3 ways to get your fitness business noticed!

As your fitness business’ number one ambassador, it’s your job to tell the world who you are, what you do and why it should get in on the action. Group fitness instructor and leotard fashionista Corinne Blight tells us how to bang the drum.

As a fitness business operator, getting noticed and standing out is the one, unparalleled way to guarantee growth, continued community interest and ongoing loyalty from your clients. It’s really, really important.

When I was starting out on my fitness business journey, I remember my mum telling me to ‘Get out there girl – and don’t look back!’ Almost 10 years on, this quote has stayed with me and become the mantra we use at Limitless Fitness & Nutrition in order to get ourselves noticed and featured in the media. We’ve since appeared in and on a range of media, including Channel 7 Sunrise, Ticker TV, industry blogs, local community newspapers and podcasts.

Once you can nail getting your business noticed, you’ll find that the excitement and momentum you gain from these experiences will propel you to keep pursuing more and more opportunities. From that point on, you’ll feel that the potential of your fitness business is limitless!

1. Be different and cater to your niche

When it comes to getting noticed in the media, in publications and online, one of the best things you can do is understand your niche. What makes your fitness business different from the thousands of others out there? Who are you serving? When you understand this, you can really start to target your offerings (such as classes and additional services).

At Limitless Fitness & Nutrition, we’ve been able to stand out from other women’s fitness communities, trainers and gyms through offering workouts that focus on the fun, community and music, as opposed to a ‘hardcore’ gym mentality.

In addition, our old school ‘80s aerobics class, Retro-robics has been a great talking point when approaching the media to tell them about what we do and explain why we should be featured in their publications. Just a few weeks back, our community and Retro-robics classes were featured on Channel 7 Sunrise. Yes, we did dance on national TV in our leotards! You can watch it here.

Think deeply about what your fitness business niche is, who you’re serving and what makes you different from your competitors. This unique angle will  be the foundation on which you build.

2. Approach the media, publications and online sources (don’t be shy!)

Speaking of getting noticed, don’t assume that news outlets, publications and online sources are going to just ‘find’ you. In fact, you need to be approaching them regularly and telling them about who you are, what you do and what value you can offer them and their audience.

Create a story pitch around your unique selling point (USP), something that a media organisation would see entertainment value in. The media is always looking for good content, so spoon feeding it to them makes their job easier while giving your business high profile exposure. Win win.

My recommendation would be to spend 30 minutes a day focusing on ‘prospecting’ new media opportunities for you and your business. You may want to approach the editor of your community’s local newspaper or newsletter and ask them to include a clip of you and your fitness business.

Connect with people on LinkedIn who are editors of online publications or producers of TV or news shows that you could add value to. Of course, not everyone will bite, but it’s a numbers game, and the more you put out there, the more responses you will receive. Do it consistently for at least three months, and watch as you accumulate new opportunities to get your fitness business noticed.

Once opportunities have been realised, in the form of articles or blog posts that you have written or provided commentary for, or other media you have appeared in, make sure you maximise their value. Share links on your LinkedIn and social media pages, your YouTube channels and anywhere else you and your business have a presence!

The website SourceBottle is an excellent place to start, offering free publicity opportunities for business operators just like you.

3. Tell EVERYONE about what you do

Now, this is the part that many of us can feel uncomfortable about doing. Some nationalities and cultures – Aussies and Kiwis included – are just a little more shy about sharing the great things we do. This isn’t just about blowing your own trumpet for ego’s sake though, this is about growing the success of your fitness business, so you need to work to overcome this natural reticence!

The most important step for getting noticed is sharing with everyone what your fitness business does and what media you have been featured in. It’s your business, and you are its number one brand ambassador! Not only will this build awareness and understanding about exactly what it is you do, it will increase your credibility by highlighting that your business is unique and valuable enough to be of interest to media publications.

Imagine, for instance, that you’ve approached an editor of a fitness industry blog and they’ve shared an article you’ve written about resistance training. Your job is to share that article on as many platforms as you can: as a post on your business Facebook page, as a Reel on your Instagram, as a TikTok, on both your personal and your fitness business’ LinkedIn (if you don’t have one, set one up). In short, post it everywhere. It’s not just about getting a pat on the back, it’s about growing awareness of your fitness brand.

If you have a website, ensure you have a section for ‘Media’. In my experience, new and potential clients like to explore these pages before signing up, as it helps them to understand what you do and why they should trust you. Our Media page is updated regularly – check it out here for inspiration.

With all this in mind, I want to reinforce the importance of putting in that little bit of time every day to get your fitness business noticed. Not only will it build your credibility in the eyes and minds of your current clients, but it will also help you to gain new ones. Put aside 30 minutes every day, and don’t be afraid to tell the world about who you are, what you do and why you absolutely rock at it!

• Bio

Corinne Blight

Corinne is a multi-award winning Group Fitness Instructor, Nutrition & Wellness Presenter, Pilates Instructor, Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach and founder of leading group fitness community, Limitless Fitness & Nutrition. As the current Group Fitness Instructor of the Year, Corinne is a leading force in the Australian fitness industry. limitlessfitnesnutrition.com.au / instagram.com/limitless_fitnessandnutrition / facebook.com/corinneblightlimitlessfitness