Livestreams are one of the fastest ways to get in front of new potential clients, since Leland actively markets them to your target audience on your behalf. If you haven't hosted one yet, this is your sign to get on the calendar.
Livestream visibility is a fast lever for your business, and the customer experience you create is what determines how much of it you capture. About 50-60% of Leland customers attend a livestream before booking, specifically to test out a coach's style, tone, and content.
A well-run livestream, one with a clear topic and a strong close, gives them a real reason to book. The good news is that running a great livestream isn't complicated.
Livestreams are typically 30 to 60 minute sessions, and they can take a variety of forms:
Presentation / Lesson: structured content around a specific topic. Example: "Nuts and Bolts of the GRE" or "Service Academy Applications 101." Takes more time to prep, but delivers high value and tends to convert best.
Live Exercise: walk through a real problem, skill, essay, or resume live with the group. Example: "Live Resume Teardown: What a Recruiter Actually Looks For." Less prep required, but you'll need materials to draw on.
Ask Me Anything / Office Hours: the audience brings the questions, you bring the expertise. Example: "Dental School Interview AMA" or "MBA to MBB: AMA with Ex-Bain Manager & MBA Recruiter." Easy to host, but harder to communicate your value without structure.
Live Mock Interviews or Tactical Workshops: Example: "Live MBA Mock Interview" or "Recruiting for PE: Tips and Strategies." Great for showing your coaching style in action.
Picking a Compelling Topic
Creating your livestream materials with intention leads to better engagement, both during and after your livestream.
Pick a specific outcome, then tackle a framework or a few of the steps it takes to get there. Don't try to cover everything in one session.
Think about seasonality. What are people worried about right now in their journey? Deadlines create urgency, so running livestreams around relevant deadlines helps you capture demand when it peaks.
Be specific, but not too specific. Your topic should be narrow enough to feel valuable and broad enough to draw a crowd.
Make your title compelling and outcome-tied. A specific, actionable title with a clear outcome for attendees is one of the biggest levers you have on registration and attendance.
Some real examples of titles that have converted well:
"The Truth About MBA Essays: What Works and What Doesn't"
"IB Resume Secrets: What Actually Works"
"Cracking the McKinsey PEI: Authentic Storytelling"
"Get Off the Waitlist: Strategies to Get In"
"Breaking into Big Tech: Tips to Master PM Interviews"
"Writing Outstanding MBA Essays for HBS" (beats generic "Writing Outstanding Essays")
"Advanced LSAT Strategies: Formal Logic" (beats generic "LSAT Strategies")
A few patterns to notice:
School-specific and firm-specific titles convert especially well. Naming HBS, Wharton, Columbia, or McKinsey outperforms a generic topic title by a wide margin. And across the board, titles that lead with the outcome beat titles that just describe the topic. If you're stuck, AI can be a great brainstorming partner for titles.
One caveat worth keeping in mind: title is a big lever, but it's not the only one. Conversion really comes down to a combination of timing, title, promotion, category, and your energy on the day, not any single lever on its own.
Struggling to find what to host on?
Get inspiration from your own clients and leads. What do they consistently want to hear about? Chances are a lot more people out there want to hear the same thing.
Once you create a livestream that works, don't be afraid to run it again. Building the content is the hardest part, and a strong livestream is worth repeating, especially seasonally.
Promoting Your Livestream
Network effects are what get your livestream in front of the right audience, beyond Leland sponsored marketing.
Post about it on LinkedIn or other social platforms. A short post with your livestream details and RSVP link goes a long way.
Share it in relevant forums and communities like Reddit, Slack groups, or Microsoft Teams channels where your target audience spends time.
Ask friends and colleagues to help spread the word. A simple message like "Hey [Name], wanted to let you know I'm hosting a livestream on Leland about [Livestream Title]. Hope to see you there, and feel free to forward to anyone who might be interested!" is enough.
Best Practices for Livestreams That Convert
Strong livestreams share a few things in common:
Valuable content. Give attendees something they can't just find on the internet.
Early audience engagement. Ask a question that gets people answering in the chat right away, before you dive into content. Something as simple as "Where are you dialing in from? When are you applying?" builds relationship and surfaces intent early.
Client success stories, woven in naturally. Name the outcome, describe the client's challenge, and explain the coaching process. Example: "I actually had a client who was really struggling to draw out her personal narrative. She kept hitting roadblocks on what her 'why' was for business school. After a couple sessions, we found a story that felt authentic and powerful. She got accepted to Wharton two months later."
A clear sense of what's in and out of scope, and what you can help with beyond it. Example: "Today we covered technical interviews, but if you want help with the entire IB recruiting process, you can book a package with me to get personalized support with networking, behavioral and technical interviews, resumes, and recruiting strategy."
A custom package with an expiring discount code, dropped in the chat at least twice. Not just a discount code, and not just a package on its own. Name the package explicitly, explain what it covers, and attach an expiration date. Drop it once early in the livestream and again at the close. Framing that works: "If you're applying right now and want to work 1:1 with me beyond this livestream, I'm offering a discount on my [Package Name] specifically for livestream attendees, until [date]. I'd love to help you get there."
Multiple clear calls to action throughout, not just one at the end. Attendees won't take an action you didn't explicitly ask for.
Create urgency during the call. A few lines that work well:
"I only have a few spots left."
"This discount code expires next week."
"Clients with the best outcomes last year booked a comprehensive package around this time."
"My schedule tends to fill up fast after these livestreams."
Ending Your Livestream
Close on a high note and give attendees one clear next step:
Book an intro call (recommended) - explain what an intro call is and how it works for the best results
Buy a package
Reach out for a free resource
Leave a review
Register for your next livestream
After the Livestream: Converting Leads to Paid Clients
Conduct effective intro calls. Know your niche. What unique gap do you fill in this client's journey? Listen more than you talk, and tailor your recommendations to what they actually need.
Send a Recommended Offering. This is the single highest-converting tool you have post-livestream. Include a custom offering, an expiring discount code, and a quick personal note if it's relevant.
Follow up more than once. Use your expiring discount code as a natural reason to check back in. One follow-up is rarely enough. Clients who hear from you 2-3 times after a livestream convert at meaningfully higher rates than those who only hear from you once.
Pre, during, and post-livestream messaging matters too:
Before the livestream: get RSVPs excited to attend. Share one thing they'll learn, or ask them to message you about something specific beforehand so they're already in your inbox.
After the livestream: send a resource relevant to the topic, your review link, and a link to a package or discount code.
To host your own livestream: visit the Livestreams tab of your expert profile under the Offerings section, click "Create a livestream," and fill in the details.