11 reasons not to sleep on email marketing (even if you’ve tried it before)

Email is an essential part of any effective marketing mix. Still, many gym operators neglect or overlook this effective, low-cost channel. Read on to learn more about the benefits of email and how to overcome common hurdles.

Instagram. TikTok. Facebook. It can be tempting to plough all your attention into organic activity and paid advertising on social media.

And yes, social media marketing is important for most gyms and fitness clubs. But don’t overlook email marketing – even if you’ve already had a stab at it.

From reaching a captive audience who’ve chosen to hear from you to higher ROI than many paid channels, email marketing deserves a place in your marketing strategy. And with the right approach you can overcome common challenges.

How can you get email marketing right? Read on to find out:

Let’s get stuck in!

45% not using email marketing to its full potential

When we surveyed gym operators across the UK*, we found that 45% are failing to use email marketing to its full potential. When used strategically, email marketing can be an effective way to connect with both prospects and members.

20% are not using it at all. 42% of this group said they’d tried it before without success. A quarter don’t have the time to write and send marketing emails. And surprisingly a quarter have never even considered it.*

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11 reasons why email marketing is a must for gyms

So, why should you wake up and get serious about email marketing for your fitness business?

1. Direct access

With email, you get direct access to prospects and members who’ve chosen to hear from you. Unlike social media ads and other forms of advertising, email requires first-party consent. Recipients have said yes to hearing from you.

This is an audience you own. And while you need to follow best practices to avoid ending up in spam, there are fewer rules to follow. These rules are clearer than social media algorithms.

2. Captive audience

Those on your email list have chosen to hear from you, they’re a captive audience.

Once an email is opened and you have a recipient’s attention, there are limited distractions. You can set a clear call to action (CTA) and focus your email on getting the recipient to take that action. Limited scrolling, no ads popping up.

3. Stay top of mind

When you consistently send emails to your prospects and members, you can stay top of mind. Reminding them that you exist. If you’re not sending emails, it’s likely your competitors are and they’re benefiting as a result.

Recipients don’t even need to open your emails for you to realise this benefit. Your brand name and the right subject line can still trigger a reaction. So, at the right time your prospect or member is more likely to think of your business.

4. Brand building

Email marketing isn’t just about sales and retention. It’s a space where you can cultivate your gym brand’s unique identity and values. It’s your place to shine.

Consistently send valuable, informative emails to your prospects and members to build trust and credibility. Encouraging prospects to give you a try. And showing members why they should stay loyal.

5. Mobile friendly

Many emails are read on mobile devices. Email is an effective way to reach people where ever they are – on the go, at home, or at work. Take a mobile-first approach to designing email, thinking about the experience on a smaller device.

6. Shareable

When you send someone an email, it’s very simple for them to share. Hit forward and choose a contact to share with, and it’s done. This makes it a discreet way for prospects and members to tell their friends and family about you.

7. High ROI potential

Every marketing email you send should have a clear objective. Some will be focused on selling.

Email is a relatively low-cost marketing channel compared to others like print and social advertising. Often it will be included in your gym management software. That means the potential of bringing in an impressive return on investment (ROI) is higher.

Research has found that email can achieve an ROI of £35.41 for every £1 invested.

8. Hits the right notes

Done right, email marketing lets you segment your audience. So, you can send targeted emails to specific groups of people.

And you can personalise emails to speak directly to the recipient based on their interests and behaviours. Targeted, personalised marketing resonates better with prospects and members than mass marketing.

9. Measurable

Open rates. Clicks. Unsubscribes. When you send emails using your gym management software (or a dedicated email marketing platform), you get the data you need to optimise your marketing efforts.

So, you can do more of what’s working and less of what’s not.

10. Easy to automate

Automation lets you send the right email to the right person at the right time. When a pre-defined trigger event happens, your software will automatically send out the right message. Meeting prospects and members exactly where they’re at.

11. Plays well with others

Finally, email marketing can be easily integrated with other marketing channels. It’s an essential part of any cross-channel marketing campaign, complementing what you’re doing on social and elsewhere.

Where email works well

Gym email marketing is best used to inform, educate, and promote your business to both prospects and existing members.

These are just some of the emails you could send using the marketing automation tools within your gym management software:

How to avoid common challenges & pitfalls

Whether you’re just getting started with email marketing, giving it a second try, or already using it, there are common challenges and pitfalls you might face.

With the right approach, these can be addressed and overcome.

Manual processes slow things down

Our research found that 35%* of gym operators using email are importing data from their CRM into a separate email marketing tool (like Mailchimp). Inevitably, this makes email marketing very time consuming and fiddly.

29%* of gym operators using email marketing said the whole process is very manual. And 25%* say it’s time consuming maintaining up-to-date mailing lists.

By choosing an all-in-one gym management system that includes marketing and communications functionality, this can be overcome.

No more exporting and importing data to keep mailing lists current. Your data will all be in one place. And you’ll be able to maximise the impact of your email campaigns, setting up automations based on member activity to meet members where they are at for a truly personalised experience.

Lack of a clear goal or objective

42%* of gym operators who’re not using email have tried it before unsuccessfully. All to often with email marketing, like with many marketing channels, excitement takes over, leaving strategy to go out the window.

Before sending any marketing email, you should make sure you set a clear goal. This should be aligned with business objectives – what you want to achieve at a high-level.

Plan how you’ll measure success for each email. Your KPIs should go beyond open rates. For some campaigns you’ll be targeting sales revenue, for others it might be referrals, and for others you might just want awareness.

Irrelevant content

27%* of operators using email marketing can’t split their audience into target groups. This means there’s no other option than one-size-fits-all approach with no or limited personalisation.

Personalised marketing emails can achieve higher unique click through rates – as much as 41% higher than non-personalised emails. Personalisation plays a big role in email performance and without it, you’re likely to be sending irrelevant content.

Use gym marketing software that lets you send personalised, segmented emails and use automation to trigger these at the right time. And take a RAD approach to emails:

Focus on how you can help the recipient, meeting them where they are at in the moment.

Poor subject lines

Although open rates can be an unreliable way to measure success, you still want to make sure as many recipients open your email as possible. That starts with the right email subject line.

EXCESSIVE USE CAPITALISATION! Excessive punctuation!!!!! Spammy language like ‘earn money’, ‘100% free’, or ‘hurry’! Any of these can increase the risk of your emails ending up in spam folders.

Every subject line should:

No clear CTA

Unless you’re sending a newsletter where you want to provide helpful information and education to recipients on a range of topics, a clear call-to-action (CTA) in every email is a must.

If your goal is to have members refer a friend, then you should make that your CTA. Banners, links, and buttons should send members to the right page to make referrals. And your email should make the benefits of doing so clear.

Email overload and fatigue

Attention spans have fallen significantly in recent years. From 75 seconds in 2012 to 47 seconds in 2023. This is in part driven by the number of alerts and communications we receive everyday online.

Many people are experiencing email overload, constantly receiving more emails than they can effectively cope with. This leads to overwhelm, frustration, and disengagement.

The result? Your emails get ignored or deleted with hundreds of others.

Overcome this by:

The wrap up…

Many gym operators aren’t using email marketing to its full potential. And some are not even using it at all.

Email marketing is a must for gyms for all these reasons and more:

When you get it right – with timely, targeted messages – email can be a highly effective way to promote your business.

When you choose gym management software from Xplor Gym, you’ll get the tools you need for impactful email marketing.

*The Challenges Of Running A Gym Research was conducted by Xplor Gym via an online survey. The survey took place between 28 February and 21 March 2025. It was completed by 60 respondents from privately owned gym operators in the UK.