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August 22, 201910 Strategies to Attract More Yoga Students

One of the most common questions I get from fellow yoga teachers is how do I attract more yoga students? Sometimes it can feel like you’re doing everything right - you are offering great yoga classes, your sequencing is on point, and offering modifications. However, it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t have any students to teach!
So, what do you do?
It’s no secret that yoga students have a lot of teachers or studios to choose from and when trying to attract new students, it can feel like a never ending battle. More often than not, it’s not about working harder it’s about getting more creative about your attracting strategy and thinking outside the box.
Below are 10 ways you can do just that!
1. Reach out for support.
One of the best ways to start attracting new yoga students is to lean on those around you to help spread the word about your classes.
Chances are your friends and family are already familiar with your teaching, they know the value of what you have to offer, and chances are, they are more than willing to share it with others.
Consider reaching out to your friends and family and ask them to share your classes on social media, with their communities, and friends. Make it easy for them and give them a pre-made poster, flyer, or blurb about your classes so all they have to do is share with a friend.
2. Get involved in community events.
If you teach in-person classes, begin to spread the word by going out into your community and offering free or classes at a special price.
A few of my favorite ways to do this includes offering yoga in the park, going to corporate offices, or teaching at your local community center for an intro to yoga class or mini session to spread the benefits and introduce your classes to a new audience. Maybe you even think outside of the box and you partner with a local brewery and teach a happy hour class!
3. Collaborate with other wellness professionals.
When working on building your audience and attracting new students think about partnering with a fellow wellness professionals to offer a special class or event.
Find a Reiki practitioner or Acupuncturist and have them offer their services during a Restorative yoga class, or maybe you find a Massage Therapist that offers mini sessions after class. The only limitation here is your own creativity, so start by reaching out to local practitioners and see what happens!
4. Go above and beyond.
Going above and beyond is an indirect way of attracting new students since it relies on word of mouth marketing, but it is a wonderful way to attract new students.
When you go above and beyond to make the current students you have feel special, appreciated, and valued they will most likely share their experience with those around them, leave reviews, and want everyone to know how great your classes are.
A few ideas for how to go above and beyond with your students- surprise your students with a post-class piece of chocolate or cup of tea, follow up with your students when you know they have a big event or day, offer a member’s only specialty class just for your current students.
5. Offer a "Bring a Friend Day".
Everyone knows that yoga is more fun with friends, so why not offer a bring a friend week where for each paying student you can bring a friend for free?
Allow your students to bring new friends all week long, maybe even offer a special partners yoga class for them to attend with a new friend. Often, the hardest part with attracting new students is just getting them in the door, and a promotion like this is designed to do just that.
6. Offer something new.
If you are feeling like your growth is stunted, and you’re having a hard time reaching new students and filling your classes, it might be time to grow your teaching toolbox and learn a new offering.
Consider taking a weekend training in meditation, Restorative yoga, or even yoga nidra. Many trainings only take a few days and when you’re done you are ready to teach a new style of class. When trying to decide- think about what is not already being offered in your community so you can be the one to bring something new to your area.
7. Contact local media.
This might sound a little out of the box, but one of the best ways to reach new students is to have an article, or feature piece written about you by local media.
Try reaching out to editors of the newspaper, if you live in a large metropolitan see if your city has a magazine that highlights local businesses, or maybe your community has social media accounts that highlight and review fitness and wellness activities around your area. Reach out directly to these outlets and ask them how they choose who to feature, and tell them about yourself and why you think you would be a good fit.
8. Teach at a local festival.
If you want to reach a wide audience fast try teaching at a local festival. Do a quick google search and see if there are any yoga or wellness festivals coming up in your area. Most of these festivals have teachers volunteer their time to teach classes, but let you promote your offerings.
When you’re searching don’t be afraid to think outside the box, there are a lot of different types of festivals that might be open to offering a yoga or meditation class. Maybe if you’re feeing really bold you consider starting your own festival.
9. Offer a challenge.
Online or in person challenges are a great way to get people motivated and excited about yoga. Challenges can be big or small and you can do them online or run them in person. You can run a 7-day pose challenge on Instagram, or maybe a 30-day yoga challenge where you challenge your students to come everyday for a month.
Maybe you do 3-day self-love challenge where you share journal entries or mini flows on Facebook for your students to use. Make sure to have an enticing reward at the end for those that complete the challenge, and have your students share their progress as they go.
10. Reward those who share.
Finally, make sure you are rewarding those who are sharing your work. You can do this in a few ways, send an email out to your email list and tell anyone who leaves a review this month is entered to win a free 5-class pass. Or maybe you give everyone that does a post on social media a free guest pass to bring a friend to class. You will also want to make sure that you thank anyone who is spreading the word and helping you to grow your audience.
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