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If you own a gym or studio, chances are you already know how effective social media can be for marketing your business.
Though algorithms and platform preferences are constantly changing, one thing remains the same: social media is vital for any business in the fitness industry. Not only will it help you to acquire new members, but it will keep your current members engaged as well.
But that's not all! Social media can also inspire your members to maintain their health long after they've left your gym.
Keep your gym's social media posts focused on its target market to draw them in and encourage sharing, boosting your account growth and reputation. If you need help thinking of different types of content for an effective social media strategy, read this article for 20 ideas you can use in 2023.
Does it help my business if I am active on social media?
Absolutely! Social media is a great way to market your business, but it's also a powerful tool for connecting with your community. When you post regularly, it shows potential customers that your gym or studio is active and engaged—which can help increase interest in what you offer.
Utilizing social media correctly can do wonders for your gym and establish it as a powerful force in the community.
Why more gyms are using social media
Gym social media posts have the potential to be beneficial for you and your clients down the road. Your gym can grow its target audience while offering them things such as value, motivation, humor, and more through social media.
Posting relevant content consistently about what your gym offers is a cost-effective marketing strategy that can generate leads that convert customers.
It can also keep existing customers returning regularly, instill brand loyalty, and keep you at the top of their minds when they need services like yours.
If you're still undecided about whether social media is a marketing channel that's worth investing in for fitness centers, keep in mind that it can help your gym with the following:
- Becoming more well-known
- Reaching a wider audience
- Converting leads into customers
- Achieving success in other areas of your business
20 best social media post ideas for gyms
Introducing the correct type of content to your social media pages can help you engage with your followers and keep them updated about any news or updates at your gym.
Here are 20 post ideas for gyms that will help you reach out to them, keep them entertained, and build up their loyalty to your business:
1. How-to guides for exercising
Your gym allows people to achieve their physical fitness goals, but many visitors may need to learn all the exercises available.
As a result, exercise explainers can be highly beneficial for helping people learn about new workout strategies and ensuring that they use the proper form when doing each exercise.
A video format is an excellent way to present these explainers.
This will make it simple for members to watch and follow along with the exercise, and studies show that 54% of people want more videos from brands on social media.
These videos can also serve as a great way to introduce potential customers to your brand.
TeamUp allows you to create an on-demand library of pre-recorded videos. We see many businesses use this feature to share how-to content with their members. Click here to learn more about TeamUp’s On Demand feature!
2. Healthy eating tips
A paramount health issue in America is the average American's lack of a healthy diet. Showing gym members how easy and tasty it can be to eat healthier could inspire them to follow suit, and your posts on social media are an excellent way to do so.
Nutrition tips usually make for good social media content because they offer short, sweet suggestions that can better someone's life. And if you think you're running out of ideas, don't worry! There are plenty more things to post about when it comes to nutrition, including:
- Protein-rich foods that are often overlooked
- The different vitamins found in vegetables
- How to calculate your daily caloric intake requirements
- Macronutrient information
3. Congratulate members on their successes
Celebrating member milestones is an excellent way to cultivate your gym's community. It's essential that people receive encouragement as they work hard at the gym, and celebrating their accomplishments can make them feel fabulous.
This kind of content usually generates a lot of engagement because it's happy and positive news. Plus, it shows potential members that your gym has a supportive community—something everyone wants to be part of!
4. Challenges
Staying motivated is hard, especially when it comes to fitness goals. You can help people stay engaged and inspired by sharing different challenges on social media.
These challenges should have simple rules that are easy to understand and follow, such as doing a certain number of reps or running a specific distance.
Social media can help you spread the word and build anticipation for your challenge while also assisting people in staying focused on their goals. Plus, it's another excellent way to promote your gym!
5. Let customers know how they can book a spot in your gym
Creating posts that tell people how to book a spot in your gym is a great way to get more people interested and remind existing members of the available slots.
If you use gym management software, include easy-to-follow instructions so customers can select the time slot that works best for them.
Not only can you use these posts to educate potential customers about your gym's rules and regulations, but you can also include pictures or videos of the classes, activities, and other amenities available to members. This is a great way to encourage people to join a waitlist if your gym is full.
6. Events and promotions
Hosting events or running promotions at your gym is an excellent way to attract new customers and keep current members engaged and excited about their membership.
This will make it easier for customers to book classes, which could result in more sign-ups and engagement with your gym.
7. Include images or videos of your business in action
Social media users who don't know your business need to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on; this will help them decide if it's right for them.
Most members training with you probably already enjoy being tagged and celebrated, so Instagram (and Facebook) Stories is the perfect place to show your business.
If you're confident, go live on social media when you have something interesting to say! Just make sure that the people who will be featured in your stream are okay with it.
