As a personal trainer, you've likely found that much of your interaction with clients has been through online means due to lockdown restrictions. Still, that doesn't mean you can't continue to earn a living as a personal trainer despite such challenges.
One way to turn the current pandemic situation to your advantage is by offering online health and fitness courses to your clients. It's something that, if done right, can be an excellent addition to your personal training services both now and post-pandemic.
Step 1. Choose the Course Concept
The first step in writing a fitness course that sells is considering a concept or topic that your target audience will love. For example, you might want to create a health coaching course to teach your clients the best strategies for eating well and looking after their health.
You may want to create a fitness coaching course so that people can do workouts and exercise correctly from the comfort of their homes or even outdoor spaces like their local parks.
You may want to create a fitness coaching course so that people can do workouts and exercise correctly from the comfort of their homes or even outdoor spaces like their local parks.
Whichever concept you consider, you must create one that will interest your target audience. The above two suggestions are ideas that will likely sell well, but you will undoubtedly have other concepts you think could be equally successful with your clients.
When you consider the right concept for your online course, and you can prove that you're both passionate and knowledgeable about it, you've already done much of the hard work!
Step 2. Make Sure There's a Market for Your Course
There's no denying that you're passionate about health and fitness; otherwise, you would not have become a personal trainer. You enjoy helping people reach their fitness goals and love seeing their life-changing transformations.
That's all great. But, even though you've thought of the perfect concept for your online health and fitness course, you still need to research that there's a market for it. Otherwise, you are just wasting your time, energy, and money.
You might think that your course will sell well because many other personal trainers sell similar online courses. The thing is, you still need to spend some time researching the demand for your chosen course concept.
How can you find that out, you might be asking yourself? Here are the questions to ask yourself so you know what to research before concluding that your course concept is a good idea:
#1. Is anyone talking about your concept?
Find out if people are actively seeking courses like the one you are proposing. You could use an online tool like Google Trends to check how many people search for such course content.
That's all great. But, even though you've thought of the perfect concept for your online health and fitness course, you still need to research that there's a market for it. Otherwise, you are just wasting your time, energy, and money.
You might think that your course will sell well because many other personal trainers sell similar online courses. The thing is, you still need to spend some time researching the demand for your chosen course concept.
How can you find that out, you might be asking yourself? Here are the questions to ask yourself so you know what to research before concluding that your course concept is a good idea:
#1. Is anyone talking about your concept?
Find out if people are actively seeking courses like the one you are proposing. You could use an online tool like Google Trends to check how many people search for such course content.
#2. Are people asking questions about your concept?
You should research whether interested individuals are asking things like "will this help me achieve my fitness goals" or "can this work for me if I only have one day a week to devote to it."
#3. Is there something you could offer that your competitors aren't?
Lastly, determine if there's a gap that your competition isn't filling. For example, if you're offering an online morning workout routine, do your competitors offer an app to help clients log their progress?
Step 3. Create Compelling Learning Outcomes
You know what your online course will offer each client. But, do they? Creating an excellent online health and fitness course is one thing. However, you need to explain to people why your approach will benefit them.
That's why you need to come up with some compelling learning outcomes. In a nutshell, a learning outcome is a statement that explains what people will achieve, understand, and can do when they complete a course.
Learning outcomes also ensure that only the right people buy and use your online course. After all: you don't want people to waste their money on your offer and feel confused because they mistakenly assumed they would achieve different objectives.
That's why you need to come up with some compelling learning outcomes. In a nutshell, a learning outcome is a statement that explains what people will achieve, understand, and can do when they complete a course.
Learning outcomes also ensure that only the right people buy and use your online course. After all: you don't want people to waste their money on your offer and feel confused because they mistakenly assumed they would achieve different objectives.
Here are some points to keep in mind when creating compelling learning outcomes that attract the right target audience to your course:
- Which new skills will they learn and can demonstrate?
- How will your course change their perception of health and fitness?
- How can the knowledge they have gained from your course improve their lives?
Compelling learning outcomes tells interested individuals in precise wording what they can expect from your course.
Step 4. Collate Your Course Content
You've undoubtedly got a lot of ideas and information for your course material. Plus, you've also got a lot of research that you conducted on your target audience. Now is the time to start going through all that data and shortlisting the stuff directly relevant to your course. This will become your curriculum and here's how it do it:
The last thing you want to do is pack your course out with irrelevant material as it's just a waste of everyone's time, and your clients may demand refunds if they feel they've paid for a poor-quality product.
- Determine the intention for your curriculum
How it will move the student from A to B - Outline your overarching topics
The main steps the student needs to take - Review any current curriculum
To get ideas for yours and ensure you don't miss important steps - Pull it all together
Create your curriculum
The last thing you want to do is pack your course out with irrelevant material as it's just a waste of everyone's time, and your clients may demand refunds if they feel they've paid for a poor-quality product.
Step 5. Create Your Course Content
Once you've got a pile of relevant material for your course, the next stage is to structure everything in the curriculum you just created in a way that makes sense for your clients.
For example, you might want to begin by demonstrating warm-up techniques if you're creating a course of progressive workouts. You'll then want to move onto the main movements to do, followed by exercises to cool down from your workout routines.
Your course should get structured into several easy-to-follow modules. That way, course participants can enjoy a sense of achievement as they can complete your course at their leisure.
The content for each module in your course should get structured in a way that makes sense and is engaging.
For example, you might want to begin by demonstrating warm-up techniques if you're creating a course of progressive workouts. You'll then want to move onto the main movements to do, followed by exercises to cool down from your workout routines.
Your course should get structured into several easy-to-follow modules. That way, course participants can enjoy a sense of achievement as they can complete your course at their leisure.
The content for each module in your course should get structured in a way that makes sense and is engaging.
Bonus Step. Lights! Camera! Action!
As you're a personal trainer, your course material will likely be in a video format. It makes sense to invest in some recording equipment, such as a camera with video recording functionality, a tripod, and some software to edit your videos.
You may also wish to use a green screen so you can overlay a different backdrop behind you. That backdrop might be animations, another video, or even a still image. Whichever techniques you choose, make sure they help you engage with your audience.
You may also wish to use a green screen so you can overlay a different backdrop behind you. That backdrop might be animations, another video, or even a still image. Whichever techniques you choose, make sure they help you engage with your audience.