Online personal training is opening the door to new opportunities for trainers everywhere. And with well designed online personal training packages, you could be on the road to working with more clients than you ever thought possible.
Essentially, an online fitness training package offers your clients a way to virtually train with you on their own time. You help individuals reach long term fitness goals from the comfort of their own homes.
Many virtual trainers use packages that offer a full virtual program with added benefits, while other trainers use them on a more customized level alongside one-on-one or in-person training.
These packages are the heart of any online fitness business. You structure everything you do around this service you offer—which is why you need to be prepared to spend some time producing, personalizing, and pricing your packages.
Today we are going to cover:
- Choosing your package model
- Combining your workout plans and training videos
- Adding goals to benchmark process
- Tailoring benefits and features offered
- Branding your packages
- Determining your personal training package prices
- Gathering client feedback
- Tips and FAQs
A lot of the online personal training package ideas you’ll read here are just that—ideas. One of the biggest benefits to online training is the chance to make every idea your own. You may find all or only a few of our ideas helpful for your business.
Insurance Canopy encourages you to use this as a guide to create something unique for your clients, and to take a look at our personal trainer insurance. Even online trainers face risks of client injury. With people training at home, one slip during a session could lead to some property damage. You can get a policy online today in just a few minutes and be protected against many common personal training claims.
With that, let’s look at setting up your packages by picking a model first.
1. Choose Your Package Model
When you compare different fitness packages, there are two main models most fall in to. The first is a horizontal approach that focuses on style while the second is a vertical approach that focuses on pricing.
Category Model
This model works best for trainers who offer different training styles or work with different types of clients. These packages are relatively priced the same and offer similar benefits and features, but the content in them is tailored to different needs.
For example, you may specialize in workouts for middle aged women. You could have packages that then focus on cardio, strength training, and yoga. One woman may select yoga while another picks strength training, but they are both paying the same price and receiving custom meal plans.
On the other hand, you may just specialize in cardio training for women. Your packages could be categorized by age, length of time, end goals, or training style. These personal training packages may vary a bit more on price, but your clients are still getting equal benefits.
Pricing Model
Trainers who use a pricing model often have one main area of focus that is split into smaller groups, like experience level, benefits offered, and the length of training.
The easiest way to structure a pricing model is to think of your packages like a set of stairs. Your bottom stair is the most basic form of your training package and the lowest price offered. The top stair offers the most benefits and is the most expensive. The packages in between gradually have more or less content added to them with a price that reflects the value being offered.
You could always combine these two models and have different styles of training that each follow their own pricing tiers. It’s up to you to decide how you want to customize your sessions and offer your packages to your clients.
It may be worth doing some research on what other trainers like you are doing. You could also talk to current, former, or potential clients and see what they would prefer. At the end of the day, you want to make sure you are following a model your ideal clients would prefer to use.
2. Combine Your Workout Plans & Videos
In previous parts of the series, we talked about making custom workout plans based on your different types of clients and their needs. We also went over the process of creating fitness videos for these workout plans. You can now combine the two by focusing on your package model.
Category Model Structure
If you have a lot of different client types or training styles you are covering, make sure you have one package for each category. Let’s say you are helping clients achieve certain goals in 10 weeks through 30 minute daily workouts. Start with one package for flexibility, one for strength, one for weight loss, and one for resistance.
You can then divide your categories into more specific workouts. Your training plans can be based on things like HIIT or low-impact moves, the equipment being used, or the age of your clients. The idea is everyone who is working on their weight loss can achieve similar results with the same benefits, but through different exercises. You are able to cater to a lot of people with a similar goal while addressing several unique needs or roadblocks they may have.
The category model is an easy way to make custom workouts for your clients as well. You can assess your client to see which category they fall into and then tailor their package accordingly. Having a package already created makes it easier and faster for you to make changes for each client so you are not starting over each time.
Pricing Model Structure
Trainers who follow the pricing model typically follow one type of exercise plan as their middle ground. They will cut it down to make a basic package and add to it to make a premium package. The more you offer, the more a client will pay, while the less you offer means the less a client will pay.
Picture this: your lowest package offers three weeks of sessions, one 20-minute consultation with you, and a printable calendar of exercises. The next package offers five weeks of sessions, a 30-minute consultation with you, a printable calendar of exercises, and a few of your favorite recipes. The top package offers seven weeks of sessions, a 40-minute consultation with you, a printable calendar of exercises, and a custom meal plan.
