23 best gym promotions for business growth

Effective gym promotions will help you cut through the noise to attract, win, and keep more members for longer. Find out what it takes to run a successful gym promo and get 23 ideas to fuel your marketing all year round.

Looking to grow your business this year? Yes?! Then you need to make sure you’re regularly running the right gym promotions.

Sign up new members. Engage and retain existing members. Attract more revenue into your business. Regular gym promos can help you grow in all these ways and more.

The LeisureDB 2024 State of the Fitness Industry report shows that there are 4,513 private fitness clubs in the UK. That’s a lot! So, well-designed and well-executed gym membership promotions will help you stand out in a competitive market.

In this article, we’ll explore:

Let’s get stuck in!

Benefits of running gym promos

Running regular promotions for your gym can bring both short- and long-term benefits:

Sign up more new members

Gym membership promotions can drive an influx of new members. Many people are thinking about joining a gym, but need an extra push to actually do it. And discounts can be just the push they need!

Some gym operators report that members who join on a discount are more likely to leave sooner than those who don’t. So, take a careful approach to discounting. Discounts are one of the gym promos that will attract new people into your club.

Improve retention rates

When members feel appreciated, they’ll stick with your gym for longer. Exclusive promotions for members will engage members and show that you care. Use promotions to recognise achievements, encourage upgrades, and more.

Set your gym apart from competitors

Targeted, appealing promotions can help differentiate your gym from competitors. With 4.5k+ private gyms in the UK you need to stand out if you want to grow.

Unique promotions can help you tempt over people who’re dissatisfied with their current club. Especially if you get the timing right. Line deals up with key times when members join and switch gyms. Think January/new year, September/back-to-school, etc.

Increase revenue through up- and cross-sell

Bring more revenue into your business with the right promotions.

Promotions that persuade members to upgrade to a premium or higher membership tier. And promotions that attract sales of services (like personal training) and products (like clothing).

Build brand awareness

Promotions get your gym brand out there. And that builds brand recognition and awareness. Get positive exposure for your club. So, it’ll be more likely that potential members seek out your gym when they’re ready.

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Understand what appeals to your members

Practice makes perfect! The more gym promotions you try out, the better you’ll know what appeals most to your target audience.

In the long run, you can use performance data from promotions and offers to refine your overall offering. Focusing on the best performing packages and programmes.

Key ingredients for successful gym promotions

Well-executed promotions will set you well on your way to smashing your growth goals.

Yet, care is needed when planning promotions. There are some common pitfalls you’ll need to avoid:

How do you overcome these obstacles to run successful promotions for your fitness business? Follow these tips and you’ll have the ingredients you need to win:

Define your target audience

Your gym marketing strategy should clearly define your target audience. And when it comes to the gym promotions that make up your gym marketing, you’ll want to have even more specific target audiences.

For example, target a discounted personal training package at members who are at-risk of leaving soon. While a first month for free offer may be aimed at first time gym members.

Tailoring your promotion to a very specific audience increases relevance and effectiveness.

Craft a clear, compelling value proposition

The most successful promotions offer real, concrete value. Value that’s strong enough to motivate your intended audience to take immediate action. Think about what will be of value to helping your target audience fulfil their needs and wants.

Create engaging visuals

When it comes to promotions, looks matter! Stand out with high-quality images and eye-catching graphics. And make sure these are in line with your brand guidelines.

Visually engaging promotions with clear messaging will:

That’s particularly important for digital gym ads where people scroll past quickly.

Running promotions to increase brand awareness and have a lasting impact? Then you need to keep your audience’s attention for 2.5 seconds. Analysis shows that 85% of ads fail to capture attention for this long. Resulting in a lower likelihood that a brand is remembered.

Set a clear timeframe

Limit the duration of a promotion to create a sense of urgency.

Time-sensitive promotions are particularly effective if your offer is monetary. You’ll tap into impulse purchase behaviour and FOMO – fear of missing out. So, encourage your target audience to act fast.

Take care to balance time-pressure with attracting loyal members who are looking for more than a temporary deal.

Make CTAs strong and action easy

Let your intended audience know exactly what you want them to do next. How? With a clear and motivating call to action (CTA). Think ‘sign up today’, ‘claim your free class’, or ‘bring a friend for free this month’.

A strong CTA inspires action and makes your promotion easy to understand. You should also make it just as easy for people to redeem any offer you’re promoting. This will increase your chances of conversion.

Make sure your online joining and sales journeys are straightforward and can be completed as fast as possible. Choose simple promotion codes that’ll be easy to remember.

Align your gym promos to member needs & fitness trends

Promotions that reflect what members are interested in are more likely to resonate. Keep up-to-date with the latest fitness industry trends. And regularly look at what your members are doing while they visit you.

