Your Guide to Becoming a Fitness Influencer in 2024
Have you ever found yourself lost in an Instagram scroll and wondered, “Could I actually make a career out of this?” (Spoiler alert: you totally can.)
If you love sharing your fitness journey on social media, your passion could be the ticket to a full-blown career.
Social media has become the ultimate playground for discovering yourself. By teaching and connecting with your audience, you don't just have the potential to earn income but also to change some lives along the way.
So, why not give it a shot?
Well, the fitness influencer gig may seem like a dreamy escape—work from anywhere, be your own boss, and choose creative projects—but those success stories are few and far between.
While the Instagram snapshots of the fitness influencer lifestyle seem glamorous, this isn't a shortcut to easy, fast money. Building a personal brand takes a lot of work.
The first rule is you have to LOVE making content!
In this post, we're laying out a realistic and achievable career path for you. It requires dedication and time, but stick with it, and the rewards will follow.
Here’s the overall process for how to become a successful fitness influencer:
Find your niche in the fitness industry (prenatal fitness, Pilates, holistic wellness, etc.)
Build your engaged audience of followers
Choose one social media platform to grow
Plan how you want to monetize your influence
Create a media kit to send to brands
Reach out to sponsors, partners, and advertisers
We're diving into the details in this post. Stick around, and you'll walk away knowing the ins and outs of becoming a fitness influencer and turning it into a full-time gig.
But first, let's get started with the basics.
What Do Fitness Influencers Really Do?
In the marketing world, an influencer is essentially someone with a lot of engaged followers on social media. They're the trendsetters who can have you rethinking everything from your shopping cart to your Saturday plans.
Now, within this influencer world, there's a niche of health and fitness influencers.
These influencers aren't just about flaunting gym selfies though. They're all about sharing their fitness journey, dishing out tips, and being your online workout buddy. Their goal is to inspire people to get off the couch, try out new workouts, and live a healthier life.
At the same time, they're building their brand while making a living through partnerships, sponsorships, and endorsing products they believe in.
Find Your Niche in the Market
So, how do you get started as a fitness influencer?
First things first, let's talk about choosing a niche. Think of it as your own little corner of the fitness world. A niche is your unique spot in the market, whether you're into weightlifting, yoga and mindfulness, postnatal fitness, dance, or more.
But why is finding your niche so important?
For starters, when you choose a less crowded niche, it's much easier to stand out faster and attract a dedicated following. Plus, it makes your content creation easier when you know exactly what topics to dive into.
Brands also prefer to work with niche influencers because they can reach a target audience who is seriously interested in what they have to offer.
However, choosing a niche can be a tough decision—and many would-be influencers get stuck for too long at this step.
Having so many options can make it hard to pick where to focus. There's also that worry about locking into one niche and feeling like you might miss out on other opportunities or lose your creative freedom.
But the more niche you go, the easier it is to get visible in your target market. Take Keri McClanahan, for example. She teaches Pilates workouts, but she also goes even deeper with a sub-niche in Prenatal and Postnatal Pilates and Yoga.
Now, let's break it down into three simple steps to find your niche:
First off, think about what parts of fitness really light you up. What gets you excited? Being passionate and knowledgeable about your niche will help you create content that's genuine and relatable to your audience.
Next up, do a bit of detective work in the fitness world. Look for trends, see where there might be some gaps or untapped corners. Finding a niche with potential for growth and success is key.
And finally, figure out what makes you different from the rest of the fitness crowd in your niche. Maybe it's your own journey, your unique approach, or your killer expertise. Whatever it is, own it and let it shine!
Why Engagement Matters More Than Followers
Many get caught up in the follower count game, but the truth is, it’s just a vanity metric. The number itself doesn't tell the full story or guarantee success.
What really matters? Your engagement rate.
Calculating your engagement rate is simple—just add up the likes, comments, shares, or saves your content gets, and divide it by your total followers.
As you’re working to build your audience, don’t forget to engage back! Especially in the early days, make it a conversation with your followers. Ask questions, respond to comments, maybe run a poll or two—keep it interactive.
But steer clear of buying followers or bots. Grow your followers organically, and you'll naturally rack up more engagement because these people are following you because they genuinely want to.
Focus on Building Your Social Media Presence on One Platform
We recommend you choose one marketing channel as your platform and go all in on growing your audience before you expand to other channels.
Forget the idea that one platform is better than the others—YouTube vs. Instagram, Pinterest vs. Twitter—it's all fair game. There are countless ways to succeed in the online marketing game.
