How to get more students for chess coaching? - My 11 proven strategies
If you are a chess coach and looking to get more students and also want to improve your conversion rate, this guide is for you!
In 2023 I decided to play full-time chess and played multiple tournaments within a year. Later I realised the chess expenses were getting out of control and that’s why in Mid of Nov 2023 I decided to do both chess coaching and chess playing. Following is the blog published on Lichess where I have mentioned all my chess expenses in 2023.
In December and January month, I got many new students with whom I am working.
What’s the point of writing this blog?
Most of the chess coaches don’t get enough inquiries. I am writing this blog for those who are planning to start a blog but are still not getting enough inquiries or those who are getting inquiries but not getting enough students. You can try to apply the following points.
Remember the very important thing - Even if you get a new inquiry, the most important factor is the quality of teaching and communication skills.
Also, remember that you are taking money from someone and it becomes your responsibility to give your best. (Read Pricing and Quality vs Quantity point for more explanation)
Let's see the points
Ask Questions before accepting students
Once you get a new inquiry, ask them what they need. I have a few students who are very serious and some are just playing as a hobby and don’t have any goals. Your teaching style should change according to them.
If a student is a hobby player, you should try to take a light and friendly approach. If a student is a serious player then you should provide him with homework, etc. Here is a list of questionnaires you can ask in a demo class or first class or by creating a simple form.
Name
Chessdotcom and lichess ID
FIDE’USCF ID and link
Short-term chess goals
Long-term chess goals
Chess experience
Improve your teaching quality
Once you start accepting students, always think about how you can improve. Whether it’s communication improvement, English speaking improvement, chess skills improvement, etc. Just try to give the best experience to your students
Provide Recording Link to Students
If you are taking online classes, mostly you will use Google Meet or Zoom. The premium version of any of this software will cost you $3-20 depending on your country. (I pay $5 for zoom premium) Once class ends, you can send a recording immediately to your student. This extra 30-second effort really works like magic.
Make a list of experiences that you want if you join a chess class and try to replicate them.
Use TidyCal
I have been using TidyCal for the last 2.5 months. It’s a booking schedule software where students can pay and book a class. It’s for $29 with a lifetime access. You can even connect Zoom where Tidycal will create a new link automatically. There are other tools like Calendly which costs $10 per month (TidyCal is $29 for a lifetime)
You can set up your availability and students can book a slot in that available time. There are some features like private booking links, and connecting with a Google calendar.
Once you get a new booking, it automatically adds it to your Google calendar and no one will book on the same booking slot.
I have added my TidyCal link to my lichess coach profile. This tool helped me a lot in getting multiple bookings.
Try to make the process easy for your students. E.g. Zoom Recording and Tidycal Booking Link
Post regular content on the social platform
This is where you will need to put in real effort but it’s worth it. For the last 2 years, I have been posting content on multiple platforms such as my own website and lichess blogs. I have tried all types of content. The best content types for conversion are
posting a blog on lichess and chess.com
Posting regular threads on Twitter
Posting on Youtube
Don’t start all these from day one. Start with one platform and post regular content on it. Again you have to post different types of content and content strategy is also needed. For e.g., if you start a chess meme page on Instagram then you cannot expect to get student inquiries even if you get 100k likes.
At the same time, if you start posting students’ case studies, and improvement threads, your conversion rate will be much better
Create a basic chess coaching website
Creating a website is free and simple. You can use any website builder like WordPress and Wix and build a single-page website in 30-45 minutes. Put your achievements, about us and contact details. You can also add a TidyCal link and some free lectures on the website.
Free websites are good at the start but it’s always better to get your own domain name.
(I have a decent knowledge about building websites, you can reach out to me for help. I don’t provide any services regarding website building. but I can try to answer your questions)
Decide Pricing
This is completely from an individual perspective. You will find FMs who are charging as low as $10 per hour and as high as $150 per hour.
Mostly pricing is based on the mode of coaching, the value of the chess coach, country, etc. But before deciding on the pricing, do some market research.
You can give a 5-15% discount if the student is paying you for 10-20 sessions at once.
Quality vs Quantity
My thinking process is a bit different in this. I always think that the highest quality should be the first priority. I will increase fees but never compromise on the quality.
Even if you charge more than normal coaches and you are confident in your quality of teaching then don’t decrease your charges.
This quality vs quantity war is in every field and this is good for everyone. But I feel that Quality is always better. Apple company is the best example of it.
Create a plan for student
Whether your student is a hobby player or trying to be a professional player, it’s your responsibility to create an improvement plan. Try to see what students like and then give material according to it. Try to increase your love for chess for your students.
Be realistic with students
Usually, when young players' parents contact you they ask you how much rating growth is possible for your son or daughter. Most coaches tell unrealistic things like 500-800 points. Coaches tell these big figures to acquire students.
If a student asks how many sessions we should take? Now the real answer is that 1-3 sessions in a week is more than enough. But sometimes coaches tell students that they can take maximum chess coaching sessions, and it will benefit them.
Try to be realistic and original.
Answering Student’s Questions beyond the class
Sometimes students keep asking endless questions and also parents start calling you if they face any small problem. They just think that we are paying to coach and they should be available 24x7.
If you get such kind of students, Try to communicate with them properly and tell them that you are putting all the effort and calling for all these silly questions is not the best plan.
Always think about long-term goals. If you are able to produce good results from students, you will get a lot of new students by referral. Remember referral is the biggest thing of success.
If you are new to chess coaching, try to build your name. Do whatever is perfect for your student.
Hope you will like this article. If you want any specific blog post, please message me or send me an email. I will try to cover the topics.
Very honest and useful!