You can offer the best equipment and classes, but it’s trust that keeps members coming back. When potential members see proof that your gym delivers real results, they’re far more likely to join—and stay.
With 90% of consumers reading online reviews and 88% trusting them as much as personal recommendations, member reviews are powerful tools for attracting new members to your gym and building community.
This short guide will help you learn:
- Why member reviews matter
- How to collect them
- Tips for creating powerful reviews
- How to use them effectively
- How to maximize their impact
Let’s explore how member reviews can transform your gym business. 👇
Why Do Gym Member Reviews Matter?
Member reviews provide valuable feedback about members’s experiences at your gym, often highlighting their progress, satisfaction, and what they value most about your community. These reviews are powerful tools that guide prospects in their decision-making, and show the real value of joining your gym.
Here’s why they matter: 👇
Build Credibility and Trust
Reviews act as social proof, showing potential members that others trust your gym. This credibility can help give them more confidence to join.
Highlight Real Results
Testimonials highlight real results—whether it’s weight loss, strength gains, or improved well-being. Potential members want proof that their investment will bring real change, and success stories from current gym members provide that.
Create an Emotional Connection
Reviews tell personal stories that help prospective members relate to your gym. Seeing others like them achieve success makes it easier for them to imagine their own fitness journey with you.
Strengthen Retention and Loyalty
Reviews don’t just bring in new members; they also help strengthen the loyalty of your existing ones. Featuring member stories makes current members feel valued, keeping them engaged for longer and proud to be part of your community.
How to Collect Testimonials and Success Stories
Both testimonials and success stories are incredibly valuable and encourage potential members to take action. Testimonials build quick trust, while success stories resonate emotionally.
Knowing the value of both, let’s look at the process of collecting them for your gym. 👇
1. Identify Success Stories
The first step is to identify members who have experienced a significant transformation at your gym—those whose stories will resonate with others and appeal to your ideal client. These could be members who have:
- Achieved noticeable weight loss
- Made impressive strength gains
- Gone through an inspiring personal journey
- Overcame physical limitations
- Found a sense of community and belonging at your gym
It’s also helpful to capture a variety of stories that align with your target audience. This makes it easier to attract the right type of client, showing that your gym caters to goals and experiences they may be looking for.
2. Ask at the Right Time
Timing is key when gathering genuine testimonials. The best time to ask is when members are feeling their best—whether they’ve just hit a personal record, shared how great they’re feeling at your gym, or tried out a new class they loved. These peak moments are when they’re most likely to provide honest, heartfelt feedback, so it’s important to make the most of them.
3. Make It Easy for Members to Share
People are more willing to share feedback when it’s easy and convenient. That’s why offering multiple ways for members to share their experiences is crucial. Besides asking in person, consider these options:
- QR code at the front desk: Have a quick survey members can scan and complete easily.
- Emails: Include a request for reviews in your newsletters or follow-up emails.
- Text messages: Send a simple message with a link where they can leave feedback.
- Incentives for Reviews: Offer incentives like a discount on merchandise, a free class for a friend, or a small prize for leaving a review. This encourages participation and make the process fun.
- Member Spotlights: Highlight members on a spotlight wall or on your gym’s social media. People are likely more motivated to share their story when they feel recognized by the community.
💡 Automation tools like those from Kilo and Gym Lead Machine can help simplify this process. You can automatically send reminders to members, asking them to leave a review.
4. Leverage Video and Written Testimonials
Both written and video testimonials have their strengths. Written testimonials are easy to share in emails or on your gym’s website, while video testimonials add a personal, emotional connection. A member sharing their journey on camera—especially right after a great workout—can come across as incredibly genuine and relatable.
💡 Using a mix of both formats can make your marketing more well-rounded and engaging, helping you better-connect with your audience.
What Makes an Effective Gym Review?
The more effective your gym reviews, the greater their impact on potential members. And sometimes, members need a little guidance on what to include to make their reviews more compelling.
Here are some tips to help members write strong reviews: 👇
Ask for Specific Results
Details matter. Encourage members to share specific results they’ve achieved—whether it’s losing 20 pounds, hitting a personal best, increasing flexibility, or improving their overall well-being.
Specific results give prospects something concrete to relate to, which makes reviews more compelling. When potential members see tangible outcomes, it helps them envision their own success at your gym, making the decision to join easier.
Ask About Their Experience with Your Gym
Encourage members to talk about what makes their experience at your gym unique. This could include anything from the supportive coaching staff, the welcoming community, or specialized programs that helped them meet their fitness goals.
These insights give prospects a sense of what sets your gym apart and what they can expect beyond just a workout, showcasing the value of being part of your community.
Ask About Their Fitness Journey
Have members describe their journey—where they started, the challenges they faced, and how their progress unfolded. Hearing about the transformation process from someone else’s perspective helps prospects see themselves on the same path, especially when they see that others began from a similar place. This creates a powerful emotional connection that makes your gym more approachable and relatable.