8. A little laughter goes a long way
It's no secret that social media users love funny, lighthearted content. You can craft posts that make your followers laugh or share jokes about fitness and working out.
These posts will help you engage with your followers, humanize your brand, and create a community around it. Plus, humorous posts can often generate more likes and shares!
Although this is a great idea, you'll need to create a funny story or concept for the comedic video. If you need help coming up with something original, try looking at other videos for inspiration. Just make sure not to copy anyone's material verbatim.
9. Spruce up your page with some memes
Here's something fascinating: the average millennial looks at 20-30 memes daily. That's a lot of content that younger people are consuming and clearly enjoying.
So, if you want more engagement on your gym's social media accounts, why not share some fitness memes?
They're sure to be a hit! People love sharing funny memes, so if you can post ones that resonate with your audience, you could get free advertising on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
10. Include customer testimonials
Most people use star ratings, text, or static images for testimonials. While all of these are great in their own way, video is by far the most potent medium regarding testimonials. This is because videos create a more personal connection with viewers.
If you're going to shoot a video testimonial, don't use a script! Let the gym member give an honest account and edit the video later. People can see right through scripted videos.
11. Introduce your team
Use your gym's social media platforms to introduce potential clients to your staff. This will help increase revenue by spreading awareness of any additional services, like personal training, that you offer.
People are more likely to request consultations when they feel like they know the people behind the service.
12. User-generated content
People are more likely to be engaged and committed if they feel like they're a part of something. Creating a sense of community is essential for any fitness center that wants to succeed. You can generate user engagement by posting things like:
- User-submitted Instagram pictures
- Fitness success stories
- Before/after photos
- Health and fitness goals
Learn more: How user-generated content can support your growth strategy
Furthermore, by adding digital signs in your gym, you can feature members' social media posts throughout the fitness center.
In turn, people will be pleased to see themselves on screen, and your gym will experience more online traffic.
13. Limited-time offers
Most fitness centers use their social media platforms for advertising deals, which can incentivize people to follow your account.
For example, you may post about a time-limited discount on gear from the gym's apparel store. If someone realizes they missed out because they don't follow you, they will likely follow you to take advantage of future opportunities.
14. Healthy recipes
An obstacle people face when trying to eat healthily is becoming bored from a lack of variety in their nutrient-rich ingredients. Having new recipes helps by adding excitement and keeping people focused on their diet goals.
Social media provides the perfect platform to share new, healthy recipes with your gym members. You could even highlight a new staff member every week and have them include their favorite dish in the post.
15. Be creative when you greet your audience
When your gym posts content, start with a unique greeting that draws attention. For example, you can say something like:
"Good morning, Spartans! Here's a quick HIIT workout to get your day started right!"
This effectively shows your audience that you care about their well-being and want to help them reach their fitness goals.
16. Before-and-after posts
Impressive fitness goals achieved by regular people are highly motivating and act as a form of advertisement for your gym.
If you have any members who have seen a serious transformation in their bodies since coming to your gym, ask if they would be willing to share their stories on social media.
They will likely jump at the chance to show off their results — which makes for a great post that will motivate your target audience.
17. A look at what goes on behind the scenes
Showing how your fitness center runs can also be a great way to connect with online guests.
For example, you could film footage after the gym has closed for the night and show your staff enjoying themselves in the unoccupied facility.
Or you could demonstrate a timelapse of how your gym changes when you install new equipment and exercise machines.
18. Use social media content that is interactive and engaging
Your audience doesn't just want to watch or read your content passively. They want to be actively engaged in it. In return for their engagement, they should receive results that are relevant and useful to them.
Some ideas for interactive gym content are:
- Polls
- Quizzes
- Feedback forms
- Surveys
- Q&As
Your interactive content will not only result in higher engagement and conversion rates, but it will also open a two-way dialogue between you and your audience. This means more people will join your gym directly from these posts!
Encouraging more interaction gets people to share your content and gets them excited about being involved.
Unlike traditional content, interactive content is a great way to get results tailored specifically for your audience. Not only will personalization make help your brand stand out, but also the sheer volume of fitness-related social media posts people see every day.
By posting interactive social media content, you capture your audience's attention and gain access to valuable data that can help shape future posts. This information could be anything from preferences to demographics.
19. Use motivational quotes and images to inspire your members
From a fitness AND business perspective, it's vital to help your gym members stay motivated.
Why? Because if they lack motivation, their health and well-being will suffer, and your business could lose clients. Posting motivational quotes and images on social media is one way to keep people reminded of why they're working out in the first place - which may simultaneously benefit your gym membership numbers.
20. Reach a wider audience by cross-posting and collaborating with other fitness professionals
Cross-posting is the term for posting similar content across multiple social media profiles. For example, let's say you've just filmed and edited a walkthrough of your gym to showcase the equipment.
