What is an online personal trainer affiliate program? | Exercise.com Learn: Your Fitness Business Resource

What is an online personal trainer affiliate program?

Tyler Spraul is the director of UX and the head trainer for Exercise.com. He has his Bachelor of Science degree in pre-medicine and is an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist. He is a former All-American soccer player and still coaches soccer today. In his free time, he enjoys reading, learning, and living the dad life. He has been featured in Shape, Healthline, HuffPost, Women's...

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UPDATED: Aug 25, 2020

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  • As an independent personal trainer, you need creative ways to market yourself.
  • Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn passive income.
  • Passive income is the revenue you earn by posting links and promoting other products.

Personal training is a business. As a personal trainer, you need to build relationships with clients continually. As a business owner, you can’t bill for every hour you are working to run the operation; you can only bill clients for the time you spend training them.

If you’re just starting out, you need time to build your client base without having to pay out-of-pocket.

Word-of-mouth referrals are the best form of publicity, but affiliate marketing can help you cover your start-up costs with passive income.

Promote the affiliate you partner with by using our business management software. Request a demo today.

What Is Passive Income?

Passive income is money you earn even when you’re not working. And since every business needs time to grow, working with affiliates allows you to make extra cash while promoting your training business.

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing isn’t as complicated as it may seem. In fact, its model is pretty simplistic.

Here’s how it works:

  • Step 1 – The creator of a product needs to promote themselves, so he creates an affiliate program that will reward others when they promote his or her product.
  • Step 2 – You can join the program as an affiliate and earn money every time someone clicks the link or buys the product. The sponsor usually provides you with links and ads to promote the product on your website.
  • Step 3 – By promoting the product, you’ll receive a percentage of all sales without ever having to lift a finger.

Getting Started with Affiliate Marketing

There are a lot of affiliate programs in the health and fitness industry, so you don’t need to choose the first one you come across. And since it’s a passive source of income, once you set everything up, you really won’t need to do anything else. Whether you earn $500 or $50, you’re still making money for doing almost nothing.

Quality Over Quantity

There are a few things you need to consider before applying to affiliate marketing programs. For starters, how many engaged followers you have makes a difference. The more people who actively share your recommendations, the better off you will be.

Quality over quantity applies to affiliate marketing. You only need a small number of engaged followers to get the ball rolling. Those who actively interact with you and want to share your content are the ones who you will want to target.

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Choose Your Products Wisely

The type of products you promote can make a difference too. The rate of commission for products can vary dramatically, so you need to choose wisely. For instance, online training courses may offer commissions as high as 50 to 70 percent, whereas paperback books may bring you far less.

Since you’ll get paid for anything you sell, it’s important to consider what your followers may want to buy. What type of personal trainer are you? What is your niche? If you work mostly with women trying to lose weight, trying to promote protein shakes for bodybuilders probably isn’t a lucrative endeavor. On the other hand, if you are known for writing posts about weight loss, promoting a proven fat-burning workout guide will be well-received.

Finding the Right Affiliate Program

One of the most popular places to find an affiliate program is Yes Wellness. Based in Canada, Yes Wellness offers a large selection of many name brand health supplements for just about every personal training niche.

It’s also a good idea to try the product that you want to promote and have a real interest in it. Don’t start promoting a product just for the money. If you aren’t genuinely interested in the product, your marketing strategy will probably backfire.

Become an Affiliate

After you’ve determined what your followers are interested in and you’ve found a reputable affiliate program, it’s time to become an affiliate. Every program has its process, so after you sign up and are accepted, go ahead and promote yourself.

With your new affiliate link, you are ready to make money. All your followers need to do is click the link and make a purchase.

Below are a few practical ways to get started (not in any particular order):

  • Talk to your clients about the products you recommend. Follow up with an email where you can add the affiliate link.
  • Create Facebook posts that include your affiliate link.
  • Create a YouTube video that discusses the benefits of the product. Remember to include your affiliate link in the description.
  • Write a blog post that reviews your chosen products. Just make sure that your post doesn’t sound like an infomercial.
  • Use Instagram to promote yourself. Post a selfie with the product or even an interesting photo of the product by itself. You could post the link in your profile so that people have a way to access it through Instagram.

Once you’re set up with a reputable affiliate marketing program, the sky is the limit! The time you invest before you start can dramatically increase your cash flow. Educate yourself about affiliate marketing and learn the basics.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I find clients?

Most personal trainers initially find their clients by working for a gym.

How do I start a personal training business?

Starting a business begins with conducting a lot of research. Check out this article for more info.

Should personal trainers work in a gym before starting a business?

Not necessarily. However, working in an already established gym may help you gain valuable experience that you can transfer to your own business in the future.

Do I need insurance if I start my own business?

Yes. In order to protect yourself from various legal troubles, you should be insured. 

Another great way to boost revenue is by utilizing fitness business management software. Request a demo of our software today to see how it can benefit your training business,

Learn more about Exercise.com Fitness Business Management Software.

Schedule your demo today.