Guide to becoming an online personal trainer in 2023

The fitness training industry has evolved throughout the internet era and is more versatile than ever. A considerable percentage of people now prefer working with online fitness trainers, as it eliminates the commute and bypasses the time constraints of a physical gym.

The online fitness market shows no sign of slowing down, with an expected CAGR of 30% from 2020 to 2026 according to Market Research Future's (MRFR) virtual fitness market report.

Besides organic market growth, the increase in demand for online fitness trainers was largely influenced by the pandemic. Gyms and fitness centers were hit hard, and traditional fitness training ceased during the unprecedented outbreak.

Trainers who already had functional online classes became leaders during the worldwide shutdown. Those new to the practice faced friction in adapting but found success hosting classes with readily available tools.

Today, many instructors post fitness courses on YouTube, their own websites, or social media platforms. But to build a sustainable online business, they need a progressive plan, an operational workflow, and a long-term mission.

1. Building an online presence

A great first step toward establishing an online business is to create a website. You don't have to binge-watch website development tutorials or hire expensive website designers, as there are numerous no-code website builder tools available. The pre-defined templates can help you launch your website in less than a week.

The trick to building an engaging website is to think from the customer standpoint. Your website's content should be captivating and value-focused. It's helpful to include an "About" section that outlines your career path, achievements, and unique values, along with a page for customer testimonials. This makes the website both engaging and informative.

Social media platforms also play an important role in building online credibility. By posting relevant content and engaging with your community members regularly, you can begin to establish yourself as an influencer in the market.

2. Maintaining control over your course videos

While online fitness trainers are becoming more reliant on YouTube to host content for free, constant ad interruptions and playlist mix-ups can contribute to a poor learning experience.

That's why it's usually best to host course videos on dedicated servers and curate courses with CMS tools. This enables you to create a long-term content creation workflow and retain complete control of content hosting, distribution, and consumption.

The next big challenge is content curation.

Organizing content can easily become overwhelming as you upload more and more training materials. As you begin the process, you'll want to outline a detailed structure for all the courses.

Fitness training courses should be sequential and consistent. Learners should not be able to jump between classes, as this can result in fitness milestone failures.

When bundling content, ensure you are categorizing it based on fitness level and learner expertise. Some CMS tools offer learner disciplinary features that enable sequential learning and expected outcomes. Learners will be able to train only in the defined sequence.

For example, a beginner can complete the course according to the sequence and unlock the intermediate course only after 30 days of signing up or by acquiring approval.

This way, you have complete control of the course and ensure training quality at all levels.

Best practices to follow when producing fitness training videos

1. Video quality: Low video quality will not be as visually appealing to learners, so try to shoot videos with good lighting and high camera quality. You don't have to spend lots of money on professional cameras; rather, use a mobile phone and a steady tripod for proper angles and smooth panning.

2. Sound: Make sure the audio recordings are clear and precise. Some trainers choose to add music to training videos, but this isn't always conducive to great learning sessions. The learners may already be listening to their favorite playlist while working out, so the audio overlap might cause frustration. It's best to stick with only voice instructions in your training videos.

3. Be dynamic: If the content is about a particular muscle workout, you can focus on showcasing the correct posture with dynamic camera angles and editing. This helps you maintain learner focus and avoid boredom.

4. Video duration: In general, shorter training videos that are between 30 seconds and 2 minutes are best for optimal audience engagement. Most learners prefer to watch and work out along with the video, so try to do at least two full reps in each demonstration.

5. Language: This depends on your target market. If you are making courses for a global audience, it's better to give instructions in English or add multi-language subtitles.

3. Hosting of live virtual fitness classes

Regular live classes can help you make more personal connections with your audience. This way, you can interact with your learners and give feedback on their fitness progress, thereby creating a stronger trainer-learner bond. When selecting a live streaming tool, choose a platform that offers engagement tools such as polls and live chats.

Note: Live sessions should be a two-way street. Try to foster conversation and keep the session upbeat.

4. Nurturing the teacher-learner relationship

It's important to build a smooth flow of communication between you and your learners. When it comes to fitness classes, trainers have to motivate learners regularly and send updates. Instead of relying on WhatsApp groups or other messaging apps, it's most effective to use a platform with automation tools to manage communication. A dedicated platform allows you to share exercise routines, diet plans, tips, certificates, motivational quotes, payment reminders, and more.

