Blogging vs LinkedIn: Which is Best for Coaches?

I remember staring at my screen one evening last year, exhausted from another day of endless LinkedIn posting and engagement.

Despite spending 3+ hours daily on the platform, my coaching business wasn’t seeing the results I wanted. Can you relate?

According to HubSpot’s latest research, businesses that prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to see positive ROI on their marketing efforts.

In this post, I’ll share my first-hand experience with blogging vs LinkedIn, so you can figure out which one deserves more of your precious time.

We’ll cover:

• Why one platform consistently outperforms for long-term client attraction
• How to attract better-qualified leads who are ready to work with you
• The surprising truth about content ownership and business sustainability
• A practical way to use both platforms without burning yourself out

1. Content longevity

This is what typically happens on LinkedIn. You spend hours crafting the perfect post, hit publish, and watch the engagement roll in. But after a day or two? Crickets.

That’s because LinkedIn’s feed, like all social platforms, prioritizes fresh content. Your carefully crafted post soon gets buried under thousands of new posts, never to be seen again.

In contrast, here’s what happened with my relocation coaching blog over the course of 15 months.

See that upward trend? That’s the magic of SEO at work! Unlike social media posts, blog content can actually gain momentum over time.

In fact, even now, over a year later, I still get valuable leads coming in from this very site – totally on autopilot.

But why does this happen? It’s simple – when someone searches Google for help with their coaching business challenges, they don’t care if the answer was written yesterday or last year, as long as it solves their problem.

Google rewards helpful, in-depth content by keeping it visible in search results for months or even years (as long as it’s still relevant and accurate).

I’ll share a real example from my own business. My blog post about Portugal’s “cultural golden visa” brought in new leads just weeks after publishing. Since then, it’s:

• Brought in 15-20 qualified leads each month
• Generated 10+ high-ticket client bookings (worth over 10K USD)
• Built my email list by 300+ subscribers
• Required zero additional work from me (except keeping a few details updated)

Compare that to LinkedIn, where I needed to post 3-4 times weekly just to maintain visibility.

Don’t get me wrong – LinkedIn isn’t bad. But when it comes to creating content that works for your business in the long-term, blogging wins hands down.

Think about what this means for your coaching business. Instead of being stuck on the social media hamster wheel, you can build a collection of helpful articles that work for you 24/7.

Isn’t that a far better use of your time?

Next up, I’ll show you how this longevity factor plays into the quality of leads you can attract.

2. Quality vs quantity

I used to post on LinkedIn multiple times a day, thinking more content meant more clients.

My screen time reports were scary – I was spending 4+ hours daily just keeping up with engagement. Sound familiar?

Here’s what I learned the hard way: not all content effort equals client results.

On LinkedIn, the game looks like this:

• Post multiple times daily to stay visible
• Respond to comments within minutes
• Send dozens of connection requests
• Engage with others’ content constantly
• Message potential leads right away

Sure, I was ‘busy’ with marketing, but was I really being productive? Not exactly. My brain felt scattered, and I barely had energy left for my actual coaching clients.

Let’s look at what happened when I shifted focus to blogging. Instead of creating 15-20 LinkedIn posts weekly, I started writing one solid blog post every week.

The difference? Night and day!

With blogging, I can:

• Take time to research topics thoroughly
• Write in-depth content that truly helps my audience
• Include case studies and real examples
• Add helpful screenshots and step-by-step instructions
• Link to relevant resources and tools

Here’s what shocked me – my blog post about “creating coaching packages” took 4 hours to write, but brought in more qualified leads in three months than all my LinkedIn posts combined for the same period.

Why? Because when someone searches “how to create coaching packages,” they’re actively looking for help. They’re in research mode, ready to learn, and often closer to making a buying decision.

These readers spend an average of 6.5 minutes on my blog posts, compared to the 2-3 seconds that’s typical for LinkedIn posts.

I’m not saying you should abandon LinkedIn. I still use it!

But I’ve shifted from frantic daily posting to sharing thoughtful updates two or three times a week. This gives me more time to also create substantial blog content that attracts serious clients on autopilot.

