Before we came to Italy, I showed Lucy's daughter a photo of Lake Como. She said "No, that's AI", and I laughed. "Wait till you see it in real life", I said, "and then you'll know - that's real."

I think it's happening already...

We're doubting that content is real.

Whilst this was once limited to photos and maybe some dramatically staged social media clips, it's now extending through to full videos, AI generated courses, entire scenes fabricated by code.

We used to say 'that's fake'.

Now we say 'that's AI'.

The remedy is simple. We need to start mixing in more 'proof of life' content into our marketing mix: content that shows we are undeniably real, we are human.

In this week's episode - Human vs AI: Why Being Real Will Be Your Superpower in 2026 - I discuss this concept and show you the three types of content I'm running at the moment to find balance between showing I'm real, positioning myself as a leader in the field, and making sure the efforts are scalable for growth.

This is an interesting watch, one that will change the way you think about content in the coming months and help you realise just how important 'proof of life' content really is.

P.s. I've added a list of ten proof of life content ideas to the write up of this video. You can read them + watch the video here:

​10 examples of 'proof of life' content >>

Most people are still writing SEO optimised content for Google… but the way we search is changing.

➔ AI responds to real prompts, rather than vague keywords and search terms. Think about full questions your clients would be asking ChatGPT and write questions to answer those more human prompts.

➔ Consistency builds authority — ChatGPT “reads” your homepage, bios, blogs, and news stories. Say the same thing across all of them to help create a consistent narrative about your business.

➔ Structure matters — Use clear H2s and H3s with long-tail search phrases like “how to attract clients through Instagram”, rather than e.g. “Key points”. (Look at the title of this section as an example!)

➔ Transcripts and show notes boost discoverability — AI can’t watch your video, but it can read everything around it. Use show notes to ‘tell’ ChatGPT what’s in your video and use it as a chance to create content that ChatGPT could return in answers.

➔ You can check your rankings — Tools like SEMrush now show where you appear in ChatGPT results. This is real-time visibility.

If you want to build a business through inbound discovery – watch this video on how to show up in Chat GPT. This approach says goodbye to chasing down followers and hello to creating content for the people searching for you right now.

In this new episode, I break down:

• Why ChatGPT is changing search behaviour
• The difference between Google vs ChatGPT prompts
• How to appear in ChatGPT responses for your ideal search terms
• The surprising way one client found me via ChatGPT
• Why your homepage, blog and video titles matter more than ever
• A simple system I use to write searchable show notes
• How SEMrush now tracks ChatGPT keyword rankings
• How to turn Instagram posts into SEO-ready blog content

To learn more about this, read the latest post I made about ranking in ChatGPT: https://lisa-bean.com/business/marketing/showup-in-chat-gpt/

I wish I could convey this one thing about marketing.

MARKETING = IMPACT
MARKETING = IMPACT
MARKETING = IMPACT

Posting isn't marketing if it doesn't open someone's thinking, influence a new behaviour, or challenge an old behaviour. Marketing is marketing when it has an impact on someone's life, and you become associated with that impact.

If we can get someone's attention, get them to pay attention to us, and share something that truly changes their life, then we're marketing. For this reason, simply posting isn't marketing. Marketing is more about building a connection between your brand and value that your clients want.

Examples of things clients might say about your content are:

• "I follow them because they inspire me"
• "I follow them because they tell the truth about [XXX]"
• "I follow them because they're funny and help me tune out of my life"
• "I follow them because they share technical details on how to [XXX}"
• "I follow them because they're helping me to face the truth about how I [XXX]"

When you think about your marketing, what do you want clients to say about you; why do they follow you; what do you give them? Put another way, we can ask about the impact we're having on someone's life. I think when someone comes across your content for the first time, they don't actually want to follow you. They're following too many people already. To get the follow, you've got to share something novel, new, insightful, truly helpful.

When I challenge people on their marketing, I often ask them if they're posting what it really takes or a more palatable version. Are they really running the steps they're sharing in their own lives, or are they doing something different? In my marketing, I've always told the truth about how hard business is, about how much time it takes to build a brand, about the steps required up front to make sales.

