Running paid ads for your gym can be a great way to boost membership sales—especially since paid traffic is 50% more likely to convert than organic traffic. But if your ads aren’t performing well, it can feel like you’re just burning money.
The good news? You don’t need a big agency or a fancy marketing degree to turn things around.
This guide will help you spot what’s going wrong and walk you through how to fix it, so your ads start bringing in more leads, better results, and a higher return on investment.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- What qualifies as an underperforming gym ad
- Common reasons why gym ads fail
- How to troubleshoot your ads before jumping into fixes
- Simple ways to improve your ad performance
- FAQs to help you avoid common mistakes
Let’s dive in. 👇
What Counts as an Underperforming Gym Ad?
If your ads aren’t hitting key benchmarks, it’s a sign they need some tuning up. Here are six things to look for:
Low Click-Through Rate (CTR)
CTR shows how many people who say your ad actually clicked on it. For Google Search ads, the industry average is 3.17% (meaning 3.17 clicks out of 100 views). If your ads are getting fewer clicks than that, it’s time to take a closer look at your copy, creative, or targeting.
High Cost Per Click (CPC)
CPC is what you pay for each click. For gyms and fitness businesses, the average is around $4.71. If your CPC is higher than that and you’re not booking new members, you’re likely overspending for weak results.
Low Relevance or Engagement
Platforms like Google and Facebook score your ads based on how relevant and engaging they are. A score of 7 or higher (on a scale of 1–10) is ideal. If your score is lower—or if your social ads aren’t getting any likes, shares, or comments—your message might not be resonating, and you’re losing potential leads every day.
Want to see what successful gym ads look like? Take a look at 5 real examples that are crushing it on Facebook.
Poor ROI or ROAS
Your return on investment (ROI) or return on ad spend (ROAS) should show you’re making more than you spend. For gyms, a healthy benchmark is around 200%—meaning you earn $2 for every $1 spent. If you’re not hitting that, your ads aren’t generating enough revenue, and it may be time to rework your offer, audience, or follow-up.
Low Conversion Rate
Conversion rate tells you how many people took action after clicking your ad—like signing up or booking a class. The average for fitness businesses on Facebook is 14.29%. If you’re below that, your ad or landing page (or both) probably need a tweak.
High Bounce Rate
If people land on your page and leave right away without doing anything, your bounce rate goes up. A rate above 55% usually means something’s off—like slow load times, poor mobile design, or a disconnect between your ad and the landing page.
What Causes Gym Ads to Underperform?
Big fitness brands like Planet Fitness and Gymshark can afford to spend more on ads—but their success comes from avoiding common advertising mistakes, not just having bigger budgets.
Whether you’re running a global gym brand or a small coaching gym, the fundamentals of good advertising don’t change. If your ads aren’t getting results, chances are you’re running into one (or more) of these common issues.
1. Ads With a Non-Specific Target
When your ads try to reach everyone, they usually reach no one. Mass targeting hurts your ad performance in several ways:
- You end up showing ads to people who aren’t interested, which tanks your click-through rate, raises your cost per click, and lowers your ROI.
- You waste budget reaching the wrong audience—people who are unlikely to ever join your gym.
- It’s harder to create ad copy and visuals that resonate when you don’t have a clear picture of who you’re speaking to.
- You miss potential sign-ups from the right people because your message isn’t tailored to them.
- You lose one of the biggest benefits of mobile ads: reaching people who are actively looking for gyms nearby.
And if you’re not using retargeting on top of that, you’re missing out on extra conversions through multiple touchpoints.
If you’re not crystal clear on who your ideal client is, it’s hard to create effective ads—or any marketing, really.
👉 This guide shows you how to define your ideal client avatar.
2. Poor Ad Creation and Messaging
Your ads need to stop the scroll and speak directly to your ideal client. That means strong visuals, clear messaging, and content that actually connects.
Too many gym ads fall flat because they look generic, feel off-brand, or say the wrong things to the wrong people. Common issues include:
- Low-quality or amateur visuals
- Messaging that’s too broad, unclear, or irrelevant to your audience
- No clear story, emotion, or reason to care
- Missing testimonials or success stories that build trust
If your ad doesn’t grab attention or make someone feel something, they’re not clicking—let alone signing up. For better results, focus on creating content that’s relevant to where your audience is in their journey, not just what you want to say.
👉 Learn how to create the right content for your gym prospects.
3. Inadequate Budgeting and Tracking
Running ads without tracking your metrics is like coaching a client without checking their form. You’re putting in effort, but you have no idea if it’s actually working.