Remember this: social media rewards quantity, but Google rewards quality. Which one aligns better with your goals as a coach?

In the next section, I’ll show you exactly how this quality-focused approach leads to better-qualified prospects.

3. Lead generation and qualification

One thing that makes coaches squirm (me included) is those awkward “So, what’s your budget?” conversations in LinkedIn DMs.

But what if there was a way to attract clients who are already qualified before moving onto a conversation?

When I started tracking where my best clients came from, I noticed something fascinating. My LinkedIn connections often wanted to “pick my brain” or “explore options,” while blog readers showed up ready to discuss packages and pricing.

Here’s the biggest difference I’ve found between LinkedIn and blog leads:

On LinkedIn:

• People connect because they like my posts
• I spend time figuring out if they need coaching
• Many want free advice or aren’t ready to invest
• Conversations often feel like cold outreach
• I have to manually screen each potential client

Through my blog:

• Readers find me through specific problem searches
• They read multiple articles before reaching out
• Most contact me already knowing my approach
• Questions focus on “how” rather than “why”
• The content pre-qualifies leads automatically

Here’s why this happens: When someone types “how to grow my coaching business” into Google and finds my blog post, they’re actively seeking solutions.

By the time they finish reading, they know:

• My expertise and experience
• My approach to their problem
• The typical results my clients get
• My approximate price range (I weave this in naturally)
• Whether we’re a good fit to work together

I call this “silent qualification” – readers self-qualify based on my content before they ever reach out. One of my favorite examples? Sarah, an Australia-based business coach who found my article by searching for “seo keywords for coaches”.

She read the entire post, signed up for my email list, bought a seat at my next live workshop, and booked a call. During our conversation, she said, “I already know your methods work – I just need help implementing them.”

The best part? This qualification happens 24/7, even while you’re sleeping or working with other clients. No more spending hours in DMs trying to figure out if someone’s serious about coaching!

Next up, I’ll explain how having control over your content platform makes all this possible. Because LinkedIn’s rules can change overnight, but your blog? That’s yours to control.

4. Platform control and content distribution

You know what always frustrated me about LinkedIn? Every time I added a link to my coaching packages or free workshop, my post views dropped like a rock.

Let me show you what real platform control looks like and why it matters for your coaching business.

Here’s what happens on LinkedIn:

• Links in posts slash your reach by up to 70%
• You can’t edit posts after 24 hours
• Adding your calendar link often hurts engagement
• Promotional content gets buried by the algorithm
• Your perfect leads might miss your posts entirely

But on my blog? Total game changer:

• I add booking links anywhere they make sense
• Every post includes calls-to-action
• I can update content anytime
• Posts link naturally to my services
• Google actually rewards helpful outbound links

For example, I wrote a post about “moving to Portugal from the US” and included my discovery call link right in the middle – perfectly timed for exactly when readers are thinking, “I need help with this!”

That single post books 3-4 calls weekly without any extra effort from me.

Here’s what freedom looks like in practice. On my blog, I can:

• Link to my coaching packages
• Embed my calendar
• Add email signup forms
• Share client case studies
• Include testimonials
• Point to my free resources

And guess what? Google doesn’t penalize any of this. In fact, my most successful posts are ones that naturally guide readers toward working with me.

The difference? On my blog, I control the reader’s journey. I can guide them from solving one problem to exploring how coaching could help them even more.

Coming up next, I’ll show you why this level of control is about more than just convenience – it’s also about protecting your business long-term. Because building on rented land is risky business.

5. Risk management and long-term strategy

Here’s a scary story that opened my eyes. A coach in my network built her entire business on LinkedIn – 15,000 followers, consistent leads, great engagement.

Then, one morning, she woke up to find her account suspended. Just like that, three years of content and connections… gone. 🤯

This isn’t meant to scare you, but it brings up a really important point about building your coaching business – one that most people don’t talk about.

