3 Ways To Find Coaches Without Paid Ads

How This Spreadsheet Will Help You Source Expert Coaches In Your Area

Author

Cardy Brothers
May 12, 2024

Estimated read time: 2 minutes 44 seconds.

Dear Fitpreneurs,

Finding great coaches to join your studio is hard.

All the experienced PTs are too busy and usually don’t want to join an unproven gym.

That’s why you have to get creative with your search (and think outside the box).

Here are 3 ways to source coaches without relying on paid ads:

Before You Search…

I’d start by creating a Local Coach Directory you can store forever.

This keeps all the trainers in one place and easy to find.

You can also refer to it when you need sessions covered in the future too.

#1 - Gym Scraping

This is a process where you search for local gyms in your area and make a note of the personal trainers that work there.

The idea is not to poach staff (that's unethical) but see if they’re interested in joining your team too.

How To Do It:

  1. Create a list of all the surrounding gyms/fitness studios in your area using Google.

  2. Visit the gym’s website and add their personal trainers to your directory.

  3. Reach out to each trainer on the platform where they’re most active.

Hi {Name}, I found you recommended online. I’m building a semi-private gym in {Location}. I already have {X} on the waiting list, with plenty of people eager to join – so we’re hoping to launch to capacity.

Was wondering if you’re interested in having a chat about coaching here? I’m looking for 3 more to join the team and thought it was worth shooting you a message 🙂. (It’s a beautiful space – and you’d be looked after!)

#2 - Group Recommendations

Local Facebook Groups present an untapped opportunity to source coaches. Everyday, people are looking to hire PTs so you can leverage these recommendations.

How To Do It:

  1. Join your local area’s Facebook Groups.

  2. Use the search bar to search keywords like “personal trainer”. You’ll likely find posts where people are asking for recommendations.

  3. Make a note of all popular recommendations in the comments and add them to your directory.

  4. Reach out to each trainer on the platform where they’re most active (as above).

#3 - Email Broadcast

If you already have an email list, you can use this to incentivise recommendations too.

How To Do It:

  1. Send an email broadcast to your email list asking for recommendations. (To encourage responses, give the recipient a gift if you end up hiring the coach they recommended).

  2. Make a list of all recommendations and add them to your directory.

  3. Reach out to each trainer on the platform where they’re most active.

Hi {Name}, you’ll see you’ve been recommended by {Name}. I’m building a semi-private gym in {Location}. I already have {X} on the waiting list, with plenty of people eager to join – so we’re hoping to launch to capacity. Was wondering if you’d be interested in having a chat about coaching here? I’m looking for 3 more to join the team and thought it was worth shooting you a message 🙂. (It’s a beautiful space – and you’d be looked after!)

Final Words…

Like anything worthwhile in your gym business, hiring great coaches takes a lot of work.

But if you get it right, you’ll end up with a thriving community of members who never want to leave.

That’s it from us. Reply any time…

Cardy Brothers

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