How to create a fitness newsletter your gym members will love

Thinking about starting a fitness newsletter for your gym? Or perhaps you want inspiration for fresh newsletter content? You’re in the right place! In this article, we’ll look at the benefits of gym newsletters, how to start one, and give you 13 winning content ideas.

Want to build brand loyalty? Want to grow your gym business? Want to keep members for longer? A fitness newsletter can help.

A good newsletter includes content which is valuable to prospects and members. So, it becomes a must-read. And even drives extra revenue for your business – directly and indirectly.

This article will help you create a health and fitness newsletter that your gym-going subscribers will love! A newsletter that provides relevant education, inspiration, offers, and much more.

Let’s get stuck in!

What is a fitness newsletter?

A fitness newsletter is an important part of a bigger gym email marketing strategy. This email communication will be sent to subscribers on a regular basis. Subscribers are typically gym members or prospective gym members.

A gym newsletter will contain interesting content, announcements, and promotions. It’s a helpful way to keep members engaged and in the know. So, you deliver value beyond the typical perks of being a gym member.

Benefits of fitness newsletters for gyms

Why does your gym need a newsletter? A fitness newsletter is a consistent way to tap into the power of email marketing. And even with the prominence of social media, email is an effective way to reach gymgoers:

Your email newsletter should provide content which is relevant, interesting and educational. You’re sending it to an audience who’ve chosen to hear from you. And over time it’ll help strengthen the connection your audience have with your brand.

By sending valuable, targeted newsletters, you’ll establish your business and build credibility. So, you’ll position your business as the place to go for fitness expertise and experiences.

And when subscribers are ready to join a gym, or want to step up their training, they’ll choose your club over competitors. Increasing revenue for your business by:

With a segmented approach, a gym newsletter can also increase subscriber engagement with your business. Create and send targeted versions based on habits and preferences.

Why? Research shows segmented email campaigns can attract 30% more opens and 50% more click throughs than mass campaigns. Having an engaged audience of prospects and members can amplify the success of other campaigns you run.

How to create a fitness newsletter

Ready to create a health and fitness newsletter? One that prospective and existing members will actually want to read? Get set for success by following these 5 steps:

Step 1: Decide what you want to achieve

As with all email marketing, start by setting clear goals and objectives. What do you want to achieve with your newsletter? This will determine your approach to creating it and the content you include.

Here are some example goals you could choose for your newsletter:

Step 2: Identify your target audience(s)

Now you know what you want to achieve with your gym newsletter, it’s time to think about your target audience. Who are they? What will they want to hear about? What content are they likely to want to see?

Depending on the demographics, interests, and relationship to your gym, one newsletter for all may not be effective. Creating different newsletters for specific audiences may bring better results.

Segmentation can help you achieve better results from your gym newsletter:

Step 3: Choose how often to send your newsletter

What do the most successful, best fitness newsletters have in common? Predictability. Send a newsletter on a consistent basis. And your subscribers will come to know when to expect your content.

Aim for a specific day and specific time. This will also help you hold yourself accountable to preparing and sending it. Fortnightly or weekly tends to work best. But, if once a month is more realistic then start there.

Step 4: Design your fitness newsletter

So, you’ve set goals for your newsletter, identified target audience(s), and chosen how often to send it. What next? It’s time to start designing your newsletter. And just like sending it out, consistency matters here.

Your newsletter should have a distinct design that reflects your gym branding. So, it stands out from other gym newsletters your subscribers may receive. Create a template to make it easier to keep your newsletter consistent every time.

When designing your newsletter consider:

Branding & imagery

Make sure the colours, font, and style of your newsletter matches your branding. Start by creating an email header banner. You can have a graphic designer produce this. But free tools like Canva make it easier to create a striking banner yourself.

Include imagery throughout your newsletter to break up the content. Keep in mind that a lot of the time subscribers won’t have images enabled. So, take the time to set up alt text for your images.

