How to Get Clients As A Personal Trainer: 17 Strategies

Knowing how to get clients as a personal trainer is crucial if you want to make it in the industry. Our guide is here to provide you with the best strategies to find and retain clients today!

Naturally, gaining and retaining clients is crucial to a personal trainer's business model, and the ideal way to do that is through expanding what you offer to include specialisms. 

With our Level 4 Sports Nutrition course, you can grow your client base by offering both personal training & nutrition, meaning you can help clients reach their goals much faster! Download our free prospectus here to explore our full range of specialist courses for personal trainers.

How to Get Clients As A Personal Trainer: 17 Strategies

There are plenty of ways to get personal training clients, that many you likely haven’t thought about. Our list will break these strategies down to help inspire you and secure those clients! 

#1 - Offer A Free Group Workshop 

If you’re wondering how to get clients for personal training, you may consider offering a free group workshop as a way for potential clients to try your services without committing to anything.

This is an ideal opportunity for you to show off your personal trainer skills, as well as:

• Give clients a great experience
• Demonstrate your expertise
• Most importantly, gain potential client details and valuable new leads

For those who are considering hiring a personal trainer but are unsure of investing the time and money in one, it also means they can decide whether it’s worth it.

And that’s where you come in! During these free sessions, it’s time for you to show potential clients how exactly you can help them.

We understand the word ‘free’ may put certain personal trainers off holding these sessions, especially those who are just starting. However, sometimes these kinds of strategies can be the most effective:

A free trial can simply be a 30-minute workshop, consisting of exercise sequences that don’t require using gym machines. It just needs to be a class that demonstrates value and allows you to gather details from potential clients.

This allows you to do an in-person call to action, such as:

If anyone’s interested in working in a 1-on-1 capacity, speak to me after the session!

Offering group sessions is the best way to get new clients for personal training as it is both time and cost-effective. Holding free 1-on-1 sessions naturally takes up more time which you could be spending with paying customers.

Providing multiple people with trial sessions allows more potential clients to ‘test the waters’. If you hold a session for a group of five people, you’re giving yourself the chance to appeal to at least a couple of them, instead of hoping the one person you gave a trial session to agrees.

#2 - Incentivise Your Existing Clients to Refer a Friend

Incentives ultimately act as a reward for clients by providing them with something for recommending your services to others.

This can either be a reward given to them immediately after a positive recommendation or part of a long-term programme supplied over some time.

The main reason for referrals is to draw like-minded people to your service. A client may have a family member or friend who shares a common goal such as losing weight. If they’re incentivised, it may make them more likely to refer them to your services.

A good example of a referral scheme is one from Body By Brando. As you can see below, all three members of the scheme benefit from it:

• The personal trainer receives a potential new client
• The current client receives a series of free benefits
• The referred client is given a free session to ‘test the waters’ without commitment

The referral scheme from Body By Brando has something that appeals to everyone, giving more of a reason for people to recommend their services.

Another way to find personal training clients is to incentivise current ones by offering money or vouchers for each client who refers someone to you. 

A reward such as this can be immediately sent to the client once the referral has been made, meaning you may find it easier to keep track of who is owed a reward, rather than scheduling free PT sessions.

An example of someone who offers this is Calumn Duthie Coaching Academy. They send £200 to any client who successfully refers someone to them.

Although £200 may seem a lot, especially if you’re starting, the decision is ultimately yours when deciding how much to incentivise clients with. However, just remember that it must be enough to make clients want to refer people to you!

But when do I ask my clients to refer their friends?

Now, while there isn’t an ideal time to ask for client referrals, there are certain times when clients may be more favourable to you. The best time to ask is when a client has achieved a long-term goal, as this means they’re more likely to be satisfied with your services.

It’s always best to do things like this face-to-face. However, you should only be sure to do it when your client is in a positive frame of mind.

Approaching them after a bad session could lead to a negative reaction as they may view themselves as merely a stepping stone for you to find more clients.

