So, you’ve got your certificate 3 and 4 in fitness, and you’re fully qualified to work as a personal trainer. The question is; how do you find your first clients?
The good news is that, once you land your first few clients, it’s easier to find new ones afterwards. But, there’s no denying this can be a particularly stressful time for newly-qualified personal trainers as you don’t know where to begin.
Well, to help you out, here are a few suggestions to help you attract some clients for the first time:
Offer things for free
We’re not suggesting you start giving away your business for free, but a free assessment or a free consultation can help you reel in your first clients. People might be cautious about hiring you because they know very little about what you can do. So, give a free consultation where you take note of their fitness goals, you assess their current physical shape, and you provide ideas for the next steps to take.
They’ll be impressed by your attention to detail and the suggestions you make, which convinces them to sign up and return for some personal training sessions. In fact, you could even offer one training session for free as well, just to show what you offer. You reel them in, they like what they see, and you’ll soon have some clients.
Promote yourself on social media
Social media is easily the best way to promote yourself as a personal trainer. You’ve got a platform that allows you to reach so many people in such a short space of time. The key is to use social media to your advantage – and the best way to do that is with informative posts.
Post short videos on Instagram that show off specific exercises with instructions on how to do them. Provide your fitness advice for free, and it adds to your perceived reputation. You present yourself as someone with a lot of knowledge, and people will be impressed by this. As such, you’re a safe option for them as they know they’re spending money on a trainer that actually understands fitness and can help them out.
Plus, social media gives you an easy contact point as well. People can DM you for more information, and it’s all very simple. Ensure you use the right hashtags on your posts to attract more attention from your target audience as well. Things like #fitness #weightloss #bodybuilding #personaltrainer and so on.
Spread the word
No doubt you know lots of people who can help you spread the word about your new career as a personal trainer. This could be family members that can post about you on social media or recommend you to their friends.
Talk to others so you can spread the word and generate more interest in the service you offer. It sounds simple, but it’s one of the best ways of finding your first clients as a personal trainer.
Sell yourself
One of the reasons it’s easier to get clients after you’ve already trained some people is that you can display their progress. You can use social media to post their progress pictures, which is essentially the best way to show off what you’re capable of. People see them and are amazed at how well you helped someone transform, so they come flooding to you.
But, when you’re just starting out, you have no clients to show off. Instead, you need to sell yourself! Post progress pictures of your own personal fitness journey – it’s a fantastic way of showing people that you’re clearly knowledgeable and your methods work. If they see that you were once overweight and are now ripped, then it makes them wonder what you did. As such, they’re more inclined to get in touch and pay you to train them.
Plus, most people will be more likely to hire a personal trainer if they’re in great physical shape. It fills them with more confidence – why would they want to hire someone who can’t get in shape themselves?
Create a website
Finally, it can help if you create your own website. This just makes you appear more professional, and it’s another way for people to find you. When people in your area go on Google and look for personal trainers, your site will show up. Of course, this means marketing your website, which can be quite tricky – but it’s worth the investment.
With a website, you can show off your own progress photos, talk about what you offer, and really sell yourself as a personal trainer. Also, it’s an easy way for people to get in contact with you.
Try these tips, and you will start to get your first clients as a personal trainer. Remember, this all comes after you’ve got your certificate 3 and 4 in fitness – no one will come to you if you don’t have the proper qualifications!