20 Social Media Ideas For Personal Trainers

When it comes to social media for personal trainers, it’s a competitive landscape. With so many PTs posting content online, it can be tough to stand out and differentiate your business. But with the right strategy and insider know-how, social media can still be a highly effective marketing tool.

In this article – we share 20 social media post and content ideas for personal trainers that’ll boost revenue and expand your client list…

We’ve handled social media marketing for personal trainers and gyms around the world, so we know firsthand exactly what works (and what doesn’t!). Having specialised in fitness industry marketing for 15+ years, we’ve seen and tested hundreds of different social media tactics. So you can be confident that the ideas we share are proven to work in the real world.

Social Media Engagement Guide

The good news is, just by researching best practice and creating a plan, you’re already positioning yourself ahead of most other personal trainers. Most don’t have a marketing strategy. There isn’t a well-thought out plan behind what they’re posting – they mainly share whatever they feel like on a given day.

This means that their social media activity isn’t supporting their business goals in the way it should be. So simply by having a plan, you’ll immediately gain an advantage over everyone else!

So, let’s dive into the seven essential tactics that are proven to work, along with 20 post and content ideas that are proven to work in the fitness industry. Whether you want to get more clients, boost engagement, or develop your professional network, these tactics will help…

Social Media Strategies For Personal Trainers

The key to successful marketing is having a clear goal and aligning your strategies to achieve it. Broadly speaking, there are seven social media strategies that personal trainers and other fitness businesses should consider adopting….

1. Inspire
2. Interact
3. Entertain
4. Educate
5. Promote
6. Persuade
7. Network

These strategies are suitable for a a variety of different business goals and form the basis of our downloadable social media kits. You can focus on one or use a combination to appeal a wider range of potential clients. Let’s explore each of them in more detail…

Social Media Strategy Bundle

#1 – Inspire

These types of posts motivate followers to believe in their own abilities and take meaningful action. They’re designed to take people from the “I’m thinking about it” stage of the sales funnel to “I’m going to do something”. This ‘something’ might be to start training with you, join a small group PT class, or sign up for weekly meal plans.

What to post ⇒ Inspirational or funny quotes are really popular in the fitness sector. Although they can seem overused (especially on Instagram), they still resonate with audiences. Client success stories, case studies, or ‘before and after’ photos are also good examples of posts that can inspire your followers.

#2 – Interact

Although social media is a great platform for promoting your personal training business, it shouldn’t be a one-way conversation. So make a conscious effort to create posts that encourage your followers to interact. You’ll not only learn more about them (which can inform your product or service offering) but also build genuine relationships and encourage loyalty.

What to post ⇒ Asking questions, holding Q&A sessions via live video, or Facebook and Twitter chats are all great ways to do this. You can also hold quick polls where followers vote for your next training program theme, choose their favourite promo poster designs, or which piece of fitness equipment they’d most like to try.

#3 – Educate

A key benefit of social media for personal trainers is the potential to showcase your expertise. One way to position yourself as a credible authority on fitness is by providing educational info.

The best educational content also helps clients achieve a quick win and sets them on the right path towards their goals. That way they associate you with their own success and will be more likely to work with or recommend you to others.

What to post ⇒ Workout videos, exercise tips, and healthy recipes are the go-to content in this area. But you can also share fascinating facts or scientific research findings (in plain English) too. Provide your own commentary on trending topics, such as whether sugar, carbs, or steady-state cardio are really the devil. If you’re trying to attract local clients, then consider sharing running or cycle routes for your area.

You might also like… 7 Tools That Make Marketing Easier For PTs & Coaches.

#4 – Entertain

Show your personality and make your followers chuckle with entertaining content. These types of posts make your brand more personable and memorable. They’ll stand out in a crowded news feed and are also more likely to get shared too.

What to post ⇒ Funny gifs, memes, quotes, videos, and quizzes – anything lighthearted that your ideal clients will find entertaining. Social media for personal trainers doesn’t need to be stiff and corporate, so choose entertaining posts that reflect your personality.

#5 – Promote

This is where you get to promote products or services. They might be your own, but could also be affiliate partners or other strategic business partnerships too. It’s best to follow the 80:20 rule here, so limit your promotional posts to a maximum of 1 in 5.