Ask Why They Would Recommend It
Encourage members to explain why they’d recommend your gym. Whether it’s the personalized approach, the sense of community, or the great coaching, these specific reasons help potential members understand why your gym is the best choice for reaching their goals. It also reinforces what makes your gym special in the eyes of your current members.
💡 To get the best out of these reviews, ask open-ended questions like, "What have you achieved since joining?" or "What do you love most about this gym?" This approach can help members provide more detailed, genuine responses that will resonate with potential clients.
Best Places to Feature Gym Reviews
Putting gym reviews in the right places can make a big impact on attracting new members. Here are some of the best ways to do it: 👇
On Your Website
Your gym website is a prime spot for reviews. They offer social proof right when potential members are deciding to join. Featuring testimonials on a dedicated reviews page or your homepage as users scroll makes it easy for visitors to see how others have succeeded and what they love about your gym. This can help sway their decision and give them the confidence to engage with your gym.
On Social Media
Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are fantastic for sharing reviews and build credibility in an engaging way. There are various formats you can use, including:
- Video snippets: Show members sharing their success or coaches giving shout-outs.
- Before-and-after photos: These are powerful visual proof of transformations.
- Quotes from testimonials: Pull standout quotes and add them to an eye-catching graphic.
You can even create a recurring hashtag for these success stories so your followers can easily stay up-to-date. Additionally, using consistent templates—like those from Kilo’s design library—helps give your profile a cohesive look and strengthens your brand.
Ultimately, regularly sharing member success stories is a wonderful way to inspire your audience and show that people are reaching their goals at your gym.
In Email Campaigns
Incorporating gym reviews into your email campaigns is a great way to nurture leads and build trust with potential members. Testimonials work really well in newsletters or follow-up emails because they highlight real success stories that can make readers feel confident about your gym. After sharing a review, you should include a clear call-to-action—like signing up for a free class or scheduling a consultation—to encourage them to take the next step.
💡 With Kilo, you can set up automated emails to ensure your audience receives testimonials and success stories at the right moments during their buyer’s journey.
Even at Kilo, we feature a ‘win of the week’ in our weekly newsletter to highlight what our customers are saying about our products. You can subscribe here to get weekly insights and strategies used by top-earning gym owners.
On Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is one of the best ways for people to find your gym, so making sure it’s fully optimized is key. In fact, most people will see your listing on Google Maps before they even visit your website.
Google reviews are like digital word of mouth—they build credibility and help potential members trust you. Plus, Google loves highlighting businesses with lots of positive reviews, which means more visibility for you. It also increases your local SEO, helping your gym rank higher and showing that you offer a great experience. This kind of credibility is exactly what new members are looking for.
📖 Must-read: How to Make Your Gym Stand Out Online
In Paid Ads
Using gym reviews in your paid ads is a great way to highlight real client success stories. Testimonial ads allow members to share their experiences in their own words, making your ads more relatable and authentic.
This helps potential clients envision reaching their own goals at your gym. Plus, this kind of social proof works especially well on platforms like Facebook, where building trust is key to driving conversions.
📖 Read more: 5 Facebook Ads for Gyms Delivering Amazing Results Right Now
How to Maximize the Impact of Gym Reviews
To get the most out of your gym reviews, here are a few tips to maximize their impact: 👇
Add Photos and Videos
Real images of members alongside their testimonials add authenticity and make the stories more relatable. Instead of just reading words, people can see the real person behind the review. In fact, research shows that reviews with photos are three times more likely to be perceived as authentic and trustworthy.
A video clip of a member sharing their experience or showing their progress adds an even more personal touch, helping potential clients build trust in your gym.
Highlight Specific Programs
To make your reviews even more impactful, try highlighting specific programs. Testimonials that rave about personal training, group classes, or nutrition counseling not only address the needs of potential members but also show the value of your gym’s services. By featuring these targeted stories, you help prospects see how your programs fit their goals, making them more likely to take action.
Showcase on Multiple Review Platforms
To maximize visibility, make sure to leverage popular review platforms like Google Reviews, Yelp, and other third-party sites where potential members may be searching. Actively posting reviews and replying to them can boost your local SEO, helping your gym rank higher on search engines. This not only improves your credibility but also makes it easier for people to find your gym when they’re looking for fitness solutions nearby.
For more on how to rank your gym #1 on Google, check out this video on Gym World, where Kilo’s CEO Kaleda Connell breaks down the strategies every gym owner should be using to dominate search rankings.
Let Member Reviews Fuel Your Gym’s Growth
Collecting and using member reviews is one of the most powerful ways to attract new members and build trust within your community. Testimonials highlight real experiences, demonstrate your gym’s value, and inspire potential clients to take the leap and sign up.
Ready to grow your community and business? Start gathering those powerful testimonials today. And if you need the right tools to make the process easier, Kilo has everything you need to get started. Book a call today to reap the benefits for your gym.