7 TikTok Marketing Ideas for Fitness Brands, Gyms & Trainers

TikTok marketing has exploded in popularity and many fitness brands are getting in on the action. In the ever-evolving world of social media, TikTok is now a hub for creativity, trends, and engaging short-form videos. For gyms and personal trainers the platform offers an incredible opportunity to showcase expertise, inspire health journeys, and build a thriving community.

In this article – we share a simple guide to TikTok marketing for gyms, personal trainers, and fitness brands (including content ideas, influencer tips, and industry examples).

We’re a specialist fitness marketing agency with 15+ years of industry experience, so we know first-hand what works (and what doesn’t!). We’ve helped gyms, fitness studios, and personal trainers to successfully promote their businesses on social media, so our marketing strategies are tried and tested.

Why Should Fitness Businesses Use TikTok?

Let’s start by looking at why TikTok can be beneficial in your social marketing strategy. Honestly, it’s not suitable for every brand (e.g. if your target audience isn’t using it) and platforms like Instagram and Facebook may be more aligned. But for others, it offers a number of benefits that can’t be ignored…

• Massive User Base – TikTok boasts a vast user base of over 1 billion users, primarily composed of young adults and teens. This demographic is perfect for gyms and trainers aiming to connect with the next generation of fitness enthusiasts.
• Creative Expression – TikTok’s video format encourages creativity. Gyms and trainers can showcase workouts, share nutrition tips, and inspire fitness journeys through engaging and visually appealing short-form videos, which opens up potential for inventive marketing strategies.
• Viral Potential – TikTok videos can go viral quickly, reaching millions of viewers. A creative workout routine, fitness challenge, or inspirational message can spread like wildfire, exponentially increasing brand visibility.
• Community Building – TikTok fosters a sense of community. By actively engaging with viewers, responding to comments, and participating in challenges, gyms and trainers can quickly build a dedicated community of followers passionate about fitness.
• Trending Challenges – TikTok’s trend-driven marketing environment allows gyms and trainers to participate in popular challenges. Creating fitness-themed renditions of trending challenges can attract attention and connect with a broader audience.

So, there you have an overview of the benefits of TikTok for fitness businesses. As with any social media platform, it’s vital to ensure that using it will support your specific business goals, whether that’s encouraging membership sales or online program sign-ups. For many brands, it can involve a lot of time without clearly benefiting the bottom line, but for some it’ll be the secret weapon in the marketing strategy.

Let’s dive into how fitness businesses should approach marketing on TikTok…

1 – Start With a Killer TikTok Profile

Your TikTok profile is how you portray your brand to the world, so it needs to be awesome. Your profile needs to communicate who you are and why people should pay attention to your content. So, it’s vital to craft a strong brand bio for your business…

• Profile Picture and Bio – Use your business logo or a headshot for your profile picture. Write a bio that succinctly reflects your passion for fitness and what viewers can expect from your videos.
• Content Themes – Define the content themes that you post about, whether it’s quick workouts, nutrition tips, client transformations, or fitness challenges. Consistency helps build a loyal audience.

2 – Create Engaging Fitness-Themed TikTok Content

On TikTok, creativity knows no bounds. You can create short, snappy videos on all sorts of health and fitness-related themes. Here are some of the top fitness content ideas for TikTok…

• Quick Workout Demonstrations – Share bite-sized workout routines suitable for all fitness levels. Focus on high-impact exercises that can easily be followed.
• New Class Launches – Give a sneak peek of new group exercise classes or other products and services that you’re planning to launch.
• Nutrition Tips – Provide quick cooking demos, healthy snack ideas, or nutritional facts related to fitness. Short, informative clips work wonders, particularly when they’re on trending topics.
• Transformation Stories – Inspire viewers with real client transformation stories or your own fitness journey. Authenticity resonates deeply.
• Challenges and Trends – Participate in trending challenges, giving them a fitness twist. Encourage viewers to join in, fostering a sense of community. Or start your own fitness challenge on the platform that others can join in with.

Weaving these fitness TikTok ideas into your content strategy will help you drive more views, engagement, and sales.

You might also like… 25 Creative Content Ideas For Fitness Brands.

3 – Use TikTok’s Top Features Creatively

Take full advantage of TikTok’s built-in features to make your content really impactful. Social platforms tend to reward accounts that use new features in particular, so whenever TikTok launches something new, be sure to jump on it quickly. Some of the top TikTok features for fitness brands include…

• Duets & Stitches – Invite viewers to duet your workout videos or stitch your fitness tips. This interactive approach builds a sense of camaraderie.
• Text & Captions – Use catchy captions and texts to emphasise key points or add motivational quotes. Clever use of text enhances viewer engagement.
• Music Selection – Pick trending or motivational tracks to accompany your videos. Music sets the vibe and enhances the overall impact.