However, if you feel there hasn’t been an ideal time to ask a client to refer others to your services, you may find sending them an email to be the best option. This can work in your favour, as a client may feel less pressured than when being asked in person.

#3 - Spend Time Building Rapport With Potential Clients 

In an industry where ‘selling yourself’ is part of the job, building rapport is one of the best ways to get personal training clients. 

When recruiting clients on the gym floor, you need to act naturally. Building rapport is all about relating to clients - the last thing you should do is immediately hit them with your sales pitch within a second of meeting them.

Ease them in with simple topics or general chatter such as:

• Weather
• Weekend Plans
• Upcoming Holidays 
• Hobbies & Interests

Topics like these can relax them and make them more comfortable without feeling pressured to start talking about money or fitness goals.

It can also help you understand a client's attitude and how interested they are. If you get the feeling they’re not looking to commit to your services or are slightly hesitant, you don’t want to put them off even more by trying to sell them something.

Once you’ve been talking to a client for a while, you can turn the conversation to the subject of fitness and discuss topics such as:

• Long and short-term goals
• Reasons for coming to the gym
• What they’re hoping to achieve in terms of fitness

This is where you can then offer your services and get personal training clients, but only once you’ve established a solid conversation.

We understand some people find it harder than others to build a rapport with clients. If this is something you struggle with, be sure to check out our guide about how to build rapport as a personal trainer.

#4 - Build Relationships With Needs Analysis

Once you’ve built a rapport with gym members and got them interested in your services, it’s time to find out what they need you to provide for them to reach their fitness goals.

Needs analysis simply means finding out what your clients' needs are and why they should use your assistance to achieve their goals.

To effectively analyse clients, you need to ask open-ended questions. This will move the conversation along faster and get you closer to the sales point so you can offer the best services to help your client.

Open-ended questions can’t be answered with a simple yes or no. Examples of these include:

• What exercise have you done in the past?
• How much weight do you want to lose?
• Why do you want to achieve this?

These questions require detailed explanations which helps when wondering how to get clients as a personal trainer. 

As mentioned in our earlier point, this is also good for building rapport and relationships as it helps you get to know clients and what they want.

#5 - Build Relationships With Other Employees 

Being employed by a gym means you’ll be part of a team of employees. If you’re looking to get personal training clients, you’ll need to utilise every opportunity you can.

For example, as the sales and reception staff are the first point of contact with new gym members during the sign-up process, they see them before you even get a chance to meet them.

As they’re the first point of client engagement, this means you should make an effort to build relationships with them. Staff members can help you get personal training clients faster by sending them your way.

These staff referrals are a great way to have clients almost handed to you. If you’ve taken the time to build relationships with staff members, it gives them a good idea of your character, meaning they’ll be more likely to help you out.

You could also incentivise other employees to help you build your client base. This can be by giving them a percentage of whatever you make from a client, essentially giving them a commission for helping you sign someone up.

Or, if this isn't feasible when you're first starting, even just a cup of coffee can go a long way towards cementing the relationship you build with other staff members.

#6 - How To Get Personal Training Clients Using Instagram

One of the most effective ways to get personal training clients is through Instagram. Business owners should never underestimate the importance of social media in marketing their services to the wider public.

If you’ve been asking how to get personal training clients using Instagram, you should understand the effectiveness of advertising your brand. 

This can not only be used to motivate existing clients but also make you known to the wider fitness community.

By tagging your location and posting often, people in your area can see you’re a local PT. This may draw them to your page, meaning it should be more eye-catching and professional than that of your competitors. 

For example, let’s take a look at the Instagram of personal trainer Dean Flynn (@deanflynnpt). As you can see, his posts mainly consist of fitness pictures, motivational posts, and promotional images.

Dean combines a range of promotional material and sales posts with general Instagram posts, ensuring he still attracts clients while remaining consistent.

His posts regarding limited time on offers are also good examples of ways to generate interest as they create a sense of urgency. 

