• The Fitpreneur
  • Posts
  • How to Run Gym Ads That Stand Out in a Crowded Market

How to Run Gym Ads That Stand Out in a Crowded Market

A step-by-step guide to creating ads that convert in busy markets

Author

Cardy Brothers
February 02, 2025

Running fitness ads in a crowded market is hard. Everyone’s offering the same thing, and it’s easy for your ads to get lost in the noise.

But there’s a way to break through: tailor your approach to match the sophistication of your audience.

Here’s how to do it in three simple steps.

Step 1: Figure Out How Much Your Audience Knows

Not all audiences are the same. Some need you to explain the basics, while others have seen it all before. Knowing where they are on this scale will help you decide what kind of ads to run.

Start by looking at your competitors. If their ads are broad and generic—like “Get fit fast!”—your audience might be less experienced.

But if they’re offering things like Hyrox-specific programmes or tailored solutions, you’re likely dealing with a more advanced market.

You can also survey your audience or test ads with different types of messaging to see what resonates most.

Pro Tip: Use Facebook’s Ad Library to search for competitor ads so you can tailor your marketing.

Step 2: Adjust Your Offer to Stand Out

Once you understand your audience, you can tailor your offer to fit their level of experience.

For less experienced markets, keep things broad and simple:

“Lose weight in 6 weeks and feel amazing!”

In more competitive markets, focus on what makes you unique:

“Our classes are designed for women over 40, focusing on hormonal health and joint care.”

Here’s an example from one of our clients:

They were running ads for a generic fitness offer in a competitive area, with a cost per acquisition (CPA) of £218.47.

After reviewing their data, we noticed that 80% of their leads were women over 40.

So, we shifted their focus to this group and highlighted specific challenges like joint-friendly exercises, mobility, stress relief, and hormonal health.

The result? Their CPA dropped to £43 in just one week.

The takeaway? In a crowded market, your audience needs to feel like your offer is built for them (not for everyone).

Step 3: Move Prospects Down the Funnel

Your ads shouldn’t just grab attention—they should guide prospects step by step.

  1. Attract new people: Start with ads that explain the problem you solve.
    Example: “Why most gyms fail women over 40—and how we’re different.”

  2. Build trust: Show proof that your offer works with testimonials or case studies.
    Example: “See how Sarah, 45, transformed her health with our tailored programme.”

  3. Drive action: Make it easy to take the next step with clear, urgent offers.
    Example: “Join our 6 Week Challenge for women 40+. Spaces filling fast!”

NEW VIDEO
We Asked Our Gym Clients What They Really Think...

In this episode, we’re diving into how client surveys can transform your business. We’ll share exactly how we’ve used surveys to gather powerful insights, improve our services, and refine our marketing strategy.

Here’s what we cover:

  • The surprising insights we gained: What our members revealed about their needs and how it shaped our decisions.

  • How we structured our survey: Tips to get more responses and better-quality data.

  • Turning feedback into action: How we used raw data to drive real results.

  • Visualising the data: A behind-the-scenes look at how we made feedback clear and impactful.

You’ll also hear how these changes have already made a big difference in our business—and how you can use the same strategies to improve your own.

Want to launch your own fitness studio?

We recently introduced our coaching programme for new studio owners: Launch Kit.

It’s designed to help you launch and fill your studio to capacity before you open your doors. It’s the exact process we’ve used to fill both of our own studios—and now, we’re sharing it with a small group of clients.

We’re keeping this programme limited to just 10 spots, so if this sounds like the right move for you, join the waiting list to be the first to know when spaces open.

That’s it from us. Reply any time…

Reply

or to participate.