What if I told you that your email—yes, your email—could bring you waves and waves of fitness clients? That at the press of just one button, you could build your brand, make money, or even both?
Welcome to email marketing. The rules are simple: he who masters the ways of Gmail, Yahoo—basically whatever email service you can think up— dominates the fitness industry.
Compiling your own mailing list isn’t just a “good strategy”—it’s essential if you want to build a healthy fitness business.
Don’t believe me? Just ask any fitness professional that’s made a name for themselves in the industry. I BET you they’d rave about how their mailing list helped them sell their LBOs, their online info products, their online training programs—what have to thousands and thousands of their followers…
Look, mailing lists are no longer optional. The health of your business depends on how well you can convert those list prospects into clients—how much value you give them, and how much that translates into sales. This goes for every kind of fitness business, from the brick-and-mortar studio to the big box gym.
You build a huge mailing list, you reach more people. Prospects get to know, like, and trust you. You convert more leads into clients, and you change more and more lives every single day.
Everything is on the web, too, so you’ll spare your wallet from unnecessary marketing costs. Just poke around for some YouTube videos, some inspirational quotes—heck, you can even purchase a done-for-you mailing series—to launch a compelling, effective email campaign.
So…
Want to write emails that people will look forward to reading?
Want to learn the proven techniques that expert marketers use to add hundreds and thousands of clients to their mailing lists?
It’s time for my crash course on email marketing. Take in all the info on this page, reread it, save it, frame it in your room—whatever you have to do. THESE are the things I learned from the best marketers in the business, bar none…
Part 1 – Writing Emails They’ll Want to Open
Get Your Emails Delivered
It should NOT be difficult to get your emails into your clients’ inboxes. Unfortunately, spam filters love to WRONGFULLY sabotage us fitness marketers…
See, Google has this method for identifying emails that are, well, trash. That method isn’t always 100% accurate, so if your email isn’t spam but looks like spam, it’s never going to reach anyone’s inbox…
Think of it like someone driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco. In the middle of their commute, they reach a police checkpoint (Google’s little algorithm) that stops them to make sure they don’t have any drugs, they aren’t speeding, etc.
If they look suspicious, even if they aren’t guilty of anything, there’s still a chance the police will take them down to the police station, and their trip will be ruined…
So what is Google looking for specifically? They target what are called “red flag” words.
These are words commonly used in junk emails; too many of them in an email triggers red flags that send your email straight to spam hell…
Words like FREE, GUARANTEE, BUY NOW—they’ll flag your emails faster than you can hit “send”…
Don’t try bolding these words either, because that will only sound the spam sirens even more…
My tip: Just relax and write the email like you’re having a conversation with a good friend. You’re not being “salesy”; you’re just shooting the shit about fitness (Later on, I’ll explain how to pitch to your audience the RIGHT way.)
Don’t feel like stressin’ the spam? There IS a way Google allow emails to bypass its spam sensors…
It’s called being “white-listed”.
This just means your clients added your email to their address book. When you send them an email, Google (or whatever email server you’re on) will recognize you and let it pass straight to their inbox.
Pretty nice, right? So how do you get “white-listed”?
You can easily set up an autoresponder that goes out to your clients the moment they sign up with you. In that autoresponder, explain how they can whitelist your email step-by-step, and include pictures if needed.
One more essential part of the process is to make sure you sign up for a reliable email delivery service. Fortunately, my own program, FitPro Newsletter, outperforms the competition in delivery reliability and features done-for-you email series ready to use RIGHT NOW! Check it out here: https://fitpronewsletter.com/
Get Your Emails Opened
Ok, so you’ve sent that email. Now what?
That email is gonna fly straight into their inbox, which is crowded with all kinds of noise…personal messages, advertisements, etc…
How can you make your message stand out? It’s all in the headlines, my friends!
Remember: besides your name, the only impression they have of your email is those few words in the subject title.
The right subject line, one that’s compelling and interesting, is going to get your email opened.
I use a few different methods to write my best headlines. Here they are…
Create Curiosity: I love to appeal to the reader’s curious side. Get them thinking. Make them question the status quo. I might write something like, “How Much Sugar is Hidden in These 7 Healthy Foods?”; the reader thinks about it for a bit, maybe they can’t get it out of their mind, then they finally decide to entertain themselves and open my email up.
Shock Them: Nothing gets someone’s attention quite like a good shock. I love to rattle the reader’s senses a bit with my titles. I could say something like, “You’re Probably Using the Wrong Supplements”. If they agree or disagree, that doesn’t matter—they’re still gonna open the email.
Ask a Question: Questions make the reader feel an obligation to open your email. Ask them if they can help you with something or whether you can get their opinion; they’ll have the urge to help you out because you asked them personally.
Create Open Loops: Leave the reader hanging! You’ve gotta save your best stuff for the actual email, right? One example: “The ONE Trick I Used to Lose 50 Pounds Is…”. You’ve opened a loop that you’ll close in your email.
Funny Anecdotes: Don’t be afraid to goof about your mistakes; they just might tie into your content. Again, you’re appealing to your reader’s curious side. One subject line could read, “That One Time Puking Made Me a Better Public Speaker”. In the email, you can explain how that subject line ties connects to your message.
Get Them to Click
Now they’re digging into your email. Is that all there is to it?
No way! You’ve gotta direct them somewhere…
Keep them moving through your funnel!
Let’s say you include a link to your website where they can purchase your coaching webinar series, your recipe books, or whatever fitness service you have to offer. At this point, most amateur marketers would put on their sales hats and try to sell their product or service in a short email…
All you need to do is sell them on clicking that link! That’s where you can set up sales copy to sell them on your product, but for now, just get them to click that link.
