Marketing & Social Media

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, you designed pricing packages that maximize client value. Now you’ll build the marketing engine that fills those packages with qualified leads — consistently, without consuming your training hours.

The recommended marketing budget for personal trainers is 5-12% of gross revenue — but most trainers spend less than 3% because they don’t have time to create content and follow up on leads. AI solves both problems: consistent content creation and automated lead nurture, all in under 2 hours per week.

Social Media Content Strategy

AI prompt for fitness content calendar:

Create a 4-week social media content calendar for a personal trainer. 4 posts per week (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat). Content mix: 30% educational (training tips, nutrition basics, myth-busting), 30% social proof (client wins, transformations, testimonials), 20% personality/behind-the-scenes (your training, day-in-the-life, philosophy), 20% engagement (Q&A, polls, challenges, calls-to-action). For each post: platform (Instagram primary), content format (carousel, Reel, single image, Story), caption with hook line, and hashtag set (20 hashtags: 5 local, 10 fitness niche, 5 broad). Include 2 Reel scripts per week. My specialty: [YOUR NICHE — weight loss, strength, athletic performance, etc.]. My location: [CITY].

Content types that convert for trainers:

Lead Generation

AI prompt for lead magnet creation:

Create a free lead magnet for a personal trainer specializing in [YOUR NICHE]. Design a [FORMAT — PDF guide, video series, challenge, calculator, quiz] titled [TITLE — e.g., “The 7-Day Metabolism Kickstart Plan,” “Your Custom Macro Calculator,” “The Beginner’s Strength Program”]. Include: (1) compelling landing page copy (headline, subheadline, 3-5 bullet points of what they’ll learn, CTA), (2) the actual content — detailed enough to demonstrate expertise but leaving them wanting more (the “more” being your paid training), (3) a follow-up email sequence (5 emails over 7 days) that nurtures the lead from free content to consultation booking. Each email: under 200 words, one clear CTA, provides value before asking for anything.

✅ Quick Check: You create a “7-Day Beginner Workout Plan” as a free lead magnet. 200 people download it in a month. Your email nurture converts 8% to free consultations (16 people). Your consultation-to-client conversion is 50% (8 new clients). At $400/month, that’s $3,200/month in new recurring revenue from a lead magnet that AI helped you create in 2 hours. What’s the long-term value? (Answer: If those 8 clients average 8 months of training: 8 × $400 × 8 = $25,600 in lifetime revenue from one lead magnet. Plus referrals from those clients. The lead magnet keeps generating downloads and conversions every month with zero additional work.)

Email Marketing

AI prompt for trainer email campaigns:

Create an email marketing plan for a personal trainer. I have a list of [NUMBER] subscribers including past clients, current clients, and leads. Design: (1) monthly newsletter template — training tip, client spotlight, upcoming availability, seasonal offer, (2) seasonal campaign — New Year’s resolution package, summer body prep, back-to-school fitness, holiday gift certificates, (3) re-engagement email for leads who inquired but didn’t book (send 30 days after initial inquiry), (4) past client win-back — special offer for former clients who haven’t trained in 3+ months. Each email: under 200 words, one CTA, mobile-friendly, personal tone (from the trainer, not a business).

Local Marketing

AI prompt for local visibility:

Create a local marketing strategy for a personal trainer in [CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD]. (1) Google Business Profile optimization — description, categories, Q&A, posts, review strategy, (2) local partnership opportunities — list 10 types of businesses to partner with (physical therapists, chiropractors, nutritionists, corporate offices, yoga studios, etc.) and outreach email templates for each, (3) community event ideas — free fitness classes, charity workout events, workshop topics, (4) local SEO — website content targeting “[city] personal trainer” searches, (5) referral program structure — incentives for client referrals that don’t feel “salesy.”

Local partnership outreach:

Key Takeaways

• Process-focused content converts better than results-only content — showing the method (“3x/week strength training + 8,000 steps + 140g protein”) makes viewers think “I could do that,” which leads to inquiries
• Batch-create one week of content in 30-45 minutes — capture moments during training (quick notes, photos with permission) and let AI transform them into 4 polished posts during your weekly batch session
• Lead magnets (free workout plans, nutrition guides, challenges) generate consistent leads at near-zero ongoing cost — AI creates the content, landing page copy, and nurture sequence in under 2 hours
• Local partnerships with complementary health professionals (PTs, chiropractors, RDs) generate the highest-quality referrals at zero marketing cost — AI writes the outreach emails and partnership proposals
• Email nurture sequences convert cold leads over 5-7 days by providing value before asking for commitment — most people aren’t ready to hire a trainer the day they inquire, but they are ready after a week of relevant content

Up Next

In the next lesson, you’ll build online coaching systems — scaling your expertise beyond in-person sessions to serve more clients without trading more hours for dollars.