Fitness Marketing Strategies for the New Year: Keeping Clients Beyond Resolutions
Improving health is at the top of mind for many people these days, particularly at the start of a new year. In fact, Fitness goals make up nearly half of all New Year’s resolutions1. Fitness memberships surge during the New Year—but so do drop-off rates. To maximize this seasonal opportunity, your gym, yoga studio, or Pilates school needs a marketing plan that addresses both the influx of new members and the high potential for membership attrition.
Below we cover some actionable and effective marketing strategies to not only attract more clients this year, but how to keep them motivated and turn them into regular members.
1. Understanding New Year’s Resolution Clients
To launch a successful marketing campaign for the new year, one that effectively attracts and RETAINS the resolution crowd, you need to understand who this crowd is.
In the fitness industry, this term often refers to the surge of new members who join gyms or fitness studios after the holiday season with high enthusiasm but low commitment, leading to what's commonly called the "January boom."
By February or March, many New Year's clients have already stopped showing up, though they might continue paying for their memberships for a while longer. These are referred to as “ghost memberships.”
Why Do So Many Resolutions Fail?
The average resolution has a shelf-life anywhere from a few weeks to about a month. In the fitness world, nearly half of those who resolve to build healthier bodies give up by February1. Why is this?
There are many reasons why new members discontinue their fitness quests. Likely, it was because they:
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Set unrealistic fitness targets (like "get six-pack abs in a month") or keep goals vague (like "get in shape", or “lose weight”).
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Don't track key metrics like workouts completed, weight, measurements, or strength gains.
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Abandon their fitness routine after the initial motivation wears off.
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Try to overhaul everything at once (diet, cardio, strength training, flexibility) rather than building habits gradually.
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Start exercising without a structured workout plan or proper guidance
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Don't tell anyone about their fitness goals, missing out on accountability and support.
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Set unrealistic expectations about their body's transformation timeline.
Fizzled motivation. Lack of support and community. Unclear or unrealistic goals. No accountability, or way to track progress. As the owner of a fitness business, you can market yourself as the cure for these. Doing so can help you attract more clients this resolution season and turn them into committed members.
Let's dive into how.
2. New Year's Memberships & Packages
Selling Memberships and class packages should be the goal for any fitness business because they provide sustained revenue streams. You can—and should—form memberships and packages around New Year’s resolutions.
What makes these slightly different from the memberships and packages you already sell is that, beyond some basics (studio access, group classes, etc.), they address the specific needs of new members who make New Year’s resolutions. In addition, you should go beyond the typical "free trial membership" and offer multiple membership tiers that range from short- to long-term commitments.
Here are some New Year's membership examples for a range of fitness businesses:
"New Year New You" Launch Package (Boutique Fitness Studio, 3-month Membership)
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Regular price: $199/month
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New Year Offer:
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Month 1: $99 (50% off)
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Month 2-3: $179/month
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Total savings: $240
Features/Perks:
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Early bird (December sign-up): Additional free private session
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2 private sessions to establish proper form
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Weekly check-ins with an instructor
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Custom progress tracking journal
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Access to members-only "Resolution Success" workshops
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Unlimited classes during peak morning or evening hours
"Resolution Warrior" Package (yoga, or Pilates studio, 6-month Membership)
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Regular price: $179/month
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New Year Offer:
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Months 1-2: $129/month
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Months 3-6: $159/month
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Total savings: $340
Features/Perks:
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Private posture assessment & alignment session
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Monthly flexibility/strength benchmarking
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4 "Form & Flow" technique workshops
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All mat classes + 2 reformer/equipment classes per week
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Access to meditation sessions
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Monthly restorative workshop
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15% off props and wellness items
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Bring-a-friend passes (1 per month)
"Sustainable Success" Package (Fitness Studio, Class Focus, 12-month Membership)
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Regular price: $159/month
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New Year Offer:
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Months 1-2: $99/month
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Months 3-12: $139/month
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Total savings: $680
Features/Perks:
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Paid in full bonus: Two free months added
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Early bird bonus: Retail discount increases to 25%
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Weekly technique workshops in first month
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Partner-assigned for accountability
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Quarterly fitness assessments
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Unlimited group fitness classes
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Free guest passes each month
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Priority booking for premium classes
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Access to online workout library
These membership packages provide maximum support during the initial high-motivation period while building long-term success factors like accountability, community, and progress tracking. They also combine immediate perks with sustained engagement opportunities.
The pricing strategy combines appealing initial discounts with gradual increases, rewarding longer commitments while maintaining revenue. Strategic incentives for paid-in-full memberships and friend referrals boost both cash flow and community building.
How do you advertise all this succinctly and effectively? Check out these 6 fitness ad examples.
3. Develop a New Year Social Media Strategy
Social media is central to any business’s marketing campaigns, and it’s particularly important for fitness businesses at the start of the year. Why? Because of how social media content can engage people and create communities, as well as provide things to strive for and look forward to.
As we covered, it’s the absence of these things that kill resolutions, preventing new clients from sticking with your business long-term. They should be central to your social media campaign.
Two particularly effective post types include:
Success Stories
Success stories, or testimonials, are a great piece of evergreen marketing content that work all year, especially for seasonal campaigns. For our purposes here, however, showcase fit regular clients who stuck out their resolutions last year.
With their consent, show these clients’ before and after photos and a quote, or, if both of you are up for it, a quick video describing their journey (video content has the highest engagement rate).
If these stories have high engagement, you can encourage people to do more than just read or watch; ask them to use the thread to share their own long-term resolution successes. Encouraging people to share like this helps a community form around a shared purpose or aspiration.