For example, right now you might look at promoting:

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Focus promotions on your community and inclusivity

One of the best things about many gyms, especially independent ones, is the community they create.

And promotions that focus on community aspects will help make new members feel welcomed. As well as encouraging existing members to stick with you. Promotions around bringing a friend for free, or joining a group gym challenge, are great options for community building.

People will want to join your community and remain with you to reap the social benefits of membership.

Promote across multiple marketing channels

The more visible your gym promotion is, the more likely it is to reach your target audience. Channels to consider include:

If you have a gym member app, you could also add it to the news section. And use push notifications to let prospects and members with the app know about it.

Pick the right timing

Based on your target audience and the type of promotion you’re planning, you’ll need to decide when to run your gym promo.

Looking to attract new members? Research into gym membership sales shows January and September are the most popular times for first time Direct Debit members to start at gyms.

The research also found that for younger, Gen Z gym members, September is the most popular time to start. Coinciding with the start of the academic year.

You can also run promotions around key dates like Black Friday, World Health Day, and Christmas. This 2025 Fitness Marketing Campaign Planner will help you identify relevant dates.

Track and analyse performance

Firstly, when designing promotions for your gym business set clear, measurable goals. And make sure you are able to track these.

You could track how the promotion impacts sign ups, visits, revenue, and more. Look at metrics like conversion rates and ROI. These will give you insights into what is and what isn’t working. So, you can evaluate success and refine future promotions.

Nail your follow up

This final ingredient is important if your promotion has generated leads for your business. Of if it has won you brand new members.

Make sure you have the right follow up processes in place.

For leads, the gym sales software features in your club management solution should make it easy to follow up with prospects. And it should make it possible to set up and send targeted emails that nurture prospects through to sale.

And with new members, make sure you are offering gym inductions. And have a comprehensive new member onboarding process set up. Effective onboarding usually includes digital and IRL – in real life – touchpoints.

23 gym promotion ideas to grow your fitness business

Looking for a little gym promo inspiration? You’re in the right place, here are 23 ideas to get you started, categorised by promotion type and goal.

New member promotions

These will help you attract and win prospective members for your club.

1. First month free

Give prospective members the persuasion they need to sign up to your gym with their first month free. An ever-popular gym membership promotion, create a catchy promo code that can be used during your online joining process.

2. No joining or admin fees

Cost can be a barrier for first time members and those looking to switch. So, waiving joining fees is a great way to help them overcome this barrier. Create an offer code for a set amount to cover what you normally charge new members.

3. Free day or 7 day pass

Let prospective members ‘try before they buy’ by running a promotion to giveaway complimentary day or even 7 day passes. This is a great offer for any apprehensive gymgoers who want to try out your offerings before committing.

Make sure you effectively follow up with those who take up the offer. Gather feedback. And encourage them to sign up to a full membership.

Get a ready-written free day pass offer email template

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The Boost Profitability With Gym Email Marketing guide includes a ready-to-use (or adapt) email template you can use for this offer.

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4. Open days & weekends

Open mornings/afternoons, days, and weekends are a tried and tested way to encourage potential new members into your gym.

Run taster classes. Offer quick consultations with your personal trainers. Take prospects on a tour of your club. Go all out to show why your club is the place to be and the benefits members realise by joining.

You could also offer some sort of incentive for prospects to sign up during the event. And make sure you capture details of those who attend, so you can follow up afterwards.

Retention promotions

Gym promotions can be used to help your existing members stick with you for longer.

5. Refer-a-friend offers

Gym member referral programmes let you reward loyal members and win new members at the same time. Taking advantage of word of mouth marketing, refer-a-friend offers let your members promote the benefits of signing up to your gym.

Use your gym management software to run your referral promotion and track take up. Offer an incentive of some kind to encourage take up. Choose to run one-off referral offers and/or keep these running long-term.

Create a referral programme to turn members into advocates

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6. Milestone-linked rewards

This is another type of gym promotion that you could run on an ongoing basis. Celebrate things like anniversaries and milestones achieved. Think 1^st anniversary of joining or 100 visits achieved.

Show your appreciation with special discounts, exclusive merchandise, or complimentary training sessions.

7. Loyalty-linked discounts

Reward loyal members with discounts on membership renewals. Or exclusive perks only available to long-term members. This will encourage them to stick with you rather than looking at other options available.

8. Upgrade promotions

Is your gym membership pricing split into tiers? You could encourage members to upgrade to a higher tier. Offer an incentive to make the switch and highlight the benefits.

Upgrade promotions could also target pay-as-you-go members. Start by focusing on those who visit regularly and would be better off having a full membership.

