Tag Archives: fitness magazine

Press Release Tips for Fitness Professionals

Marketing, , , , , , ,

The world of the media may seem like a scary place, especially with celebrity scandals, phone hacking, and high profile publicists mauling each other for column inches. It certainly doesn’t seem very relevant to personal trainers and fitness businesses. But away from the hyperbole of the National Media, local newspapers and radio stations are much less daunting. Most importantly they can be a useful method for raising your profile in your own area.

Press Release Tips for Fitness Professionals

Journalists and editors are constantly looking for interesting stories, especially something a little bit different or out of the ordinary. You will have already defined the unique services you offer, and may be advertising these via your website, blog, Facebook, Twitter or other media. Putting together a series of press releases highlighting these unique and interesting services can raise awareness and drive customers to your door.

The key is finding the hook that will draw the journalist’s interest. They may see many press releases every day, and ignore announcements about Bootcamps or Zumba classes. But one which also offers a Nutrition Planning Service may catch their attention. A release about generic personal training might be ignored but one focussing on new mothers regaining their figures following childbirth might stand out. Try putting together three or four stories that you can release over a month or two.

“Press release tips that help fitness professionals increase their local media profiles.”

Writing a press release is like any form of communication it needs to draw the reader’s attention and motivate them into a course of action; namely a journalist contacting you to discuss the story. Try using the following structure. Headline; Body Copy; Contact Details and Notes for editors.

For the release you need a powerful headline which sums up the entire story. “Local man and wife fitness team bring bootcamp and dietary planning to Worthington Park”, for example already provides a mass of information.

It’s outdoors in a park. A husband and wife team so it’s accessible to both sexes. Sounds like hard work but there’s dietary advice as well.

You should write the body copy of the release in a relaxed and informal style. It can come across almost as if you were saying it out loud. Provide some background about the service you offer then go into the specifics. You can deliver one or two pieces of information in the form of a quote which the journalist may well include in their article. “Fitness expert and local DJ David said, ‘Our bootcamps will improve your fitness and provided you take the dietary advice as well you will see changes in your shape'”.

Then include your contact details, mobile, website, Facebook and twitter. If you have any videos of yourself in action on YouTube provide links to these as well.

Finally prepare a notes section where you give more detail, such as your qualifications, the time of your sessions and the cost. Here you can invite the journalist to attend one of your classes. They may even send along a photographer as well.

Once you have drafted your releases, email them to your local newspapers (daily and weekly versions including any free papers) and radio stations. Google will reveal the contact details of most publications. Include your headline as the title of the email as well as on the release itself.

Sometimes the release may not generate any interest, or the publication may just copy and paste your words. Obviously the best result is for them to contact you to discuss the release. This is your opportunity to develop a relationship which could lead to more coverage later. You are the expert in your line of work so you could offer to supply more copy in future for feature articles, or just offer yourself as a spokesperson on fitness related issues. It could be the start of a very rewarding relationship – and maybe even a regular fitness column in the paper.

Thanks to the internet, even your local area is a clutter of information overload. But the media have a thirst for stories that stand out. Give them what they want and your fitness business will benefit from the investment of your time as more clients seek out your services.

Over to you: What do you think of these press release tips? What would your press release headline be? Please leave a comment and let me know.

A version of this article first appeared in FitPro Network Magazine

 

Music is Pumping – Review of Body Combat release 41

Fitness and Yoga, , , , , , ,

Well this release has certainly received mixed reactions from participants in sunny Scotland. In some clubs people have welcomed Body Combat release 41 with noisey enthusiasm but in others you can see disapproval etched on their faces. I haven’t experienced such an array of differing opinions since the Great Ginga Revolution that took place during BC32 when some people threatened to boycott classes unless I mixed the Ginga out.

