The Ultimate Guide for Promoting Your Online Fitness Business on TikTok

In this article, you will find the ultimate guide for promoting your Online Fitness Business on TikTok.

So, you’ve set up your online fitness business, created your Instagram page or YouTube channel, uploaded your videos and tutorials, and the money should be pouring in like a tropical rainstorm. Right?

Unfortunately, like many fitness professionals who are trying to grow their online business, you may have started to realize that it’s not as easy finding and landing new clients as you may have initially thought. You’re not alone here.

But no need to get doomy and gloomy, because the online fitness market is actually experiencing a staggering growth rate.

The Online Fitness Industry Is Projected to Grow by Up To 33% Annually Over the Next 6 Years!

The global online fitness industry is currently worth over $10.7 billion, and it has grown an astounding 77.3% since 2019 before the pandemic. It is projected to continue growing at a yearly rate of up to 33% to reach a total worth of $59 billion by 2027.

Statistics and research indicate that since the beginning of 2020 until now, in the US alone, the demand for personal trainers and nutritionists has gone up by 47.5%. At the same time, the number of physically active adults who have switched over to online fitness content and subscriptions for their daily workouts has grown by a whopping 134.7%.

That’s where you come in! You just have to tap into the right online channels to promote your fitness business and get your cut of all that cash.

But you’ll have to get a little creative to stand out from the crowd, in order to reach the right people and draw them in to actually pay for the expertise you have to offer.

Meet TikTok!

If you’re new to TikTok, it has taken the world by storm in recent years as one of the fastest-growing social media platforms with an estimated 732 million active users. This is not including China, which has its own version of the app called Douyin.

It is also the most downloaded app for the second year running with a total of around 2.6 billion downloads worldwide, beating out all the other most popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Some view it as the successor of the old Vine app, because it’s designed for creating short looping videos with special effects and graphics, with mostly funny, playful and entertaining content.

TikTok can be an absolute monster for boosting your brand’s reach, so in this article we’re going to cover what TikTok is all about and what type of audience you can reach on it.

We’ll also go over some useful features of this growing social media platform, some tips and tricks you can use to make your videos captivating and entertaining, as well as some specific ideas for your next video to promote your online Fitness Business on TikTok.

Let’s go!

So, Who Can You Find on TikTok?

When the app first came out globally as TikTok back in 2017, its main target audience and early adopters were teens and tweens. In other words, users between the ages of 10 – 19, and this has remained its reputation to this day as a social media platform for young people.

However, TikTok’s demographics have slowly changed over the last few years and it has seen a rapid growth of older users across the world.

There are a few different estimates of the distribution of TikTok users in the US in 2021, and they range as follows:

• The initial user group of ages 10 – 19 now makes up 25% – 32.5% of total US users,
• Ages 20 – 29 make up 22.4% – 29.5%,
• Ages 30 – 39 make up 16.4% – 21.7%,
• Ages 40 – 49 make up 13.9% – 20.3%,
• Users over the age of 50 account for between 7.1% and nearly 11% of total US users.

So, the youngest audience still makes up the majority of the total US users on TikTok. If you’re able to produce fun content that can get them to fall in love with you, you have a potential source of young followers and perhaps even future clients.

But as you can see, all the other age groups are not far behind and are now also represented in similar numbers. This means that the TikTok market has opened up to a whole range of businesses that now have a chance to reach older audiences with less competition.

And you know what? Not that many of them are doing it yet, because they’re still under the impression that TikTok is just for kids.

That’s your chance! Jumping in right now as a fitness professional, personal trainer or nutritionist could actually mean getting a good head start on a lot of your competition.

TikTok’s Features for Creators

At first glance, TikTok appears similar to many of the other social media platforms out there, and in many ways it is. But it also has a few advanced features that make it stand apart.

Video Creation

Videos are the core of TikTok’s platform. You can record your videos directly within the app, or you can upload videos that you’ve created and edited outside of TikTok. The maximum length of videos used to be 15 seconds, then it grew to 60 seconds, and as of this year you can create videos up to 3 minutes long.

Video Editing

You have a whole range of editing tools available that let you flip, crop or rotate your videos, as well as change their playback speed. You also have a huge soundtrack library available to add background music and sound effects to all your videos.

Filters and Effects

TikTok’s video editor also has a ton of fun filters and visual effects that you can add to your videos, from stickers and animations, to filters that add virtual elements to your face or change your physical appearance.

Likes and Comments

This one’s pretty self-explanatory, and it works just like on any other social media platform. The more people like and comment on your content, the better your reach and chances of going viral.