Let’s break down the risks of relying solely on LinkedIn:

• Your account could be suspended without warning
• Algorithm changes can tank your visibility overnight
• You don’t own your content or connections
• Platform rules change frequently
• Your content disappears in the feed

I learned this lesson the hard way when LinkedIn changed its algorithm last year. My posts suddenly reached only 20% of their usual audience. Two months of slower business taught me something valuable – never build your house on rented land.

Now, let’s look at blogging on your own website:

• You own and control all your content
• No platform can take away your articles
• Your posts stay visible for years
• You have full access to your email list
• Search traffic doesn’t disappear overnight

Here’s my favorite example of blog stability. Remember those algorithm changes I mentioned? During those two slow LinkedIn months, my blog kept bringing in leads consistently. Google values evergreen, authoritative, helpful content.

This is why I now follow what I call the “3-2-1 backup strategy” for my coaching business:

1. My blog is home base
2. LinkedIn amplifies my message (yes, it can still be useful for that)
3. My email list connects everything

This approach puts you in control of your business growth. Instead of worrying about platform changes, you can focus on what really matters – serving your clients and creating helpful content.

Looking at my business now:

• 65% of leads come from blog posts
• 25% from LinkedIn
• 10% from referrals

This mix gives me stability and peace of mind. If LinkedIn changed tomorrow, my business would survive – and yours should too!

Next, I’ll show you how to get the best of both worlds by combining LinkedIn and blogging strategically. Because (contrary to what some experts say) you don’t have to choose just one platform!

Combining both platforms

Let me share something that transformed my content creation process. I stopped seeing LinkedIn and blogging as competitors and started using them as partners.

My workload dropped by half, but my results doubled!

I used to create separate content for each platform until I had an “aha moment.” Why not make my content work twice as hard, instead of working twice as much?

Here’s my current content workflow that saves hours every week:

1. Start with your blog:

• Write an in-depth post about a client problem (using keyword research to find a suitable focus keyword)
• Cover the topic thoroughly and show your authority
• Include practical examples
• Add relevant data and tips
• Insert strategic calls-to-action

2. Turn that post into LinkedIn content:

• Pull out key insights for 3-4 LinkedIn posts
• Share specific tips from the article
• Tell stories from your examples
• (Optional) Mention your blog for “more details”

Want to know my secret for making this work smoothly? I keep a content calendar that looks broadly like this:

• Week 1: Blog post about client attraction
• Week 1-2: LinkedIn posts from that article
• Week 3: Blog post about coaching packages
• Week 3-4: LinkedIn posts from that piece

This way, my content stays consistent across platforms, and I’m not scrambling for fresh ideas every single day.

What’s more, my LinkedIn engagement actually improved because I’m sharing tested ideas from my blog posts. I know this content resonates with my audience because I can see it reflected in my blog analytics.

You don’t need to be everywhere, but you should be strategic about where you show up!

In the closing section, let’s look at how to create an action plan to get started with this approach.

Next steps (choosing the right platform)

After spending three years on LinkedIn and many more on blogging, I don’t believe it’s about choosing between the two. Instead, it’s about using them smartly together.

But I know you’re probably wondering, “Where do I start?”

Here’s your simple action plan:

1. Start with your home base:

• Set up a simple WordPress site (if you haven’t already got one for your business)
• Pick your first blog topic (hint: choose something your clients always ask about)
• Write one thorough post that truly helps your audience

2. Keep your LinkedIn presence:

• Cut back to 2-3 quality posts per week
• Share snippets from your blog content
• Stay connected with your network

Remember those numbers I shared earlier? My blog brings in around 65% of my leads while requiring only 30% of my marketing time. That’s the kind of efficiency that helps you focus on what really matters – serving your clients.

Quick wins you can implement this week:

• Choose your first blog topic (and start keyword research for it)
• Outline one detailed blog post (and make sure it’s search-optimized)
• Plan how you’ll repurpose the post for LinkedIn (tip: use AI to help)
• Set aside 2-3 hours for writing (and try to stay focused)

The best time to start was yesterday. The second best time? Right now.