These have clear CTAs (calls to action) that you can implement yourself, and readers may be more inclined to sign up or use your services if they’re only available for a limited time.

While Instagram isn’t necessarily the most practical way to get personal training clients fast, it’s still an essential tool to market your services and build your reputation.

If you’re still wondering how to get personal training clients using Instagram, another strategy you could try is by running competitions where your audience can like, share, and comment on content to win prizes such as a free PT session or online coaching classes.

As you can see with @lifefitcoaching below, this small Instagram account runs competitions to win free services:

Not only is the winning client likely to turn into a paying one, they’re also more inclined to try out your services. This means they can then recommend your services to others, and having people like and share your content, brings it to a wider audience.

However, these competitions should only be done occasionally. When doing this, you should take the 80/20 approach. This means 80% of your content should be focused on adding value to your page, and 20% is promotional.

This means you avoid ‘spamming’ your audience with content solely focused on selling things. Many people will become irritated if their Instagram feed is constantly filled with competition giveaways and content focused on reposting or sharing.

Even the best fitness Instagram accounts had to start somewhere! It will take a while to get personal training clients through Instagram but if you post regularly and keep your page focused on your brand, you’ll be surprised how much your page will grow.

#7 - How To Get Personal Training Clients From Facebook Groups

Similar to our point above, if you’re wondering how to make money as a personal trainer and get more clients, the answer is to become active on Facebook! You should focus on exploring online communities where you can engage with an active audience.

To get personal training clients from Facebook, you can do this in two ways:

• Create a Facebook Group
• Utilise Existing Facebook Groups in Your Local Area

Create a Facebook Group to Get Personal Training Clients

Fortunately, anyone can create a group on Facebook. Admins don’t have to be verified or go through a screening process. Simply locate the group button and click it!

Depending on the kind of community you want to create, you can choose to have either a public or private group. A public group means anyone can see the name, posts, location, and members. This also means it will show up in people’s searches or newsfeeds.

Anyone can add themselves to a public group. Members don’t need to be invited or accepted by an admin to become part of it. 

However, if you’d prefer to have more control over the group regarding what is shared and who can become a member, you may choose to create a private one. This means Facebook users who aren’t part of the group need to be accepted, reducing the risk of spam or abuse.

Whatever type of group you decide on, this can be an effective tool for helping clients motivate each other by sharing content that displays success in their fitness journey with you.

To get personal training clients from Facebook, you need to be active on the platform. With client's permission, you could post ‘out of hours’ pictures and videos of sessions to show others how well they’re doing. 

An example of a public Facebook group that does this well is LEP Fitness:

Nick is regularly active on the platform and shares client stories and progress to help motivate others. 

He also posts about himself and his fitness journey, making the community more personal while being an inspiring mentor for his clients.

Providing clients with regular fitness tips and healthy meals shows them you are engaged with their journeys and care about their progress.

It makes your approach much more personal, meaning they’ll be more likely to recommend your services to others.

Utilise Existing Facebook Groups in Your Local Area to Get Personal Training Clients

Another way you can use Facebook groups to your advantage is by utilising fitness groups that already exist in your area. This is a great way to find personal training clients without having to send mass emails or call people.

Facebook gives users the option to filter their search results based on location and page preferences, making it easier to find exactly what you’re looking for.

For example, if someone is based in Liverpool and searches for ‘running group near me’, they’ll be met with something like this:

If the group is public and any user can contribute to the page, you can advertise your services by either posting directly to the page or commenting underneath someone else’s post or picture.

You can find general fitness groups and promote your services or sessions there:

However, you should limit the number of times you post in these groups to promote your services. If it’s done too often, other users may view it as spam and report you.

Instead of posting frequently into one specific group to get personal training clients faster, you should try and spread posts across a lot of ones to expand your audience and avoid irritating other users.

