Every November, the same question comes up for personal trainers: should you run a Black Friday promotion?
It can be tempting, especially when your inbox and social feeds are full of businesses advertising their biggest deals of the year. But offering a discount just because everyone else is doing it isn’t always the best move for your coaching business.
Maybe you’ve got a few spaces you’d like to fill before the end of the year. Maybe you want to get a head start on January bookings, or reconnect with clients who haven’t trained with you in a while.
Those are all good reasons to consider running a promotion.
What you don’t want is to sign up a bunch of new clients at a heavily discounted rate, only to find yourself working more hours for less money.
So before you start putting together an offer, it’s worth thinking about what you actually want Black Friday to do for your business.
Here’s how to plan a promotion that makes sense for you and your clients.
Decide What You Want to Get Out of Black Friday
It’s easy to jump straight into thinking about discounts and special offers, but start by looking at what’s happening in your business.
Have you got a few coaching spots you’d like to fill? Are there previous clients you’d love to work with again? Or are you looking to get some January bookings confirmed before everyone disappears into the holiday season?
What you’re trying to achieve will help you decide what kind of promotion makes sense.
For example, if you want to fill your January schedule, you could offer people the opportunity to secure a coaching spot now and start training in the new year.
If you’ve got a list of previous clients who haven’t trained with you for a while, a return-to-training package might be more appealing than a general discount.
And if you’re already close to capacity, it might make more sense to offer something to your existing clients rather than trying to bring in more.
You don’t need to achieve everything with one promotion. Pick one thing you’d like Black Friday to help with and build your offer around that.
Choose an Offer That Works for You and Your Clients
You don’t have to slash your prices to get people’s attention.
In fact, sometimes adding something extra to your usual coaching package can be more appealing than a discount.
Think about what might help someone feel more confident about signing up or getting back into training.
A few options worth considering:
- A starter package: A four-week coaching program with an initial assessment and personalized training plan.
- An added bonus: An extra goal-setting session or progress review when someone signs up for a coaching package.
- A January pre-sale: The chance to secure a coaching spot now and start training in the new year.
- An existing-client upgrade: An opportunity for current clients to add another service or move to a more comprehensive coaching package.
- A return-to-training offer: A structured program for former clients who want help getting back into a routine.
Whichever option you choose, think about the time and effort involved in delivering it.
An extra one-on-one session might sound like a great bonus, but if 15 people take you up on the offer, that’s 15 additional sessions you need to fit into your schedule.
The same goes for heavily discounted packages. Bringing in more clients is great, but not if you’re spending significantly more time coaching for less revenue.
Your offer should be appealing to clients without creating a headache for you later.
Make Your Offer Easy to Understand
Once you’ve decided what you’re offering, keep the message simple.
People shouldn’t have to read three paragraphs or send you a DM just to work out what’s included.
Make it clear what they’re getting, who the offer is for, how long it’s available, and what they need to do to sign up.
For example, instead of posting:
“BLACK FRIDAY SALE! 20% OFF PERSONAL TRAINING!”
You could say:
“Thinking about getting back into training? For Black Friday, we’re offering a limited number of four-week coaching packages that include a personalized training plan, weekly check-ins, and support to help you build a consistent routine. Sign up by Monday to secure your spot.”
The second version gives people a better idea of what they’re actually signing up for.
It also helps attract people who are interested in your coaching, rather than those who are simply looking for the biggest discount.
Before you publish anything, ask yourself whether someone who’s never worked with you would understand the offer and know what to do next.
If not, simplify it.
Don’t Leave Your Promotion Until Black Friday Morning
If the first time someone hears about your offer is on Black Friday, you’re relying on them seeing your post, being interested, and making a decision all on the same day.
That’s a lot to ask, especially when their inbox and social feeds are already full of promotions.
Give people a little time to think about it.
In the week or two leading up to Black Friday, start talking about the things your potential clients care about.
