Digital fitness is the new way to live a healthy lifestyle over the traditional regime of going to a physical gym. For the same reason, many video monetization platforms today work as a source of digital fitness.
When COVID impacted the whole world, the world learned to use a new approach to continue providing the services. As a result, every industry switched to digital, and fitness is one of them.
Today, people opt for online options where they find digital fitness creators and choose the best plan that suits them. Digital has become a habit of people which means that every fitness instructor should have an online presence.
If you are also a fitness instructor or own a gym and want to digitalize it, this post will help you with the same.
What Is Meant By Digital Fitness Creators?
Before we dive into how to create a fitness channel, let’s understand the concept of digital fitness first and who digital creators are. That way, by the end of this post, you will have a fair idea about almost every aspect of fitness that works nowadays.
“Digital fitness creators are the people who train individuals or a group of people using a digital fitness selling platform.”
These fitness creators create fitness content and upload it on different online platforms.
For example, they can upload their content on YouTube or some other streaming platform which includes the needed features and is cost-efficient.
Viewers then subscribe to their channels on these streaming platforms and follow their workout routines.
Some people also prefer one-on-one sessions where a fitness trainer trains them online using tools like Zoom and Google Meet.
Trainers shoot these fitness sessions in their physical studios or gyms and upload the content online.
6 Steps To Digitalize Your Fitness Business
Now that you know that every gym is trying to build and improve its online presence, it is time that you also plan to digitalize your fitness business.
By being an online instructor, you adopt new technologies and gain more exposure by letting global audiences stream your content.
Hence if you have a gym or fitness studio, below are the steps to let you know how to create a digital fitness channel.
👉 Start With Recognizing Your Strength
When it comes to becoming a fitness coach, there are many categories to choose from. For example, you can be a weight loss coach, a coach to help individuals with running, a weight training coach, etc.
To decide on a niche, you should consider your strength or in which niche you have the most knowledge. If you are certified in a particular niche, you should choose the same.
You should always create content in a specific category; that way, people who are interested in that niche or search for similar queries will be your target audience.
👉 Set Up A Coaching Framework
Let’s imagine that you have all the necessary certifications and experiences in the niche you are going to serve in.
Next, you should prepare a framework for the client who is interested in receiving a one-on-one session.
This might include the following things:
- An interview where you will assess the requirements and expectations of your client. If you are creating it for the audience instead of a particular client, analyze their requirements according to the niche.
- Next, you need to prepare a reservoir of resources which can be a diet plan, workout plan, motivational stories, and other such things.
- Create a map as per the client’s expectations of goals. You can break it down into short-term and long-term goals. This will help you and your client to track the progress easily.
Don’t worry about creating a framework for your audiences or clients, you can choose from the free coaching program templates available online.
👉 Set Up Your Online Fitness Course
Once you have the framework, it is time to create a fitness course that you will publish online. This course should relate to your chosen niche; trainers can make a full series or release the videos with particular lessons.
Just like you prepare a course while training your people at the gym, this course will help the online audience.
While you are setting up your channel, let’s not forget to design your brand as well. This includes designing a logo and a tagline that suits your brand.
Also, define your mission statement on your channel and let people know your values, ambition, and motivation behind creating the channel.
👉 Decide On A Streaming Platform
Next, you need a streaming platform where you will upload your videos or live stream the sessions. There are many streaming platforms that support the “Fitness” niche, which you can choose as per their features and pricing structure.
As a beginner in the digital fitness world, you can choose a pocket-friendly or free platform.
GUDSHO, for example, allows digital creators to join the platform and create premium content free of cost. Here you expose your content to a global audience, and the multiple currency support ensures maximum earnings through the channel.
👉 Choose The Revenue Methods And Set Pricing
Once you have finished all these steps, it is time to choose a revenue option. This means that you can choose from different ways to earn money through the fitness monetization platform.
You can earn on your videos via running ads, subscriptions, donations, rentals, merchandise, and more. Choosing a monetization method depends on the content you upload and the audience who stream your videos.
After selecting a revenue method, set the pricing; you can also look at your competitors for the same.
Tip: In the beginning, it is always a good idea to start with the least amount. You can also offer a trial period and discounts to the new joiners.
This will motivate them to try your channel; once the trial period gets over, they might come aboard and become your regular audience.
👉 Market And Launch Your Online Fitness Course
The last step is to let people know about your channel. This is important because if no one knows about it, you might not build and grow your channel further.
Let’s uncover some steps that will help you promote the channel:
- Prepare social media channels and keep posting and following the trends.
- Distribute flyers at fitness centers and local areas.
- Run ads on search engines and run ads on social media channels.
- Create a blog and promote your channel there.
- Prepare a mailing list and send newsletters.
- Conduct a webinar and motivate all the people you know to join.
Revenue Options For Digital Fitness Creators
Let’s get to know the monetization models or revenue methods in detail.