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If you’re finding it interesting learning about how to get clients as a personal trainer, be sure to check out these articles below:

• Personal Trainer Marketing Strategies
• How To Make Money As A Personal Trainer
• 8 Ways To Get Online Personal Training Clients

#8 - How To Get Personal Training Clients Using Instagram and Facebook Ads

Paid online advertising is becoming more and more popular with businesses which is great if you’re learning how to attract personal training clients. Millions of people around the world use social media every day, making it an effective tool to market your services to a wider audience.

If you’ve been wondering how to get personal training clients from Facebook, a typical advertisement on the platform may look like this:

Depending on whether a user is browsing the site on a laptop or phone, these ads usually appear in the sidebar or as they scroll down their newsfeed.

The purpose of a Facebook advertisement is to catch the attention of the user as they look through their newsfeed.

This means it needs to be distracting enough to make a potential client actually take notice of it.

Standard features of these ads include:

• An eye-catching visual such as a picture or video - anything to stop someone scrolling!
• Simple text to explain the benefit or service you’re advertising.
• A call-to-action, is usually a button that tells the reader what you want them to do (visit your website, learn more, etc).

To make an ad on Facebook, you have to create a Business Manager account. Once you’ve set this up, you can then navigate Facebook Ads Manager and get started with your ads.

When designing an ad, some questions you should ask yourself are:

• What’s the goal of my ad?
• What kind of ad is most relevant for this goal?
• How should my ad be designed?
• Who should I target?

Once you’ve designed the advertisement and it’s ready to go, you’ll need to test and repeat this multiple times to see what works and what doesn’t.

Ads on Instagram are slightly different. They typically look like this one below and are usually marked with ‘sponsored’:

For those asking ‘how do you get personal training clients from Instagram’, you should consider changing your account to a business one. 

This gives you extra tools and features, such as offering an email CTA on your profile or letting you choose a category for your profile.

It allows you to use promoted posts to generate leads and increase the profile of your posts. You can also access analytics, which you can use to track engagement and growth.

Using metrics to keep track of enquiries means you can see what works effectively and what doesn’t when it comes to your ads or traffic to your website.

Check out our statistics below, which show that we've reached a staggering 352,090 new viewers, which resulted in 92 enquiries we otherwise wouldn't have had. 

Now, this is completely scalable and provides you with valuable information on how your posts reach others.

Once you know what works most successfully, you can then tailor the advertisements you produce to generate more interest and source even more clients.

#9 - Start Writing To Get Even More Personal Training Clients

If you want to know how to get more clients as a personal trainer, this is where completing a Level 3 Personal Trainer Course puts you at a great advantage!

There are two ways you can use your writing skills to get clients as a personal trainer:

• Writing For Others
• Writing Your Blog

Writing For Others To Get Personal Training Clients

When starting out, there’s no easy way to get your writing published. Fitness websites such as bodybuilding.com and jmaxfitness.com allow people to contribute articles to their platforms.

However, they don’t let just anyone publish articles. Many of their contributors are people who have been in the industry for many years and have had other pieces of writing published.

Although having a personal training qualification certainly helps give you credibility, it’s important to build up a portfolio of articles to show your skill and writing talent, especially in the fitness industry.

By writing for more prestigious publications such as the ones mentioned above, you can develop a portfolio of places or sites you’ve been featured on or ‘written for as an expert’.

You can then add something like this to your homepage which will add more professionalism to your website and provide further credibility to your articles:

If you live in a small town, you could write to your local newspaper and see if they will consider publishing an article. They may even allow you to write a weekly column for them if they like your work or allow you to answer fitness-related questions readers may have.

Writing for these larger publications means they can link out to your website and you can generate traffic that way. You may also find it beneficial to use services such as ResponseSource and HARO.

These websites connect journalists seeking expertise to include in their content with sources who have that expertise. Once signed up, journalists will automatically contact you regarding various topics:

You will be asked questions regarding specific topics and if the journalist will choose whether or not to use your responses in their articles. This is great for establishing authority and once again, building your reputation as a trusted health and fitness provider.