Social Sharing

TikTok has a built-in feature that lets you link all your social media channels. It’s a great tool for easily sharing all your videos everywhere else you may have a personal profile or business page.

Hashtags

You can use hashtags on TikTok the same way as on other platforms, but here they have another function as well. People mostly use them to tag other users and invite them to participate in different challenges and trends.

Reaction Videos

This is probably one of TikTok’s most interesting features. It lets you watch another video and record your own reaction to it directly within the app. The result is that your video includes the recording of the original video as you are watching it, so everyone can see it along with your reaction.

Duets

This is also one of TikTok’s most popular features. It lets you create a shared video with anyone on the app where you both appear side by side on the same screen. The biggest benefit of this feature is that you both practically share your followers with each other and can potentially double your reach.

More on some ideas with these last two features further below, so keep reading.

What Should You Keep in Mind When Creating TikTok Videos for Your Fitness Business?

Seeing as how TikTok is a fast-paced platform with a seemingly endless amount of content being created daily, it’s just too easy for users to swipe to watch the next video. So, there’s a few things you should take into consideration when creating your fitness content if you want it to perform well on TikTok.

Grab the Viewer’s Attention in the First 3 Seconds

TikTok has more than 1 billion video views every day! Yup, you read that correctly. One billion, one day. This means that you have to get your viewers hooked within the first 3 seconds of your video or they’re gone.

Keep It Short

Let’s be real. Most people’s attention spans these days have become shorter than a snake’s legs. It’s not necessarily anyone’s fault, it just seems to be the result of the overstimulating online world we have created with so many distractions. So, although TikTok has increased its video length limit to 3 minutes, you want to keep most of your videos in the goldilocks zone between 20 and 40 seconds.

Sure, 3-minute videos can be great for demonstrating a particular workout routine or sharing a nutrition plan with those who already follow you, but if you’re trying to build your audience and want to maximize your reach, shorter videos are the way to go. They’re more consumable and easily shared, and they have a much better chance of increasing your exposure.

Be Authentic

Don’t be a rip-off or a copycat. If you lack originality, you’ll have a harder time standing out from all the other fitness brands competing for your potential clients’ attention. TikTok’s algorithm also loves and promotes unique content and authentic creators who bring something different to the table.

Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously

While other platforms may require you to maintain a professional image and reputation, TikTok is a great place where you can let your guard down, be yourself, and even get silly. Many “serious” companies are picking up on this opportunity to show a different, behind-the-scenes side of themselves with relaxed and quirky videos of their employees and office antics. It’s a great chance for people to see you as approachable and relatable.

If You’re Funny, Let It Shine!

If you have it, a great sense of humor is your biggest advantage on TikTok, because most people on the platform are just looking for a good laugh. Everyone knows that being funny is one of the most useful personality traits you can have. It’s why the least handsome dude in the room, but who can make people roll on the floor laughing, can get a date with a girl way out of his league. People love to laugh. Period.

Not Sure Where to Start? Here’s Some Trendy Ideas for Your Next Fitness TikTok Video

TikTok is all about trends. If you can be quick to identify new trends and catch a ride on them, the sky could be the limit for your fitness content. For starters, give some of these ideas a shot.

Yup, Nope Videos

These are videos in which you react to different things that you mention or show in the video with “yup” and “nope”. They could be simply stickers with certain words, photos or short videos. A great idea for a fitness “Yup, nope” video could be different dos and don’ts of fitness or nutrition. It could be the dos and don’ts of particular exercises, good vs. bad form, or anything similar.

Before and After Videos

TikTok has a popular “morph” feature that lets you combine photos by morphing them into each other and creating a single video. It can be awesome for creating impressive and inspiring before-and-after videos of your clients, or even of your own fitness journey. You can also share and create videos of your own life before and after starting your online fitness business.

Get to Know Me Videos

Don’t be afraid to show your true colors on TikTok. The most successful content on the platform are videos in which people are silly, poke fun at themselves, and let people get to know them. You can address a common question you may get a lot, or joke about a celebrity lookalike if you have one, or simply share some cool stuff about yourself and your fitness journey.

Videos on Trending Topics

TikTok has a Discover page, similar to the Explore page on Instagram. Go to the Discover page and check out which hashtags are currently trending, and then try to incorporate that topic into your own fitness style or a creative workout video. If you can jump on the wave of a trending hashtag, it can greatly increase the chances of your video going viral. That’s the ultimate goal!

