Looking for proven personal trainer marketing ideas that actually work? Whether you’re a newly qualified PT or experienced training professional, promoting yourself and your business is crucial to career success. So, we’ve collated the very best ideas, tips, and strategies into one handy list.
In this article – learn how to market yourself as a personal trainer with 30 marketing, advertising, and promotion ideas (including lots of free ones!).
As a specialist fitness marketing agency, we work with gyms and personal trainers to help them land more clients. Over the years, we’ve tested lots of different approaches, seen what works (and what doesn’t), and identified industry best practice.
Learn which fitness marketing strategies produce the best results (so you can focus on what actually works).
Top Personal Trainer Marketing Ideas
Clients are the lifeblood of a successful personal training career. Without them, you won’t earn a decent salary and will eventually end up quitting the industry. So, knowing how to promote yourself and your services is a crucial skill that every PT should learn.
Let’s kick off with an overview of effective personal trainer marketing ideas…
- Run Google Ads to target people searching for personal training services in your local area.
- Pin client testimonials to the top of your social media profiles so everyone sees the results you deliver.
- Use the back of your business cards to offer complimentary taster sessions to prospective clients.
- Run a healthy eating or nutrition workshop at your local community centre, co-working venue, or online.
- Start a fitness blog or PT website where you can publish articles and videos that showcase your expertise and reach lots of people (WordPress or Wix are good places to start).
- Place promotional posters, leaflets, or postcards at local cafes or doctor’s surgeries.
- Partner with your local organic café or farmers market to run a free small group PT session.
- If you run an online PT business, then consider starting a podcast (or getting interviewed on other people’s) to promote yourself.
- Use online quizzes to ask fitness questions and provide tailored training recommendations that generate qualified client leads.
- Post photos of your healthy meals on social media, along with the recipe so people can make them themselves. Or photograph the 3-4 preparation steps and make a collage so people can follow along.
- Jump on trending X/Twitter or Instagram hashtags where relevant to grow your audience of targeted clients.
- Record a ‘how-to’ video and post it online using YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook Live.
- Join Meetups or volunteer groups where people might benefit from your expertise.
- Run social media polls to encourage interaction and learn about your audiences, so you can design PT programs that meet their needs.
- Take photos of yourself performing exercises in the start and stop position so that people can see the correct technique to use.
- Schedule automated posts on Facebook that promote old blog content and drive more traffic.
- Take photos of training sessions (with participant’s permission), venues, or equipment, and then share on social media.
- Join a Triberr group, where you promote other’s content and they reciprocate.
- Comment on other blogs, and include a link back to your site. This can help get you more traffic and backlinks which both help it rank higher in Google.
- Reinvent your email signature with professional graphics and links to your website or social media.
- Write articles for websites that your target audience or ideal clients are likely to read, and include your website or blog in your bio. Think golfing, gardening, triathlons, bodybuilding, etc.
- Collate all of the email addresses of existing clients and people who’ve ever inquired about training with you, then send them fortnightly emails using a free service like Mailchimp.
- If you have a PT studio then claim your venue on FourSquare and then offer special deals to users.
- Register your website on AllTop.
- Answer questions on Quora to help position yourself as a knowledgeable authority on specific topics.
- Create a SlideShare presentation, addressing a question that you’re asked frequently.
- Write articles for credible publications like Mind Body Green, Men’s Health, or Huffington Post, that include an author bio link to your website. Make sure the topic is something you’re really knowledgeable about or get asked about frequently.
- Offer to run a free sports-specific training session at a local sports club.
- Tweet someone new, join a conversation, and then add value. Offer tips or your opinion on a topic, (but don’t be spammy or self-promotional).
- Run a survey and publish the results in a report (then create a SlideShare presentation for extended reach).
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These ideas combine short-term tactics and longer-term strategies, so there’s something here for every PT. But they aren’t a substitute for a well-thought-out business marketing plan that aligns your promotional efforts with your overall objectives. Aligning both elements will help you create a successful business for the long term.
What’s the best way for a personal trainer to market themselves?
In our experience, the best way for a personal trainer to market themselves is through Google Ads. This is because you’re getting in front of warm leads – you know they’re already keen on PT because they’re actively searching for it! It’s very cost-effective and unlike other forms of online advertising, you can target people who are in your town or neighbourhood, which makes it perfect for attracting local clients.
More Personal Trainer Advertising & Promotion Ideas
For more in-depth strategies and practical tips, check out more fitness trainer marketing and personal training promotion ideas…
- Social Media for PTs & Fitness Trainers
- Marketing Your PT Business – 5 Essential Best Practices
- Fundamental Marketing Tools For PTs & Fitness Coaches
- Fitness Ad Ideas & Examples
- Digital Marketing for Personal Trainers [Top 10 Proven Strategies]
- 10 Personal Training Website Design Tips & Ideas
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Your All-in-One Toolkit to Attract, Engage & Convert More Clients
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Your All-in-One Toolkit to Attract, Engage, and Convert More Clients – Tailored Specifically for Fitness Businesses Like Yours!
The Fitness Marketing & Lead Generation Roadmap is a comprehensive resource designed for gyms, personal trainers, and online fitness businesses. It’s packed with video workshops, marketing templates, step-by-step guides, cheat sheets, and more. We cover:
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