What to post ⇒ Most personal trainers post about the features and benefits of their offering. But people don’t generally like to be blatantly sold to, so think about sharing other aspects (such as your own story about why you created it). The best promotional posts are actually wrapped up as another type of post, such as educational or inspirational content that relates back to your product or service.

Fitness Marketing Ideas Ebook

#6 – Persuade

These posts are intended to persuade followers who are sitting on the fence about purchasing or signing up. They differ from promotional posts as they address common objections, misconceptions, or frequently asked questions.

The idea of sharing content like this makes some people nervous… They worry that openly discussing reasons not to buy might put off potential clients.

But we believe in marketing with integrity, which means being transparent and honest about your offering. Most people will appreciate your openness and think more positively of you for it.

In fact, this can actually be a great way to differentiate your fitness business from the competition! And the truth is that as long as you have persuasive responses that address the objections or misconceptions, then you’ve nothing to worry about anyway.

What to post ⇒ FAQs, fact .vs. fiction, and fitness testimonials all work really well.

#7 – Network

When it comes to social media for personal trainers, networking with other businesses is essential. It’s a lot harder to be successful if you do everything alone. By partnering up with other businesses or health and fitness professionals, you can create mutually beneficial relationships.

What to post ⇒ Make a list of other social media accounts that you could partner up with strategically. They might be nutritionists, chiropractors, food bloggers, or smoothie bars. You might decide to share each other’s content so that your reach is extended and you get in front of more potential customers. You could run a competition together, promote one another’s special offers, or offer exclusive pricing to each other’s followers.

Social Media Content Ideas For Personal Trainers

So, know we’ve covered strategies, let’s talk about what PTs should post on social media. Here’s a list of the most effective content ideas for personal trainers…

1. Workout videos – give potential clients a taste of what they can expect if they sign up with you.
2. Client success stories – demonstrate the results they can achieve by working with you.
3. Exercise technique tips – showcase how to perform a specific movement so people can see the benefit of working with a knowledgeable specialist.
4. Quizzes – generate engagement, leads, and educate people by posting short quizzes on social media.
5. Motivational quotes – inspire and motivate your followers with words of wisdom.
6. Polls – gain insights into your audience and encourage interaction with polls.
7. Questions – ask questions to generate two-way conversations and learn more about your followers.
8. Case studies – breakdown how your training services helped a client.
9. Q&A sessions – host ask me anything (AM) sessions via live video on Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter chats.
10. Healthy recipes – abs are made in the kitchen so share healthy recipes to complement your fitness programs.
11. Fascinating fitness facts – share facts or scientific research findings (in plain English) that’ll educate your followers and position you as a credible authority too.
12. Commentary or opinions – give your view on trending topics within the industry to stay relevant.
13. Share routes – for running or cycling to attract clients based in your local area.
14. Funny gifs – entertain your audience with funny gifs, memes, or quotes that’ll make them smile.
15. Day in the life videos – record quick videos while you’re working out, reading a fitness article, or making a healthy snack to give people insights into your daily routine.
16. Answer FAQs – share the answers to commonly asked questions so your wider audience can benefit.
17. Fact .vs. fiction posts – bust fitness myths by explaining the facts so that people see you as a credible source of information.
18. Testimonials – let clients tell their story in their own words by sharing their testimonials or positive reviews.
19. Collab posts – partner with complementary health and fitness brands to grow your network and grow your audience by tapping into theirs.
20. Lead magnets – share freebies and lead magnets that encourage social media followers to subscribe to your email list.

Combining these tactics and content ideas can help you position yourself as an authority, get more clients, and keep them loyal too.

By posting a mixture of content that inspires, educates and entertains, people will be more likely to follow and share your posts. By networking and encouraging interaction, you’ll develop meaningful client and business relationships. And by using social media to promote and persuade, you’ll see immediate revenue benefits.

Ready-Made Social Media Content for PTs

Our social media bundles make it easy to drive leads, engagement, and loyalty for your fitness business. Ideal for busy PTs and studio owners, they enable you to benefit from our marketing agency expertise for a fraction of the usual cost. The ready-made personal trainer social media posts save you time and effort – learn more here.

Social Media Strategy Bundle