Seven Gym Social Media Post Ideas to Help Engagement

As a gym owner or operator, you’re likely familiar with what social media can do for your business. When used well, social media content can help gyms attract new members, get known in the local area, and build a following online.

To boost your engagement with potential customers, you should create and publish the types of content people consume — particularly in the fitness industry. Trends in content creation and social media marketing change constantly, so it’s hard to get it right all the time. But certain content formats and subjects will never really go out of style – here’s seven to consider for your fitness brand.

How-Tos and Workout Idea Explainer Videos

Show your gym’s members and potential customers how to do specific exercises with detailed yet easy-to-follow instructions. You can also share workout ideas for people to try out in their homes or at the gym.

Consider enlisting the help of one of your personal trainers or a trusted regular to record a personal training video performing a specific maneuver. Then share it on TikTok, Instagram, or any other social media platforms you use.

Exercises aren’t the only How To videos your fitness business can share. Try posting tutorials for healthy eating and how to create easy healthy recipes.

You’ll want to ensure you’re editing your videos to be high-quality, without excessive filters and other additions that may distract from the content. Additionally, you should always add captions to your social videos so they’re equally accessible to everyone. (Deaf journalist Liam O’Dell has some great guidelines about how to caption social content.)

Fitness Before and After Posts

Highlight some of your clients’ successes by posting before and after photos. Try sharing photos of their fitness journey or videos of their physical transformation or achievement. 

Little is more motivating in the gym than seeing a “regular person like me” achieve their fitness goals. Posts highlighting “before” and “after” photos and videos are great marketing tools for showing your target audience what your gym can do for them.

Plus, when a person achieves a fitness goal, they often want to let people know about it! Their inclination to share is a win-win for both of you — you get access to engaging content, and they can get celebrated by your gym community. People love success stories, so before and after posts are a great way to inspire them to interact with your social media pages.

Team Introductions

Introduce gym instructors and employees by posting about them across your social media profiles. Personal stories help people connect with a brand, so authentic views into the everyday lives of your team members will likely interest people.

Follow a set bio template — maybe something like the trainer’s name, their favorite exercise, and a fun fact about them. Standardizing your team introduction process will keep your posts clean, organized, and easily accessible.

You could also get creative with your team content ideas and let employees do “social takeovers” during specific days. Let different employees run your social media accounts for one day every week or two. Allow them to post whatever they want (within reason), so encourage them to share memes, music, and other “fun” elements.

User Generated Content (UGC)

Your members are probably already creating content at the gym, like snapping a few selfies or sharing their current workout goals – after allnearly 45% of consumers use their smartphones while working out at the gym! Encourage gym members to share their UGC, as customers consider it the most trustworthy type of content.

Encourage gym members to share their stories and experiences on social media, and make sure you have their permission to repost any photo, video, or story they tag you in. Consider creating a branded hashtag people can include in their gym posts – this gets your brand out there and makes it easier for you to find UGC to share on your profiles. 

This helps you avoid using stock photos in your social media posts — 80% of consumers would rather see real photos of real customers.

So people want this content, and they’re already making it! This is a win-win, so don’t be shy about letting your followers know you want them to send you their gym content.

Motivational Quotes and Inspiring Images

Share motivational quotes paired with inspiring images on your gym’s social media profiles. The quotes you share don’t have to be fitness-related — you can share famous or notable quotes about inspiration, drive, determination, or any other inspiring topic that will inspire your followers to stick to their goals.

And you don’t have to be a superstar graphic designer to create these posts. There are lots of free tools like Canva and Snappa that you can use to create inspiring images that look great with just a little bit of effort. 

Real Testimonials

Real gym member testimonials will help your gym establish credibility and trustworthiness. Nothing beats word-of-mouth from satisfied customers: Before making a purchase, 80% of consumers check the ratings and customer reviews for the item. Testimonials serve as a type of customer review you can share with your social media audience.

Of the general population, 40% of people consider wellness a “top priority” in everyday life. But it’s unlikely all 40% of them already have your gym memberships, so there’s a big audience out there! Capture the attention of these consumers by letting your current members do the talking for you.

Gym Specials and Giveaways

People love free stuff. If you run a gym giveaway or special pricing promotion, share that across your social media platforms. 

Encourage engagement by asking gym members to “like” a post for an entry into your giveaway. You could ask your followers to tag friends in the comments section or even share the post with their own followers for extra entries.

Running gym specials and giveaways is a great way to grow your gym’s following. You could promote a “Bring a Friend for Free” program that will help you generate leads for potential new members by capturing your member’s friend’s contact information. You could even partner with another local business and do some budget-friendly cross-promotion.

Not All Social Media Content is Created Equally

In social content, the subject matter that hits with an audience will vary depending on the brand and its offerings. There are certain types of media and formats, however, that perform better overall — like videos (Instagram Reels and Stories, TikTok videos, and YouTube Shorts). If you want to build a solid social media foundation — or get your social profiles into shape — try using these seven gym social media post ideas to help engagement.

And if you want to get your fitness brand, fitness studio, or fitness business in shape and experience up to a 40% increase in visits to your facility and class participation, learn more about partnering with us today!

References

• Curley, Eamonn. (October 17, 2019). 7 Proven Gym Promotions to Boost Your Monthly Revenue. Glofox. Retrieved February 24, 2023 from https://www.glofox.com/blog/gym-promotions/.
• Surana, Neha. (August 31, 2022). Fitness Posts for Social Media: Ideas, Examples, Tips, and More. Typito. Retrieved February 24, 2023 from https://typito.com/blog/fitness-post-ideas-for-social-media/.
• Gibbs, Matt. (May 23, 2022). 11 Health and Fitness Post Topics and Social Media Post Ideas To Keep Your Followers Hyped. UPshow. Retrieved February 25, 2023 from https://www.upshow.tv/resources/blog/11-gym-social-media-post-ideas-to-keep-your-customers-hyped/.
• 20 Creative Social Media Post Ideas for Gyms in 2023. TeamUp. Retrieved February 25, 2023 from https://goteamup.com/resources/social-media-post-ideas-for-gyms.
• Arjun. (March 17, 2022). 15 Gym Post Ideas to Get More Clients in 2023. InVideo. Retrieved February 26, 2023 from https://invideo.io/blog/gym-social-media-content-ideas/.
• McDonough, Erin. 17 Creative Gym Social Media Post Ideas. OriGym. Retrieved February 26, 2023 from https://origympersonaltrainercourses.co.uk/blog/gym-social-media-post-ideas.