Personal trainer testimonials are an effective way to establish your business and its services as trustworthy and effective. You can use them to highlight the people who have used your personal training services and have been delighted with their results. This is a powerful way to show your competence to prospective clients and the visitors of your fitness website.
Social proof is just one of the reasons you should take collecting customer feedback seriously. In this article, I'll share more reasons, including fascinating stats illustrating the impact of reading reviews and amazing testimonials on potential customers.
I'll guide you on how to structure the perfect testimonial and the ideal time to ask clients to share. Plus, we'll go through how to get this feedback to the public.
By the end of this, you'll be a fitness feedback pro ready to reap all the gains for your brand.
Why Do You Need Personal Trainer Testimonials?
Social proof is the first benefit of collecting and sharing testimonials from your clients that we've already touched on. Customers want to see that someone else is using your service and enjoys it. They want to have another person's experience as evidence proving to them what a fantastic trainer you are. They also want to know that they can get results.
Satisfied customers act as proof or anecdotal evidence. They send the message: "If this amazing trainer could get me to this fitness level and proper form, they can do it for you, too."
Happy clients also give you a leg up with search engine optimization (SEO). Ratings and testimonials tell search engines that your website should be ranked higher for customer searches.
According to statistics from BrightLocal, 98% of potential customers read reviews on the internet in 2022. And, even one good review can increase sales by 10%.
96% of customers look for negative reviews in particular to guide purchasing decisions.
In their 2024 review BrightLocal found that having reviews on one platform isn't enough, 36% of the respondents said they check 2 sites, 41% checks 3+ sites.
Prospective clients don't just use testimonials and reviews for customer service, however. They also use them to determine your reputation and legitimacy. There are many 'fake' businesses online. Seeing customer testimonials on any of your digital platforms green-lights you as a legitimate company they might trust.
Having no evidence of previous clients is a total red flag!
Having no evidence of previous clients is a total red flag!
Structuring a Great Testimonial for a Fitness Business
Anatomy of a Perfect Testimonial
All excellent testimonials have the same things in common:
All excellent testimonials have the same things in common:
- Endorsement of the Experience: Be sure to gather personal training testimonials from a range of people with first-hand experience of your service. These should be past clients or even those who have signed on for one or two classes.
Personal trainers starting out can cultivate testimonials and reviews by providing incentives for new clients. Offer discounts on your packages or free starter sessions in exchange for a testimonial. - Detailed: Rather than just mentioning they've experienced your personal training service, a good testimonial should give a detailed explanation of your service. This is the main difference between a review and a testimonial. Reviews are often general and speak about the overall experience.
Testimonials focus on the details of how your service benefitted that individual personally. Being specific and even including examples is a great way to make that testimonial personal. - Honesty: A good testimonial should be a sincere evaluation of your health coaching service. The purpose of the testimonial is to show others how trustworthy your services are.
Inauthentic and dishonest stories will detriment your reputation and the legitimacy of your brand. Avoid paying for or collecting false recommendations.
- Other Critical Elements: Another way to show evidence and give detail to the testimonial is to add visual elements. Include photos and in-session videos of the client. Showing rather than telling is a great way to connect.
It gives the testimonial some validity. Similarly, including their first name, and even their general location with their permission, can be another way to legitimize the testimonial.
The Best Testimonial Format
There are many ways to approach testimonials as a personal trainer. The fitness industry supports many different mediums for sharing what it is you do exactly. This includes video, graphics and images, and written formats.
Increasingly, fitness is even moving into audio media, with some apps like Aaptiv even providing workout instruction purely through the voice.
Increasingly, fitness is even moving into audio media, with some apps like Aaptiv even providing workout instruction purely through the voice.
Video
A video testimonial can be a hugely powerful tool if you have a personal training client who's willing to record one. They need not be very long, a minute will be enough. These can be fantastic for potential clients to put a face to your clientele.
A video testimonial can be a hugely powerful tool if you have a personal training client who's willing to record one. They need not be very long, a minute will be enough. These can be fantastic for potential clients to put a face to your clientele.
Get testimonials from different people at any level of fitness and of varying genders, age, geography, etc. It can make viewers relate and encourage them to feel that they can work with you, too. According to a study conducted by Wyzowl: "39% of brands have created video testimonials, making video testimonials the most popular type of video marketing in recent years."
Text
Written testimonials are also a well-loved testimonial format. Many people looking for recommendations will go online to read testimonials on your website or even on your Google My Business profile.
Keep it short. Up to 30-50 words is plenty and it will ensure that people actually read it. If you have a longer, written testimonial, pick a quote or two and highlight important phrases to capture the reader's attention.
Visual Graphics
Lastly, graphics can be a wonderful way to capture attention visually with a little text. Create a beautiful visual using a client image (while working out or just with them smiling). Remember to use your brand color palette, and add your logo and slogan.
You can then add your 30-50 words alongside or beneath the visual. It's like a poster for testimonials! Plus, it's an easy-to-share piece of content that you can use across digital platforms.
