If you have a brick-and-mortar gym, then you already have a facility ready to produce content that can generate serious revenue. Using your fitness facility as a content creation hub will enable you to monetize your fitness content on social media. Bottom line, it is a new revenue stream you must start exploring. 

Many gym owners use social media as a way to promote their business, and with good reason. It can attract members, build a brand, and create a community. But it is time to take it one step further.

Capture, Package, and Monetize Content

You are already a gym owner. There is enough to keep you plenty busy. This isn’t about becoming a full-time influencer. It’s about taking short-form videos and long-form videos you may already be creating and turning them into a way to diversify your business. 

Your gym is the ultimate reality show with storylines constantly emerging. You have the people with the expertise, the place, the equipment, and the real-life transformations that will capture people’s attention from around the world. With a brick-and-mortar gym, you are only gaining revenue from people who live nearby. But being able to monetize your content to the world is a whole other story.

Everyone Has a Story

Whether it is the gym owner, the trainers, the members, or even the person wiping down the equipment and doing maintenance, everyone has a story that someone in the world will be able to identify with. Use these stories to develop and monetize content.

Storylines

While producing content focusing on nutrition tips, workout strategies, and expert advice can be helpful, there are other stories happening every day in the gym that could be absolutely captivating. Gym storylines are happening all around us. Content videos could focus on:

• Everyone loves an underdog story. Ask a few members if they would be interested in sharing their story and progress.
• Live challenges. Watching content filmed live during fitness challenges allows family, friends, and complete strangers to live vicariously through others while picking out people to root for.
• The struggle to create a successful gym. It is okay to be vulnerable as a gym owner. 
• Reviewing new equipment. I once had over 100,000 views on a simple review of a bicep curl machine. I literally filmed it in ten minutes.
• Gym fail challenges. Isn’t it strange how someone benching 400 pounds on bench press will get a few thousand views, but someone eating 400 pounds on bench can receive tens of thousands of views?
• Dating in the gym. There are hundreds of dating shows and videos online. Ask around and see if a couple may be interested in sharing their dating experience. 
• Q&As. Have people send in questions and answer them lightheartedly or with purpose. 
• Supplement reviews by members. 

How to Monetize

The monetization pathway for content videos is where a lot of people get stuck. They aren’t quite sure what steps to take. Here is a quick breakdown.

• YouTube Monetization: Join the YouTube Partner Program. It does require 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 watch hours in the last 12 months. These numbers may seem beyond reach at the moment, but give it some time. After a while, you may earn from ads, with it typically paying between $3 and $20 per 1,000 views. 

• TikTok Creativity Program: Once eligible- 1,000 followers plus 10,000 video views in 30 days- you can earn directly from views. Once there, you could be earning basically $1 per 1,000 views. It may not seem like much, but some videos, when done right, can have hundreds of thousands of views in mere days. Getting a video to go viral with more than a million views could have you earning thousands and increasing your brand at the same time. 

• Brand Recognition: Be sure to promote your brand merchandise in these videos as well, with links provided. People all around the world may be interested in purchasing your cool new gym shirt you designed.

• Affiliate Marketing and Sponsorships: Influencers can make some serious bank by opening themselves up to sponsorship deals. In the gym world, that means recommending equipment, supplements, apps, and earning commissions on all of it. 

Get Started This Week

A gym starting from scratch can realistically aim for 5,000 to 20,000 followers in the first year if the content is relatable and on point. 

No fancy Hollywood setup or expensive video gear is required. Keep it simple, as most modern smartphones already have excellent cameras. Focus on good lighting and a decent microphone, and you’re ready to go. Creating a small “content corner” in your gym can work great for consistent videos, but honestly, the gym floor itself makes for the perfect, authentic backdrop. Your members will connect more with real energy than polished perfection anyway.

Create professional accounts on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram this week and start adding to them. Set goals for the number of followers you want to add every month and see what you can do to meet them. It may seem like you aren’t moving the needle the first few months, but give it time. 

Providing content is not a replacement for an outstanding gym with great members and an enthusiastic staff. It only adds to it. Think of it as building your brand beyond a zip code. The stories are already happening daily in your fitness palace. It’s time to share them with the world and see what happens.

Gym Insight

You need gym management software that does everything you need—without the painful fees. Gym Insight delivers powerful, all-in-one gym software with simple flat monthly pricing and a lifetime guarantee that your rate will never increase. We’re constantly adding new features to help you run your gym more efficiently, grow your membership, and boost your revenue.

Already using another platform but ready for a change? We’ll handle your data migration for you seamlessly so you don’t miss a single member or payment. And our responsive, real-human customer support is here whenever you need us.

Phone: 1-855-FOR-GYMS

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