Short answer: the six types of content every coach needs are educational content, story content, evidence based content, lead generation content, sales (promo) content and entertainment or inspirational content. The first three build trust, lead generation content turns followers into leads, sales content converts, and entertainment content gets you engagement and reach. Post a mix every week, then check your analytics monthly and make more of what works.

"What should I actually be posting?" is probably the question I get asked most about content. People know they should post consistently. What they don't know is what each post is supposed to do.

Your content needs to attract new people, nurture the people who follow you, and convert them into clients. The 6 Content Types cover all three. Below I'll explain each one, then give you a template for every type, a weekly mix you can copy and a step by step way to plan it.

This is part of my ultimate guide to turning content into clients. The 6 Content Types are what fill your plan once you know what you're selling.

The 6 Content Types at a glance

1. Educational content

"How to make a sale in the next 24 hours." "Five places you're leaking money in your business right now." Its job is to solve a problem and build trust. If someone takes an action from your content and gets a result, they start wondering what your paid content is like.

Treat every educational post like a mini masterclass: one aha moment or one action step. The biggest mistake I see is educational content that sounds like everyone else's. Give tips other people aren't giving.

2. Story content

Core brand stories, behind the scenes, day in the life, lessons, failures, pivots and documentary content. Stories create a human connection, they create emotion (and people buy on emotion), and they make you memorable.

Pick a few core brand stories and rinse and repeat them. One of mine is starting my business in January 2020 and finding out I was pregnant a couple of weeks later, then going on to make nearly $200,000 in my first year as a new mum. Day in the life content is one of my most popular types, because it shows the freedom my business gives me, which is exactly what my ideal clients want. Your stories don't have to be your deepest, darkest moments. They just have to be relevant to your ideal client. Formulas for writing them are in storytelling formulas for written posts that sell.

3. Evidence based content

Testimonials, case studies, screenshots, client stories and your own results. We're in a trust economy, so if you say you can help someone get a result, back it up. New and no client results yet? Become your own evidence. When I came into the online space, no one knew who I was, so I documented my own journey of growing my audience and making sales.

4. Lead generation content

Hand raiser content: comment below posts and reels, and story polls. Anyone who comments or votes has shown interest. An automated reply sends them the link, they opt in, and now you can nurture them by email. We post lead generation content a good few times a week.

5. Sales or promo content

What's included, who it's for, why now, the bonuses, the price. In our account, sales posts on the Instagram grid hurt the reach of everything else, so we do most of our selling in stories, on Facebook, in our community and by email. Keep it to roughly 20% of your content, more during a launch.

6. Entertainment and inspirational content

Quotes, relatable moments, trends and anything people want to share or save. It won't necessarily bring in leads, but shares, saves and comments help the algorithm push the rest of your content out. You don't have to dance on reels (you will never catch me doing that). Inspirational quotes over a short clip of you work brilliantly.

How to plan your 6 content types, step by step

Step 1: Build your content bank

Write down three core brand stories, three pieces of evidence (or one journey to document), five educational topics your ideal client asks about and one free resource for your lead generation posts.

Time: 1 hour, once. Done when: you have a list you can pull from every week.

Step 2: Choose your weekly mix

The first three types, educational, story and evidence, are the absolute key ones. I don't believe in a fixed percentage, so start with this mix for a month and adjust from your analytics.

Time: 20 minutes a week. Done when: every slot in next week's plan has a type and a topic.

Step 3: Write the week in one sitting

Use the templates above. Batching all six types at once is faster than writing a post a day, and it keeps your message joined up. If you use Claude to help, set it up with your stories and voice first so it sounds like you, see how to use Claude to create content. My Claude Content Engine gives you the setup and the prompts for every format.

Time: 2 to 3 hours a week. Done when: the whole week is written and scheduled. Or hand the writing and scheduling over: the Content Creator inside Ascendia OS plans your month across all six types, writes the posts in your voice and schedules them straight to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and more.

Step 4: Repurpose

One idea can become a talking head video, a carousel, a single image with the caption and a B roll reel with text over the top. Post them weeks apart. People don't remember what you posted last month.

Step 5: Review monthly

At the end of the month, look at your analytics, take the top 20% of your content and create more of that. If story content does best for you this month, maybe 70% of next month is story based. Check by platform too: our educational content gets loads of saves on LinkedIn, while our story content does brilliantly on Facebook.

Time: 1 hour a month. Done when: you know your best two types and next month's mix reflects it.

Worked example: one idea, six types

Example: a business coach whose pillar this month is "making your first $10k month".

• Educational: "The 3 numbers you need to know before you can hit $10k months."
• Story: the month she nearly gave up and what changed.
• Evidence: a screenshot of her own first $10k month with the three things she did.
• Lead generation: "Comment 10K for my free revenue planner."
• Sales: five story slides about her programme, ending in a "want the details?" poll.
• Inspirational: "Your first $10k month is a numbers game, not a luck game."

Six posts, one message, all pointing at the same offer.

Common mistakes (and the fix)

• Only posting educational content. Fix: at least one story and one piece of evidence every week.
• No lead generation content. Fix: a few hand raiser posts every week.
• Sales posts on the grid every day. Fix: keep sales to roughly 20% and put most of it in stories and email.
• Content that doesn't relate to the offer. Fix: every type sits under one of your content pillars.

Your action plan

Day 1

• Write your content bank: 3 stories, 3 pieces of evidence, 5 educational topics, 1 free resource.

Day 2

• Copy the weekly mix table into your planner and fill in topics.

Days 3 to 4

• Batch write the week using the six templates.

Days 5 to 7

• Post, reply to every comment and DM everyone who raises their hand.

Day 30

• Review your top 20% and adjust next month's mix.

To see how the six types fit into a full system that turns posts into leads and leads into clients, read the ultimate guide to turning content into clients.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most important type of content?

Educational, story and evidence based content are the core three, because they build trust. Without trust, lead generation and sales content won't convert.

What is evidence based content if I have no clients yet?

Your own results and your own journey. Document what you're doing and what's happening, and you become your own proof.

Should I post sales content every day?

Not on your main feed. Keep sales content to around 20%, put most of it in stories and email, and increase it during a launch.

What's the difference between lead generation content and sales content?

Lead generation content asks people to raise their hand for something, usually free. Sales content asks them to buy. You need both.

Laurie Burrows is a UK-based marketing and sales strategist who has built a business that's generated multi-seven figures in sales through social media and digital marketing. Today, Laurie helps business owners use social media, content and digital marketing to get seen, attract more clients and make more sales. She's also the founder of Ascendia OS.