Short answer: the free audit strategy is one of the quickest ways to get clients this week. Post an offer of a free audit (content, social media, funnel, website, whatever relates to your paid offer), check each person's profile and qualify them in the DMs, send a short form, then record a 10 minute video with three key points and one action step. End with a tailored pitch and a 48 hour bonus, follow up once they've watched it, and track every lead so nobody slips through the cracks.

If you need clients quickly and you don't have time to build a funnel or plan a launch, free audits are one of the simplest things you can do. No fancy tech. No big audience needed. Just you, a post, a short form and a bit of your expertise.

Audits were one of the first ways I generated leads when I started my business in 2020. I'd put up a post offering free social media audits, and everyone who commented was a lead. Here's exactly how to do it, with every script, including the bit most people miss: the sales process behind it. Because every lead generating task needs stepping stones that lead to a sale.

This is part of my ultimate guide to lead generation for coaches, where free audits are one of the quickest ways to turn a small audience into leads.

What is a free audit?

An audit is when you look at part of someone's marketing or business and give them feedback on how to improve it. It doesn't have to be an in depth review of everything they do. A quick look and a few clear pointers is the point. You can audit pretty much anything:

• content or social media (posts, bio, cover photo)
• funnels, opt-in pages or sales pages
• websites and SEO
• ads (copy, graphics or strategy)
• business strategy, mindset, even fitness

The one rule: audit something related to your paid offer. If you build websites, don't offer social media audits. If you specialise in social media, don't offer SEO audits. The audit should naturally show why someone needs what you sell.

The free audit strategy, step by step

Step 1: Decide what you'll audit and how you'll deliver it

Pick one thing connected to your offer. Then choose how you'll give the feedback:

• A short video (what I recommend). Share your screen, talk it through, let them see your personality and energy. Around 10 minutes each. You can show your excitement about your offer when you pitch.
• A call. The most personal and often the highest converting, but time consuming, especially if someone just wants a freebie.
• A group audit. Get everyone onto one Zoom, go through a few people's profiles live, and pitch to the whole room at the end. We've done this with social media audits and it works brilliantly.
• Written. Quickest, but you can't show your personality and it's harder to pitch. I'd avoid it.

Time: 15 minutes. Done when: you can finish this sentence: I'm offering free [x] audits, delivered by [video, call or group Zoom].

Step 2: Promote the audit

Put up a post explaining what you're auditing and why it matters, and ask anyone who wants one to comment below. You can also offer it in your stories with a poll, or in an email asking people to reply. Anyone who comments or votes is now a lead. These posts only work if people see them, so this works best alongside a bit of visibility.

Time: 20 minutes. Done when: the post is live, plus one story and one email pointing to it.

Short on time? The Copywriter inside Ascendia OS writes your audit post, story text and email in your voice, and the Content Creator schedules the post straight to Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. The audits themselves stay with you, because that's where the trust gets built.

Step 3: Qualify them in the DMs

Before doing any work, check their profile. Do they look like an ideal client, someone who'd benefit from your services? Then message them with a couple of questions: where are they now, where do they want to be, what are they struggling with? These answers are gold, because you'll use them in your pitch. If the fit isn't right, you don't have to do the audit. Send them a free resource instead.

Time: 5 minutes per person. Done when: every commenter has a DM and you've decided yes or no for each.

Step 4: Send a short form

Use Google Forms or similar (questions in the template below). Yes, shorter forms get filled in more. But they're getting a free audit, and if someone can't answer a few questions, they might not be your ideal client anyway. These forms are also brilliant market research. Look for patterns across them. They'll shape your content and your next offer.

Time: 30 minutes to build once. Done when: qualified leads have the link and you're tracking who has filled it in.

Step 5: Record the audit

Give three key points. Not ten. If you give everything away, they don't need your paid offer. Then set one action step. When they take action and get a result from something free, it builds trust, and they start wondering what working with you properly would be like.