It's best to create learner groups and subgroups based on expertise and course enrollment. Always keep in mind that there's a line between valuable content and spam; don't overdo it and get muted.

Below is a sample communication strategy for live sessions:

Live session announcement with date and time (three days prior) —> Session reminder (one day prior) —> "We are live, join now!" reminder (at start of session) —> "Check out the recording if you missed the event" message (the next day).

As you grow your online audience, you can create your own messaging workflows and test them out for different scenarios.

5. Building a collaborative community

It is important to create a healthy, collaborative ecosystem for your learners. Establish a discussion forum for learners to share their progress and doubts, discuss activities, and post suggestions. A thorough analysis of the forum communication threads can even help you fine-tune your courses and understand your learners better.

6. Creating learner reward systems

We respond well to appreciation. Whenever a learner completes a course, it's recommended to recognize their accomplishments and the hard work they have put in. In digital terms, this can be a congratulatory email or an e-certificate, or even a coupon for the next course.

Research what works best for your business model and build processes accordingly. Keep in mind that people tend to showcase their achievements across social media platforms, which can also act as further marketing for your brand.

7. Accelerating sales with flexible pricing

Course pricing plays a major role in a competitive market. Remember not to underestimate your services by setting your prices in the lower range to win customers. People generally associate low pricing with low quality, so it's always better to do your research on the target market. Consider these parameters in your research: customer purchasing power, closest competitor pricing, course USP, value additions, and profit margins.

Payment structure flexibility is also important in improving sales. It's not realistic to expect everyone to buy the complete yearly course in a single payment. People are often hesitant to make long-term commitments, so providing flexibility with monthly subscriptions encourages customers to purchase your content with more confidence.

8. Bookkeeping with ease

A business owner should have complete control over the business's finances. This includes big picture elements such as revenue, expenses, and profit. Online fitness trainers sometimes try to manage invoices, billing, and taxes manually with spreadsheets, but this isn't always the most efficient approach.

You don't have to become an expert accountant to handle your finances; rather, you can choose suitable bookkeeping software for your business. With a comprehensive solution, you can complete the setup with all the necessary integrations, or hire a one-time consultant to help you get it done.

It's not recommended to hire bookkeeping agencies or consultants unless your business involves complex financial models or your access to automated tools is limited. Otherwise, this route can be quite expensive, so it's better to make the cost-effective choice.

9. The marketing mantra: stay data-driven and consistent

A solid marketing plan is vital when you are running an online business. Your marketing efforts should be multi-faceted, helping you build a strong online presence.

The online fitness trainer market is quite competitive and requires smart and consistent marketing practices to win customers. The first step is to start building brand awareness across social media platforms and community forums. After establishing a sufficient presence, you can focus on running paid ads across social media and search engines. The ad configuration tools are intuitive and require minimal expertise to set up, so you won't need to stress or watch hours of tutorials.

Marketing is a consistent practice. You might not get it right the first time, but over time you will find a feasible marketing model for your business. Increase your marketing budget gradually, try different platforms, analyze customer actions, and evaluate the ROI.

10. Scaling your business to success

The online fitness training industry is set to grow exponentially in the next decade. As you increase your customer base, the business operations can be overwhelming and easily become a source of stress. To build a sustainable business, you'll need long-term missions with defined milestones.

The business philosophy should be growth-focused and accountable. Remember not to throw darts in the dark. Instead, establish clear targets, and if you miss numbers, analyze the reasons and iterate accordingly.

The online fitness training business has a lot of moving parts in terms of training and business operations. Things can easily get complicated if you use siloed tools, as you'll constantly need to update data across multiple applications.

To help you overcome the hurdles of running an online training business, we developed TrainerCentral as an all-in-one training platform. The platform helps manage your website, course videos, learner profiles, billing, communications, and more, all from a unified interface.

We don't have hidden fees beyond the subscription charge, and unlike other providers, we don't take a percentage out of your course purchases. 

Why wait? Sign up now to start building a successful online fitness training business.