In the age of digital everything, your gym’s strongest flex isn’t just its equipment or trainers; it’s content. Think about it: while the guy down the street might have the same treadmill or weight set, he doesn’t have your stories, your expertise, or your community. That’s where an organic content strategy steps into the spotlight, offering more bang for your marketing buck than traditional paid advertising.
If you’re a gym owner, your gym probably already has a social media — if not, you need to get on that ASAP. Every piece of genuine content you put out is consumed by others and builds trust, authority, and loyalty amongst your audience — there’s a reason why the phrase “Content is King” exists.
So in an era where consumers swipe away ads but spend hours on content that resonates, gym owners like you are positioned at the threshold of a golden opportunity to showcase what encompasses your gym, drive sustainable growth while saving costs in your marketing budget, and creating an impactful brand legacy.
Here’s a sneak peek at the gains you’ll make from this guide:
- Understand what an organic content strategy is and why it matters
- The benefits of developing an organic content strategy
- How to craft a winning organic content strategy
- Real-world examples of gyms and gym owners nailing their content game
Understanding Organic Content Strategy
Ever heard the saying, “Consistency is more important than intensity?” It’s not just true for those weight-lifting sessions or HIIT classes; it’s a mantra for content too. Let’s explore what organic content is, why you—dear gym owner—should care, as well as its benefits.
What’s an Organic Content Strategy?
An organic content strategy is the planning, creation, and sharing of free content that resonates, without splurging on paid ads. Think of it like getting shredded by playing the long game with diet and exercise instead of resorting to quick fixes. This strategy is about crafting genuine, relevant content that speaks to your audience and offering them value.
Why is it Important?
Besides saving you money on advertising, organic content builds your gym’s reputation, solidifies your expertise, and establishes trust with your audience. The better, more consistent and well-crafted the content, the more noticeable you’ll make your gym online. More visibility means more clicks, more profile visits, and increased potential to harness new memberships.
With organic content, you’re showcasing your gym’s community and character that’ll help you create a lasting impact on your audience.
The Long-Term Rewards
There are several benefits to creating an effective organic content strategy, including:
- Cost-effective marketing. Organic content, when done right, can drive substantial traffic and engagement at little to no cost.
- Brand recognition & awareness. Consistent and valuable content makes your gym’s brand more memorable. This can help you position your gym higher in the mind of the consumer when considering fitness options.
- Credibility & trust. Maintaining a strong relationship with your audience and offering valuable content builds your authority in the fitness world, helping you become the go-to source. Over time, this trust can translate into increased memberships.
- SEO power & increased traffic. Consistent and optimized content can boost your gym’s rankings in search engine results, drawing more visitors to your page and increasing leads.
- Instant feedback & community engagement. Posting on social media allows your audience to instantly provide their inputs, but also allows you to directly engage with them. This is a great way to facilitate community building.
- Showcasing your unique offerings. Every gym has something unique, but what makes you stand out? Organic content is the perfect medium to highlight these differentiators.
- Staying relevant. Posting organic content on a regular basis can keep your gym fresh in the minds of your audience. It’s a reminder of the value that your gym offers, and hey, the potential for others to refer your facility.
How to Craft a Winning Organic Content Strategy
Now that you’ve gained an understanding of what an organic content strategy is, let’s dive into how you can build an effective one for your gym. Follow these 9 tips:
1. Understand Your Audience
Have you ever caught yourself wondering, “Who exactly am I trying to attract to my gym?” If your answer is “everyone,” you’ll need to dial down and focus in on your specific niche.
Think about your client avatar or client persona — this is a detailed representation of your ideal gym member and who you want your gym to serve, which will help you tailor your content to speak directly to consumers who share similar characteristics as your client avatar. Doing this, you’ll be magnetic towards your ideal crowd.
Cassie Day from All Day Fit is a gym owner that is extremely aware of the people that she serves, which is evident from her gym’s Instagram profile at first glance. This plays in her favor for two reasons:
- She is more likely to attract and retain her dream client
- It grabs the attention of companies that also want to serve this audience
2. Choose a Platform
Alright, you’ve nailed your audience, and now it’s time to figure out where to post your gym’s content. Some of the most popular mediums in the fitness industry include:
- Instagram — Over two billion people scroll through Instagram feeds every month. It’s one of the best platforms to make your gym visible and attract a massive audience.
- Facebook — Tons of gym owners and fitness enthusiasts hang out here. You can build a strong community by creating groups for members and share content as you would on Instagram.
- Blog Posts — Treat this like your fitness diary. If your members seem to be asking you the same questions about a certain topic, use it as an opportunity to answer them.
- YouTube — Being the second largest search engine, this is a huge platform for discovery, whether you want to share longer workout tutorials or other fitness-related material.
- TikTok — Quick workout challenges, gym humor, and different fitness tips can go viral here. It’s a great place to target to a younger demographic, if your gym is looking to attract that age group.
You can use multiple channels to post organic content. But sometimes, it can feel overwhelming. Try to pick one platform and dominate it.
Remember: while these platforms offer immense potential, it’s crucial for you to identify where your target audience spends the most time and tailor content to the specific platform’s strengths and audience expectations.