An important thing to note is your lowest package should still have everything the client needs to succeed in their given time frame. Your goal is to have someone achieve a certain outcome and continue to pay for these results. A good way to do this is to focus on the end goal—whether that’s losing a certain amount of weight in a certain amount of time or increasing your 10k run time by so many minutes in so many weeks.
3. Add Goals To Benchmark Progress
Goals are a great way to keep clients motivated and for you to measure the effectiveness of your online personal training program.
Once you have your packages built out, you can add in smaller goals that build up to an end goal. For example, you know your package can help clients gain 10 pounds of muscle in 15 weeks. Every few weeks you can have a goal of so much muscle gained up to that point. Your clients can now use this as a way to track their progress throughout the program.
If you work with clients one-on-one , you can set their goals together. If your clients train on their own, you can offer a loose outline of what they could expect to see over time. Ultimately, every experience is unique and everyone can see different results. However, these goals act as checkpoints and can make the end goal seem much more achievable to a client.
Having goals is also a good way to assess yourself as a trainer. You can look at your clients progress and ask yourself the following questions to evaluate your programs.
- How often do your clients reach their goals? Do you need to adjust your trainings?
- How you can better support your clients along the way? Are you checking in often?
- How can you use these results to help more people, improve your programs, and try new techniques in the future?
4. Tailor Benefits & Features Offered
The details of what you offer are what really help to sell your online personal training programs. After all, clients are paying for your expertise. However, you don’t want added benefits to go to waste or have workouts that don’t really relate to the specific program. Everything in your package is intended to help your clients move closer to the end goal.
Ask yourself what the end result should be. Is it weight loss? Add nutritional tips for healthier eating or include some low calorie meal ideas. Is it faster running times? Share a running playlist you update monthly and some recommendations for the best running shoes.
And again, make sure each package has the tools necessary to reach the end goal. Otherwise you risk losing clients. You don’t want to put all your best features in one high priced package. Plus, if more people are reaching their goals with all of your packages, that looks good on you as a trainer. Both you and the client will feel successful.
Here are some of our top ideas for different features or benefits you can include in your packages:
- Goal tracking sheets
- Custom meal plans
- A list of healthy snacks and recipes
- One-on-one private coaching sessions
- Printable schedules or calendars
- Fitness challenges
- Group sessions for families or friends
- Workout playlists
- A guide to simple, healthy habits
- Recommendations for different gear
- Access to a members-only fitness video library
- Custom gear boxes with fitness accessories
5. Brand Your Packages
Before you can offer your packages to the public, you need to be ready to present it. Regardless of the model you picked, your online fitness training packages should clearly appeal to your client’s needs.
Each package should have a title that captures what the package is about. For category model packages, it can look like “7 Week Strength Training” or “Cardio Coaching For Women.” For pricing model packages, your titles will reflect the different levels of training. For example, you can separate them by beginner, intermediate, and advanced packages or 3 month, 6 month, and 9 month packages.
You will also want to highlight the benefits of each package to show the differences between them or the results a client could expect to see. It’s important for a client to see what they can get out of your program.
Depending on your average client’s knowledge of your services, you will want to tailor your word choice into something they will understand. Someone who is looking to build their resistance most likely has a previous knowledge of weight training or resistance bands. They would want to know what your package features, such as the equipment. But, someone who is new to strength training would rather know the benefits, like how much muscle they should expect to gain.
Most importantly, you need to include a price and a call to action that prompts the client to buy. But how do you know the right price to charge for your packages? Let’s get into that.
6. Determine Personal Training Package Prices
There really isn’t one set formula for pricing online personal trainer packages, so it’s going to take a little bit of research on your part.
One of the first things you can do is a competitor analysis. Is there anyone else offering something similar to you? Look at their pricing and try to be competitive while still making a profit.
You can also see what alternative types of training are available if someone wants to achieve the same results. Are you offering something more convenient or specialized? That would warrant a similar cost for your product.
Think about how much someone would be willing to pay for specialized personal training in your area. Add in the convenience of it being online and the cost of all the extra benefits you might offer. You might be able to price your packages at a similar or higher price than trainers at your local gym since your focus is more niche and your clients could have access to better benefits.