If you’re not monitoring key metrics like Cost Per Click (CPC), Click-Through Rate (CTR), conversion rate, and bounce rate, you’re just guessing. And guessing is one of the fastest ways to burn through your ad budget. This info is easy to access in platforms like Google Ads and Gym Lead Machine, which give you everything you need to make smarter, data-backed decisions—you just have to use it.
Running a gym without tracking numbers is just as risky as running ads without data.
Kilo’s gym management software includes a built-in dashboard that helps you stay on top of key metrics, so you can make smarter decisions and grow with confidence.
👉 Book a call today to see how it works.
4. Landing Page Issues
Your landing page can make or break your ad campaign. Even highly qualified visitors will bounce if they land on a page that’s slow, confusing, or doesn’t speak directly to them.
Here are some of the most common landing page issues that kill conversions:
- Slow load times: If your page takes more than 2–5 seconds to load, bounce rates can skyrocket—from 9% to 38%. This is especially painful on mobile.
- Cluttered layout: Too many buttons, options, or distractions can overwhelm visitors and send them elsewhere.
- Complicated sign-up process: If you ask people to fill out multiple forms or jump through hoops, they’re more likely to give up.
Gym owners who use Kilo’s Gym Lead Machine (a gym website + marketing automation) don’t have to worry about these issues. Every landing page is built for speed, clarity, and high conversions.
Landing pages matter, but what happens after someone opts in is just as important.
👉 This article explains the #1 reason gyms struggle to convert leads—and how to fix it.
5. Unattractive or Complicated Offer
If visitors are bouncing from your page without taking action, your offer might not be appealing—or it might feel like too much of a commitment. The two most common problems are:
- Asking for too much upfront. If you require a long-term contract right away, people will hesitate or walk away completely.
- No urgency. If there’s no reason to act now, they won’t. Strong offers have a clear incentive to take action today, not later.
A great offer still needs a strong push. If your call to action is vague or weak, even an interested prospect might click away. The right CTA can make your offer feel urgent, clear, and easy to act on.
👉 Here’s how to write CTAs that actually drive action.
How to Troubleshoot Your Gym Ads Before Fixing Them
Before you start making changes, you need to know what’s actually going wrong. That starts with asking the right questions.
Here’s how to break it down:
- What’s your goal? Are you trying to get more leads, increase trial sign-ups, or boost engagement? Your ad strategy will only work if you’re clear on the outcome you want. Check out this lead magnet guide if lead gen is your goal.
- Which metrics are underperforming? Look at your key numbers—click-through rate, cost per lead, conversion rate, and ad frequency. Pinpointing weak spots will help you focus your fixes.
- Are your ads and landing pages working together? Strong ads need scroll-stopping visuals and clear messaging. And once someone clicks, your landing page has to back it up with relatable pain points, a strong CTA, and a smooth mobile experience. Missing just one of these elements can disrupt the user experience and prevent potential members from taking the next step.
Once you’ve identified what’s holding your ads back, it’s a lot easier to make focused improvements that that lead to more clicks, more leads, and better results.
5 Fixes for Underperforming Gym Ads
Here are five proven ways to improve your gym ads:
1. Fine-Tune Your Target Audience
The more specific you are about who you’re targeting, the better your ads will perform. And the best way to get specific is by looking at your data.
Start by narrowing your audience into segments like:
- Location – People who live or work within 10 miles of your gym
- Demographics – Age, gender, income level, and family status
- Interests – Things like CrossFit, competitive training, or fitness apps
- Online behavior – Social media activity, browsing habits, or past site visits
If you already have a solid member base, use tools like Google Ads and Facebook Lookalike Audiences to find more people like them. Services like Claritas can also help you identify consumer behavior trends in your area.
And if someone visits your website but doesn’t sign up? Retargeting helps you stay top of mind and bring them back.
2. Optimize Your Offer
Your ads will only go so far if the offer itself isn’t compelling. To improve ad performance, focus on making your offer clear, attractive, and hard to ignore.
Some examples include:
- Free trials or 7-day passes
- Limited-time discounts
- Special bonuses like a free personal training session
Mark Fisher says that offering something that feels high-value but low-risk is one of the best ways to get people in the door.
👉 This article breaks down 3 deadly gym marketing mistakes—including which types of offers to use and when.
You should also show why your offer is better than what your competitors are doing. Big box gyms may offer cheap memberships, but you offer more value through personalized service, community, and expert coaching. Highlight that.
For example, instead of just advertising a free trial, promote a 7-day pass that includes a free InBody scan, a one-on-one goal-setting session, or access to your app where members track progress and communicate with their coach.