👉 Monthly Subscriptions
Subscriptions are the most common kind of revenue method that digital instructors use. This is true for both: trainers who upload their videos on streaming platforms and brands who sell connected gym equipment.
Brands require the membership cost to let the user access their live or on-demand workout. GUDSHO, Peloton and OxeFit can be taken as examples here.
However, when people want something cheaper, they stick to online streaming platforms. Here they can decide on a kind of workout that doesn’t require any fancy equipment, and they only pay to stream the content. Such a subscription costs around $10 per month!
👉 AVOD And TVOD
AVOD or Advertising-Based Video on Demand refers to the advertisements that creators can run on their videos.
When you choose AVOD as your preferred revenue stream, it means that you allow your viewers to stream free of cost. However, they pay you by visiting the ads you put in the videos.
This method works fine if you are a new creator and do not upload premium content.
TVOD or Transactional Video on Demand refers to the revenue method where you earn through giving users content on rent.
There are two approaches in TVOD: buying the content forever for a one-time fee or renting it for a specific duration.
👉 Creator Economy
Many social media channels, such as YouTube and TikTok motivate creators to create content. These platforms can be monetized when a creator uploads the content regularly and builds a wide fanbase.
Besides being in the fitness industry, fitness creators can also explore Gaming and Entertainment. In the Gaming niche, there are many virtual fitness games where you can review them and become a part of the creator economy.
Similarly, in the Shopping niche, you can pay attention to fitness equipment, gear, and accessories. As a digital fitness creator, you can earn a fitness creator economy by reviewing all these products and sharing the same with your audience.
Fitness Trends That Are Having A Quantum Jump
👉 Hybrid Way Of Getting Fitter
Gyms and fitness studios are now adopting the hybrid fitness model. This means that fitness instructors teach in-person and online as per their clients’ preferences.
People prefer flexibility where they can visit the gym and train themselves virtually.
👉 Connected And More Interactive Gym Equipment
The fitness industry and its prominent brands are all focused on making exercising more advanced than ever. They are more focused on making exercising a more interactive experience overall; no doubt the same will be the fitness industry’s future!
Today, more activities are getting connected, such as rowing, boxing, and strength training.
Companies use different approaches to make fitness sessions smarter than ever. They utilize the power of AI and 3D to make virtual sessions feel personalized and efficient.
- Mirror provides a full-length mirror to let people work out in front of a mirror where they can see their trainer giving recommendations. Such mirrors also support high-energy music, are touchscreen, and come with different accessories.
- CityRow lets you do rowing at home while giving you the same feeling of a physical studio.
- FightCamp is best for those who want to learn boxing at home and throw some powerful punches.
👉 Fitness For The Brain And Mind
In today’s age, everyone is more conscious of their mental health and managing their stress levels.
This has given several brands and startups opportunities to bring applications that soothe mental health, provide assistance for meditation and overall mental relaxation.
Calm, Headspace, and Insight Timer are some of the legendary applications in today’s market that people opt for.
There are also applications that track your sleeping patterns and notify you about your energy levels during the day.
3 Topmost Problems Fitness Industry Suffers From And Their Solution
👉 Struggle With Finding And Retaining Customers
Gyms that are not already established find it hard to get new customers. Even if they complete some registration, it becomes hard to retain those customers.
The reason can be many; however, eventually, these gyms and studios suffer and hardly receive any returns on their investments.
Solution: By using the digital approach, these gyms can sign up with various companies or brands that let people connect to their nearby gyms. Some examples are FitReserve, Planet Fitness, and Gympass.
👉 Compromised Ability To Train
When you are a fitness trainer and training people in your studios, it is impossible to train the crowd simultaneously. This is because everyone’s goal remains different, and what suits one might not be enough for another.
Solution: Once you switch to digital or take your gym online, there is no need to be present every time and everywhere. Instead, you can just prepare the tutorials, series, or lesions as it suits you and upload the same on your channel.
People can choose what they want to stream according to their fitness goals and at their convenient time.
👉 Maintenance Cost Of The Facility
Opening a gym or a studio is costly, but maintenance is the crux of the matter. However, fitness instructors don’t have to have a heavily-planned gym with all fancy equipment.
Solution: You can rent a basic fitness studio and place a few basic pieces of equipment, such as dumbbells, mats, resistance bands, and gym balls. Then you can upload your fitness sessions online and let people attend virtually.
Let’s Have A Wrap-Up!
The fitness industry has been producing many trends and changing the way people have perceived fitness so far. Today people are not bound to visit a physical gym to stay fit because there are many other ways to do so.
There are virtual sessions, more interactive equipment, and streaming platforms that enable people to start a healthy lifestyle without leaving their homes.
As a fitness instructor, you should also adapt to these trends and make yourself available online. Instead of going for the traditional meal plans and workout plans, launch your streaming channel where you upload workout regimes and provide personal training digitally.