A successful personal trainer builds a strong community. People feel connected. They feel like their personal trainer is someone they can rely on and fellow clients their buddies and added support and accountability. This, in turn, boosts engagement, retention, sales, and ultimately, profits.
Of course, to achieve this, you are going to need to choose an online community platform with care. Online community platforms enable content creators to create a safe space where members can interact with you and each other. They typically have perks, moderators, and engagement opportunities.
The top 10 online community platforms for personal trainers.
There are a lot of benefits associated with online community platforms. After all, humans are social creatures. Your clients want exclusive content, the ability to interact with their personal trainer, and the opportunity to meet like-minded people.
With an online community platform, you can grow your audience, increase engagement, provide help and support, and build customer relationships. However, you are definitely going to need a good platform for this to be the case. Below, we will explore some of the best options in further detail so you can get a better understanding.
With an online community platform, you can grow your audience, increase engagement, provide help and support, and build customer relationships. However, you are definitely going to need a good platform for this to be the case. Below, we will explore some of the best options in further detail so you can get a better understanding.
1. Facebook Group
There really is only one place to begin, and this is with Facebook Groups, as this is what the majority of personal trainers continue to use today.
A private Facebook group helps people to feel like they are part of a community. You can upload a variety of content types, as well as links back to your website and other sources.
It makes sense to have some guidelines in place for correspondence on Facebook so that you create a positive and respectful environment.
Creating a group on Facebook is free, however, you can make the most of paid ads to reach new clients.
Another useful feature is Group Insights. Group Insights gives you the ability to see real-time stats that reflect membership, engagement, and growth, such as the times that your members are most engaged.
A private Facebook group helps people to feel like they are part of a community. You can upload a variety of content types, as well as links back to your website and other sources.
It makes sense to have some guidelines in place for correspondence on Facebook so that you create a positive and respectful environment.
Creating a group on Facebook is free, however, you can make the most of paid ads to reach new clients.
Another useful feature is Group Insights. Group Insights gives you the ability to see real-time stats that reflect membership, engagement, and growth, such as the times that your members are most engaged.
2. WhatsApp Group
WhatsApp is the perfect platform for quick communication with personal training clients. While it is not ideal for content sharing and form submissions, such as check-ins, it is ideal if your clients have questions or need assistance. You can communicate one-on-one with clients, as well as create a group for general questions or notifications about some of your content being posted on other platforms.
A lot of personal trainers simply create a standard account. However, there is the option of WhatsApp Business, which is a pay-as-you-grow system. Your first 1,000 conversations per month are free, after which you will be charged per message.
Features are as follows:
A lot of personal trainers simply create a standard account. However, there is the option of WhatsApp Business, which is a pay-as-you-grow system. Your first 1,000 conversations per month are free, after which you will be charged per message.
Features are as follows:
- Use single product and multi-product messages to showcase your services
- Understand message engagement
- Enable simpler, faster responses
- Use native entry points
- Send files to your clients
3. LinkedIn Group
Another option is to create a group on LinkedIn. Whether or not this is the right platform for you depends on the sort of clients you are targeting.
LinkedIn tends to be used by professionals. The majority of people who use LinkedIn are between 36 and 55 years old. So, if this sounds like the sort of people you’re targeting with your services, LinkedIn could be just the thing for you.
To create a LinkedIn group, click here. Simply click on “Create Group” and follow the instructions. It won’t cost you anything to create a group on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn tends to be used by professionals. The majority of people who use LinkedIn are between 36 and 55 years old. So, if this sounds like the sort of people you’re targeting with your services, LinkedIn could be just the thing for you.
To create a LinkedIn group, click here. Simply click on “Create Group” and follow the instructions. It won’t cost you anything to create a group on LinkedIn.
4. Mighty Networks
Another option is Mighty Networks, which is a simple and easy-to-use communication platform. It gives you plenty of different options, from creating online fitness courses to charging for membership subscriptions.
Some of the different features you can make the most of include:
If you want to offer different subscription plans and you intend to provide online personal training courses, this is likely to be the perfect fit for you.
In terms of pricing, there are three different plans. The Community Plan is the cheapest, at $33 per month, The Business Plan costs $99 per month, and the Mighty Pro plan requires contacting the Mighty Networks team for a bespoke quote.
Some of the different features you can make the most of include:
- A custom domain
- Analytics dashboard
- Workflow automation with integrations
- Option of paid, private, or public communities
- Personalized activity feed for members
If you want to offer different subscription plans and you intend to provide online personal training courses, this is likely to be the perfect fit for you.
In terms of pricing, there are three different plans. The Community Plan is the cheapest, at $33 per month, The Business Plan costs $99 per month, and the Mighty Pro plan requires contacting the Mighty Networks team for a bespoke quote.
5. Tribe
Another online community platform for personal trainers that has a good reputation for audience engagement is Tribe. It presents you with an abundance of features that help you to create a modern online community.
Some of our favorite features include the ability to create custom apps, embed widgets, and enjoy an activity feed with your own personalized content. You can also enjoy thread-based communication, which can be incredibly useful for personal trainers.