Dance Videos

Let’s face it, TikTok is mostly about entertainment. You’ve probably seen dance videos of just about anybody, from doctors and nurses in hospitals to your neighbor’s grandma. If you can combine your own unique workout moves with a killer tune, or even mix it up with some sizzling dance moves, there’s a pretty good chance people will love it.

Challenge Videos

Participate in fitness, dance, or any other types of challenges. Most TikTok challenges come with their own specific hashtags, so you can always find what’s currently hot and create a video with your own personal spin on it. Or better yet, come up with your own unique challenge and start a new trend!

Reaction Videos

You know better than anyone that there’s an incredible amount of false information floating around on the internet when it comes to fitness and nutrition. There are tons of self-proclaimed gurus sharing useless and even harmful advice with people who don’t know any better. If you’re an expert in your field, you can create reaction videos to set the record straight on what works and what doesn’t, what’s good and bad workout form, good and bad nutrition advice, and so on.

Duets

As already mentioned, the Duet feature lets you create split-screen videos with other TikTok users with both of you side by side in the same video. This can be a great tool for doing collabs with other fitness professionals, synchronized workout routines, or simply exchanges of useful information.

How Can You Increase the Chances of Your Fitness Videos on TikTok Going Viral?

Everybody’s dream is to trick any platform’s algorithm into getting their videos to go viral. But there’s a key difference between TikTok and other platforms. While YouTube and Instagram have a few different algorithms controlling the content flow on different parts of their platforms, TikTok only has one.

This means that it’s currently easier to make a video go viral on TikTok than on any other social media platform out there. It’s also because the algorithm shows your videos to a wider range of users than just your followers or even your primary target audience.

This is one of the ways the algorithm actually tests out users’ engagement to see what they like and don’t like, by always offering them something new along with the regular type of content it already knows they like and engage with.

If your content is fun and captivating and new people react to it positively, either by liking or watching your video till the end without swiping to the next one, TikTok’s algorithm will automatically start showing it to more new people. The more people engage with your video, the more new people it will continue showing it to on the “For You” section of their newsfeeds.

If you can tap into such a positive loop, it can skyrocket your video views, get you more likes and followers, and increase your brand’s reach tremendously.

Use Famous Soundtracks

Using trending songs in your videos can increase your views significantly, because TikTok’s algorithm has an automatic listing of the tracks’ names underneath your videos. Oftentimes, one video with a particular song or sound effect goes viral, and then more people start creating their own version of a video with that song. If TikTok’s algorithm sees that people are engaging with videos with a particular song, there’s a greater chance it will show them your video as well if you use it.

Create Catchy Standalone Content

All of your videos should be watchable and shareable as standalone content. Many creators have shared their experiences that TikTok’s algorithm doesn’t seem to prefer serial videos on the same topic where you have to watch the entire series in order to understand each video. Each video should make sense on its own, even if it is part of a series.

Use Vertical Videos

Creating videos in portrait mode is a huge recommendation, because it has practically become the norm. With the complete takeover by smartphones when it comes to consuming online content, horizontal landscape videos are slowly becoming a thing of the past. So, forget about turning your phone sideways.

Cross-Promote

Make use of TikTok’s built-in feature that lets you directly link your Instagram, YouTube channel and other social media platforms. You can increase your reach significantly by easily sharing all your TikTok content on other platforms where you have an account.

Collaborate With Others

Consider teaming up with other personal trainers, nutritionists, fitness models, influencers, supplement brands, or even clothing companies. Just make sure to do some analysis on the demographics of their audience. If you’re going to be promoting your fitness business and services to their audience, you want to make sure it fits well into your own primary target group.

Learn From Other Fitness Professionals Who Have Achieved TikTok Success

There are already many great examples of fitness success stories on TikTok. Study their profiles a bit to see what type of content they’re creating. Some of the names you should definitely check out are Demi Bagby, Antonie Lokhorst, Ulisses World, Jennifer Tavernier, Rebecca Louise, and Stevie Prince. Look them up on TikTok, and you’ll notice that they all share different types of fitness and nutrition content with their own unique style that makes their followers love them. Try to find out what ideas could work for you, but make sure to give them your own special touch.

Well, There You Have It!

We’ve gone over many useful things to consider if you want to use TikTok to promote your fitness business, expand your reach and get new clients. It’s up to you decide if it’s the right fit for you, and all that’s left to do is sign up for an account and start creating content.

There is one more thing you can do as a fitness professional to monetize your expertise and take your online fitness business to the next level.

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