Guide
Video marketing statistics for coaches: checked against the original studies
Updated
Coaching articles often reprint numbers without dates. Here every figure names its study and year, last checked August 2026, and the recycled myths get their own section.
In short
- 49% of marketers name short video as their highest-return format, ahead of every other kind of content (HubSpot, 2026).
- There are 122,974 coaches worldwide, up 15% since 2023 (ICF, 2025).
- Coaching brings in an estimated $5.34 billion a year worldwide (ICF, 2025).
- Webinar viewers stay 49 minutes on average, and half of all attendance is on-demand (ON24, 2026).
- The line '1 minute of video is worth 1.8 million words' is arithmetic on a saying, not research.
- Coach practitioners worldwide, up 15% since 2023 (ICF, 2025)
- 122,974
- Estimated global coaching industry revenue (ICF, 2025)
- $5.34B
- Of marketers call short video their highest-return format (HubSpot, 2026)
- 49%
- Credits for one finished 30-second video on Cutroom
- 110
How many coaches there are
The ICF Global Coaching Study, run with PricewaterhouseCoopers about every three years, is the only regular census. The latest drew 10,000+ people in 127 countries.
- In 2025 there were 122,974 coach practitioners worldwide, a record, up 15% since 2023 (ICF, 2025).
- In 2022 there were 109,200 coaches, up 54% from 2019 (ICF, 2023).
- 72% of coaches worldwide are women (ICF, 2025).
- 54% specialise in leadership or executive coaching (ICF, 2025).
Coach practitioners worldwide, by ICF census
Estimated headcount in the last three ICF Global Coaching Studies (ICF, 2020-2025).
- 2019 estimate71,000
- 2022 estimate109,200
- 2025 estimate122,974
What coaches earn
Revenue and fee figures from the same ICF census.
- Coaching revenue rose from $4.564 billion to $5.34 billion between the last two censuses (ICF, 2023 and 2025).
- 59% of coaches expect their own revenue to grow next year, and 91% have active clients (ICF, 2025 and 2023).
Coaching revenue and fees
| Finding | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global coaching revenue | $5.34 billion | ICF, 2025 |
| Global revenue in the prior census | $4.564 billion, up 60% since 2019 | ICF, 2023 |
| Average yearly coaching revenue, North America | About $67,800 | ICF, 2023 |
| Average yearly coaching revenue, global | $52,800 | ICF, 2023 |
| Average fee for a one-hour session | About $272 in North America, $244 globally | ICF, 2023 |
| Coaches with active clients | 91% | ICF, 2023 |
| Coaches who expect revenue to grow next year | 59% | ICF, 2025 |
Finding: Global coaching revenue
- Number
- $5.34 billion
- Source
- ICF, 2025
Finding: Global revenue in the prior census
- Number
- $4.564 billion, up 60% since 2019
- Source
- ICF, 2023
Finding: Average yearly coaching revenue, North America
- Number
- About $67,800
- Source
- ICF, 2023
Finding: Average yearly coaching revenue, global
- Number
- $52,800
- Source
- ICF, 2023
Finding: Average fee for a one-hour session
- Number
- About $272 in North America, $244 globally
- Source
- ICF, 2023
Finding: Coaches with active clients
- Number
- 91%
- Source
- ICF, 2023
Finding: Coaches who expect revenue to grow next year
- Number
- 59%
- Source
- ICF, 2025
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
How clients find coaches
No reliable public data splits coaching clients by channel, so we do not make one up. What is measured: awareness of coaching, and how buyers treat visible expertise.
- 90% of decision-makers say they are more open to outreach from someone whose work they already read (Edelman-LinkedIn, 2024).
- 73% of consumers have heard of professional coaching, up 7 points since 2017, so fewer buyers need the idea explained (ICF, 2022).
Awareness and thought leadership
| Finding | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Consumers aware of professional coaching | 73%, up 7 points since 2017 | ICF, 30,727 people in 30 countries, 2022 |
| Millennials aware of coaching | 81%, the highest of any generation | ICF, 2022 |
| Really familiar with coaching: under 35 vs 55 and older | 39% vs 15% | ICF, 2022 |
| Decision-makers more open to outreach from steady thought leaders | 90% | Edelman-LinkedIn, 2024 |
| Would pay a premium for strong thought leadership | 60% | Edelman-LinkedIn, 2024 |
| Would invite that supplier into an RFP | 86% | Edelman-LinkedIn, 2024 |
Finding: Consumers aware of professional coaching
- Number
- 73%, up 7 points since 2017
- Source
- ICF, 30,727 people in 30 countries, 2022
Finding: Millennials aware of coaching
- Number
- 81%, the highest of any generation
- Source
- ICF, 2022
Finding: Really familiar with coaching: under 35 vs 55 and older
- Number
- 39% vs 15%
- Source
- ICF, 2022
Finding: Decision-makers more open to outreach from steady thought leaders
- Number
- 90%
- Source
- Edelman-LinkedIn, 2024
Finding: Would pay a premium for strong thought leadership
- Number
- 60%
- Source
- Edelman-LinkedIn, 2024
Finding: Would invite that supplier into an RFP
- Number
- 86%
- Source
- Edelman-LinkedIn, 2024
Short video benchmarks
Short video is usually how a stranger first finds you. These are the numbers behind that.