If your answers get picked for an article, you may be referenced like this:

You will be viewed as a trusted source of information and the more questions you answer, the more chance you’ll be featured, allowing your portfolio to expand into an impressive one!

Writing Your Blog To Get Personal Training Clients

To get started, you may decide to create your platform. Many people want to know how to start a fitness blog for this very reason, simply as a way to get their writing out into the world.

For example, here at OriGym, we have our blog dedicated to articles about a range of health and fitness topics:

You could create a simple blog using websites like Wix or WordPress. This doesn’t have to be done in an expensive or time-consuming way. 

The most important thing is to ensure you write well and research enough about the topics you choose to write about.

By using your Facebook group or Instagram account from the points mentioned above, you can share your articles there and see how people react to them.

A good idea may be to write a few of them before you share the first one so potential clients can get an understanding of your style and the subjects you focus on.

By writing what you know about and structuring topics directly around the services you provide, establish your reputation as a trusted source. Writing about topics that relate to your services works as a great marketing strategy.

For example, users will more likely trust information in an article about how to become a personal trainer if it’s written by a company with success in the industry.

Many people want to become a fitness writer for major websites but the trick may be to start small with your platform and grow in this way to get personal training clients.

#10 - How To Get Personal Training Clients by Creating and Optimising a Website 

The majority of people these days find what they’re looking for by searching online. This means you should never underestimate the importance of having a good website as this can have a direct effect on getting more personal training clients.

Anyone can create a website but optimising it to make effective use of its potential is crucial if you’re wondering how to attract personal training clients. 

Now, this doesn’t mean you have to be an expert in search engine optimisation (SEO), although when building your personal trainer website you should at least check out the basics! 

Simply put, SEO is the process of improving your site so it ranks higher on a search engine results page and you receive more traffic. Using it correctly means you can increase your chances of gaining clients from location-based searches.

A website doesn’t automatically show up on the first page of a search engine just because you’ve created it, and this certainly isn’t the case with a website for a topic as common as personal training services.

This is why you need to utilise SEO so your website ranks higher. For example, if you type the keywords ‘personal trainer Liverpool’ into Google, you’ll be presented with a list of the most relevant pages:

Taking the time to optimise your website like the personal trainers above is crucial if you want to have an advantage over competitors in your area.

This is necessary for getting clients as a personal trainer and attracting people who don’t attend your gym or know you hold local classes or sessions.

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If you're looking for more articles to read, why don't you give these a read:

• How To Write A Personal Trainer Business Plan
• Personal Trainer Business Tips
• Grants for Personal Trainers

#11 - Gain Personal Training Clients By Choosing A Niche

One way to find personal training clients is to find a niche or speciality that can attract a specific group of people.

Examples of a niche may include groups such as:

• Women Only
• Weight Loss
• Pre and Postnatal
• Diabetic Clients

Providing a service for a dedicated group of clients means you can gain a loyal following immediately over a shorter period. 

If they’re satisfied with your service, they can then refer other like-minded family members and friends to train with you.

An example of this is WomenFIT which specialises in personal training for Pre and Postnatal women across Manchester and Chesire:

Many women often feel isolated or lonely during and after pregnancy. By having a niche aimed at this particular group, not only draws clients to your business but creates a sense of community as these people share a common goal or interest.

Some women may likely feel more comfortable entering a space post-pregnancy that is dedicated to other women who are in the same situation. 

They may prefer easing back into fitness gradually in a comfortable environment rather than an ordinary gym.

These personal trainers will also be more experienced with personal training pregnant clients, making for a safer space than being placed in the care of trainers who have no expertise in this area.

#12 - Follow Up With Every Potential Client

As much as we’d like to be the focus of people’s attention when offering services, the truth is everyone is busy. Although people may genuinely be interested in improving their fitness, it doesn’t mean they can’t be distracted by other things in their life.

Getting started is often the hardest part of any fitness journey and even if someone needs some fitness motivation tips, they’ll likely avoid following up their interest.