Lastly, graphics can be a wonderful way to capture attention visually with a little text. Create a beautiful visual using a client image (while working out or just with them smiling). Remember to use your brand color palette, and add your logo and slogan.
You can then add your 30-50 words alongside or beneath the visual. It's like a poster for testimonials! Plus, it's an easy-to-share piece of content that you can use across digital platforms.
What to Include in a Testimonial
Now that you have an idea of the components of a good testimonial and the possible formats, you have to consider the content of the testimony. How do you get clients to talk and what would you like them to discuss?
Often clients like a few pointers on what you'd like in your testimony. Prepare a list of questions that you can share with clients when you ask them to back you up. Some personal trainer questions you can use include:
Often clients like a few pointers on what you'd like in your testimony. Prepare a list of questions that you can share with clients when you ask them to back you up. Some personal trainer questions you can use include:
- What current goals did you want to achieve by hiring a personal trainer?
- Why did you choose my personal training business over another?
- Have your fitness goals changed since we started?
- What unique aspect of my fitness program did you find most useful?
- Are there any new training styles and exercise techniques you've learned in our classes?
- What were your initial training goals and have you achieved them?
- How have our training sessions supported you in living a healthier life and daily routine?
- Have you seen any changes in your physical health, energy level, and range of motion?
- What did you particularly like about my training program or fitness routine?
- How would you summarize my training program experience as a whole?
- Would you recommend my personal training sessions to others? If so, who?
Don't “over-coach” the testimonial. It should still be authentic, sincere, and entirely from the client's perspective. The main aim is for them to share as much detail as possible about how you've helped them with their fitness journey.
Collecting Reviews & Testimonials
When to Ask For a Testimonial
Asking for a testimonial isn't something that you can only do once. Testimonials should be collected regularly after your client has been with you for a while. It might be a good idea to add this to your calendar – 30, 60, or 90 days after they come on board with you. You want to get feedback as they move up in skill level and as they reach more of their personal goals.
It's also a good idea to ask for a testimonial after a particular milestone. Training is a very individual process. A customer may be more excited to share their story when they arrive at a personal level they're happy with. You don't need to wait until the full goal has been achieved as you'll be celebrating all the milestones along the way.
When they're making good progress towards their goals or have achieved the goal they came to you for help with, that's a great time to ask.
Asking for a testimonial isn't something that you can only do once. Testimonials should be collected regularly after your client has been with you for a while. It might be a good idea to add this to your calendar – 30, 60, or 90 days after they come on board with you. You want to get feedback as they move up in skill level and as they reach more of their personal goals.
It's also a good idea to ask for a testimonial after a particular milestone. Training is a very individual process. A customer may be more excited to share their story when they arrive at a personal level they're happy with. You don't need to wait until the full goal has been achieved as you'll be celebrating all the milestones along the way.
When they're making good progress towards their goals or have achieved the goal they came to you for help with, that's a great time to ask.
Where to Ask For a Testimonial
Asking for a testimonial can happen any place your clients make contact with you. It can even happen in person. Common places that you might collect a testimonial could include:
- On your personal trainer website: You can embed a form or include a link to complete a form on one of your website pages. It may even be a good idea to have a page dedicated to testimonials as you start gathering more of them. Include a link or embedded form on that page.
You can even include a call to action to book a call or to get in touch for more information here. People checking out this page on your website are likely considering hiring you themselves. Make contact easy for them.
- Social media: Social media pages are fantastic for receiving testimonials and reviews. Facebook has a section just for this on all business pages. You can even save messages or comments – with the permission of the client – and screenshot these to use later.
Ask people to leave feedback comments and DM them to get permission to use them. This can be a good option because people write like themselves on social media and it reads authentically.
- Email: Contacting your clients via email allows them to simply reply to that email and provide the testimonial immediately. They can type up their response directly in the email.
This can be a good option as it removes barriers for people. They simply respond with a few lines just as soon as you ask. - In-Person: Sometimes the best way to get a testimonial is in-person. Hand your client a sheet of paper at your training facility and ask them to fill it in. Create a form with some pre-written testimonial questions and ask them to complete it right then or for their next session.
This can feel a bit awkward so pre warn your client that this is going to happen in a previous session.
How to Display a Testimonial on Your Personal Trainer Website
If you've ever been asked to write a testimonial for someone, you'll know first hand that it isn't easy without direction. You have to come up with something to say that reflects the experience you've had and this can be difficult.
Instead of leaving your clients in the dark about what to say, ask them these questions to get the perfect testimonial for your fitness website:
Instead of leaving your clients in the dark about what to say, ask them these questions to get the perfect testimonial for your fitness website:
- What was the problem you needed to solve?
- Why did you choose the business you did?
- How did they solve your problem?
- How was their solution unique?
- What did you particularly like about their approach or delivery?
- How would you summarise the experience as a whole?
- Would you recommend the business to others? If so, who?
How to Display a Testimonial on Your Personal Trainer Website
Your website is the digital home for any personal training business. This makes it essential to use it as a way to invite people to come in and work with you. There are a few ways that you can share testimonials on your site.