There was a fear for me that the process was too hard for people and they'd not do it, so not follow me. But honestly, I couldn't see another way? I had to tell people the truth because I had to get them turned on to the real work as quickly as possible. I therefore focused on a mix of 'how to' marketing content and the mindset work needed to do that difficult work in the first place.

As you watch (or listen to) today's episode, I want you to consider seven key questions:

1. What is the real problem I solve - not just the surface symptom, but the deeper challenge they’re facing?
2. What does it truly take to solve this problem - and what honest content can I make around this?
3. What questions are my high calibre clients searching out and how can I make content to answer those questions?
4. How can I 'show' more of my expertise, rather than just talk about it?
5. What’s the emotional shift you want your content to create in someone - from stuck to hopeful, from confused to clear, from overwhelmed to decisive?
6. What’s one truth you’ve been holding back from sharing because you’re afraid it’s too much — and what would happen if you shared it anyway?
7. If someone binge-watched your last 10 pieces of content, what would they say your brand stands for?

If you enjoy this episode, don't forget to hit like and subscribe for more.

I felt sick the day after I offered Chris, my new videographer, a role.

You might be surprised to read this today and worried that Chris might find out. Don’t worry - he knows! I told him and we filmed a video about it.

The feelings surprised me.

I’ve hired before.

I’ve had teams before.

I’ve made leaps before.

But this time it felt different.

I felt resourced. I felt certain. I felt ready.

So why the anxiety?

Anxiety often arises when our brain’s fear circuitry - particularly the amygdala - triggers a stress response that doesn’t quite match the situation. It was useful from an evolutionary standpoint, helping humans to anticipate danger. But now, it can misfire, leading to things like catastrophising a situation (I’m going to go bankrupt!), focusing on the threat and not the reality (all my sales with dry up), feelings of being ‘beyond our comfort zone’ (I’m not ready for this, it’s too much!).

Do any of those sound familiar? Other, more subtle ones include:

• I’m not good enough / cut out to do this
• Someone is going to find me out
• I’m not doing enough!
• Something bad is about to happen
• Other people seem to find this easier!
• I need to learn one more thing, then I’ll be ready

I recognise all of those.

In fact, I’ll let you in on a secret. I started my masters in Psychology because I wanted to know what made a great entrepreneur. I didn’t know if I had what it took to ‘make it’, to go all the way. I wanted to find the perfect formula for entrepreneurship and model it. Ha. I’ll tell you how that goes. For now, I’ll just keep showing up shall I?

The hard thing about entrepreneurship is that we have to live in this zone of discomfort to grow. We’re constantly in the leap between safe havens. And just when we’ve mastered one thing, we have to master another, and another. This constant cycle of growth is very taxing on our nervous systems, on the very human part of ourselves, and this tax shows up as fear, anxiety, burnout, exhaustion, procrastination. If we put it off, we can’t fail right? We sit with the pain of avoidance, just to save ourselves from the pain of change.

For this reason, being successful as an entrepreneur isn’t really about the leap itself. It’s actually about the gap in between one version of ourselves and the next. It’s about how we resource ourselves in that gap. It’s about how we react to the feelings of discomfort, which only show up in the gap. It’s about how we choose to act as we land on the other side of the gap.

I find that when I make ‘the leap’, I want to stay the same. I want to have the same feelings, the same comforts, the same thoughts. I want to prioritise the same things, do the same activities, continue with the same behaviours. But I can’t. The net sum of those things is the person on the other side of the gap.

To continue is to go back.

To change is to stick the landing.

And this is what we’re exploring in today’s episode.

Ready to dive in?

If you’re in the middle of a leap - or find yourself avoiding one - this episode will help you to see where you are in the process, discover what it’s going to take to stick the landing, and focus on the person you need to become, not the fear holding you back!

-

🔗 Want to go deeper? Join the Be The Person membership for the mindset and healing work required to make this leap: https://betheperson.co.uk/membership/

Brand new keynote talk from Lisa Bean on how to grow your online coaching / education business, and make more sales as a purpose-driven entrepreneur.

This talk walks through how to warm up cold leads, build trust before a sales call, and create marketing content that leads to real clients.

Whether you’re a coach, service provider, or creative entrepreneur, this is a straight-talking session on marketing, mindset, and visibility for 2025.

Key Timestamps:

00:00 – 01:09
The belief that changed everything: “There is so much money out there to be made.”
Customers are already looking — the challenge is being findable.

