YOu
Become a Community Member and watch video>>
Our BFS 2024 State of the Industry report confirmed what many growth-minded studio owners already know: Referrals were the top-reported source of new leads for profitable studios. They’re simple, organic, personal—and they don’t require an expensive advertising budget or marketing agency.
As Kelvin Gary, CEO at Body Space Fitness in NYC explains, referrals are the #1 source of new clients, and for good reason. Unlike ads or promotions, referrals come pre-loaded with trust and credibility.
If you’re looking to build a referral engine that works on autopilot (and actually delivers), here’s a breakdown of how to get there—based on real systems in action.
Your best marketing strategy starts inside your studio. When your clients leave a session and hear someone say, “I’ve been thinking about trying something new,” your name should be the first thing that comes to mind. That doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s not about asking for a favor—it’s about creating a client experience they can’t help but talk about.
Ads grab attention. Referrals build trust. A referral is a live testimonial from someone your potential client already trusts—who’s probably already answered their questions about pricing, results, and schedule fit.
That kind of validation is hard to match with any 30-second video or landing page.
Referrals won’t come consistently without structure. Here’s how Body Space Fitness makes it simple for clients to refer:
Online referral form: Clients can quickly add referrals through a landing page connected to your CRM or Google Sheet.
Follow-up process: The team reaches out by email within 12 hours. If there’s no reply, they follow up with a phone call the next day and another email after that.
Referral rewards: Clients earn a $50 credit when someone they refer signs up for training or completes a certain number of sessions or classes. That credit can be used toward sessions, merchandise, or in-studio snacks.
Bonus: During specific times of year, they run double referral promos, giving $100 credits to incentivize even more activity.
A common challenge? Free trials that go nowhere. To solve this, Body Space offers a buy-one-get-one intro package—one strategy session + two semi-private sessions, priced as one.
Why it works:
The client has some skin in the game
It creates two meaningful touchpoints to build rapport
It filters out the non-serious leads while still being accessible
From there, the team checks in, schedules session #2 before the client leaves, and clearly presents the next package options—training or classes. This is where the referral engine gets another opportunity to grow.
Clients don’t refer studios. They refer people.
Group fitness instructors who treat each class like a crowd won’t create raving fans. But when coaches connect on an individual level—even in group formats—clients remember it. And they talk about it.
You don’t need 1-on-1 follow-ups with every client. Small touch points like Coach Q&As on Instagram, a training tips page, or sharing recipes from a coach can all keep your team top of mind when the conversation shifts to fitness.
Ready to build a referral system that actually brings in leads?
Start by focusing on people, not just promotions. The more your members feel seen, the more they’ll want to send others your way.
Want More Resources Like This?
Our BFS Resource Library has everything in one place to help you take action—fast.
Designed by operators, for operators, it includes real-world templates, guides, videos, and courses
for common challenges across marketing, operations, staffing, retention, and more.
Explore what's inside and put it to work for your business.
Visit our Resource Library>