They say having kids should be one of the biggest motivators to work out. But for many parents, kids become the biggest reason they don’t. As a gym owner, you already know this: marketing to parents is tricky. Finding the right messaging is tough. You want to encourage them to step away from the never-ending chaos of school drop-offs, pick-ups, sports practices, and bedtime routines — without making it feel like you’re adding to their list of things to do. The last thing you want is to pile on the guilt they’re likely already feeling about not working out.

We went ahead and took care of this messaging for you: here are 3 copy-and-paste emails you can send to parents right now to get them back in the gym and back on track with their fitness routine.

There are numerous direct ways to reach parents through email and social media which we’ve discussed here, but you also have opportunities to reach them through messaging that’s more subtle, too.The trick is to show parents that you understand the weight they carry and reinforce the message that the weight will feel less heavy when they prioritize their health (because they’ll get stronger!). Here are a few tried-and-true ways to send a message that’s subtle, yet direct enough that it will hit the mark with this target audience.

1. Hype Up Your Community

If you’re a parent yourself, then you already know how isolating it can be. Many parents who are struggling to find their footing with fitness are also struggling to hold on to some semblance of a social life. Your gym can be the space where they can find both. Some of the best friendships are made in the lobby during the minutes before and after class, during warm-ups and partner workouts, and from high fives in between transitions. Your job is to introduce people to each other in class, to organize events outside of the gym, and then to capture these relationships to highlight on social media. 

These friendships and community probably already exist at your gym — now you just need to put a spotlight on it. By reinforcing the message that parents deserve to have friendships and fitness (and they can find both at your gym), you solve two pain points for parents.

2. Create or Adjust Class Schedules Around School Drop-Offs

A common hindrance for parents is that they can’t make it into the gym before school starts. The morning rush is filled with too much chaos and not enough caffeine. Find out the start times for schools in your area (within a 10-mile radius) and add or adjust a class time to be 30 minutes after school drop-off. You may have to find the most common start time or find a median between all of them. Sometimes it can be easier for parents to get into the gym if they’ve already made it out of the house.   

3. Add a Shorter Class Format to Your Schedule

Express classes can be a great option for parents struggling to fit it all in. If you can condense a typical 60-minute class into 45 minutes or even 30, it can feel that much more doable for busy parents.

4. Support Their Kids and Schools

When you invest in local schools through donations and fundraisers, you’re aligning with what parents value most — investing in their kids. You can donate free class packages or gift baskets for fundraisers, offer to host a fundraiser class, or even invest a percentage of sales back into the school. Consider the same approach for sports teams. Sports teams are often looking for small business sponsors in exchange for marketing the business to parents, the boosters and sports fans. Not only will it build trust and respect within the community, but it will boost your visibility to the parent network.

5. Get Kids Involved‍

This is a great way to get parents to at least step foot inside your gym: make it a kid-centered activity first. If you can get the kids excited about your gym, parents will follow suit. Experiment with a family fitness day where the whole family can come and do obstacle courses, relay races or mini WODs. You could also try hosting a skills-based clinic like intro to weightlifting or a week-long summer camp where you can coach fundamentals of teamwork and importance of exercise. 

Parents may be a nuanced group, but they’re a necessary one. If you can meet them where they are, you’ll find some of your most loyal, long-standing members.

Download our free email templates with the right messaging and offers you can send to parents right now.