- 60% of marketers used short video, more than any other format (HubSpot, 2025).
- Videos under 1 minute average 50% engagement, the best of any length, and how-to videos that short reach 82% (Wistia, 14 million videos, 2025).
- Short video engagement fell about 10% in a year as feeds filled up (Wistia, 2025).
- 82% of marketers report a good return from video in the 2026 edition, down from 93% the year before, and 85% of people say a video has convinced them to buy (Wyzowl, 266 respondents, 2026).
- LinkedIn video viewership grows 36% a year, and short video is its fastest-growing type (LinkedIn, 2025).
- About 4% of creators earn over $100,000 a year, and most of that money comes from brand deals (Goldman Sachs, 2023). A coach is not competing for those.
Highest-ROI content format, as named by marketers
The top three formats are all video (HubSpot State of Marketing, 2026).
- Short-form video49%
- Long-form video29%
- Live streaming25%
Webinar and long video benchmarks
Long video and webinars do the convincing. Webinar viewers stay 49 minutes on average (ON24, 2026).
- 17% of viewers of videos over 30 minutes took the suggested action, against 2% for the shortest clips (Wistia, 2025).
- 60% of registrants attended a webinar in 2025, up from 57% the year before (ON24, 2026).
- Half of all webinar attendance is on-demand, so publish the recording (ON24, 2026).
Long video and webinars
| Finding | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Viewers who took the suggested action: videos over 30 minutes vs shortest clips | 17% vs 2% | Wistia, 2025 |
| Webinar registrants who attended | 60% in 2025, up from 57% | ON24 platform data, 2026 |
| Average webinar viewing time | 49 minutes | ON24, 2026 |
| Share of webinar attendance that is on-demand | 50% | ON24, 2026 |
Finding: Viewers who took the suggested action: videos over 30 minutes vs shortest clips
- Number
- 17% vs 2%
- Source
- Wistia, 2025
Finding: Webinar registrants who attended
- Number
- 60% in 2025, up from 57%
- Source
- ON24 platform data, 2026
Finding: Average webinar viewing time
- Number
- 49 minutes
- Source
- ON24, 2026
Finding: Share of webinar attendance that is on-demand
- Number
- 50%
- Source
- ON24, 2026
3 famous coaching statistics, checked
These appear in almost every article for this search. Here is where each one really comes from.
- We cite the 2009 ICF client study only with its date attached, and never as a current result.
- Cisco's traffic forecast was mostly Netflix and YouTube streaming, not marketing video.
Where the famous numbers really come from
| Claim | Real origin | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 1 minute of video is worth 1.8 million words | Forrester's James McQuivey, How Video Will Take Over the World, 2008: 1,000 words x 30 frames x 60 seconds | Arithmetic on a saying, not research |
| 80% of coaching clients gained confidence, and companies saw a median 700% ROI | ICF Global Coaching Client Study with PwC, 2009. Self-reported by clients recruited through their own coaches | Real, but from 2009 |
| Video will be 82% of all internet traffic | Cisco Visual Networking Index, 2018: a forecast for the year 2022 | An expired forecast |
Claim: 1 minute of video is worth 1.8 million words
- Real origin
- Forrester's James McQuivey, How Video Will Take Over the World, 2008: 1,000 words x 30 frames x 60 seconds
- Verdict
- Arithmetic on a saying, not research
Claim: 80% of coaching clients gained confidence, and companies saw a median 700% ROI
- Real origin
- ICF Global Coaching Client Study with PwC, 2009. Self-reported by clients recruited through their own coaches
- Verdict
- Real, but from 2009
Claim: Video will be 82% of all internet traffic
- Real origin
- Cisco Visual Networking Index, 2018: a forecast for the year 2022
- Verdict
- An expired forecast
Sources
Primary sources for this page. Platform data and vendor surveys are labelled as such.
