The Psychology of High-Ticket Coaching Webinars: A Breakdown

I signed up for one of those “Make $20K a Month with Your Studio” webinars—not because I needed to know how, but because I saw a familiar face at the beginning of the ad making a heartfelt testimonial about how much this program helped them increase their business by 200%.

I had to take my dog to get his rabies vax, so I signed in on the way over and listened in. Here’s what I heard:

First of all, let me say—psychology and manipulation in sales fascinate me to no end. When I was in my 20s, I sold products door-to-door and worked for the infamous Cutco selling knives. The catch with both of those jobs was that you had to pay upfront for the product in order to sell it, so there was really no financial risk for the company—it was all transferred to you. Even though the tactics were questionable, I learned a lot about human nature.

And I learned even more about sales.

"Sell me this pen."
"Put the product in their hand."
"Create a pain point, then offer the cure."

Sales 101. I’m sure you can spot this approach on Threads and social media day in and day out. There’s literally nothing new under the sun about any of this.

Now, let’s get into the webinar.

The call was a textbook high-ticket coaching funnel—designed to use psychological manipulation to create urgency and convince people to buy into a program that provides little to no real value.

First, you’re introduced to the host. They ask, “Are you struggling to make money?” They get you to say yes in the chat. Then they present the idea that they have the secret to making money, which you’ll find out at the end of the webinar. (Pain/Cure.)

Next, they warm you up and build trust. They ask where you’re from, which forces participation and engagement. Then they ask everyone to turn their cameras on, making it feel inclusive. People who turn their cameras on get positive affirmations—while those who don’t are subtly called out:

"Some of you may be feeling shy, but this shows there are two kinds of people—those who take action, and those who let opportunities pass by."

Manipulation.

This lowers skepticism and increases group participation, creating momentum—"we’re all in this together." It also makes it much harder to leave the webinar.

At this point, the host introduces the salesperson. (There’s a rule somewhere about never self-introducing.) Now the salesperson has been built up, and we’re finally getting to hear what they have to say.

They promise big income, planting the dream of financial success. Then, they create urgency:

"Normally, we charge thousands of dollars for this kind of information, but today, everyone on this webinar is getting access for free. Plus, there’s an opportunity to sign up for a separate masterclass for just $197!"

Welcome to the fear of missing out.

And here’s where cognitive dissonance makes its entrance.

You just spent 45 minutes listening to these people talk about their pain, frustration, and eventual cure. You want to believe it’s real—because the idea that you’ve been tricked feels worse than spending $197.

The cost is low enough to justify: “Well, $197 is way less than tens of thousands of dollars, right?”

This is the psychological manipulation blueprint:
✅ Affirmation overload—making people feel good about their decisions.
✅ Binary success framing—people willing to show their face vs. people who are "too shy" or "not ambitious enough."
✅ Scarcity tactics—"Only a few slots left!"
✅ Micro-commitments—engaging in chat, saying where you’re from, answering “Has anyone ever felt this way?”

All of this combined creates an incredibly strong sense of opportunity that is extremely difficult to ignore. In fact, these manipulation tactics are the same ones used by cults to recruit new members.

So, what’s the real secret?

These webinars aren’t about helping people—they’re about making money off people’s hopes and frustrations. They exploit the fear of failure, offering shortcuts that don’t exist while raking in cash from people desperate for success.

There is no shortcut to making money with your studio. The actual path to success is simple, but it requires real work:

✅ Build strong people skills. Relationships matter more than algorithms.

✅ Network authentically. Connect with artists and industry professionals in meaningful ways.

✅ Deliver real value. Your work should actually help people, not just promise results.
✅ Charge fairly for your expertise. Confidence in your pricing attracts the right clients.

These webinars aren’t about helping people. They’re about making money off people’s hopes and frustrations. They exploit fear of failure, offer fake “shortcuts,” and rake in cash from people desperate for a breakthrough.

The reality? Success in music and audio isn’t about hacks—it’s about doing the work and building real connections.

There are no shortcuts to this process.