Coaching marketing
Coaching
advertising rules.
Coaching has no regulator of its own, but plenty of rules apply. The Australian Consumer Law needs reasonable grounds for any claim about future results, and the ACCC has taken wealth-seminar and mentoring businesses to court over it. 'Psychologist' is a protected title. Health coaches can fall under state codes for unregistered health practitioners, and money coaches can stray into financial advice that needs a licence. Which rules apply depends on what you coach and how you sell it.
Written by Dan Picken, a marketer who checks the sources. Last checked 2 November 2026.Claims about
results.
Claims about the future, like 'you'll double your income' or 'land a promotion in 90 days', need reasonable grounds at the time you make them. Fine print can't fix a misleading headline.
The ACCC has shown it will act. DG Institute, which sold courses and mentoring through free seminars and webinars, was ordered to pay $14.7 million in refunds, plus penalties. In the We Buy Houses case, the court found student testimonials were misleading.
Testimonials
and reviews.
The ACCC's rules: real reviews only, don't hide or edit negative ones, and disclose any incentive. Cherry-picking your single best result and presenting it as normal is where coaches get into trouble.
If your coaching counts as a regulated health service, the Ahpra advertising rules apply to anyone advertising it, and ban testimonials.
Health and
wellness coaching.
NSW has a Code of Conduct for unregistered health practitioners covering anyone who provides a health service. It requires claims to be supported, bans financial exploitation and bans steering clients away from medical treatment. Victoria, Queensland and South Australia have codes too.
Whether life coaching counts as a health service isn't settled. South Australia applies its code where a reasonable person would think they're getting a health service. Mindset, wellness and mental-health-adjacent coaching sits in the grey zone. And 'psychologist' is protected: using it without registration can bring large penalties.
Money
coaching.
ASIC says budgeting tips that don't involve financial products are unlikely to be financial advice, while recommending specific products, like shares or a super fund, is likely to be. Financial product advice needs a licence or authorisation.
A money coach who sticks to budgeting habits and spending is generally fine. One who says which fund to switch to has crossed a line.
Which rules
apply to you?
Pick your kind of coaching and tick what your marketing does.
Rules finder
Which rules
apply to you?
Coaching has no regulator of its own, so the rules that apply depend on what you coach and how you market it. Checked 2 November 2026.
Rules that apply
1
A marketer's map of where to check, not legal advice.
Cooling-off, contracts
and subscriptions.
Cooling-off periods apply to unsolicited sales, like phone or door-to-door sales over $100. A client who books online generally doesn't get one automatically. Your refund policy fills the gap, and a fair one helps conversions.
Unfair terms in standard contracts, with consumers or small businesses, can attract penalties. From 1 July 2027, the unfair trading practices ban covers subscription traps, and memberships and programs that renew automatically must be easy to cancel.
What I see most often
What I see
in coaching marketing.
- 1
The best result as the headline
One client's exceptional outcome presented as what everyone gets.
- 2
'Therapy' words without the training
Healing, trauma and therapy language from coaches who aren't registered, which invites trouble.
- 3
No refund policy
Nothing on the site about what happens if it isn't working, which costs bookings and trust.
- 4
Memberships that are hard to leave
Cancellation by email request only. That changes on 1 July 2027.
The honest bit. This is a marketer's map of where to check, not legal advice. If you're unsure whether your coaching counts as a health service or financial advice, ask a lawyer before you advertise.
Questions
people ask.
Is life coaching regulated in Australia?
No. Anyone can call themselves a life coach. The Australian Consumer Law still applies, and health or financial coaching can bring in extra rules.
Can a coach guarantee results?
Only results you control. Guaranteeing an outcome like income or weight loss is a consumer law risk, and Google requires an easy-to-find refund policy for guarantees.
Can a coach call themselves a therapist or psychologist?
'Psychologist' is a protected title. 'Therapist' isn't protected on its own, but it implies treatment, which can bring in health codes. Most coaches are better off avoiding both.
Do I need a licence to be a money coach?
Not for budgeting and spending habits. Recommending financial products can be financial advice that needs a licence.
Is there a cooling-off period for coaching?
Only for unsolicited sales, like a phone call or a door-to-door approach. Online bookings usually don't get one, so set a clear refund policy.
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