Sources used on this page
| Source | Year | Sample or note |
|---|---|---|
| ICF Global Coaching Study | 2023 and 2025 | 2025 edition: 10,000+ people, 127 countries |
| ICF Global Consumer Awareness Study | 2022 | 30,727 people, 30 countries |
| ICF Global Coaching Client Study, with PricewaterhouseCoopers | 2009 | Myth section only |
| Goldman Sachs Research, creator economy analysis | April 2023 | Market estimate |
| Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report | 2024 | About 3,500 managers |
| HubSpot State of Marketing | 2025 and 2026 | Marketer survey |
| Wistia State of Video | 2025 | Wistia platform data |
| Wyzowl State of Video Marketing | 2026 | Yearly vendor survey, 266 respondents |
| ON24 webinar benchmarks | 2026 | ON24 platform data |
| LinkedIn platform data | 2025 | Platform data |
| Forrester, How Video Will Take Over the World; Cisco VNI | 2008; 2018 | Myth section only |
Source: ICF Global Coaching Study
- Year
- 2023 and 2025
- Sample or note
- 2025 edition: 10,000+ people, 127 countries
Source: ICF Global Consumer Awareness Study
- Year
- 2022
- Sample or note
- 30,727 people, 30 countries
Source: ICF Global Coaching Client Study, with PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Year
- 2009
- Sample or note
- Myth section only
Source: Goldman Sachs Research, creator economy analysis
- Year
- April 2023
- Sample or note
- Market estimate
Source: Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report
- Year
- 2024
- Sample or note
- About 3,500 managers
Source: HubSpot State of Marketing
- Year
- 2025 and 2026
- Sample or note
- Marketer survey
Source: Wistia State of Video
- Year
- 2025
- Sample or note
- Wistia platform data
Source: Wyzowl State of Video Marketing
- Year
- 2026
- Sample or note
- Yearly vendor survey, 266 respondents
Source: ON24 webinar benchmarks
- Year
- 2026
- Sample or note
- ON24 platform data
Source: LinkedIn platform data
- Year
- 2025
- Sample or note
- Platform data
Source: Forrester, How Video Will Take Over the World; Cisco VNI
- Year
- 2008; 2018
- Sample or note
- Myth section only
Where Cutroom fits
The benchmarks point the same way: short video gets you found, posting often earns trust, and a minute is enough.
- Filming an idea takes ten minutes. Editing it afterwards, at the end of a day of sessions, is the part that stops most coaches.
- With Cutroom, one clip of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes, comes back as a captioned 9:16 MP4 with b-roll.
- Film one idea per video, such as one framework, one pattern you see in clients, or one new way to look at a problem.
- One short video a week, under a minute, is the routine these benchmarks point to. Use a webinar or a long video when you are asking someone to buy.
- It only takes clips up to 3 minutes, only exports a 9:16 MP4, and promises no results. Your webinar is still yours to run.
Cutroom prices
| What | Cost |
|---|---|
| Your first video | Free. 600 credits, no card, 7 days, with a Cutroom mark |
| Editing one clip | 100 credits |
| Export | 20 credits per finished minute |
| One 30-second video | About 110 credits |
| Lite plan | $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 11 videos, no mark |
What: Your first video
- Cost
- Free. 600 credits, no card, 7 days, with a Cutroom mark
What: Editing one clip
- Cost
- 100 credits
What: Export
- Cost
- 20 credits per finished minute
What: One 30-second video
- Cost
- About 110 credits
What: Lite plan
- Cost
- $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 11 videos, no mark
Questions people ask
- How big is the coaching industry in 2026?
- The latest census counted 122,974 coach practitioners worldwide, up 15% since 2023, with estimated revenue of $5.34 billion (ICF Global Coaching Study, 2025). North American coaches averaged about $67,800 a year in coaching revenue in the prior edition (ICF, 2023).
- Do these statistics apply to life coaches or executive coaches?
- Both. The ICF census covers every kind of coach; 54% specialise in leadership or executive coaching (ICF, 2025). The Edelman-LinkedIn figures describe B2B buyers, so they matter most to executive and business coaches. The short video numbers apply to any coach who posts.
- What is the best video length for a coach?
- It depends on the job. To be found, go short: videos under a minute average 50% engagement, the best of any length (Wistia, 2025). To sell, go long: 17% of viewers of 30-minute-plus videos took the suggested action, against 2% for the shortest clips (Wistia, 2025).
- Do webinars still work for coaches?
- Yes. 60% of webinar registrants attended in 2025, and the average viewing time was 49 minutes (ON24, 2026). Half of all attendance is on-demand, so always publish the recording.
- Why is the 1.8 million words statistic missing from this page?
- It was never a measurement. It multiplies the saying 'a picture is worth 1,000 words' by 30 frames a second and 60 seconds, from a 2008 Forrester report whose author meant it as a figure of speech.
- What does weekly video cost a coach with Cutroom?
- About 110 credits per finished 30-second video: 100 to edit plus 20 per finished minute to export. Your first video is free: 600 credits, no card, 7 days. Lite is $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 11 videos, and you cancel in one click.
Use these numbers with their years attached, and they stay true when a client checks. Your first video is free.