3. Plan Your Content
Consistently posting content is essential as it will help you build trust with your audience, enhance your gym’s online presence, and sustainably grow an engaged following.
Ideally, you should be posting 3x a week or more to experience the benefits. Now you might be wondering, “how can I come up with that many ideas to post so frequently?” Here’s how:
Introducing: Hub & Spoke
Think of this as a wheel with spokes. The Hub is your “A” content or general idea (middle of the wheel) and includes long form content, such as a newsletter or video. The Spokes are your “B” content (spokes coming from the middle of the wheel) that are different social posts you can create based off of a general idea.
The first thing you’ll want to do when planning content is to develop your hubs. What’s a topic that your clients ask about often that you can write about? Here are a few examples:
- Diet culture
- Fitness for busy moms
- Goal Setting
- Recovery
- Programming
Then, brainstorm your spokes (aka content ideas from your chosen general topic). Here are 6 types of posts you could create from one idea:
- Story — yours or a client’s
- Observation — what’s something interesting you noticed?
- Contrarian — what’s a commonly held belief about [topic] that’s wrong?
- Listicle — what are some tools/books/newsletters/social posts about [topic]?
- Tear-down/Analysis — why did [topic] happen?
- Present vs. Future — where is [topic] going?
Next, you’ll want to map out your content to stay ahead. We’ll show you how to do this with a content calendar.
4. Create a Content Calendar
A content calendar ****is like your workout routine but for content. Using the Hub & Spoke method, you can easily map out 4 weeks of content at the beginning of each month to ensure you are posting the recommended 3x a week or more.
All you need to do is develop 4 hubs, and then have 4 spokes per hub. Then schedule it out in your calendar, and that’s it. It could look something like this:
If you’re running low on on time, use ChatGPT and our Ultimate AI Guide for Gym Owners to save time and effort.
By strategizing ahead, you’ll keep your audience engaged and hungry for more, while making your content journey easier by not relying on motivation the day-of to post.
5. Produce High-Quality Content
Posting high-quality content will help your gym stand out from your competition. Having high-resolution assets will make your posts more attractive to your audience.
Consider hiring a professional photographer and having a quarterly photoshoot with your community members. You can create a pre-determined shot list based on ideas you planned in your content calendar.
Here’s a tip: give your team designated roles to capture different types of content. For example:
- Person 1: photos
- Person 2: vertical video
- Person 3: testimonials
- Person 4: shuttling people around
6. Have consistent branding
Consistent and cohesive branding across your gym’s social platforms makes your gym more recognizable and memorable for your audience. Here are some common elements of your gym’s branding that you can incorporate in your posts:
- Logo — this could (and should) be your’s gym’s profile picture
- Color Palette — this helps reinforce your brand identity
- Typography — if you have a specific font, use it
- Brand voice — how you respond to comments, DMs, etc. defines your gym’s tone
You can see how Two-Brain Business uses consistent colors and similar font styles across its Instagram profile.
(P.S. Looking for carousel templates that are consistent with your gym’s branding? Kilo can do that for you. We have a ton of options available in our image library.)
7. Create Engaging Content
Your audience will be inclined to share your content with others if they find it valuable. Now that’s amazing because it provides your gym with more exposure online.
Here are some ideas of shareable content in the fitness industry that can boost engagement:
- How to- guides
- Nutrition tips
- Client testimonials
- Behind-the-scenes (BTS) gym content
- Fitness challenges
- User Generated Content (UGC)
And don’t be afraid to pitch an offer in your post, especially if it’s at the end of a value post (i.e., Instagram carousel offering advice). Have a clear pitch and tell people how they can buy from your gym. Do this 1x a week.
8. Engage With Your Audience
So, you’ve put up a killer post. Great! But don’t just drop it and leave it hanging.
When someone leaves a comment, hop in and respond. It shows you care and helps maintain a connection with your members. The same thing goes for answering your DMs folks! The quicker the response, the better.
If someone creates their own content related to your gym (aka UGC), repost it to your social and be sure to tag them!
9. Track Your Data & Adapt
Most social media platforms come with analytics tools. Use them to determine which types of content perform well and which types of content might need improvement.
By looking at your data, you’ll be able to pivot your content strategy. For example, if Instagram Carousels get more traction than a single photo post, double down on them.
Adjust your strategy based on what’s working for you. Flexibility in content is just as essential as in your gym routines.
How Others are Using Organic Content
Like we’ve mentioned before, Content is King, and this is true for many gym owners—including the following who have found success posting organic content.
- Cassie Day – All Day Fit brings in $85k/mo from its Instagram page
- Jason Brown – makes $500k/yr from online coaching via Instagram
- Nick Page – makes $15k/mo from Instagram
- Lindsey VanSchoyck – brings in $100k/mo and posts content 3x a day
Read or watch their stories by clicking on the links above to learn how they crafted effective content strategies for their gyms.
Get Your Content Strategy Started Today!
Your gym’s success online is like getting fit: it takes regular effort and the right moves. Think of our tips like your workout plan, but for content. We hope they help, and happy content creating!