The best way to get new clients for personal training is to follow up with those who have expressed interest in your services.

Now, we understand this may be a daunting task. However, this sales technique is common and used by businesses around the world.

If someone has recently expressed interest, it’s unlikely they will be rude to you on the phone, even if they’re no longer interested.

Unless you constantly call them or it was a couple of years ago when they gave you their details, you shouldn’t be met with hostility. 

This doesn’t necessarily have to be a sales technique. It can be used as a gentle nudge to remind a potential client you’re still around if they’re interested in improving their fitness.

It’s important to make a good impression so clients are more inclined to follow up with you and register their interest. If you see them around the gym, use your personal trainer skills to simply start a subtle conversation about their workouts.

Don’t go over to them and immediately start trying to sell your services. This will likely give them a negative impression of you.

All you need to do is go over once a week and see how their fitness journey is going. This makes them aware of your presence in the gym and they can keep you in mind if they want to eventually start PT sessions.

#13 - Collaborate With Other Health Professionals to Utilise Cross-Referrals

Although the health and fitness industry is a competitive one, you shouldn’t view every other personal trainer as someone you need to fight for clients. If you’re wondering how to get more personal training clients, cross-referrals may be the answer.

A referral is simply the act of sending someone to a person or authority who is qualified to deal with them. In the context of this point, this is where a health professional refers clients to you and vice versa.

Collaborating with others in the industry is great if you’re wanting to know how to gain clients as a personal trainer. Although you hope your clients aren’t injured too often, if this occurs it can be beneficial to your service.

For example, if a client is injured and needs the help of a sports physician or chiropractor, you can refer them to the most suitable health professional. After they’ve been seen too, ask them to help you create an exercise programme to aid the client’s recovery.

This gives you credibility and allows you to provide your client with the best treatment to recover as quickly as possible. Establishing relationships with different health professionals means they may refer injured people to you after they’ve treated them. 

As we’ll go on to discuss in the point below, if you have other qualifications that can aid an individual’s recovery such as a Level 3 Sports Massage Therapy qualification, this can be extremely beneficial for getting personal training clients.

Similarly, if you know of other fitness professionals such as those with a Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Yoga or sports massage therapists, you can refer clients to them for those with specific needs and in turn, they can do the same for you.

#14 - Look After Your Existing Clients 

If you’re a personal trainer looking for clients, always be sure to look after the ones you already have!

It’s always easier and cheaper to keep existing clients. The last thing you want is to have a revolving door of clients who use your services a couple of times and then leave. 

Knowing how to attract personal training clients is crucial but keeping them is just as important. You shouldn’t become so focused on finding new people to train that you forget the ones you already have.

Some things you can do to ensure you keep clients is by offering:

• Free sessions or classes
• Cash or gift card incentives
• Branded gym gear
• Protein powder/supplements
• A workout diary

Word of mouth is one of the strongest yet simplest personal trainer marketing strategies. Being devoted to your clients and giving them your best is powerful advertising and can be the key to getting more personal training clients.

Building client loyalty means they can help you out in other ways too. You could ask them to leave you reviews on websites such as Trustpilot. If you have a really good relationship with clients, they may even leave positive reviews such as this without you having to ask:

Personal trainer testimonials are a great way to advertise your services online, allowing them to reach a wider audience. If someone sees your website, they can check out honest reviews for themselves and determine whether they want to meet you in person.

This is why it’s always important to be the best personal trainer you can be, whether you’re teaching a group or 1-on-1 sessions. 

Positive and negative reviews or discussions can have a huge impact when trying to get more personal training clients.

Being enthusiastic, motivated, friendly, and passionate are vital qualities for keeping clients and having them return to use your service as well as recommend you to others both online and in person.

#15 - Expand The Services You Offer To Bring In More Clients

One of the best ways to get new clients for personal training is to expand the services you offer so you can reach a wider range of potential clients. This means you can appeal to different demographics and that is why professional development for personal trainers is so important!

