Online personal training has boomed with the growth of a social media. A boom that has only been accelerated by recent events pushing more and more job roles to go remote.
Whether you are just starting out or looking to transition your 1-1 personal training business to online, with some input from Premier Global NASM we’ve put together our ultimate guide to becoming an online personal trainer.
Benefits of being an online personal trainer?
Successful online personal trainer Sean Murphy from Ultimate Performance say’s one big win has been the opportunity to Work with clients worldwide. Moving your business online means that you are not just limited to working with clients who live locally. The earning potential of an in-person PT can often be limited by factors such as how affluent an area is, how busy and competitive a gym is, and the lifestyles adopted by people in that area. By making your training efficient without ever meeting the client face to face, you can take on people worldwide!
Save money. Moving your business online might save some costs, such as gym rent and petrol. This might even free up some cash to invest back into your business, so that you can provide the best possible service to your online clients!
More control over your schedule. When booking in personal training slots, you must consider the schedules of lots of different people. Often, working the ‘pre-work’ and ‘post-work’ shifts can make days long and awkward to plan! If clients are all online, your contact with them won’t require an hour-long session and a commute to and from the gym. You can book any check ins, feedback and calls at times that suit both YOU and them!
What you need to be an online personal trainer
As you might have noticed, the world of online training is less clear cut than in-person! As it is harder to regulate, there isn’t a recruitment process as such to narrow down the most successful candidates, as there would be if wanting to work for a large gym chain.
While you don’t necessarily have to have worked on a gym floor to be an online trainer, having a background in PT will certainly give you valuable, transferable skills. You should still get professional insurance so completing an accredited online personal training qualification is a must!
We’d strongly advise having the following if you are an aspiring online PT:
- A qualification in personal training
- Relevant work experience
- A real passion for sport and exercise
- A dedication to continuous learning
- High level communication and people skills
- A knack for marketing and social media
- Good IT knowledge
This is by no means an extensive list, but if you tick the above boxes, online training might be the career for you!
Getting started
Make it official. If you are already self-employed as a PT, you know the drill! If not, make sure that your business is registered and you are trading legally. This means that you can avoid any confusion at the end of the tax year. There are plenty of resources online and professionals you can consult with for help here!
Set your prices. Online fitness coaching is available in many price brackets. There is no definitive answer we can give on how you should value your service! Look at how much work goes into it, what expenses you have to cover, what other people in the same niche are charging and how much you feel you have to offer. While you can always up prices or run promotions, you want to avoid sending every enquiry an entirely different quote, so do give this some thought!
Start marketing! Make sure that your business has a name and page online so that people can find you. Rather than going straight in trying to sell people something, first show what you have to offer. You might already have client transformations that you can post, or perhaps you’ve got achievements that set you apart from the crowd such as a master’s degree or an impressive win in your sport.
Look after current clients first. Don’t get so caught up in getting new clients that you neglect the ones you have. It’s easy to become obsessed with growing the business when you are starting up but remember that long term client retention is key! Ask your clients for feedback and how you can make the process better for them.
We only expect more and more personal trainers to move online over coming years and for it to get more and more competitive! Working online offers many unique benefits that might suit some individuals better than in-person. Neither is inherently ‘better’ than the other, but if you do feel that online personal training is the route for you, we do hope that this gave you some ideas on how to get started!