It’s been a few years now, but Covid impacted all industries, forcing the adoption of online tech across the board, but the fitness industry has perhaps seen some of the most significant changes. It seems that some of these changes are here to stay and that includes the prevalence of online coaching. Here we’ll provide you some tips for how to start an online PT business.
The internet is an enormous place and because of that, it is tempting to try and cater to everyone. While being a jack-of-all-trades seems like it could generate a huge audience, research has shown that being an expert in a specific field makes you seem more trustworthy and legit. It also makes it easier for you to figure out where your audience is likely to hang out and what kind of messaging they’re most likely to respond to positively.
Identify your niche by thinking about what area of fitness you know the most about or what you’re most interested in. Once you’ve decided what kind of personal trainer you want to be, your ideal clients will be able to find you and it will ensure that every day is fun and interesting for you!
This applies to all walks of life; “Your network is your net-worth”.
You may already know of friends or former colleagues who have built an online following through their personal training efforts. It’s a good idea to reach out to them and see how you can work together or if they can help you out.
If you don’t already know of anyone, there are tons of online groups of personal trainers who are just getting started. Introduce yourself and make valuable connections. If you build up some trust with a few other trainers, someone may start referring clients to you when they’re unavailable themselves. Likewise, you might even find someone who you’d be comfortable referring your clients to, when you need some time off!
Letting potential clients trial your online coaching for a short period before they commit to a paid option is a fantastic way to build trust. Reluctant or uncertain clients will really appreciate the opportunity to test your services before parting with any of their hard-earned cash.
As an online coach you may be offering a bespoke service or a templated programme. Either way, it is worth building something that clearly demonstrates the value that you offer within the trial period, this will do wonders for your conversion rates.
Think about the incentives that inspire you to sign up to a service. The chances are, they’ll work on your clients too!
As your client base grows, it gets harder to keep track of who everyone is and where they are in their fitness journey. Luckily, there is a choice of software available that makes running an online personal training business easier.
Build personalised training programmes, keep track of your clients’ progress and stay organised. This will not only do wonders for your peace of mind but will also make you look a lot more professional. Options we recommend for software include MyPTHub, FITR and Trainerize.
A lot of your online personal training business will be conducted through your social media accounts. Therefore, posting regular credible content is a key part of success as an online coach.
Whether you like social media or not, if you’re looking to start an online personal training business then you’ll need to be on there, and regularly. Start by choosing one platform that you can commit to using consistently, and make sure it is also popular with your target clients. For fitness the most popular platform is currently Instagram, so we’d recommend starting there.
Your clients will need regular help with movement quality and learning new skills. In order for your clients to get the most out of your videos, there are a few things that you should consider.
Just as they do in person, your clients need to be able to see your movements clearly. Film in good lighting with a simple background that won’t distract from what you’re doing. It’s also a good idea to include the movements from multiple angles and of course, film more than one rep. You could also consider including some common errors of certain movements, so that clients don’t feel quite so alone if they can’t get a particular movement right.
This will depend on your offering as an online coach. Bespoke programming will involve a lot more facetime with your clients, whereas a pre-written group programme may mean a group chat with the option for occasional 1-2-1 check-ins with you. Either way, a sense of community and the value people derive from feedback can be key to success as an online coach, so think about how you want to incorporate it.
If you have a fairly small client base and have the time to, you could suggest some live check-in sessions with each of your clients. This enables you to deliver a more personal and effective service as well as it being an excellent opportunity for you to get feedback on how you’re doing.
If your client base is too big to allow this, perhaps you could hold live sessions via social media every month or so. This gives your clients the chance to ask you questions and voice any concerns that they might have. Building some kind of personal relationship with your clients ensures that they stick with you and gives you ideas on how to grow your business, so it’s important to maintain some kind of contact with your audience.
If you’re ready to get started with building an online personal training business, check out our online coaching course. It is packed with 55 lessons on building and growing a successful business as an online coach.
Take our 30 second quiz to find out your earning potential as a Personal Trainer.