We get it, though. Shiny object syndrome can hit hard when you see someone doing great in a particular space. You've been working hard on YouTube, not seeing massive growth, then boom, someone's killing it on TikTok, and suddenly you're tempted to switch lanes.
Here's the truth: any of these platforms can work if you stick to a plan.
There's no one-size-fits-all answer. The problem is people tend to spread themselves thin, juggling their time and effort among a gazillion things without committing to a solid strategy.
Our advice is to choose a visibility vehicle (blogging, podcasting, YouTubing) and pick one primary amplifier (your go-to social media channel) and stick with it consistently for at least a year.
Give yourself the time, space, and grace to see what success really looks like.
When it comes to content creation, consistency is key. Don't hit your followers with a flurry of posts one day and then go MIA for weeks. Create a posting schedule, stick to it, and keep your audience engaged.
How to Monetize Your Online Presence
So, how do influencers make money? There are many ways.
First off, the most popular way to monetize your influence is with brand partnerships.
You team up with companies, give their products a shout-out via sponsored posts, and in return, earn some cash. The key here is to promote things you actually stand behind to maintain your audience’s trust!
Then there's YouTube. Hit 1,000 subscribers and rack up 4,000 hours of watch time in a year, and you can apply to the YouTube Partner Program to share ad revenue.
TikTok has its own Creator program too. You can join in once you hit 10,000 followers and snag at least 100,000 views in the last 30 days. Meta (aka Facebook and Instagram) also has a Creator program. However, you must have a professional account and 10,000 followers before you qualify.
You can also sell your own products and services: ebooks, courses, digital downloads, and memberships. Online teaching platforms like Marvelous can help you start teaching on your own platform when you’re ready.
Create a Compelling Media Kit
After you’ve built a following, it’s time to put together your media kit. Why should brands be excited to collaborate with you?
When you start reaching out to brands, you want to showcase exactly why teaming up with you is an opportunity they can't afford to miss.
Think of your media kit as your professional portfolio—it shows brands you're serious and gives them a glimpse into your personal brand and values. It also outlines the ways brands can collaborate with you, from sponsored posts to product reviews and more.
Here's a breakdown of what to include in your media kit:
About Me: Give them a glimpse into who you are, your fitness journey, and your background in the industry.
Engagement Stats: Include key metrics like followers, engagement rate, and other relevant statistics.
Follower Demographics: Share details about your audience like age, gender, location, and their interest.
Your Services: Clearly outline the services you provide, such as sponsored posts, product reviews, long-term partnerships, and ambassadorships.
About the Process: Help brands understand your workflow and how collaborating with you can be a smooth process.
Past Collaborations: Highlight your previous collaborations with other brands, your stats, and testimonials that show the results and impact of your influence.
Content Samples: Include samples of your best work—images, videos, blog posts—to show off your expertise and creativity.
Pricing: Create a chart displaying your rates for different types of content
Contact Information: Provide a professional email address for brands to get in touch with you for potential collaborations.
And remember, keep it professional but still let your personality shine through with your logo and brand colors!
Start Reaching Out To Brands and Partners
Lastly, you need to start pitching yourself to fitness brands!
Think of it like creating a wish list, but in spreadsheet form. Start jotting down all the potential collaborators you dream of working with and put your detective hat on to find the right contacts at each organization.
Check out which brands have a solid track record with influencer programs, but also focus on finding those that align with your niche and values. It's not just about partnering with any fitness brand, it's about the ones that truly resonate with your audience.
Whip up a pitch template to save time, but make sure to tweak it for each brand.
Brands can spot a generic email from a mile away—they're inundated with them every day. You want yours to stand out by highlighting your unique selling points, the value you bring to the table, and any success stories or testimonials you've got up your sleeve.
Before you hit 'send' on that pitch, be crystal clear about the next steps. Make it easy for the brand to get in touch with you or learn more about what you offer. Show them you’re really interested in teaming up because you get their values and goals.
Use Data to Strengthen Your Brand
As you dive into the world of creating content and connecting with brands, keep a close eye on what type of content gets your followers attention—and make more of that magic happen!
Sure, it's good to shake things up and try out different content styles, but always stay tuned in to what the numbers are saying. They let you know which content your audience wants to see more of.
Keep the momentum going by following these steps to keep expanding your influence, tweak as needed, and watch your influence grow.
Being a fitness influencer is more than just sharing workouts—it's about connecting and inspiring others to become the best version of themselves.
