How to start marketing a fitness personal training business

At Alloy Marketing we work with a lot of trainers, gyms and fitness brands. Here's our advice on getting started as a personal trainer in 2020.
Published:
March 24, 2020

Personal training and the fitness industry in general has experienced massive growth throughout the past decade. The trend of getting fit and healthy doesn’t won’t be going anywhere soon. Because of this, there has been an influx of new, up and coming personal trainers filling every conceivable niche within health and wellness. The personal training industry is thriving and it’s becoming the norm for people to have their own trainer. Which means the competition is hotter than ever, alongside the increasing rate of demand for all types on training from group and in-person, to virtual or online coaching.

Tips for getting started as a personal trainer

,The traditional route for a newly qualified trainer is to work at a ‘Big Box Gym’ such as Total Fitness, Pure Gym, DW Fitness, The Gym and so on. This is great for a newly qualified trainer as they offer the ideal environment to learn the basics of being a trainer in the real world and things textbooks don’t include. As a newly qualified trainer you should start here. From learning how the members work, to observing other more experienced trainers, the practical knowledge you’ll gain is invaluable. New trainers will benefit from a greater understanding of what clients need and in which areas they require help, which will help boost your confidence as a trainer.

Pick up classes

The most successful trainers tended to be the ones that teach classes. Teaching classes will get you in front of more people and give you a chance to make some connections. Classes like body pump, spin and fat burn classes are all great to get your name out there and earn vital face time with gym members and potential clients. This is free advertisement for yourself and one of the most effective ways for a personal trainer to grow their profile in the gym. If you’re also promoting yourself online check out our gym local SEO service to make sure potential clients can easily find and reference you online.

Find classes which reflect your speciality

If you are a trainer mainly focused on weight loss, you may find your target audience and future clients are mostly in the weight loss focussed classes. Alternatively, if you are more specialised in hypertrophy training, you’ll find more of an audience in body pump and HIIT classes. At the end of the class it’s worth having a business card to hand to keep you in the mind of potential clients. We offer a fitness and gym branding service too, so get in touch if you need any help designing a business card. This is a tried and tested way to market yourself. If you want to learn more about ways to market yourself to your clients then be sure to check out our blog ‘9 Types of Marketing You Can Use to Coach Your Fitness Clients’.

Getting started as a personal trainer at ‘Big Box Gyms’

In ‘Big Box Gym’ trainers will generally be required to pay rent per month or take a minimum class commitment in order to train clients in their facilities. Rent at these gyms can vary anywhere from £200-£1000 p/m. As a new trainer, this can be daunting, but there is a better way to do things. Most of these gyms will also offer the chance to work for them for a few hours a week doing things like maintenance of the gym floor, inductions for new members and handling new sign ups. Often, trainers can then use the gym with clients for the rest of the week without charge, effectively working part-time for the gym. This is ideal when getting started as a personal trainer as you can treat every sign up and induction as a potential client, even offering free taster sessions to those interested in having a trainer.

Training outside the gym for increased profits

Personal training isn’t purely confined to the gym, there are other ways to succeed as a trainer. Being a mobile personal trainer, for example, is an option, although it can be harder to build a client base in the beginning as word of mouth is often key. You will also need some form of transport and your own equipment. An impressive website will also help you win over clients, head here to find out more about our fitness website design service. Going one step beyond and above your competition you could publish regular in-depth blog posts on your PT website further building your chances of converting customers due to your knowledge and advice in the written, spoken (podcasting) or video forms. We can help you with everything from proofing and publishing on your website, to completely researching and writing the content for you, with our content marketing services.

Some personal trainers also offer bootcamps in the summer, or even in the winter for the bravest clients. Bootcamps can be profitable if you have a suitable outdoor space nearby, but check If you need a permit to use the land first. As your business develops you could run bootcamps several days a week alongside your gym work, developing multiple streams of income for your growing business.

Take a look at our other fitness marketing services here and don’t hesitate to reach out to our team if you have any questions.

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