You might share a client success story, talk about what someone can expect when they start coaching with you, or answer a question you regularly get from people considering personal training.
Then, as Black Friday gets closer, introduce your offer.
You don’t need to post about it every day. A few well-timed messages across the channels you already use can be enough.
Think about who you’re trying to reach:
- Your email list: People who have shown an interest in your coaching but haven’t signed up yet.
- Your social media audience: Followers who might need a little more information or reassurance before taking the next step.
- Previous clients: People you already have a relationship with who might appreciate a personal message about getting back into training.
And don’t forget to follow up. Someone might be interested when they first see your offer but need a reminder before it closes.
For 2026, Black Friday falls on November 27, with Cyber Monday on November 30. If you’re running your promotion across the weekend, make sure people know exactly when it ends.
Don’t Forget About Your Existing Clients
Imagine you’ve been paying full price for personal training for the past year, and suddenly your trainer announces a huge discount that’s only available to new clients.
You might feel a little overlooked.
That’s something worth thinking about before you launch your promotion.
Your existing clients have already invested in your coaching, so consider whether there’s an opportunity to include them.
You could offer early access to your promotion, introduce an exclusive package upgrade, or give them a referral reward for recommending someone new.
That doesn’t mean everyone needs to receive the same offer.
A new client might benefit from a starter package, while someone who’s been training with you for a year might get more value from an additional service or a longer-term coaching option.
The important thing is making sure your current clients don’t feel forgotten while you’re busy trying to attract new ones.
Think About What Happens After Someone Signs Up
It’s exciting to see new clients coming in, especially when a promotion performs better than expected.
But before you launch, think about what happens once someone purchases your offer.
Do they receive a welcome message? Do they know when their coaching starts? Have you got a process for collecting their goals and training information?
And if you suddenly had ten new clients sign up over the weekend, would you be ready for them?
You don’t need to have everything automated, but you do want a process that makes it easy for people to get started.
A new client shouldn’t have to chase you to find out what happens next.
This is also where having your coaching programs, client communication, and progress tracking organized in one place can make life easier.
With TrueCoach, you can manage training programs, communicate with clients, and keep track of their progress without juggling multiple spreadsheets or message threads.
The easier it is to manage the day-to-day side of coaching, the more time you can spend actually working with your clients.
Don’t Stop Thinking About Your Promotion Once It’s Over
Once Black Friday and Cyber Monday are done, it’s tempting to move on to the next thing.
But it’s worth taking a little time to look at how things went.
Did you sell as many packages as you’d hoped? Did the promotion attract the type of clients you wanted? Was there anything that took more time or effort than you expected?
You might find that a personal email to previous clients brought in more business than a week of social media posts.
Or that your January pre-sale worked better than offering a discount on your regular coaching packages.
Those are useful things to know when you’re planning your next promotion.
It’s also worth keeping an eye on what happens with the clients who signed up.
Are they engaging with their programs? Are they making progress? Do they want to continue coaching once their initial package finishes?
A promotion might bring someone through the door, but their experience working with you is what gives them a reason to stay.
Make Black Friday Work for Your Coaching Business
You don’t need to run the biggest sale of the year to make Black Friday worthwhile.
For some trainers, it might mean filling a few January coaching spots. For others, it could be reconnecting with former clients or encouraging existing clients to take the next step.
And if your schedule is already full or you’re not in a position to take on more clients, that’s worth recognizing too. Not every business needs to run a Black Friday promotion.
But if you do decide to get involved, give yourself enough time to plan something that works for your business and the people you coach.
Need a Hand Planning Your Black Friday Promotion?
We’ve put together The Fitness Business Black Friday Playbook to help you get organized
Inside, you’ll find practical worksheets to help you plan your offer, a four-week campaign countdown, ready-to-use promotional messages, and checklists to help you prepare for new clients.
Download the Free Black Friday Playbook
When you’re ready to bring those systems together, start a free TrueCoach trial and see how a platform built specifically for coaches can help you manage your business as it grows.
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