A Testimonial Page
One is to create a dedicated testimonial page. As we explored earlier, this is a page where you can just share testimonials, reviews, and customer feedback. Do this using one or more of the formats I shared above. Using a combination of formats, like having a video here and a graphic there, can be an effective way to keep visitors interested.
One is to create a dedicated testimonial page. As we explored earlier, this is a page where you can just share testimonials, reviews, and customer feedback. Do this using one or more of the formats I shared above. Using a combination of formats, like having a video here and a graphic there, can be an effective way to keep visitors interested.
It can also be a good idea to put the testimonial in the context of what services you’re selling. If you have a service page on your website, adding testimonials to that page gives them context and feels less like marketing.
Home & About Pages
Having a testimonial page on your personal trainer website is one way to share testimonials on your website. However, generally it only really speaks to people who are already considering investing in your services. They've come to your site to find out more about you and make a decision. They want to see if they can trust your service and training skills.
To reach visitors with a different intention (who could be just browsing), add bits of your testimonials all over your site. Include a quote or two with images on your 'Home' page. Integrate quotes from clients when telling your brand story on the 'About' page. Add a pop-up with a testimonial graphic or video as soon as people enter your website.
Having a testimonial page on your personal trainer website is one way to share testimonials on your website. However, generally it only really speaks to people who are already considering investing in your services. They've come to your site to find out more about you and make a decision. They want to see if they can trust your service and training skills.
To reach visitors with a different intention (who could be just browsing), add bits of your testimonials all over your site. Include a quote or two with images on your 'Home' page. Integrate quotes from clients when telling your brand story on the 'About' page. Add a pop-up with a testimonial graphic or video as soon as people enter your website.
Service Pages
It can also be a good idea to put the testimonial in the context of what services you're selling. If you have a service page on your website, add testimonials speaking to each service. For example, if you have a weight loss program, share quotes that speak to body composition, or customers dropping clothing sizes. This contextualizes your service pages and gives them a personalized, less "salesy" touch.
It can also be a good idea to put the testimonial in the context of what services you're selling. If you have a service page on your website, add testimonials speaking to each service. For example, if you have a weight loss program, share quotes that speak to body composition, or customers dropping clothing sizes. This contextualizes your service pages and gives them a personalized, less "salesy" touch.
Blogs
Don't be afraid to recycle testimonials for blog content. You could add a quote to relevant blogs or attach a fitting video testimonial at the end of the blog. It might include a CTA like "See how we helped [client name] with [blog topic]." You could even dedicate regular blog posts to guest articles from clients.
Optimize With Keywords & Analytics
Use website analytics like Google's to discover which of your site pages are most popular or get the most traffic and views. Find clever ways to share your best testimonials on those pages.
Also, match testimonials with relevant keywords to pages you've optimized for those keywords. This is a good way to combine search engine optimization with your testimonial strategy. Google will note your content as relevant.
Plus, as soon as the visitor arrives on your site, they encounter content that encourages them to learn more. This is proof they've found what they were searching for.
Don't be afraid to recycle testimonials for blog content. You could add a quote to relevant blogs or attach a fitting video testimonial at the end of the blog. It might include a CTA like "See how we helped [client name] with [blog topic]." You could even dedicate regular blog posts to guest articles from clients.
Optimize With Keywords & Analytics
Use website analytics like Google's to discover which of your site pages are most popular or get the most traffic and views. Find clever ways to share your best testimonials on those pages.
Also, match testimonials with relevant keywords to pages you've optimized for those keywords. This is a good way to combine search engine optimization with your testimonial strategy. Google will note your content as relevant.
Plus, as soon as the visitor arrives on your site, they encounter content that encourages them to learn more. This is proof they've found what they were searching for.
Other Platforms You Can Share Testimonials To:
- Social media also gives you space to share video testimonials and images or graphics via reels, or stories. Share an image of one of your training sessions and add a testimonial quote as a caption. Add a link to your testimonials page via your stories, bio, or a post.
Social media platforms have several creative tools you can take advantage of to share your testimonials. - Google My Business Profiles are often overlooked by even the most exceptional trainers. Don't do it! An optimized Google My Business (GMB) Profile can take your ranking and online visibility to the next level. It is also one of the first places people look after a search, going through profile reviews and images and then to the website.
Include testimonials showing customers' positive attitudes. You can also ask customers to leave testimonials and ratings directly on your GMB profile. - If you have email newsletters or any other standard customer engagement platforms, use them. Include a recent testimonial in your newsletter content. Share a success story with a communication group. These show an encouraging attitude from you as an excellent trainer and create a sense of fulfillment for the person featured.
- The group can celebrate them, growing a sense of community. And this community could even share with their networks, too!
Conclusion
Testimonials are recommendations of your training skills, individual approach to fitness, and customer service. When done right they can build trust and show your personal attention to clients. Use them to generate an encouraging atmosphere for potential customers to desire your exceptional service.
