people who engaged with steps 1–2.

Why this saves money: warming reduces ad costs, increases conversion rates, and builds trust so your offers are seen as investments, not impulse buys.

Tip 3: Lead with positivity; avoid language that shames or scares

Meta’s algorithm deprioritizes ads that make users feel bad about themselves or their life choices. Negative or shaming language can make your ad get shown less often. That doesn’t mean you can’t talk about pain points — it means you should reframe them into hopeful, actionable messages.

How to reframe:

• Avoid: “Are you failing to…” or “Stop being lazy…”

• Use: “Ready to finally…” or “Discover how to move from stuck to confident in 6 weeks.”

• Empathy + Hope: Start with empathy (I see you), then present the positive future state and an easy next step.

Example rewrites:

• Negative: “Tired of always failing at sales?”

• Positive: “Ready to turn sales confusion into consistent client calls?”

Leading with positivity makes your ad feel like an invitation, not an interruption — and that improves delivery and performance.

Putting it all together — a quick checklist

• Focus your ad copy on transformation and emotional benefits first; features are secondary.

• Use lead magnets and engagement content to warm cold audiences before pitching your core offer.

• Reframe pain into possibility — use hopeful, inviting language to comply with Meta’s delivery preferences.

• Test variations: headline, image/video, and call-to-action. Track CTR, CPC, and conversion rates to understand impact.

Conclusion

Meta ads can be tremendously effective for coaches — but only when you align your messaging and funnel with how people actually buy (emotion → trust → decision) and with how the platform serves content. Focus on outcomes, warm your audience first, and lead with positivity. Do that, and you’ll attract more aligned clients and convert them more authentically.

If you try these tactics, track the changes you see in cost per lead and conversion rate — you’ll likely notice a meaningful improvement. Want more examples or swipe copy you can use? I shared templates and walkthroughs in the video that inspired this post.