Gym Welcome Message & Email Template For New Members

Sending a welcome message to new gym members aids customer satisfaction and retention. This small detail sets newbies up for success, so that they’re more likely to book in for their first session and keep coming back. But what should your welcome email say, and how do you make it effective?

In this article, we share a gym welcome message script and email template that can help reduce cancellations and improve retention.

We’re a specialist fitness marketing agency with 15+ years of industry experience, so we know first-hand what works (and what doesn’t!). We create email newsletters, sales funnels, and automated sequences for fitness and wellness businesses – check out our email marketing services for gyms.

Why Send a Welcome Message?

Many people find the gym daunting, especially when they’re first starting out. But a solid welcome message can help reduce their fears, increase their confidence, and even prevent cancellations.

A welcome email typically includes all the key info members need to get started straight away. It tells them exactly what to do after joining (where to go, how to get in, what times you’re open, etc.), so there’s no uncertainty or awkwardness.

Your welcome message is also an opportunity to reassure them that joining your gym was a good decision.

Doing this helps to avoid buyer’s remorse, which can reduce cancellations. When people second-guess their purchase, they’re more likely to request an immediate refund or cancel soon after.

So, welcome emails are an essential marketing tactic for gyms, health clubs, and fitness studios since they help you keep more of your revenue.

We offer email marketing services and DIY solutions for fitness businesses. You can hire us to create your email strategy, set up automated sequences, and write impactful email content (get in touch here). Or you can purchase our Marketing Toolkit, which is packed with pre-written templates, guides, and done-for-you lead magnets.

Gym Welcome Message Template

This message script is designed for gyms, health clubs, and studios that want to send welcome emails to new clients. If you’re a personal trainer or fitness blogger, then you can adapt it for courses, programs, or online memberships.

Here’s a sample email message that you can adapt for your fitness business…

Hi [NAME],

Thanks for joining [GYM NAME] – we’re excited to have you on board! You’ve taken the first step towards achieving your fitness goals and [INSERT BENEFITS].

Get started by collecting your [CARD/KEYFOB] from reception and booking an induction session [LINK TO BOOKING FORM]. During this session we’ll prepare a workout program to help you achieve your goals and show you how to use all of the equipment.

You’ll find our opening times, class timetable, and a list of what to bring on our [WEBSITE LINK]. If you have any questions, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Simply call us on [PHONE NUMBER] or reply to this email and we’ll respond asap.

Kind regards
[YOUR NAME]

Feel free to copy and paste it (or bookmark this page for future reference).

~ Get more email templates like this in our Marketing Toolkit ~

What To Include In a Gym Welcome Message

If you’d prefer to write your own welcome message, here are the key points it needs to cover…

• Thank them for joining
• Reassure them that it was a good decision
• Tell them what the next step is that they should take
• Include info about anything they need to bring or wear
• Add links to practical info like opening times and class info
• Invite them to contact you with any questions

These points are the basis of an effective gym welcome email. You can also apply them to your personal training email strategy or fitness coaching business. By including all of them, you’ll have covered the essentials that members need to know.

But if you want to minimise cancellations and improve retention even further, then you’ll need to send several emails…

You might also like… How Life Time Fitness Made $600k From Email Automation or How We Grew Our Targeted Email List Of 15,000 Subscribers.

Creating A Welcome Or Onboarding Series

Ideally, you should send more than one welcome email to new gym members. Creating a welcome email series enables you to communicate on a consistent basis and build a long-term relationship. This is key to generating loyalty and improving retention.

Many email services have automation features that allow you to create a series of emails that are sent automatically. Here’s an overview of the welcome series that we recommend for most gyms and fitness studios…

• Intro email – send as soon as a new member joins your facility using the above gym welcome email template.
• Reminder email – send one day later to encourage them to visit the gym as soon as possible.
• Services email – send 2-3 days later with an overview of all the services that are included in their membership.
• Value email – send 2-3 days later to provide additional value to the member, such as tips or recipes (mixing up educational and promotional content makes people less likely to unsubscribe).
• Upsell email – send 2-3 days later with an offer on a paid service such as personal training or courses.

The fully written email templates for this series are included in our Fitness Marketing Toolkit. Using this welcome series format allows you to introduce your services, provide value, and upsell additional options. It helps to build a relationship with the members as they get used to hearing from you regularly.

This example lasts 8-11 days, depending on the frequency of your emails, but you can add more so that it lasts for a longer period.

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Once the welcome series is over, be sure to add these subscribers to your main list so that they receive gym newsletters and regular email promotions. But don’t do this before the welcome series is over, as they may get inundated with multiple emails and unsubscribe as a result.

Email marketing is an excellent way to educate people about your services and communicate essential information. Sending welcome emails can also prevent buyers’ remorse and decrease cancellations by reassuring members that signing up was a good decision. They’re one of the essential types of email for driving revenue, so it’s well worth putting this script into action.

More Gym Email Templates & Services

We offer email marketing services and DIY solutions for fitness businesses. You can hire us to create your email strategy, set up automated sequences, and write impactful email content (get in touch here).

Or you can purchase our Fitness Marketing Toolkit, which is packed with pre-written templates, guides, and done-for-you lead magnets.

The bundle includes a step-by-step email marketing playbook and done-for-you email templates. Plus time-saving resources for social media, content, strategy, pricing, and ads – basically everything you’ll ever need to market a fitness business effectively.