Review of Body Combat release 41

Upper Warm Up (Dragostea Din Tei): I must admit that when I first heard the music for the upper body warm up, my opinion was that it was the worst piece of music to appear in Body Combat since Natha and Gabby inflicted “Mi Perro Dinamita” by Patricio Rey y Los Redonditos de Ricota, on us during release ten. By the time I actually did the track at the QW it had annoyingly hooked itself into my brain and I found myself humming it to myself whilst waiting for the train, or worse singing “Maya HI Maya HA” in public places. I warmed to it a little, but that warmth has been cooled again by the constant looks of disbelief on people’s faces. The choreography is fine – and it is nice to see a combo in the warm up.

Lower body warm up (My Life Would Suck Without You): I have liked this Kelly Clarkson song for a while so it is good to hear it here. Simple moves and a good amount of movement warms the body up quickly. I can’t work out the words but in the chorus it sounds like she’s singing ; “I’ve got a piece of meat; and a head on a stick”

Combat 1 (Music is Pumping: A jazzed up version of Blood is Pumping from BC20 with some nice moves and a great way to compare the snapping front kick and the push front kick. The world is full of pushy people and snappy people. Are you a snapper or a pusher? Nice little track – but probably a bit too short.

Power 1 (Slow and Steady Rush): I love the music and the moves. The contrast between the speed of the jab jab upper and the power of the four hooks is strong and gives a good coaching focus. The stomp jabs can tire people out if they get their knees up their nose. And then it all tumbles down into that quiet recovery bit in the middle. It doesn’t feel as if we need a break at this point and the action suffers as a result. Once it gets going again though it is relentless – especially in the last section.

Combat 2 Enter Sandman/Boom): Not the best version of Enter Sandman but nice to use the Exit Light Enter Night lyrics – especially in clubs where half of the room like the lights dimmer than the other half. The first part of this track feels like they rejected it as a Combat 1. The double-handed plyo-push is interesting and you definitely want to show it on a real target. The second half of the track (Boom – here comes the boom) starts with intense jump kicks and the Ginga is subtly layered in almost as an after thought so that it isn’t the focus. They handle the return of the Evasive Side Kick very well. Such a shame that this wasn’t the way it was originally introduced in Amadeus back in BC30 (a track which I thought was awesome BTW and still stacks up in my opinion as the best ESK track to date) – when Dan and Rach were jumping very high and scaring everyone! This time it is manageable at all levels and the focus is on the power of the kick.

Power 2 (Ballroom Blitz): Short, sharp and gets the heart rate really pumping fast. The moves do feel a little awkward on the beat for some reason and I have found that this is another track in this release that seems to polarise opinion into opposing love it and hate it camps.

Combat 3 (Let Me Entertain You): Very similar to Shut up and Drive from a few releases ago. The kicks are powerful and the concept of three enemies and the directions of the strikes to defeat all three of them is good and you can have fun with the cues – but overall it feels a bit dull. I almost feel that when you get to the full combo you want to do it non-stop.

Muay Tai (Desolation Row): Another piece of music that has divided opinion coupled with the slower pace  than other Muay Tai tracks makes this track stand out in good and bad ways. I like the moves and the slower pace allows for much more power and precision. I also like rock music – but I have seen some angry looks on people’s faces during this one.

Power 3 What Do You Want from Me?): Stand out track of the release for me. Relentless moves – especially if you coach up through 4 levels in the last combo. Driving, pumping music this is a classic Dan and Rachael track 8. Great Stuff.

Conditioning (Right Round): Nice circular moves and it builds into low-key agony in the abs as you progress through the moves so that the shift to press ups is almost a relief.

Cooldown (Halo): Body Balance takes over from Combat. Sphinx, child’s pose, cat stretch, down dog, twisting lunges – feels like Dan and Rach have been having a beer with Doctor Dave. I lovely cooldown and a good job I like the music because it is also going to be in the next Balance release!

It was always going to be difficult to top the 10th anniversary release and this doesn’t quite rise to the challenge. Whilst it is a good work out and it is great to see the Evasive Side Kick back – the mixed reactions from participants to some of the music in this release has taken the edge off it for me.