Edited by Liam Huggins - Fitness Blogger
An important question for all personal trainers is how to find new clients for their personal training business. We sat down with Personal Trainer Hannah Groves to gather her professional opinions and tips for attracting clients!
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Firstly Hannah, how many clients do personal trainers typically have?
It of course varies for each personal trainer. I currently have 23 clients split on a hybrid model of face-to-face and online coaching. This structure is based on me personal training part time due to other commitments. This is with 75% of my clients being females and having gone through a postnatal programme with me.
So how many clients should a personal trainer have? Is there a recommended number?
I personally think that is no limit to how many clients a Personal Trainer should or shouldn’t have. It would depend on the Personal Trainer’s situation as to whether they choose to work full time or part time. It would also depend on the different types of clients you choose to train as this will affect how many sessions they want per week, and whether they want face-to-face or online coaching.
It’s good to know that a personal trainer can build up a new client list to suit their circumstances. So, the next question is, naturally, how would a personal trainer attract new clients?
A good way to attract new clients is through client referrals and showing client testimonials and results through social media. For a new Personal Trainer building a client database, if they are based in a gym, they would need to be on the gym floor talking to as many people as possible, offering ‘Personal Training taster sessions’ and giving demonstrations. The best way to attract new personal training clients is to get yourself out there, meeting potential clients.
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Is there a difference for finding clients for online personal training as opposed to being based in a gym?
There is a big difference to finding clients for online personal training as you are most likely to find these clients through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. To be successful online it is important to target your own audience, showcasing the areas you specialise in. For example – specialising in extra qualifications such as nutrition or pre and postnatal. Sharing content on social media needs to be completed regularly, making sure to include posts of client transformations and testimonials to show clients the potential results they might gain from working with you and becoming your personal training client.
Finally, Hannah, do you have any tips for getting new personal training clients fast?
In terms of tips for getting new clients fast it is pretty simple - you need to be advertising and marketing/selling yourself and your services by speaking to as many people as possible in your target audience.
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Summary - How to Find Clients for Personal Training
Thank you, Hannah for your time. We now have some useful starter tips for attracting new personal training clients.
If you would like to explore this topic in more detail then check out our further blog here How To Get More Clients As A Personal Trainer | Study Active which dives deeper into ways to attract new clients as a personal trainer.
2026 UPDATE – Has How You Find Personal Training Clients Changed in 2026? What Works Now? – Here is Everything I Found!
One of the most important aspects to Personal Training is finding your clients, you won’t have any business without them! I was curious to find out how a Personal Trainer would go about finding any new clients. So, I read this blog and got just the answer I was after! But I also noticed it was written back in 2022; I therefore took it upon myself to research the latest trends to provide this blog with a 2026 update!
The Personal Training industry is constantly growing, with competition higher than ever. While traditional methods of finding clients such as referrals and in-person interactions remain effective, successful trainers in 2026 are combining those approaches with newer strategies such as digital marketing, personal branding and coaching strategies to attract new clients.
Today, consumers seeking Personal Trainers often research them online before making any contact, meaning that visibility, credibility and trust online have become key factors in relation to client acquisition.
Table 1: The Most Effective Client Acquisition Channels in 2026
|
Method |
Why It Works
|
|
Referrals
|
High trust and conversion rates. |
|
Social Media
|
Increases visibility and engagement. |
|
Google Business Profile
|
Improves local search presence. |
|
Online Coaching Platforms
|
Expands reach beyond local areas. |
|
Email Marketing
|
High reach, can build long-term relationships. |
|
Community Partnerships
|
Generates local referrals. |
According to Trainerize, trainers who combine multiple marketing channels are more likely to see more consistent lead generation than those who rely on a single source of clients.
A huge trend I found within this topic was the importance of personal branding.
Clients want to know:
- Who you help
- What results you deliver
- Your coaching style
- Your qualifications
- Success stories from previous clients
Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok are increasingly being utilised by trainers to show their expertise and build trust before any contact is made.
I also noticed that many clients seeking a Personal Trainer often search terms like ‘personal trainer near me’ or ‘online fitness coach’ before they find and contact a trainer.
In order to improve their visibility, trainers should:
- Optimise their website
- Create location-specific content
- Collect client reviews
- Maintaining an up-to-date Google Business Profile
- Publishing regular fitness content
A strong, optimised online presence can really help Personal Trainers attract enquiries from local people searching for coaching services, time to get clued-up about SEO!
Across my research I also found that the rise of online coaching remains a huge opportunity within the fitness industry.
Benefits include:
- Access to clients worldwide
- Flexible working hours
- Scalable income streams
- Reduced reliance on gyms
- Recurring monthly revenue
Alongside delivering online coaching, Personal Trainers can also utilise digital platforms to create educational content to attract new clients – something that more and more Personal Trainers are doing, time to get in front of that camera!
Popular formats include:
- Workout videos
- Exercise tutorials
- Nutrition tips
- Client success stories
- Fitness blogs
- Email newsletters
Publishing helpful content is great for improving online visibility over time.
Overall, I’ve gathered that finding Personal Training clients in 2026 requires combining traditional and more modern forms of relationship building and lead generation. While referrals and in-person interactions remain essential, consistently demonstrating their expertise and results across digital platforms can really boost a Personal Trainer’s visibility in an increasingly competitive industry.
If you are interested in becoming a Personal Trainer for yourself, click here to find out how to become a Personal Trainer with Study Active today!