9. Offers on merchandise

Sell branded items like hoodies, t-shirts, or water bottles? Or other helpful items like padlocks for lockers, deodorant, or socks? Promoting a special discount on selected items can encourage more members to invest.

Run the offer in-club and/or via your online shop using promo codes to apply the offer.

Seasonal promotions

These promo ideas are linked to specific times of the year – making the most of both busy and quieter seasons.

10. New Year’s resolution special deals

January is a time when many people reset their fitness goals after the indulgence of the festive season. So, consider offering special deals or packages in January to attract those motivated by resolutions.

To help members with similar goals, you could offer a series of small group classes. Working as part of a group will encourage these gymgoers to stick with it. And can foster social connections, building a sense of community that inspires loyalty.

11. Back to school promotions

Deals around life changes, like back to school, can attract specific demographics who may be ready for a change. Target students going off to uni or starting new courses in their hometowns/cities.

Also, look at offers targeted at parents. Parents who are getting back into the school routine after the summer holidays.

12. Summer promotions

School holidays. Foreign holidays. Good weather and the desire to be outside. Summer can be notoriously quiet for gyms and fitness clubs.

So, run special gym promotions that bring people into your club during the quiet period. And you’ll boost business and avoid losing members in the summer months.

13. Festive promotions

Like during the summer, many people lose interest in going to the gym in the run up to Christmas and New Years. So, festive promotions are a fantastic way to keep existing members engaged. And even attract new members.

Ultimate guide: Festive gym email campaigns to boost business

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You could also consider running Black Friday gym promotions. And you’ll tap into the desire for special offers at that time of the year.

Personal training promotions

Working out with a personal trainer can help motivate members towards their fitness goals. Ultimately, keeping them with you for longer. Encourage more members to try out personal training with these gym promo ideas.

14. First training session for free

Nudge new (and long-term) members on to try out personal training by offering them a session for free. This is a great opportunity for members to set goals and get tips that’ll improve their experience at your club.

Attach a value to this session

Tip

Make this a session that’s paid for by your club. Attach a cost to it rather than saying it’s free. That way members will understand the value of future sessions.

15. Bundle discount

Offer a package of personal training sessions at a discounted rate. It’s a great way to push members to commit to a series of sessions.

Keep it simple with a buy one get one free offer. Or offer a bolt-on of 6 or 12 sessions with a saving attached.

Get a ready-written personal training offer email template

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The Boost Profitability With Gym Email Marketing guide includes a ready-to-use (or adapt) email template you can use for this offer.

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16. Group training offer

Small group training is a key fitness trend for UK gyms. So, make the most of this an offer a discount on small group training sessions.

This can help make personal training more accessible for those concerned about cost. And it’s a great way to build community.

Corporate & group membership promotions

Alone is hard. Together is better. Apply this in your business with these group-based gym membership promotions.

17. Corporate discounts

Partner with local businesses to grow your club. Offer employee discounts. Or special membership prices when businesses refer a specific number of employees.

You could also work directly with those businesses. And provide memberships for employees paid for by the employer.

18. Family memberships

Is your club family friendly? Offer group-based family memberships for parents/guardians and children. Promote the value that these bring.

19. Concession / discounted memberships

Want to know another way to promote your gym to more people? Offer discounted memberships for specific demographic groups. Typical concession memberships to consider are:

Health & wellbeing promotions

This final set of promo ideas for your gym business will help you support the overall health and wellbeing of your members.

20. Wellness package bundles

Think nutrition support, physio sessions, or massages. Offer discounted bundles to encourage members to take advantage of any health and wellbeing services you offer.

These bundles could also include bolt-ons for classes like yoga, meditation, or breathwork.

21. Challenge-based fitness promotions

Gym challenges:

So, if you want to design a gym promotion that engages members, focus on a challenge.

Tip box

31 gym challenges to engage members

Go deeper

Want some challenge ideas for your promotion? Get loads of options and find out how to run a successful challenge.

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22. Educational events

Host free or paid for educational events on topics like nutrition, mindset, or injury prevention. Invite guest speakers in to run these sessions.

These sort of events will add value for members. You’ll be helping them get more from their training sessions at your club.

Get a ready-written event promotion email template

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The Boost Profitability With Gym Email Marketing guide includes a ready-to-use (or adapt) email template you can use for this.

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23. Food & drink offers

Healthy snacks. Coffees. Protein shakes. If you sell these or any other food and drink items at your fitness club, you could run a special discount offer. Or even give away samples to encourage more members to buy.

The wrap up…

Want to grow your gym business? Gym promotions can power growth over the long-term by helping you:

There are some common pitfalls of running promotions. The right approach can help you avoid any potential drawbacks and maximise the success of your promotions.

Effective promotions for gyms include:

Get in touch to find out how Xplor Gym can power successful promotions for your fitness business.