How do I get people to try something new? Why your class already has participants lined up

Let’s say you’re already running a cardio based class like combat or dance fitness and you are absolutely gagging to add in something else… maybe it’s yoga, pilates or a strength based session. It can feel a bit nerve wracking to go for broke and add in something completely different…. So how can we make sure we have some bums on seats, especially for that launch class when we want to get pics and videos. 

Firstly, I would always add in something that you feel deeply passionate about. Maybe it’s something you do in your own spare time to look after your body in some way. Maybe you KNOW how great something is and you can’t wait to talk about it and inspire more people with it. This is going to make it a much easier sell because you already know exactly what you want to say about it and how it drew you in and the results that you are getting. 

Secondly, make sure it’s something they have a vague interest in. It’s probably pretty easy with the examples I mentioned before because most people want to feel stronger in some way, but if for example you want to dance naked in a field and most of them want to be tucked up in a cosy hall somewhere it’s going to make it a bit tougher for you to persuade them otherwise. 

Thirdly, let’s start prepping their minds. Use your social media and story to talk about the thing you want to teach in a general sense, not in a salesy way but just a ‘oooo I did this today and I loved it’ or ‘I’ve been doing this and the result is xxxx’. This is going to get people thinking about it and their mind will start opening to the possibility of them trying it too. Maybe drop it into conversation here and there in the same kind of way. It’s just chit chat, but it can really help people to see something they are perhaps scared of in a different light. 

Fourthly, get organised. I know you’re going to prep the class but you’re also going to need to prep the wind up to it. We need to let people know it’s happening, why they should attend, what it’s going to be like, who it is for and to save the date. Your current clients are with you because they trust you… if you KNOW they need to do some resistance training, getting them to try a class is going to be great for them, we just need to let them know why. 

Fifthly (lol!) think about the gap you are asking them to leap over. If you are currently teaching dance fitness only, you’re probably not going to persuade everyone to come to deadlift in your CrossFit cube BUT you might be able to persuade 70% of them to do an LBT type class with no kit. 

Just to expand on that… I only teach 4 classes a week - 2x dance fitness, 2x fitness (usually resistance).... This is how it flows

• I added in a freestyle aerobics class that happens once a month. LOTS of people tried this and loved it despite it not being the concept they originally came for and have stuck with, 

• I then added in a freestyle 50/50 class… which tbh was 55% aerobics and about 17% resistance but I used it to tempt the aerobics lot to try resistance stuff. I had 5 people cross over that would usually tell me to sit and swivel when I try to bribe them to come to lift weights. 

• I have a variety of resistance classes that rotate… 5 of them a month have ‘heavy’ weights, 2 are bodyweight/bands only, 1 is a recovery class. This means I can have 3 sessions that I can use as the bridge between the 50/50 session and doing weights. If I can show them it’s not so scary after all, I have more chance of getting them into the weights classes. Some are body part specific eg core or lower body - I did this because I knew some people would be resistant to training their upper body to start with so these also work as feeder classes as well as keeping my geek squad happy. 

Now this system might not work for everyone, but it’s important to reflect on how big a jump you are asking people to make and what you can do to bridge the gap :) A lot of the time, people don’t try new things because either they are nervous to, they think they won’t be able to do it or because it’s ‘not for people like them’. Now we know that fitness is for everyone, we just have to show people that it is and we have to make sure we deliver something that they are going to find doable. 

That’s one of the reasons why I love freestyle so much. My branded dance fitness classes - Clubbercise and Zumba recruit around 90% of all new people I get in. There are a handful that sign up to come to the resistance stuff and that’s all they want to do but most people are looking for something ‘fun’ to start with. My two busy dance fitness classes means I have the flexibility to build on those and help people get ‘the whole package’... so now they get to do fun cardio with me as well as ticking off their resistance training. 

Whatever you are thinking about adding in, put some thought into what you call it, what you’re going to put into it and how to best communicate that to your clients. They want to feel confident enough to try something new and that’s all down to how you communicate with them :) Your excitement and conviction about what you are teaching is half the battle. With the right plan in place, you can absolutely inspire people to move their fitness journey into pastures new. 

Anyhow I shall jog on and go and prep my core class for tonight but wishing you a fabulous evening of classes if you are teaching! 

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