Show them the effort involved in fixing it themselves, and the return if they get it right: more clients, more sales, time saved. People invest for a return on investment or to save time, so make both visible.

Time: 10 to 15 minutes per audit. Done when: they have a video with three points, one action step and a pitch.

Step 6: Pitch, personally

At the end of the video, make a tailored pitch using what they told you in the DMs and the form. Then give them a reason to decide now, like a bonus if they join in the next 48 hours.

Time: 2 minutes of the video. Done when: they know exactly what you'd do for them, the price and why now.

Step 7: Follow up and close

Use a video tool that tells you when someone has watched, so you know exactly when to follow up. Most sales happen in the follow up, not the first message. Then track every lead: who commented, who you messaged, who replied, who watched, who bought, who needs a nudge. I use a simple board for this, shown in a simple lead tracker in Trello. If someone says not now, note why and follow up next month.

Time: 5 minutes per lead per follow up. Done when: every audited lead is marked won, follow up or lost, with a date.

Worked example: a social media manager getting clients this week

Example only, to show how it flows. A social media manager sells a $1,200 a month management package. On Monday she posts: "I'm doing 10 free Instagram audits this week." Here's how the week could look:

Two clients at $1,200 a month is $2,400 in new monthly revenue from one post and about five hours of work. And she now has 10 forms full of market research for her content.

Copy and paste scripts

Benchmarks

• Three key points and one action step per audit.
• About 10 minutes per video audit.
• 48 hours for a fast action bonus.
• Within 24 hours of them watching: when to follow up.
• Next month: when to follow up with anyone who said not now.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: Auditing something unrelated to your offer. Fix: audit the exact thing your paid offer fixes.
• Mistake: Giving away 15 fixes. Fix: three key points and one action step.
• Mistake: Skipping qualification. Fix: check profiles and ask your questions before you do any work.
• Mistake: No pitch at the end. Fix: every audit ends with a tailored next step and a reason to decide now.
• Mistake: No follow up. Fix: follow up when they've watched, and track every lead.
• Mistake: Sending audits nobody asked for. Fix: some founders do this to get noticed, but people can feel funny about it. Let them come to you.

Your action plan

Day 1

• Choose what you'll audit (connected to your paid offer).
• Write your offer post, DM questions and form.
• Post the offer and share it in stories with a poll.

Days 2 to 7

• Qualify every commenter in the DMs.
• Record each audit within 48 hours of the form coming back.
• Follow up as each video is watched.
• Track every lead on a board.

Next 30 days

• Review the forms for patterns and turn them into content.
• Follow up with every not now lead.
• Add something that scales, like a short free training, once you have more leads than you can audit.

It is time consuming, I won't pretend otherwise. But it's one of the fastest ways to go from no leads to paying clients, because you're giving personal value for free and that builds trust quickly. It's perfect when you need cash this week, have a small audience or are testing a new offer. For more ideas like this, read 9 free resource ideas that actually get opt-ins.

Prefer to start free? The Revenue Leak Audit shows you 12 places your business is quietly losing money. For the bigger picture, read the ultimate guide to lead generation for coaches.

Frequently asked questions

Are free audits worth the time?

Yes, when you need clients quickly or have a small audience. They're time consuming, but personal value builds trust fast. Once you have more leads than you can audit, add something that scales.

Should I do audits on video, on a call or written?

Video is the best balance for most people: personal, shows your energy and makes pitching easy. Calls convert well but take more time. Written is quickest but hardest to sell from.

How many points should a free audit include?

Three key points and one action step. Enough to show your expertise and give a quick win, without giving away everything your paid offer delivers.

What if someone isn't an ideal client?

You don't have to audit them. Thank them and send a free resource instead, so they still get value and stay in your world.

How do I pitch at the end of an audit without being pushy?

Make it about them. Use their goal and their struggle from the DMs and form, show how your offer gets them there, and give a genuine bonus for deciding within 48 hours.

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.