THIS is your time to show your prospects a little bit about yourself. Again, get them thinking, “Wow, this really sounds like it could help me lose weight and keep it off. I want to find out more.”
Story tell and be engaging, but don’t go off on any crazy tangents. Make your message short, sweet, and to the point.
You’ll also want to “triple stack” that link in your email. That just means you’ll find a place for it in your intro paragraph, in the body, and in a P.S. that follows your sign off.
Now there’s one type of program you CAN sell off the page: LBOs:
If you run one of my LBOs, such as the “14-Day Fat Flush”, you can pitch the program in the email because they’re based on pre-made email series that I’ve designed for you. Again, FitPro is the way to go to get full access to all my LBOs. Check it out here: https://fitpronewsletter.com/
Even then, you’ll still send them to a landing page or a phone number where they can pay you to get on that program.
Be a “Value Adder”
How do you keep your audience entertained without being too “salesy”?
How do you pitch your products and not be boring while you do it?
This is something I’ve learned to master over time. Really, though, it’s all based on one principle…
Before you go into full-on “sales mode”, your audience needs to know, like, and trust you first.
YOU’RE the fitness expert. YOU know how they can lose weight, get lean, and keep fat from ever coming back…but your mailing list doesn’t know that—at least, yet.
You’ll start by sending them “goodwill” emails. I like to call say that you’re “adding value” to your clients’ lives.
These emails pitch nothing. They don’t ask for money. They’re just helpful diet, exercise, and motivational tips that get people to trust you.
Enough of those and people start thinking, “Hey, this guy (or gal) really has this fitness thing down. Now I want to see what he (or she) has to offer me to help me get fit.”
Now, you do need to sell at some point. If you time your sales pitches properly, you’re going to get waves of clients asking for your latest stuff.
The trick is to not overwhelm your audience with sales pitches. Space them out!
I like to go by the 4-to-1 ratio: you send out a sales pitch email for every 4 “goodwill” emails you send out. That way, when you do pitch, your audience feels almost obligated to give you their business because you’ve already given them so much value up front.
Part 2 – Build Your Email List
The Power of Facebook
Again, your mailing list can make or break your fitness business. It’s simple math: the more prospects you have on your mailing list, the more you’ll convert into clients, upsells, and referrals…as long as those prospects are in your niche market.
So how do you build the most robust email list possible?
Let’s start with one of the best sources for new clients out there today: Facebook.
There are two main methods I use to get people from Facebook onto my email list: the “suck out” method and advertising.
I’m sure you have a good amount of friends on Facebook already. How cool would it be to subscribe those friends to your mailing list, get them hooked to your content, and change their lives through fitness?
All you have to do is take one of those free eBooks I have up on FitPro and sell them on a squeeze page. This squeeze page is basically a page you can use to funnel your Facebook friends to a specific offer—you can use it to track the number of leads your offer is bringing in through Facebook alone.
It’s all about getting them on that email list! Remember that these are people that (hopefully) already like you,so you’re already ahead of the game in the “know, like, and trust” category.
By the way, if your traffic starts to die down for that squeeze page, just switch out the eBook you’re offering for another one—always keep that content fresh!
I like to get them to enter their name and email address BEFORE they enjoy my content. That way, they won’t just enjoy your content, then bolt from your page without leaving you their email info.
Now, about reaching those people that aren’t your Facebook friends…that’s where your A+ advertising comes into play.
Just head to Facebook and design your ad to be convicting, targeted, and clear. Everything—even the language—should get the people in your niche audience thinking, “You know, it feels like they’re talking to ME. Let me check this thing out.”
That’s only gonna happen if you use Facebook to your advantage. Do your homework and narrow down your audience. I’ve found plenty of success using Facebook to target the people that would be most interested in my offers.
Add Your “House List”
What in the heck is a “house list”?
It’s actually just your personal list of contacts, and it’s a great way to get your mailing list up and running.
You want to win some clients without even spending a penny of your own money? Sounds pretty nice if you ask me.
Just bring your contacts over to FitPro—that’s it. This includes your personal contacts, your business contacts, your media contacts, and the contacts of your current and past clients and leads.
You add them to your list, then you feed them some valuable content. THEN, you might be able to go viral…
I add this little option in my FitPro emails that allows the reader to share these emails with a friend. That friend gets the opportunity to opt-in to my list as well. That’s how you get your list to grow and grow and grow…
Show Off Other Businesses
I love this one because it shows others some love AND nets you new clients.
Find ten local businesses and interview their owners about anything your target demographic might find interesting. Chances are, they have something to offer that the people on your mailing list will enjoy hearing about.
Now you’ll send out that interview content once you have it locked and loaded, but MAKE SURE you add that owner to your mailing list first…that’s key.
This is gonna bring some publicity to their business, which they’ll love. They’ll love it so much that they’ll even want to help you out in return…
All you need to do is ask that owner to promote YOUR product or service now. They can send something out about you to their mailing list with an option to opt-in attached. It really is a nice, organic way to grow your mailing list without spending money to do it.
Hold a Mailing List Contest
Feed your list’s competitive side—get them engaged!
My good friend and business partner Josh Carter thought this one up. Really, it’s a clever way to add hundreds of new contacts to your mailing list.
You’ll tell your email list that you want to give away free months of boot camp to a few people (even if they aren’t your clients yet). All they have to do to win is share their contacts with you.
Easy-peasy, man!
Here’s a word of caution: DON’T tell your mailing list that you want their loved ones’ emails because you want to sell to them. That’s a great way to turn people off to the idea of sending you ANYTHING…
Instead, all you need to say is that you want to add them to your FitPro Newsletter, that you want to continue bringing the same content your mailing list receives to more people.
FitPro is the go-to system to manage your mailing list like a pro. You can get it right here: https://fitpronewsletter.com/