Like Mighty Networks, there are three different plans: Plus, Premium, and Enterprise. Let’s take a brief look at each:
Some of our favorite features include the ability to create custom apps, embed widgets, and enjoy an activity feed with your own personalized content. You can also enjoy thread-based communication, which can be incredibly useful for personal trainers.
Like Mighty Networks, there are three different plans: Plus, Premium, and Enterprise. Let’s take a brief look at each:
- Plus ($49 per month) - This plan gives you apps and a custom domain. It is free for up to 100 members and also includes Zapier integration and analytics.
- Premium ($199 per month) - This plan includes everything in the Plus plan, as well as webhooks, API, and premium apps. You can have up to 100,000 members. Needless to say, you’d need to have a pretty big personal training business for this plan!
- Enterprise (pricing on request) - This plan also offers custom billing, data residency, and enterprise-grade security. You also get your own customer success manager.
6. Uscreen
Uscreen is a unique platform, as it is an online video membership solution. You can create your own unique profile page, engaging with your clients using streaming and live chat.
The features available are extensive, including fast video playback in Full HD, marketing and analytics tools, branded OTT apps, advanced live chats, secure live streaming, pinned posts, rich member profiles, timeline videos, and much more.
Again, there are three different packages to select from:
The features available are extensive, including fast video playback in Full HD, marketing and analytics tools, branded OTT apps, advanced live chats, secure live streaming, pinned posts, rich member profiles, timeline videos, and much more.
Again, there are three different packages to select from:
- Basic ($79 per month) - You can host videos and build your own website. You also get email support, one one-on-one onboarding session, one admin user, and 50 hours of video storage, as well as marketing tools and analytics.
- Growth ($159 per month) - You will get chat and email support, three one-on-one onboarding sessions, 10 admin users, and 150 hours of video storage. You can also add eCommerce elements, such as affiliate marketing, and integrate your own tools.
- Uscreen Plus (pricing on request) - This plan offers white label branding, API support, and a dedicated account manager. Plus, all Uscreen branding can be removed, and you can add live chat and live streaming to your website.
7. Circle
This is another all-in-one community platform, which brings together memberships, events, live streams, chats, and engaging discussions.
Some of the best features include platform customization, custom domains, advanced analytics, app integrations, monetizing capabilities, rich profiles, livestream events, and group chats.
This is another solution with three plans. The Basic Plan is $39 per month, the Professional Plan is $99 per month, and the Enterprise Plan is $399 per month.
Some of the best features include platform customization, custom domains, advanced analytics, app integrations, monetizing capabilities, rich profiles, livestream events, and group chats.
This is another solution with three plans. The Basic Plan is $39 per month, the Professional Plan is $99 per month, and the Enterprise Plan is $399 per month.
8. Podia
Podia is a great option to consider if you want to sell digital products and sell personal training courses online.
You can create a custom website, use email marketing to engage and build your audience, add affiliate marketing, and access customers’ information. You can also use moderation tools and create topics to engage your community.
Three plans are available. The Mover Plan is $33 per month, the Shaker Plan is $75 per month, and the Earthquaker Plan is $166 per month.
You can create a custom website, use email marketing to engage and build your audience, add affiliate marketing, and access customers’ information. You can also use moderation tools and create topics to engage your community.
Three plans are available. The Mover Plan is $33 per month, the Shaker Plan is $75 per month, and the Earthquaker Plan is $166 per month.
9. PeerBoard
You may also want to consider PeerBoard, as it provides many ways to build an online personal training community.
Features include:
Four plans are available: a free plan, a starter plan ($29 per month), a professional plan ($79 per month), and a growth plan ($299 per month).
Features include:
- Custom domains
- Thinkific, Shopify, and WordPress plugins
- Personalized news feeds
- Rich media uploads
- Robust user profiles
- No-code integration
- A rich post editor
- Customizable themes
Four plans are available: a free plan, a starter plan ($29 per month), a professional plan ($79 per month), and a growth plan ($299 per month).
10. Vanilla Forums
Vanilla Forums is a community software platform that enables you to offer better support, increase engagement, build loyalty, and collaborate with your customers.
Features include a moderation system, analytics insights, integration with apps, crowdsource ideas from members, Q&A options, customizable themes, a rich post editor with HTML, and forum user experience.
Sadly, no price information is available. We know that there are four different plans: Essential, Corporate, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus. However, you will need to get in touch with the customer services team for information on pricing for any of the four plans.
Features include a moderation system, analytics insights, integration with apps, crowdsource ideas from members, Q&A options, customizable themes, a rich post editor with HTML, and forum user experience.
Sadly, no price information is available. We know that there are four different plans: Essential, Corporate, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus. However, you will need to get in touch with the customer services team for information on pricing for any of the four plans.
Providing a Great Community for Your Personal Training Clients
So there you have it: an insight into some of the top online community platforms for personal trainers. We hope that this has helped you to get some insight into some of the different options out there.
Think about the cost of each platform, but also consider how easy it is to use and what the experience is going to be like for your clients. Some of these platforms, like Vanilla Forums, can be integrated into your website, meaning your community members won’t require an extra app or browser window to be opened.
Think about the cost of each platform, but also consider how easy it is to use and what the experience is going to be like for your clients. Some of these platforms, like Vanilla Forums, can be integrated into your website, meaning your community members won’t require an extra app or browser window to be opened.