With cross-posting, you can use the same caption and post this video to:
To improve your brand's awareness, consider cross-posting with other brands or fitness influencers. This way, more people will see your message across multiple channels. Additionally, collaborating with other companies and influencers is an excellent opportunity to:
- Meet with other professionals to develop content ideas
- Get a new perspective on creating content
- Showing others the value of your business
How to maximize your potential on social media as a gym or personal trainer
Social media can be an effective tool for gyms, fitness centers, and personal trainers to reach their target audience. You can build your brand and grow a loyal customer base by producing creative content and engaging with your audience.
To help create social media posts that will succeed for your gym or personal training business, keep the following pro tips in mind:
1. Use clear and high-quality visuals
Visuals are essential to any social media post, as they help grab the audience's attention while conveying a message quickly. When creating visuals, make sure they are clear and high-quality. This means using bright, vivid colors, sharp focus, and high resolutions.
Quality should be highly prioritized when creating visuals, whether an image or a video. People don't want to see something that's blurry and low-quality - it looks unprofessional and suggests you could have put more effort into it.
Sometimes, even if the visual was high quality, to begin with, editing tools can degrade the final product. Check the visual quality before exporting edited videos or images to avoid this issue.
Additionally, consider personalizing the visuals with your brand's logo or color palette to reinforce recognition of your business.
2. Track post performance and adjust as needed
Social media analytics tools can help you track the performance of each post, such as shares, likes, and comments.
The data you collect can help you understand the types of content that resonate with your audience. Additionally, it can show user demographics and other insights to inform future posts.
As such, use the data to adjust your strategy as needed. That way, you can continue producing high-quality content tailored specifically for your audience.
3. Be creative, and don't be afraid to try something new
Social media is a dynamic space, so it pays off to be creative with your posts. Try experimenting with different kinds of content and visuals and various post formats (e.g., stories, guides). Social media users love fresh content - make sure you're giving them something different.
4. Set a consistent posting schedule
Setting a consistent posting schedule can help keep your followers engaged and interested. It's also an excellent way to show followers that you are reliable and always present on social media.
Think about how often you want to post, what content works for your brand, and when most of your customers are online. Once you have that information, create a schedule and stick to it.
5. Post at the right time
When you share your post can have a drastic effect on how successful it is. Engagement metrics are time-sensitive, so posting at the right time is crucial to getting as many eyes on your content as possible.
Hootsuite reports that 10 AM Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are the best times to post, generally speaking. But the ideal posting time varies depending on the day and platform. Keep this in mind when planning content strategy; an extra hour of sleep or choosing Thursday over Saturday could be a make-or-break for your posts' reach!
6. Prioritize a few platforms to focus your attention on
Instead of being present on every social media platform, focus your energy on the ones most beneficial for you.
Regarding gyms and personal trainers, Facebook and Instagram will likely generate the best results. However, if you're a personal trainer, TikTok can also effectively reach your target market.
Learn more:
How to advertise personal training on Facebook?
How to open a gym?
How to market a gym?
How to promote your gym?
How to create fitness ads for gyms?
Best gym management software
7. Use videos frequently
If you want to increase your engagement on social media, start incorporating more videos into your posts.
Videos are 38% more likely to receive engagements than images, so they are definitely worth the extra effort.
8. Change it up
Keeping your social media followers entertained is key to maintaining a high following. Nobody wants to see the same content day in and day out. Mix them up by sharing funny or inspirational posts if you're posting videos. This will keep your audience engaged and coming back for more!
Frequently asked questions about social media post ideas for gyms
How do I promote my gym on social media?
- Start by creating a social media strategy
- Identify your target market
- Produce high-quality visuals
- Use hashtags relevant to your brand
- Post regularly and at the right times
- Create exciting and compelling content
How important is social media for gyms?
Social media is increasingly vital for gyms and personal trainers, as it allows them to reach a large audience efficiently and cost-effectively. Social media can also drive engagement with potential customers and build relationships with existing ones.
What should I post on my gym account?
You can post various types of content to your gym's social media accounts, such as:
- Promote upcoming events
- Share success stories
- Showcase your team
- Post workout tips and tutorials
- Create polls to engage followers
- Educate on health and wellness topics
- Feature customer testimonials
- Offer exclusive discounts
- Highlight healthy recipes
- Share behind-the-scenes content
Which social media platform is best for fitness?
Facebook and Instagram are the two most popular social media platforms for gyms and personal trainers. However, if you're targeting a younger demographic, consider adding TikTok to your arsenal. Social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn can also benefit networking and outreach.
How often should gyms post on social media?
It depends on your goals and the platform you're using. Generally speaking, posting 2-3 times a week is enough to keep your followers engaged and interested.
Remember that different platforms have unique audiences and post at different frequencies; experiment with different content and times to find out what works best for your audience.