Also, tap into basic psychology. Creating urgency through limited-time deals or limited availability can encourage faster action and reduce bounce rates. For example, you could run a “Join by Friday and get your first month free” promotion or limit your offer to the “first 20 sign-ups.” These tactics help prospects start taking action, especially when paired with a strong, clear call to action.
3. Enhance Your Ad Creative & Messaging
If you’re not using A/B testing, now’s the time to start. It’s one of the easiest ways to improve your ad creative by testing two versions of the same ad—different headlines, images, or videos—to see which version grabs attention and drives more clicks.
You’ve got about 3 seconds to hook someone. One of the most effective ways to grab attention is by speaking directly to your audience’s needs. You can address their pain points, like weight loss, muscle gain, or stress management, and clearly show how your gym helps solve them. When you tap into what they’re struggling with, your ad feels more personal and emotionally relevant. That emotional connection helps people build trust and connect with your brand before they even walk through your doors.
Social proof is another powerful piece of the puzzle. Use testimonials, before-and-afters, transformation stories, or screenshots of real feedback. If you’ve seen a Peloton ad, you’ve seen this in action. They highlight real members and real results to build trust and drive conversions. This works because it proves you’ve helped real people achieve meaningful results. It also makes your message more relatable. When someone sees a transformation from someone like them, your offer feels more possible and worth pursuing.
And of course, every strong ad needs a clear call to action. End with a simple next step, like “Claim Your Free 7-Day Pass” or “Take This Limited-Time Offer.” These phrases remove friction and make it easy for someone to take action right away.
A lot of the same messaging principles that make great gym websites also make great ads.
👉 This article breaks down how to write high-converting gym copy.
4. Refresh Your Landing Page & Follow-up
Your ad might be great—but if your landing page is slow, confusing, or hard to use, people won’t stick around long enough to take action.
Therefore, make sure your page loads fast (especially on mobile), is easy to navigate, and makes the next step crystal clear. Whether it’s claiming a free trial or booking a consult, don’t leave people guessing.
And don’t forget what happens after someone visits. Most people won’t sign up on the first click. That’s where follow-up matters. You can retarget website visitors with additional ads, and follow up with leads through automated texts or emails to keep the conversation going.
Gym Lead Machine from Kilo makes this easy. It automates follow-up right after someone opts in and helps book appointments without you needing to lift a finger, so no lead slips through the cracks.
5. Analyze and Adjust Based on Real Data
Once your ads are running, it helps to check in on how they’re actually performing. Metrics like click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, cost per lead, and bounce rate can give you a clearer picture of what’s working and where there’s room to improve.
Platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads provide this data by default. If you’re using Kilo’s Gym Lead Machine—which includes a high-converting website and built-in marketing automation—you’ll also have access to a dashboard that makes it easy to track everything in one place.
Over time, these insights can help you spot trends. You might see that one ad is generating most of your leads while another is barely getting clicks. That kind of clarity makes it easier to adjust your strategy with confidence and keep improving as you go.
FAQs
Here are a couple of the most common questions gym owners ask when trying to get better results from their ads:
When should I retool an underperforming gym ad?
If your ad has been live for about a week and still isn’t delivering results, it might be time to make adjustments. Watch for these key warning signs:
- Click-through rate (CTR) under 1% This usually means your creative or messaging isn’t resonating.
- High cost per click (CPC) If your CPC is two to three times higher than expected, your ad might be targeting the wrong audience or losing out in the auction.
- Low conversion rate (under 5%) This can point to issues with your offer, landing page, or ad-to-page alignment.
I struggle with creating winning ad content. What should I do?
You’re not alone—and the good news is, you don’t need to be a pro copywriter or designer to run better ads. Here are five tips to help:
- Start with a strong hook: Use bold visuals, humor, or emotional messaging to stop the scroll.
- Solve a specific pain point: Speak directly to what your ideal member is struggling with. Try copy like: “Look amazing with workouts designed just for you.”
- Make your offer irresistible: Give people a reason to take action now. For example: “Get started with $0 down and your first month free.”
- Use ChatGPT to help write copy: Not sure where to start? Try a prompt like: “Write a PPC ad for a gym targeting busy professionals. Highlight 24/7 access and offer a 7-day pass.” Then tweak the output to match your brand voice.
- Design faster with tools like Canva and CapCut: Canva has ready-made ad templates that make it easy to build clean, professional ads. For video, CapCut is beginner-friendly and great for creating scroll-stopping content.
Increasing Your Gym Ads’ Potential
With the right strategy, even struggling ads can become high-performing assets for your gym. By using data, dialing in your messaging, and leveraging modern tools, you can turn clicks into real memberships.
Want help making it happen? Book a call with our team to see how Kilo can support your ad strategy and grow your business.