Beginning-of-the-Year Challenges
Social media competitions and challenges are a fantastic way to recognize and celebrate achievements, and keep people engaged.
Here's a compelling social media contest example:
The Anti-Resolution Revolution Challenge
Structure:
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This runs January through March
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Members post monthly progress photos/updates with the gym's custom hashtag (#GymNameAntiResolution)
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Each month has different mini-challenges (e.g., attendance streaks, trying new classes, bringing friends)
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Points system:
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Regular check-ins = 1 point
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Progress photo updates = 3 points
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Bringing a friend = 5 points
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Completing monthly mini-challenges = 10 points
Prizes:
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Quarterly winner (most points by March 31) gets:
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3 months free membership
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Custom gym apparel package
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Personal training session package
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Monthly prizes for mini-challenge winners: Merchandise, protein shake vouchers, guest passes to share
The key differentiator here is positioning this as an anti-traditional resolution challenge. Its focus is building sustainable habits over a longer period rather than unsustainable January goals.
This helps combat the "Resolution Client" dropout rate while generating engaging social content during the most crucial retention period.
4. Plan Workshops & Seminars
Many people begin their fitness resolutions lacking the foundational knowledge to succeed. So, plan New Year’s-themed workshops or seminars that provide them with the foundations they need.
A few examples can include:
Beginner's Yoga, or Pilates sequences
Introduces clients to the movements, vocabulary and equipment they can expect in beginner’s classes, so that they won’t feel lost when they start. It also gives them enough knowledge to practice these sequences at home and potentially encourages them to buy equipment (yoga blocks, Pilates rings, etc..) from you.
Basics of Strength Training
Cover the beginner’s barbell, dumbbell and Kettlebell exercises that effectively target major muscles groups, basic rep and set structures, and weekly workout breakdowns (Mon, Wed, Fri, etc.). New gym members should leave with a foundation and a formula to follow in those all-important first weeks.
HIIT or Cross Fit Basics
For those who prefer more dynamic movement and good sweat. Show proper movement technique, timing, and how to flow through periods of recovery and intensity. Also show exercises that make sense together, so new gym members can use them on certain days. Clients will leave realizing they need little equipment and space to hit the entire body.
In addition to instilling foundational fitness skills, workshops and seminars bring people with similar fitness goals and interests together, just like group fitness classes do. Community, and working out with friends is especially important, which we'll cover below.
5. Start a Referral Program
Referral programs do more than bring in new clients and short-term revenue. They create natural support systems while addressing both immediate and long-term engagement. They are also a way to reward current members.
Here's an example of an effective New Year's referral program**:**
"New Year, New Friend" Referral Program
Initial Rewards:
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Referring member gets one free month
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New member gets 50% off first month
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Both receive a buddy pass for premium workshop
March 1st Bonus:
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Another free month for referrer if friend stays active
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Both get branded gear (water bottle or yoga mat)
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Both get priority spring event registration
Added Perks:
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Multiple referrals stack (more friends = more free months)
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Exclusive buddy-only class times
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Weekly partner workout suggestions
When friends join, they become accountability partners, making fitness a shared experience rather than a solo journey. The two-tiered reward system targets both initial signups and long-term attendance, and leverages current members to help combat the typical resolution drop-off.
6. Keep in Touch with Email & Text Marketing
In the end, mastering the January rush and the resolution crowd is all about member retention. Your regular clientele care about value for their money and may look elsewhere if you don't provide it. The resolution crowd is a bit...different
As we said above, they will pay for a long-term membership or package and not use it. That’s still money for you, at least until they cancel, but if you want to convert them into long-term clients, you must keep them engaged.
Stay connected with your members through regular newsletters, emails, and texts that highlight what's happening at your gym. Keep them in the loop about new offerings, upcoming programs and workshops. Share links to your latest social media content, workout tips, and healthy recipes that help members stay on track with their New Year's goals.
Reeling the resolution crowd back in, you’ll master the win-back email, which is sent to inactive members to encourage them to interact with you again. They aren’t lost, not quite. The goal is to turn into repeat customers.
Fitness Win-Back Email Example
A win-back email could look like this:
Subject: We Miss You! Here's Your Fresh Start (No January Required)
Hi [Name],
We noticed you haven't visited [Studio Name] in a while, and we wanted to check in. Remember that amazing energy you felt after your first few classes? That feeling is still here, and we'd love to help you get it back.
No pressure, no judgment - just a welcoming community ready to support your return.
To make coming back easier, we've got a special offer just for you:
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A free private session with one of our instructors to refresh your practice
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Priority booking for our most popular class times
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A spot in our Pilates Foundations workshop
Ready to roll out your mat again? Simply click below to book your welcome-back session or reply to this email if you'd like to chat about what class might be the best fit for you right now.
See you on the mat!
[Name] [Studio Name] [Book Now Button]
P.S. Did you know we've added several new beginner-friendly classes to our schedule? They're perfect for easing back into your practice!
Fitness Win-Back Text Message Example
Texts are short and urgent and enjoy higher open rates than email. An effective win-back text could look like this:
Hi [Name]! We miss seeing you at [Studio Name]! 💪 Ready to jump back in? We've got a free private refresh session waiting for you this week. Reply YES to claim it and get back to feeling amazing! (No judgment, just high fives 🙌)"
Alternative version with different offer:
"[Name], your spot at [Studio Name] misses you! Come back this week and your first class is on us - plus a free smoothie to celebrate your return. 🎉 Reply YES to book your comeback class!
Using your email marketing software to segment your clients is particularly important. As we said, committed clients and resolution clients are a bit different, and may be interested in different things. You can target participants of a recent event or fitness challenge. You can also check in with members who you haven’t seen in a while.
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