How to get clients as a personal trainer

Much like physical fitness, you need to put in the work to see any results when it comes to attracting clients. There are over 13,770 registered personal trainers in the UK, so the competition is fierce. However, it isn’t as tricky as it may seem.

In this article, you’ll learn seven ways to get clients as a personal trainer.

There’s no secret formula for attracting new clients. However, there are some tried and tested methods that can help you on the road to success. Here are our top seven:

Think of it as your menu. It would be confusing to go to a restaurant and see that they offer sushi, pizza and curry. The same applies to your business. So, to attract the right clientele, you should offer a specific service. For example, if you’re a master at HIIT, you need to make this clear. 

If you’re not sure what you should specialise in, think about who could benefit from it, or the types of people you enjoy working with the most. Perhaps you live in an area where there are lots of older people and so you could create classes to suit them. Alternatively, maybe you want to help people train for marathons specifically. Whichever direction you go in, defining your speciality is key.

If you’ve already worked with clients who could vouch for you, ask them to put in a good word with their friends and family. This is, in fact, one of the most effective methods of marketing, with a reported 92% of consumers trusting recommendations from friends.

To make this worthwhile for your clients, you could offer an incentive such as a free session or workout plan. 

With over 3.87 billion social media users active every day, this is one of your best marketing tools. However, before you create an account on every platform (which can become overwhelming very quickly), think about your audience. If you’re working with younger people, for instance, you may prefer to use a platform like TikTok.

Not only is this a great way to advertise your services to potential customers, but it’s also essential for establishing yourself as an authority figure. Take some time to respond helpfully to comments, interact with other people’s posts, share useful content and you’ll have a loyal following in no time.

It’s important to show clients that you know your stuff. As such, it could be a good idea to write articles or blog posts for reputable health and fitness media outlets. The more you do this, the more people will stumble across your posts and recognise you as an authority on all things fitness. This, in turn, could lead to more paying customers.

However, it’s important to note that most publishers receive hundreds – if not thousands – of guest blogging pitches, so you need to make sure yours stands out. The best way to go about this is taking some time to research, but here are some steps to get you started:

• Address the blogger by name: This makes your pitch more personal.
• Be specific: Think of something specific that you like about their website or blog and let them know.
• Focus on your niche: Give the editor three topics to choose from, rather than a broad topic.
• Write a captivating subject line: If you’re reaching out to the blogger via email, you need to ensure that your subject line grabs their attention so it doesn’t get deleted.
• Show your experience: Include references to your skills/qualifications and any past blogging experiences.

You no longer have to be a tech wizard to create your company website. There are plenty of services out there that enable you to quickly put together a professional-looking site using a pre-built template. 

Your website should be your go-to place for clients to find out everything they need to know. You could include information such as:

• Your rates
• Testimonials
• Contact details
• Location
• Links to social media

If you’ve included relevant content, this is more likely to improve your SEO (search engine optimisation) and will enable you to show higher up in Google search results. 

If you want clients to be able to get a taste of what you have to offer, it could be useful to offer a free introductory session. This is a great way to establish a connection with new clients and begin building rapport. 

You could also use this as an opportunity to build a partnership with your local gym. Consider offering their members a discounted rate and they may send extra business your way when their trainers are busy. Using a public space also increases the chances of other gym-goers seeing your training session and being interested in booking with you.

Print marketing isn’t dead. In reality, 48% of the UK responded to some form of direct marketing they received last year. Therefore, you should consider getting some marketing materials created that advertise your services, such as flyers, brochures and business cards.

To help spread the word, you could ask local athletic stores or health food shops if you could leave a stack of flyers at their checkout. It’s also worth keeping some business cards on you at all times so you can give them to potential customers when you’re out and about.

When you’re running your own business, it’s important to look as professional as possible to your clients. That’s why it’s a good idea to have a business current account. 

With a business current account, clients can pay directly into an account that’s named after your business. This strengthens your image as a legitimate business that they can trust.

It’s also important for you to keep organised and accurate records of your finances – this will save you hours of painful admin time when it comes to completing your tax return. 

Countingup is the business current account and accounting app in one. The app makes it easy for you to keep organised when it comes to financial admin. It automates bookkeeping, allows you to create and send invoices in seconds, receive live business insights, and connect with your accountant directly. 

Find out more here and sign up for free today.