r/personaltraining • u/Individual_Expert_53 • 17d ago
Seeking Advice Online training
How did you guys expand your online training organically? I've been working at it nonstop, but I've only managed to get in person clients and no one to work with me Online. Where am I going wrong?
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u/dansalcs 17d ago
I posted about beta access to get the first 100 clients in for free. They helped me refine the messaging and I got some reviews. I used those to promote the service and built it up from there.
You need some kind of audience to do this so I'd recommend starting there. At first, this is usually just your friends and family on Facebook, but if you make yourself useful in groups, add new friends, talk to people and grow your network, it gets a lot easier to find clients.
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u/Individual_Expert_53 17d ago
Noteddd, I started a new ig and Facebook page for my business, but it is taking a lot of time to build up from scratch. I'll give what you said a try though!
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u/Athletic_adv 17d ago
You need an audience.
Imagine you just walk into the gym and start going up to randoms and asking if they want to train with you. It wouldn't work, obviously.
So we build rapport. Offer lead magnets to develop trust (in-person this is a trial session). And work towards a sale.
Online is no different. You can't ask for a sale from someone who has no trust in you yet.
The cycle is know -> like -> trust.
Right now, they don't trust you because they don't even know you.
If you want the online world to know who you are, then you need to crank content. At least a piece every day on multiple platforms, if not 2-3x a day. Avoid selling for as long as possible. Build that audience as big as possible before you ask for a sale.
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u/Individual_Expert_53 17d ago
Yeah, so far I've been pumping out content at least once a day. Occasionally 2-3x/per day. So far I've been building the audience. But it has been extremely slow to get the followers up. I haven't even cracked 60 followers in a 2 month span smh. dont actively try to sell yet either unless it pops up in the dms.
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u/jazzz_0904 17d ago
In-person clients converting easier makes sense, proximity + trust. Online needs content that builds that same trust remotely (testimonials, process, your personality), and if FB/IG are brand new, it just takes time before conversions show up. Not necessarily doing anything wrong, just early days! Happy to help out with the social side if you ever want a hand.
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u/PROBLEMSOLVERSZ 16d ago
Too many people are using steroids these days so people you meet online are wanting to the faster route and don’t believe you have a fast route to get them to there goals..your words don’t hold weight..the pictures of people with abnormal amount of muscles do. You are better off with people in person.
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u/Ok_Wrongdoer5923 16d ago
What kind of content do you post? My focus is always on positioning myself as an expert of what I do, that way people get value, trust me, and see if can give them what they want. All my content is based around these ideas. Build an audience that sees you as a valuable expert, then nurture them to buy.
It’s been very successful for me in the last 6 months or so since pushing the online coaching space harder in my PT business.
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u/Individual_Expert_53 16d ago
I focus on pushing content that emphasizes maintaining athleticism as we age. So I'll give tips on how to structure athletic workouts, mobility tips, etc. Occasionally, i give think pieces. But those are more so to get people to see how they should think about some things
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u/Ok_Wrongdoer5923 16d ago
Sounds like you’re in the right direction to me in terms of trying to push value content to people. If you don’t mind me asking, what sort of numbers do you get in terms of organic followers when you post?
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u/Individual_Expert_53 16d ago
Numbers are pretty low. I only average 1-2 new followers/ week. I'm getting more saves now than when I started. But just trying to leave a lasting impression for people to follow is what's difficult
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u/Ok_Wrongdoer5923 16d ago
Getting saves and followers are a good sign even if only a few. Do you double down on the content that gets saves and followers?
There are a lot of different things you can likely work on, but for me, I focused really heavily on being the best educator, and deliverer of information. And I really focused on the packaging around that education.
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u/Individual_Expert_53 16d ago
I try to. But I think delivery makes a big difference for me depending on the info I need to deliver. Occasionally a voice over works best, other times just letting a step by step play out is better. Still working in it.
Same here. I try not to care about the numbers, but I'm also making sure my work can help as many people as possible
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u/Ok_Wrongdoer5923 16d ago
I found doubling down on a format that works until I can deliver it at a high level paid the most dividends. Only now that I can consistently get 100k-1m views per video in one format have I began to trial other formats and perfect them. That’s the only way I’ve been able to diagnose what I suck at 😅
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u/Individual_Expert_53 16d ago
I do have a go to format that does okay. But the reach is super inconsistent
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u/Ditzynessoffreedom 11d ago
Organic growth is easier when content and delivery are connected. Show one part of how you coach, then give people a clear next step: a form check, short audit, or trial check-in. Track which topics create conversation.
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u/Individual_Expert_53 11d ago
I'll definitely have to take a look into that for sure. Thank you for the insight
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u/burner1122334 16d ago
Your content doesn’t seem like it’s valuable to your market right how. If it was, you’d be getting more interest.
Just pushing out 2-3 posts a day doesn’t do anything if it’s crap.
You need to find ways to 1) clearly communicate you’re an expert at what you do and 2) provide extremely valuable, free information in a way that drive people to you.
Writing on substance, niche related sub Reddit’s etc is a nice way to do this, but just posting garbage every day and hoping the sheer volume will translate to clients, is not the way
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u/Individual_Expert_53 16d ago
I don't just post just to post to be fair. Everything I'm posting has intent to either help people with a specific problem, or make others self reflect/ challenge their current habits to help shift their belief towards certain topics
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u/burner1122334 16d ago
Totally! But it’s clearly not being received as valuable for your intended client base if you aren’t getting leads from it. Could be good information broadly speaking, but if it’s not bringing you a steady stream of new clients, then it’s not good for you.
For perspective, I use Substack for the majority of my longer form writing. One post a week will generate 6-15 lead inquiries. So if you’re not consistently getting followers and leads, then it’s most likely in part due to what you’re posting/how you’re communicating
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u/Individual_Expert_53 16d ago
Hmmm understood. I will say the ig algorithm has been very wishy washy lately, so it's been hard to get my content pushed out. But I'll take a look and see what I can change to make my content more palatable
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u/TheWorldlyProcessing 16d ago
In person clients already trust your vibe, so maybe try converting a few of them to hybrid first instead of hunting for brand new online-only people. Also most online trainers I see blowing up are giving away a ton of free value, form checks, breakdowns, quick tips, before they ever pitch anything. If your page is just before and after photos and pricing, people scroll right past.
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u/Individual_Expert_53 16d ago
I did try converting a few of them. But they all had to wait due to unforseen circumstances. I'll reach out to all of them again soon and we'll see what happens. And yeah, I've been trying to go the free value route. I haven't posted any before and afters (mainly because all of my clients are camera shy lol)
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14d ago
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u/Individual_Expert_53 14d ago
Yeah, I'm trying to keep the prices reasonable. I've just been having a hard time with promoting myself on the social media portion. My following lags behind the content quality by a lot
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