How to set up an Online Challenge That Attracts Long Term Clients

Feb 27, 2019

By Tim Saye




Online challenges are one of the best ways to attract new clients and guide them in to your long term online personal training packages.

Here we look at 7 steps you can take to ensure your challenges bring members in to your long term programs.


If you prefer to learn via video you can watch here, if you prefer a written guide just move past the video.





1 - Have a start and end date for each challenge.

Try to get all members of your challenge to start the same time and end at the same time. This means they will all be working together as a team and you can build a support network around your challenge.


2 - Keep it simple.

Just have a couple of training programs, add in one, maybe two habits that members work on over the challenge, and keep it to the minimum length that clients can see results.

Ideally you want your challenge members to get a tangible result, but you don't want it to go on for too long. A typical weight loss challenge would be around one week long. If your clients goals are muscle building then you might need it to be a little bit longer, but have the shortest possible time that you can get a visible result for your members.


3 - Create a good group atmosphere.

Have a convenient form of group communication. This might be over something like Zoom, so you do a video with everyone together all on the call. It might be over a group chat messenger, or it might be in a private a Facebook group. Chose one way to engage the whole group at the same time and create a supportive atmosphere around it.


4 - Get members thinking about your long term services.

Show testimonials of your long term clients and show their results. You can do this by sending out emails, and sharing them in your group chats, or in your Facebook group. However you decide to share them make sure to show the results people are getting in your long term services and let challenge members know that your long term services are helping people change their lives for the better.


5 - Offer your long term services and help members sign up.

To do this effectively you can either offer a phone call at the end of the challenge where you discuss your long term programs and sign people up over the phone, or you can offer something where challenge members automatically sign themselves up and pay for your long term online training programs.

Here's how you set up a package in PT Distinction and host the sign up on your website. If offing 1 – 1 online training you can do this with just a welcome pack then move forward from there


6 - Have a round up video at the end of your challenge.

The round up video talks about what everyone has done in the challenge, the overall results of the challenge, who's got great results, and then talks a little bit about your long term clients and the kind of results that they're getting.

You then tell people how they can get long term results, and offer your long term training as the guaranteed solution to get those results with that that extra level of guidance and support.

At the end of the round up video you guide people to the sign up method you set up in step 5 and put a link underneath it..


7 - After the challenge continue to follow up with the members that didn't join your long term training programs.

To do this easily add them all to a group and send a regular content email helping them to get great results. At the end of each email include a link for your next challenge or your long term programs. - Video 2 here shows you how to send or schedule messages to all of your clients.


To set up online challenges that bring in new clients join the worlds highest rated personal trainer software, free for your 1st month.

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