If you want a more accurate baseline price, you need to first determine some of your set costs. Add up the costs that go into making a package, business fees, bills, equipment, software, your time, rent for a private studio, client management, marketing, and anything else you consistently pay for to keep your business running. Your pricing should at least cover your set costs so you break even.
Then determine your profit. This is a delicate calculation because you want to make yourself affordable to your target audience while still making an income. Look at how much you want to make on each sale and add that to your set costs.
Let’s say it’s $3,000 a month to pay for all of your set costs. You know you can sell at least 50 packages a month. This means you need to be making $60 on each package to cover your bases. A 50% profit would give you $30 from each sale, around $1,500 a month if you sell a minimum of 50 packages. Adding your set prices with your profit brings the total cost per package to $90. This should be how much you charge for your lowest priced package.
From there, you can look at your package model and start differentiating your prices for each of your offerings. You should also determine if you want your clients to pay the full price upfront or allow monthly payments.
Add your pricing into your branded package presentation with some simple design. You now have a way to advertise your services and start making sales.
We will go over how to best market and advertise your personal training packages in “Part Six: Gaining New Clients.”
7. Gather Client Feedback
One of the best ways to know the success of your packages is through your client’s feedback. They can give you an honest opinion on their fitness results, suggestions for future trainings, and how easy it is to use your services.
An easy way to collect feedback is by reaching out to your clients. This can be done through an email, text, phone call, or at the end of a virtual session. You can discuss their thoughts or have them fill out a survey for you. This method works best for trainers who maintain personal relationships with their clients.
Even if you never get to know the people who use your virtual trainings, you can still reach out to them for feedback. If you collect their email addresses, you can send a follow-up email at the end of their estimated training time. You can also include a customer review section on your website.
However you choose to gather feedback, always take the time to see what people have to say. Build a feedback strategy into your programs so you have a way to continually improve the user experience. If you find and fix a common complaint with your packages, you may find yourself gaining new clients and appealing to more people.
8. Extra Tips To Go The Extra Mile
There are so many ways you can build your virtual personal training business which can make it hard to know what methods discussed in this article may work for you. Check out some of these tips and FAQs to better create your online personal training packages!
What if my packages supplement in-person training, or are part of a hybrid structure?
Pick a package model that best follows your current business structure. It’s easiest to replicate the category model and break these packages into their own individual sessions. Each training should not rely on other packages since this type of virtual training may only be used occasionally. Think of it as a one-time use and not part of a series.
If your workout packages are mostly written materials with some videos…
Break up your copy into smaller paragraphs for easier reading. Aim for two to four sentences per paragraph. Try adding bullet point lists for specific instructions, or adding check boxes so clients can track their progress through a session.
Have clear, labeled sections for things like a warm-up and cool down, workout type, modifications, and more. Don’t be afraid to add headers and small graphics or images to make the content uniquely yours.
If your workout packages are mostly longer videos with little written material…
You can create one continuous video by stitching together smaller videos. This can be done with your editing software and give clients a seamless experience. Start with a warm-up and add in videos of each set. You can break them up with clips of you talking to your clients about the workouts they are performing, and end with a cool down.
Another option is to have a library or playlist of different types of exercises a client could then choose from. For example, you offer five different warm-up videos, a variety of their core exercise videos, and five different cool down videos. Your client can then customize their daily workouts based on the content you provide them each day.
How many clients do online personal trainers have?
If you virtually train people one-on-one, you can have anywhere from 15-30 clients depending on the length of the sessions and if you take groups. If you just sell online training course packages, you could have dozens, hundreds, or thousands of clients that pay for your services.
It all depends on what style of training you prefer and if you would rather spend your time working individually with people or marketing your online courses.
“How To Become An Online Personal Trainer” is a nine-part series by Insurance Canopy outlining tips and tricks to help you take your training to the next level. Check out the rest of the series below!
Part One: Finding Your Virtual Training Space
Part Two: Scaling Your Personal Training Business
Part Three: Building Your Exercise Library
Part Five: Transitioning Clients To Virtual Training
Part Six: Gaining New Clients
Part Seven: Data Documentation & Client Organization
Part Eight: Protecting Your Business
Part Nine: 5 Additional Tips For Continued Success