01:09 – 02:34
Understanding the full customer journey:
Cold lead → warm lead → client → repeat client

02:34 – 03:04
The mistake most people make online: asking for too much trust too soon.

03:04 – 04:06
How ranking on Google for “business coach” helped Lisa generate high-converting leads.

04:06 – 05:10
Why her sales calls convert 9.9/10 — and how you can warm up new clients in the same way.

05:10 – 06:10
What to have in place when someone finds you for the first time.

06:10 – 08:00
How to hook people instantly in your videos and why you should give value up front.

08:00 – 09:25
The importance of clarity on your website. If they’re lost, you’ve lost them.

09:25 – 11:10
The three types of content every business needs:

- Content that reaches new people

- Content that builds your brand

- Content that makes your offers clear and easy to buy

11:10 – 14:00
Different ways to reach new audiences: networking, SEO, speaking, ads

14:00 – 15:30
Why marketing matters more than talent — and why you must learn it yourself.

15:30 – 17:00
Credibility signposting: how to show that your brand is experienced and established.

17:00 – 19:00
Why customers need to “test drive” your offer. Discovery calls aren’t enough.

19:00 – 21:00
How Lisa built her events strategy — and why she ran them at a loss to build trust.

21:00 – 23:14
The value of documenting your events and using content as your proof.

23:14 – 25:00
How to create ads from spontaneous moments and event footage.

25:00 – 27:00
Organic social content that builds trust and attention. Why variety matters.

27:00 – 29:00
Selling without pressure. The work you do before the offer is what sells.

29:00 – 31:00
The role of thought leadership in helping people understand what you do and how.

31:00 – 34:00
Turn your real-life insights and client patterns into weekly content.

34:00 – 36:00
Thought leadership as a map: your job is to guide people through the journey.

36:00 – 40:00
Final advice: teach weekly, calibrate your ideas, and document what works.

Guide: The 5 Key Questions to Make Sales Online (£7)- Get clarity on your offer, outcomes, and how to stand out in your niche – https://lisa-bean.com/paid-to-serve/

Course: Learn How to Market to Sell in this brand new online course (£99) – https://lisa-bean.com/online-marketing-course/

Membership: Shift your whole mindset and move through your blocks in the Be The Person monthly membership (£24/month) – https://betheperson.co.uk/

#coaching #coachingbusiness #marketingadvice

If you hired a sales person and found out they were doing what you’re doing now to sell, how happy would you be?!

For a lot of people, the true answer is NOT VERY.

We’d want a sales person:

Reaching out to new prospective buyers

Pitching weekly or daily either face to face, at events or on webinars

Using content to build a brand / reach new audiences and retarget them with offers

Building a database and following up

Networking at least twice a week…

RIGHT?

But most business owners aren’t doing that. Nope - they’re posting on social media, working on a sales page, networking when they can but not really following up.

When you put it starkly like that, you can see the void…and the opportunity!

In this week’s video, we’re going to have a chat about making sales in your business, looking specifically at:

- What your product needs in order to be attractive (and useful!) to buyers

- How to stand out by innovating in your marketing

- Why content makes selling easier, and what content to make to help!

- The one big feeling a buyer has before they buy from you

- What every step of the journey needs in order to help you make more sales and win more clients in your business

- The true difference between a warm and cold lead…and how to warm up a cold lead nicely

- Do lead magnets work, or rather: Why lead magnets work and how to maximise them.

As ever, this is not a prescriptive list of things to do. It’s more of a discussion about the premise of selling and the core concepts of winning new customers in your business.

Dive in and enjoy!

USEFUL LINKS:

Lisa Bean is a business coach, best-selling writer and motivational speaker. She coaches and advises entrepreneurs and leaders who want to scale up using online marketing, personal brand and funnel marketing.

Join Lisa at a live event, now happening in multiple cities across the UK: https://lisa-bean.com/daretogrowlive/

Explore Lisa’s online business school and group coaching programme ‘Straight Line Through’ https://lisa-bean.com/online-business-course/

Find out more about working with Lisa as your one-to-one business coach: https://lisa-bean.com/online-business-coach/

#businesscoach #motivationalspeaker #salestrainer #motivational #businessadvice