Alt text provides image context and descriptions. This is helpful for subscribers who have images blocked or turned off. It’s especially important to include alt text if any of your images include a call to action.

Subject line

The subject line is one of the most important elements of your fitness newsletter. You need to stand out in the inboxes of your subscribers. And encourage them to open.

You may want to keep it consistent so subscribers know it’s your newsletter and they need to read it each time. For example, you could start with ‘NEWSLETTER’, the date of sending, or an issue number.

Alternatively, you may want to mix it up based on the content of each issue. Especially if you’re wanting to keep things fresh and stand out.

Whichever approach you take, the start of your subject line is what matters. Worldata Group research suggests that email open rates increase when your subject line starts with:

Personalisation

Create targeted versions of your fitness newsletter for different segments of your audience. And you’ll be more likely to deliver relevant content for each group. Go further by using the data within your software to personalise your newsletters.

Here’s why! Emails with personalised subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened than those which are generic. And opening an email is essential to reading and responding to it!

Plus, 74% of marketers report that targeted personalisation increases engagement. So, you’re more likely to achieve the goals you set for your newsletter!

Content

Next up, consider what you’re going to include in your newsletter – the content. It’s helpful to consistently include specific types of content. So, your subscribers know what to expect. Read on for loads of gym newsletter ideas for content!

Getting the content of your newsletter right is all about balance. Aim to deliver educational, relevant, timely information. Provide value to them without the need to buy. And include promotional content sparingly.

As a rule of thumb, aim for your newsletter content to be 90% educational and 10% promotional on average.

Copy

An element of the content of your newsletter, copy is the words you choose to use. The copy you choose should reflect your brand tone of voice. So, the newsletter sounds like it’s come from your gym.

When writing copy for your newsletter, keep it concise and to the point. Include a taste of the content. And then link out to somewhere with more detail (for example, your website, blog, or social channels).

Opt out option

You should only send your fitness newsletter to prospects and members who have given you permission to send it.

And it’s also vital to include an easy way to opt out. The gym marketing software features within your fitness club management software should make this simple to do. Make sure your unsubscribe link is easy to find in the footer of each newsletter you send.

Testing

Now you’ve designed your newsletter it’s time to test and tweak! Send out test copies to yourself, team members, and anyone else you want to check it out before sending.

View test versions using different email platforms both on desktop and mobile devices. For many gym businesses, it’s especially important to optimise for mobile. And doing this can increase click-through rates by up to 40%.

Ask trusted colleagues to review and proofread your newsletter. Brainstorm ways to improve and simplify the look and feel of your email. Fix any errors.

Step 5: Send and review performance

Once you’re happy with your fitness newsletter, it’s time to hit that send button! Many subscribers will open your newsletter within 24 hours of receiving it. And some will open over the course of the next week or two.

So, before you send your next issue, set aside some time to review performance. Helpful stats to look at include opens, click throughs, bounces, and unsubscribes. This will help you work out what your subscribers think of your newsletter.

Change up and test different parts of your newsletter. See how this impacts performance. Test:

Focus on testing one thing at a time. This will make it easier to assess the impact on performance. You can also test changing the day and/or time you send your newsletter.

13 fitness newsletter content ideas for gyms

To create a fitness newsletter that subscribers will love, you need the right content. Content that’s relevant and valuable.

Do you have a newsletter and want fresh content ideas? Or are you just starting one and choosing what to include?

Here are 13 gym newsletter ideas to inspire you!

#1: Club news

Keep your subscribers up-to-date with what’s going on at your gym or fitness club, so they feel connected.

New equipment. New classes. New team members. Schedule and opening hour changes. Anything that may be interesting for members to know is worth including.

#2: Health & fitness news

As health and fitness professionals, you and your team will keep up to speed with the latest industry research and fitness trends. Share interesting, useful information to help your subscribers achieve their fitness goals.

#3: Recommended reads, listens, and watches

Want another great way to share valuable info with your subscribers? Include a regular relevant recommendations section in your fitness newsletter. These could be something you’ve found yourself or collated from your team and members too.

