How to use gym events to attract more leads

What’s up Gym World?

Many top gym owners are getting leads from:

• Paid ads

• Organic content

• Referrals

But Tina Morin from MSC Strength, much like Mike Bouranis, is getting over half of her leads by partnering with local businesses and throwing events.

Here’s how you can do the same: 👇

The strategy 🎯

After leaving her corporate job, Tina opened MSC Strength in 2016 in a 2,500 sq ft space.

She offers small group private training to 125 members. One coach trains 8 clients at a time, and everyone gets an individualized program.

For years, Tina tried using paid ads to get new members, but:

1. She hated making them.

2. She wasn’t good at it.

3. They didn’t work.

She also used Instagram (and still does), but only to maintain an online presence.

However, Tina’s a social butterfly and knows a lot of local business owners in Weymouth, Massachusetts.

So, she leaned into these connections and began throwing events and collaborations with people and places she trusted.

Here are a few that helped her generate over half of her leads: 👇

Run Club 👟

Tina has a long-standing partnership with a popular local brewery that, oddly enough, already had a run club. She knew the owner, who asked her to collab on a race, thinking it’d help both businesses get leads.

The race went well—MSC members showed up, both got leads, and the brewery wanted to keep working together. Now, they run a joint run club and use it to source leads.

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For $50, members get a lifetime membership that includes:

• One free week at MSC Strength

• An assessment with the physiotherapy clinic in MSC Strength

• A swag bag full of Tina’s merch

• A donation to charity

Partner Month 🤝

While most gym owners think competitively, Tina partners with competitors like a yoga studio. It’s a like-minded business with clients already investing in health and wellness, making them good prospects for gym memberships too.

Before collaborating, Tina and the yoga studio owner meet to set expectations:

• The offer or incentive they’ll give to members

• What to post on Instagram and how often

Then, for one month, Tina sets up a banner at the yoga studio to promote MSC Strength, and the studio places promo cards on each mat offering a 2-week free trial at her gym. Tina does the same at her gym to promote the yoga studio.

They also have a raffle bowl at both locations to collect names and phone numbers. Tina then uses Kilo to nurture these leads and follows Mark Fisher’s sell by chat playbook.

Kettlebell Club 🏋️

Tina’s an absolute Kettlebell Specialist with certifications in:

• StrongFirst Kettlebell Levels 1 and 2

• Mentor for the Die Mighty Method Kettlebell Instructor program

• Amateur Kettlebell Sport Competitor (Girevoy Sport)

She believes strength is for everyone, and she helps them achieve it through kettlebell training. Because of her expertise, she offers a one-hour kettlebell class every Saturday morning at the gym for members and non-members to work on:

• Turkish get-ups

• Double bell complexes

And once a year, Tina hosts the club at the brewery for a public fundraiser. Participants work out for 45 minutes, drink beer, and donate to charity.

Retail Therapy Fridays 🛍️

Want to shop local? MSC Strength puts on an “Etsy-style” market during the summer and holiday season, inviting small local vendors to sell their products.

It’s a creative way to bring foot traffic into the gym and helps her build relationships with other local business owners.

The takeaway ✨

When paid ads and social weren’t working, Tina leaned on her social skills and network to partner with local businesses. With creative ideas, she now gets over half of her leads in real life (IRL).

Mateo asked how to approach businesses you don’t know. Tina said:

• Start with businesses you like

• Pick places with lots of foot traffic (hair salons, yoga studios, smoothie shops)

• Offer free classes for them and their staff during slow times

They’ll talk about your gym and help spread the word.

For more insights, be sure to watch or listen to Tina’s full interview over on Gym World.

later,

j

📣 P.S. If you found this valuable, share it with another gym owner who could use it too.