Stop Selling Workouts and Start Filling Your Calendar
If you’re a personal trainer in Brisbane, you know the grind. You’re up at 4:30 AM at a park in New Farm or a gym in Chermside, pushing clients through squats while wondering where your next booking is coming from.
You didn’t get into this to be a professional telemarketer or a social media influencer. You did it because you’re good at helping people get fit. But here’s the blunt truth: being the best trainer in South East Queensland won’t pay the mortgage if nobody knows you exist.
Most trainers think they need a massive following on Instagram or a fancy website that looks like a Nike ad. They don’t. You need a system that brings in steady enquiries so you can stop worrying about the bills and focus on your clients.
In this guide, I’m going to show you exactly how to fill your roster. No fluff, no marketing speak, just what actually works for local business owners.
1. Stop Being Everything to Everyone
I see this all the time. A trainer’s bio says: "I do weight loss, muscle gain, rehab, pre-natal, and sports performance."
When you try to help everyone, you end up helping no one. If I have a specific goal—say, I’m a 45-year-old dad in Paddington trying to lose the "desk job gut"—and I see one trainer who is a "generalist" and another who "helps busy dads over 40 get their energy back," I’m calling the second guy every single time. Even if he costs more.
Choosing a niche doesn’t limit you; it makes you the obvious choice.
The Strategy: Pick one type of person you love working with. Is it brides-to-be? Is it people recovering from knee surgery? Is it busy corporate executives? Once you pick, every bit of your marketing should speak directly to them.
2. Your Website Needs to Work on Phones (and Actually Get Leads)
Most PT websites are basically digital brochures. They have a photo of the trainer looking ripped, a list of qualifications nobody understands, and a "Contact Us" page that goes to a dead email address.
If someone finds you on Google while they're on the bus to the city, your site needs to load fast and make it dead simple to book a call. If they have to zoom in to read your text or fill out a 20-field form, they’m gone.
Your website has one job: to make the phone ring or get an email in your inbox.
What to do first: Put your phone number at the very top. Have a big button that says "Book Your Free Consultation." Show proof. People don't care about your Cert IV; they care about the person who lost 15kg under your watch.
If you're worried about coming across as too aggressive, you can learn how to get health clients without being pushy while still making sure they actually sign up.
3. Google Maps: Your Secret Weapon in Brisbane
When someone types "Personal Trainer near me" into Google, they aren't looking for a blog post. They’re looking for a map.
If you aren't in those top three results on the map, you’re invisible. This is the single most important thing for a local PT. Best of all? It’s free to set up.
How to win at Google Maps: 1. Claim your Google Business Profile: Make sure your address and hours are 100% correct. 2. Reviews are King: I tell my mates this all the time—if you have 50 five-star reviews and your competitor has 5, you win. Period. Ask every happy client to leave a review while they’re still sweaty and happy at the end of a session. 3. Photos: Don't just use stock photos. Show your actual space, your equipment, and your smiling face. People want to see where they’ll be training.
4. The "Referral Machine"
Most trainers wait for referrals to happen by accident. That’s a mistake. You need to be proactive.
Your current clients are your best salespeople. They already know, like, and trust you. But they’re busy, and they won't remember to tell their friends unless you give them a reason to.
The "Bring a Mate" Offer: Tell your clients that if they bring a friend for a trial session and that friend signs up, both of them get a week of training for free.
This works because it’s low risk for the friend and a win for your client. It’s a much better way to fill your clinic than spending $500 on Facebook ads that might not work.
5. Partner with Local Businesses
Think about where your ideal client goes before or after they see you. The local physio? The health food shop in the Valley? The hairdresser?
Go talk to these business owners. Don't just drop off a stack of business cards (they’ll end up in the bin). Offer a trade. Tell the local physio, "I have a lot of clients who need injury rehab. If I send them to you, would you be open to recommending me to your patients who are ready to get back into strength training?"
It’s about building a network of local professionals who all help each other. It costs you nothing but a bit of time and a few coffees.
6. Stop the "Leaky Bucket" (Retention)
You can spend all the money in the world getting new clients, but if they leave after three weeks, you’re on a treadmill to nowhere. It is five times cheaper to keep an existing client than it is to find a new one.
Most people quit because they lose motivation or feel like just a number. Check in on them. Send a text on a Tuesday night: "Hey mate, great session today. You’re really nailing those lunges."
That 30-second text does more for your business than a month of social media posting. If you run a small studio or gym space, focusing on your current members is how you keep your gym profits steady through the quiet months like December and January.
7. What’s a Waste of Money?
I’ve seen Brisbane trainers burn thousands of dollars on things that just don't work for small businesses. Here’s what to avoid:
Radio Ads: Too expensive and too broad. You’re paying to reach people in Ipswich when you only work in Ascot. Letterbox Drops: Most people go from the letterbox straight to the recycling bin. Unless you have a killer offer (like a 21-day challenge), it’s usually a waste of paper. Paying for "Likes": Having 10,000 followers on Instagram looks cool, but if they don't live in Brisbane and don't have a credit card, they aren't clients. Don't pay someone to "grow your account." Pay someone to get you leads. Fancy Logos: Your logo doesn't get people fit. Your coaching does. Don't spend $2,000 on branding before you have 10 solid clients.
8. The Step-by-Step Action Plan
If you want to see results in the next 30 days, do this:
1. Week 1: Fix your Google Business Profile. Get 5 new reviews from current clients. Ensure your phone number is the first thing people see on your website. 2. Week 2: Identify your niche. Rewrite your social media bios and website headlines to talk only to that person. 3. Week 3: Reach out to three local business owners (physios, chiro, or even the local cafe) and suggest a way you can help each other. 4. Week 4: Launch a referral offer to your current clients. Make it so good they’d be crazy not to tell their friends.
How Much Will This Cost?
If you do the work yourself, most of this costs $0.
Google Business Profile: Free. Referral Program: Costs you the price of a few free sessions (but gains you a long-term paying client). Networking: The cost of a few flat whites.
If you want to speed things up with paid ads on Google, you might look at spending $300 - $500 a month to start. But don't do that until your website is ready to actually handle the enquiries.
Realistic Timelines
Marketing isn't a light switch; it's a flywheel.
1-7 Days: You’ll see more interest from your current network as soon as you announce your referral program. 30 Days: You should start seeing one or two extra enquiries a week from Google if you’ve fixed your profile. 90 Days: This is where the magic happens. Your referral system, your local partnerships, and your Google presence start working together. This is when your roster starts to stay full.
Need a Hand Getting More Enquiries?
Running a personal training business is exhausting. You’re the coach, the cleaner, the accountant, and the marketing manager.
At Local Marketing Group, we help Brisbane business owners stop guessing and start growing. We don't care about vanity metrics or "engagement." We care about making your phone ring so you can fill your sessions and grow your profit.
If you’re tired of having gaps in your calendar and want a professional to take the marketing off your plate, let's have a chat.
Ready to grow? Contact us at Local Marketing Group and let’s get your roster full.