Examples include:

#4: Member achievements & feedback

Put the spotlight on your members and celebrate their successes. Whether it’s a member profile or a before/after story, you’ll show you care about your members. And it can boost gym member motivation to encourage others on to achieve their goals.

You could also include gym member feedback. This demonstrates the value you place on what your members have to say. It can be an opportunity to show what’s going well. And you can also show how you’ve addressed feedback to make improvements.

#5: Meet the team

Your gym staff are so important to the success of your business. People connect with people. Research shows that interacting with fitness staff encourages members to visit more often. And visiting more often can be key to becoming a loyal, long-term member.

So, help your subscribers get to know your staff. Focusing on a different team member each issue, include a short profile and photo. Include details like:

#6: Training & recovery tips

Help your subscribers get the most from their workouts with quick training and recovery tips. This is a fantastic opportunity to show the expertise you and your team offer.

Provide quick and easy tips. And you’ll help subscribers recover well from workouts. Improve form to avoid injury. And achieve better results from their training.

#7: Nutrition tips

Likewise, including quick nutrition tips in your newsletter. So, you’ll help subscribers get more from their training.

You already know this! What your members eat and drink can have a significant impact on their results. And so, whether they achieve their goals or not. Help them make healthy choices by including tips, easy switches, and nutritious recipes.

#8: Class spotlight

Added a new class to your timetable? Or perhaps you want to boost attendance for existing classes? Spotlight classes in your newsletter. Include key details like when it takes place, who the instructor is, and a quick overview of what the class involves.

Make it easy for members to book their spot by including a call-to-action link.

#9: How-to guides

Include quick how-to guides and videos in your newsletter. So, you help subscribers perform a particular exercise or use a piece of equipment.

Those members who’re too nervous to ask for help will appreciate this. And it can be a great way to encourage them to use equipment that they might shy away from ordinarily. Plus, if there’s something new in your fitness club, this will let you shine a spotlight on it!

#10: Upcoming events

Got something going on at your gym? Use your newsletter to shout about it!

Fitness events can help you:

Include details of events, like open days, workshops, parties and more. So, you’ll increase awareness and attendance.

#11: Challenges

Gym challenges are a fantastic way to engage prospects and members. Challenges create accountability. Build community. Celebrate effort and results. And reward participants.

And challenges make great fitness newsletter content too! Include brief details of the challenge you are running. Add a call-to-action link, so subscribers can get more info and take part.

#12: Giveaways

Everyone likes to win something! Run a giveaway or contest for your newsletter subscribers. The prize could be something simple like a branded item, PT session, or voucher to spend in your shop.

#13: Partner offers

Here’s one final gym newsletter idea for you. Do you have any close relationships or partnerships with other local businesses?

Negotiate a special offer for your newsletter subscribers. For example, a free coffee at a local café, or, a discount on sports gear at a sports retailer. These offers give subscribers a reason to keep reading your newsletter. And provide extra benefits that your competitors can’t.

The wrap up…

A fitness newsletter is an important part of your marketing strategy. Sent to prospects and members, it should provide interesting content, announcements, and promotions.

Newsletters make the most of the benefits that email marketing offers your fitness business. You’ll reach people who want to hear from you, build credibility, increase loyalty, and even directly and indirectly boost sales. And that means increased revenue for your business.

Want to create a newsletter that your prospects and members will love? Yes?! Then focus on providing valuable, educational content. Where you can, segment your audience. And that way you’ll provide content that’s personalised to their interests.

Consistency is also key to the success of your newsletter. It should reflect your branding. And follow a similar structure each time, so readers know what to expect. Send it at a consistent frequency, so they know when to expect it.

Keep measuring the performance of your newsletter. Test different approaches. And try out new content ideas to give your subscribers more of what matters to them.

The right gym management software will make it easy to create and send fitness newsletters that your prospects and members will love! Book a demo to see Xplor Gym in action.