A R E YO U A

N E W LY- C E R T I F I E D
PERSONAL TRAINER?
Learn How to Find Clients for
Yo u r P e r s o n a l Tr a i n i n g B u s i n e s s
Becoming a personal trainer can be a rewarding
and lucrative career.

If you choose to go the entrepreneur route and run your

own business instead of working for a gym, then you’ve
probably wondered how long it will take to build a steady
revenue stream. To make money, you need to find clients,
arguably the most challenging part of gaining traction in a
new business. Don’t be discouraged. With a bit of time and
effort, our failproof methods to bring in new clients
will have you raking in cash in no time.
 FIRST THINGS FIRST
You’ve gotten your first message from a prospective client, and you’re
beaming with excitement! You’re already counting the dollars in your
account before you’ve even signed them up. You’re so eager to start
that you ink a contract without considering their goals, personality,
and if they mesh with you and your training style. First, let’s take a
step back and put ourselves in the best position to find new clients
that are more likely to turn into loyal customers.

Be Realistic About Your Abilities and Offerings

Are you certified in a particular specialization like tactical conditioning or
weight training? If so, taking on clients looking to recover from injuries or
prepare for a 5K probably aren’t in your wheelhouse. It’s okay to refer them
to trainers better suited to their goals. Being honest and transparent will only
benefit you in the long run by limiting negative reviews and ensuring you don’t
overextend yourself. As your business grows, you can always become certified
in other specialties or bring additional staff, such as nutritionists and massage
therapists, to fill in the gaps.

Start Building Your Brand

No matter the size, all businesses aim to build brand awareness and loyalty. You
can start building your brand for free using social media. Start with business
Instagram and Facebook accounts using a high-quality photo of yourself as
your profile picture. Fill out your bio entirely and be consistent in posting. If you
don’t have a logo yet, you can start with using a cohesive color scheme in the
clothing you wear to create consistency in your videos. Do you have a unique
protein shake recipe or morning stretch routine? Share that with your clients.
Think of things that would make you stand out from the crowd.

Practice Your Pitch

As cheesy as it sounds, it’s helpful! Most people have short attention spans. You
have just seconds to reel them in and pique their interest. What would you say
if someone asked you right now what you do for a living? Would you stumble
over your words or give them blunt answers like, “I’m a personal trainer.” You’re
putting all the onus on a potential client to probe for more answers about
you and your business. Practice what you would say in the mirror. Write some
auto-generated responses you can send if you are contacted online. Success is
where opportunity and preparation meet—so don’t come unprepared!
FINDING NEW CLIENTS
Now that we’ve laid a solid foundation, it’s time to find clients for
your personal training business. Implementing these methods
requires patience and effort but will pay dividends.

Make a Website
If you plan on training 100% remote, you can get by with a very well-
tailored social media account and personal training software. However,
you must have a website if you plan on training in person or hybrid.
We cannot stress this enough. People need to be able to find your
location, pricing, services, your availability, information about you, and
how to contact you. It doesn’t have to be a massive undertaking; plenty
of platforms are available to help non-tech-savvy people in building a
website via drag-and-drop capabilities like Wix and Squarespace.

Once you have a website, make sure it ranks on Google. That means
adding terms to your site that you can rank for. For example, using the
term “personal trainer” is extremely broad and will likely have millions
of other hits. Try to be as specific as possible without stuffing in words
that don’t make sense. Are you a personal trainer in Wilmington, North
Carolina, specializing in conditioning and strength? Try “Strength Training
Wilmington, North Carolina.” You can tailor it to include any specialties
you have, like if you train in a hybrid model or virtually, age groups you
prefer to work with, etc.

Get Reviews
Well, how do I get reviews if I don’t have clients? We’re happy you
asked. This is where family and friends come into play. We recommend
offering a free session or two to 5-10 people in exchange for a positive
review. Treat them just as you would a brand-new client and go through
the entire process. Do not ask for fake reviews without doing the work!
It is easy to spot the fakes for someone who reads enough reviews.
If your business isn’t showing on Google, your business’s Facebook
becomes handy since this is where you will ask them to leave the review.
Customers are far more likely to try a relatively new business with 5 to 10
reviews than one with no reviews at all.
 Create Incentives for Referrals
In addition to offering specials for new clients, create a referral program.
You can provide a free training session to a customer for every new
client they refer that signs a contract with you. Or offer a “bring a friend”
day where clients are encouraged to bring a friend or family member.
Whatever you choose to offer is up to you! Word-of-mouth referrals are
the best since they are more likely to be long-lasting customers, even if it
takes a while to acquire them.

Meet with Other Businesses

Meeting other business owners who can complement you is a fantastic
way to build connections. Are there massage therapists, chiropractors,
or nutritionists within your vicinity? It is worth dropping by, getting their
contact info to schedule a call, or leaving an email with information about
yourself and your business. Try to create a partnership. For example, for
every customer you refer to Mary’s Massage Therapy, they would receive
a small discount for your personal training services and vice versa.

Be Present in the Community

This method works for both in-person and hybrid trainers. Look for
community events where it would be appropriate to market your
services. There are often pop-up fitness events in major cities or events
like meet-and-greets at local gyms. If you work online, join Facebook
groups centered around fitness. If someone asks a question in the group,
be active and answer if you can. It shows engagement and that you take
the group and wellness seriously.

Finding new clients doesn’t have to be daunting.

Along the way, you will likely meet new clients, potential
partners, and other trainers that can help you become even
better at your job. Networking is crucial, and in the age of
social media, it can often be about whom you know and how
many people you know, so the more, the merrier!