4 – Engage with the TikTok Community

Engagement is the heart of every social media platform and TikTok is no exception. To build a thriving community of followers, you’ll need to actively engage in a genuine way.

• Respond to Comments – Reply to comments promptly. Engage in conversations, answer fitness queries, and acknowledge viewer participation.
• Live Sessions – Host live Q&A sessions, impromptu workouts, or fitness challenges. Live sessions build a direct, real-time connection with your audience.
• Collaborations – Collaborate with other fitness creators or influencers. Joint challenges and duets can expose your content to a broader audience.

You can also take this last collabs idea a step further by partnering with influencers in a sustained and strategic way…

5 – Partner with Fitness Influencers on TikTok

Influencer marketing is an entire category of its own and a great way to grow a fitness brand. It allows you to tap into the #fittok community and leverage other people’s audience. A few of the most effective ways for fitness businesses to do this include…

Collaborative Challenges

Collaborate with well-known fitness influencers to create engaging and challenging workout routines or fitness challenges. These challenges can be interactive, encouraging viewers to participate, record their attempts, and share them under a specific hashtag. The influencers’ followers, along with yours, will participate, creating a viral challenge that spreads across both audiences.

Influencer Takeovers

Allow fitness influencers to take over your gym or personal training TikTok account for a day. During the takeover, the influencer can share their workout routines, behind-the-scenes glimpses of their fitness journey, or conduct live Q&A sessions. This cross-promotion introduces your gym or training services to the influencer’s audience, generating curiosity and potentially attracting new followers.

You might also like… How To Get Started as a Fitness Influencer.

Co-Created Content

Collaborate on co-created content, such as split-screen videos or duets, where both you and the influencer demonstrate workouts or share fitness tips simultaneously. This format not only showcases your expertise but also aligns your brand with the influencer’s, leveraging their credibility and trust with their audience.

Product or Service Endorsements

Collaborate with fitness influencers to endorse specific gym equipment, fitness gear, supplements, or personalised training programs. Influencers can create authentic testimonials or demonstrations showcasing the effectiveness and benefits of the products or services. Their endorsement can significantly boost your product’s visibility and credibility.

Exclusive Challenges and Rewards

Create exclusive challenges or fitness programs in collaboration with influencers, offering participants unique rewards, discounts, or merchandise from both the influencer and your gym or training services. This incentivises participation and promotes your offerings to the influencer’s followers, driving engagement and potential conversions.

Event Sponsorship

Sponsor fitness events or challenges organized by influencers. Your gym or training services can be featured prominently as sponsors, gaining visibility to a wide audience. Engage actively during the event, interact with participants, and offer insights or demonstrations, showcasing your expertise and services to potential clients.

6 – Promote Your Gym or Training Services

TikTok can be a powerful promotional tool for your fitness business. While awareness and follows are nice, they won’t pay the bills. So, it’s vital to include promo, lead gen, and sales activities within your overall social strategy…

• Promotional Videos – Create engaging videos highlighting your gym’s facilities, classes, or personal training services. Visual appeal is key.
• Special Offers – Introduce limited-time offers or exclusive discounts through creative, attention-grabbing videos. Scarcity drives action so give people a deadline.
• Client Testimonials – Share video testimonials from satisfied clients. Their genuine experiences add credibility and trust to your services.

7 – Use TikTok Analytics To Inform Your Strategy

Data-driven decisions lead to better content, so make the most of TikTok’s built-in analytics. Review the stats on what’s worked well so you know what to do more of…

• Video Performance – Analyse views, likes, shares, and comments. Identify what resonates with your audience and replicate successful strategies.
• Audience Demographics – Understand your viewers’ age, location, and interests. Tailor your content to cater to their preferences and needs.
• Trending Content – Keep an eye on trending hashtags and challenges within the fitness niche. Incorporate relevant trends into your videos for wider visibility.

TikTok Marketing for Fitness Brands – Overview

TikTok offers plenty of creative and community building opportunities for gyms and personal trainers. By creating a killer bio, sharing engaging content, and embracing its unique features, fitness businesses can build a strong TikTok presence and vibrant fitness hub. Engaging authentically, partnering with existing fitness influencers, and making concerted promotional efforts will help you grow and ultimately drive revenue.

Get The Social Media Growth Roadmap

Grow your social media, increase engagement, and generate leads with our comprehensive roadmap bundle. It includes video training, practical guides, 4000+ ready-made fitness posts, and more.

Grow Your Social Media & Get Genuine Engagement

Harness the power of social media to grow an engaged community, generate leads, and get customers.

• Do you want to grow your Insta following and build a larger audience?
• Are your social media posts not getting many likes or interactions? 
• Would you like to generate more leads and sales through social media?
• Do you struggle to create and post content consistently?

Our Social Media Growth Roadmap is the solution… Learn more here.