You may decide to offer services which complement your personal training such as sports nutrition or obesity & weight management. This can help you understand exactly how to help your clients as both services will benefit one another.

Now, we aren’t saying every personal trainer has to become a sports massage therapist. However, having multiple qualifications and services to offer is crucial if you’re wondering how to attract personal training clients.

For example, Train with Sam below offers both mobile personal training and sports massage therapy.

This is the best way to get new clients for personal training as you can refer them to both of your services. It also means if a client is injured during a session, they can be closely monitored and you can provide them with sports massages, giving them the best treatment to help their recovery.

You can advertise your services such as nutrition or yoga and obtain clients this way. For example, if you offer yoga services but a client also wants to begin seeing a PT, you can refer them to your service.

To see what else is available for you to expand your services, check out our full range of personal trainer courses here.

#16 - Reach Out to Past Clients 

The health and fitness industry is a competitive one. We know finding and keeping clients is a priority but what about reconnecting with old ones?

Getting more personal trainer clients doesn’t necessarily mean locating ‘new’ ones. People who have used your services in the past and departed with a positive experience could still be potential clients. 

If you have a way to contact them, why not give it a try? If you still have their email address, this would be the best option as many people may feel slightly awkward or pressured if you call them.

An example of an email to send to a past client might look something like this:

Hi John,

Hope you’re having a great day!

I was just wondering how you’re progressing with your fitness goals? I’m currently taking on new clients so if you’re interested in returning to train with me, I’d be more than happy to help you on your journey.

I can offer a free assessment to get you started again?

Thanks!

Even better, if they still frequent the gym you work in, you could strike up a relaxed conversation and find out more about their current situation or fitness goals. 

Whether you email them or speak face-to-face, start by asking them how they are and what the progress of their fitness journey is. Once you’ve communicated, you can move on to other topics.

A good idea is to understand why they left or stopped using your services. This could help you improve your services for them, especially if it’s something multiple past clients have mentioned. 

For example, a client may have left because the hours you offered didn’t suit them. You could mention how you can provide this time slot for them now if they’re still interested.

Once you understand why they left, you can ask them about their goals and what they’re looking to achieve. Begin by suggesting some potential SMART goals and how you could help them reach these goals.

When you’re communicating with past clients, it’s important to keep it relaxed. Don’t immediately begin by trying to make a sale. 

The last thing most people want when they haven’t communicated for a while is to be pressured into paying for something.

Keep it casual and if they’re not interested in your service, remain polite and move on to another past client.

#17 - Make Yourself Known in the Community

You’ll find it incredibly difficult to get personal training clients if no one knows about you or the services you’re trying to provide.

Think of it this way - if you owned a shop, would you want it to be on a quiet alleyway such as this:

You would likely want your business to be on a busy high street where people know where you are and what you’re offering. You can’t sell things to people if no one knows where to find your services!

The best way to get new clients for personal training is to make yourself known in the gym you work for, join a community in your local area if you’re a mobile personal trainer or operate from your own home.

If you’re a personal trainer looking for clients, there are a few things you can do to raise your profile as a PT and market yourself in the gym. 

These include:

• Use inductions to entice potential clients (similar to building rapport)
• Inviting members to participate in gym challenges
• Inviting members to group seminars or workshops
• Leaving a PT profile setup in lockers at the gym
• Making announcements over the tannoy to promote your workshops or sessions

As a way to find personal trainer clients, you can also build professional relationships with members on the gym floor, establishing yourself as a friendly and trustworthy trainer.

Although they may already have their trainers, they may still recommend you to any friends or family members who may be looking to get active.

Before You Go!

Now you know how to get clients as a personal trainer, it’s time to implement our strategies and expand your services today!

Still looking for the best way to get new clients for personal training? Combine personal training with our Level 4 Sports Nutrition course to help your clients smash their fitness goals! Download our course prospectus to see what else you can combine with your PT qualification.