Newsletters can be an overlooked aspect of any virtual business. But did you know it can actually be a very powerful tool, if done correctly? Using newsletters can be a great way to stay connected with your clients and help get them excited for upcoming virtual classes and really help you foster a collaborative and cohesive community. So keep reading to find out how to successfully set up a mailing list to accelerate the growth of your virtual fitness business!

Why is a Newsletter Important?

As a fitness instructor, creating a newsletter can be a great way to build a community for your virtual clients. A newsletter can be the perfect tool to not only update your audience on what’s new with you and your business, but to also remind them about upcoming classes, special events, and other features you offer. It’s also a great way for you as a business owner to express your creativity, share stories about yourself to the extent you are comfortable, celebrate the achievements of your members and really connect with your audience. 

What’s the Easiest Way to Send a Newsletter?

If you’ve decided to take the leap and set up a newsletter, congratulations! Now you have to decide which program you’re going to use for this project. 

If you are looking for a super simple solution, you can use onPodio’s functionality that allows you to email the client list you have built on the platform. It literally takes one click and the onPodio platform will prepopulate an email from your inbox with everyone’s email address added.

Alternatively if you’re looking for something a little heavier duty then we’ve found that MailChimp is the easiest tool to use for a more comprehensive newsletter solution. You can set up your mailing list, import email addresses, track open and click rates, design templates and more. There is a bit of a learning curve as to getting started but is a leader in the space. 

What Type of Content Should You Include in your Newsletter?

The most important thing to remember is to make sure your content is relevant. This isn’t your typical newsletter. It’s not coming from some massive company or brand trying to give you yet another 20% off coupon code. Instead make this newsletter about fostering community, make it personal. 

Use the newsletter to introduce yourself, tell your story, celebrate milestones in your life or the fitness milestones of those within your community (read: shoutout to Cyn for celebrating her bday last week!). You’ll also want to share the upcoming schedule and if you really want to get creative you might include quick home workouts, healthy recipes, and even fitness clothing recommendations. 

The idea isn’t to make work of it. It doesn’t need to be long and if it feels like a chore then that’s ok - you don’t have to do it :)

How Often Should You Send Content?

When creating a newsletter, you definitely don’t want to overload your audience with content. You want them to look forward to receiving the newsletter and not roll their eyes every time they see it in their inbox. How can you find a happy medium? 

It’s important to take into consideration the type of the content you’ll be sending out. If you’re sending out a newsletter and then an announcement/update pertaining to your class this upcoming week, it's okay to send them close together. However, sending out long newsletters back to back isn't such a good idea. Instead, we’d suggest once a week at most or once every other week as a balance so you don’t overload your audience or yourself.