Online Personal Training – How Much Should Coaches Charge?

Deciding how much to charge for online personal training is one of the first and most important questions personal trainers should ask themselves when setting up their online business. Establishing your pricing strategy is a big decision that needs to be realistic and based on a considered business plan.

In addition to pricing, online personal trainers also need to think about how they will accept payments. A payment gateway is a must for protecting your transactions. It’s also a prerequisite for saving your clients’ card details if you plan to offer monthly plans or subscriptions.

What Do Online Personal Trainers Charge in Europe?

As a rule of thumb, clients should expect to pay around €30 or more per hour for online training sessions in Europe. However, this figure can vary greatly. Some personal trainers charge up to €75 per hour (or more) if they can offer experience backed up with testimonials that can justify that sum.

Rates will also change greatly depending on the financial situation your clients find themselves in. Luckily for online trainers, they’re not limited to only giving classes to people who live in their neighbourhood. It may be worth trying to gain clients from around the world who may be willing to pay a slightly higher rate. For this, you will need a global provider that offers payment processing for digital fitness.

Factors that Influence Pricing

Around 55% of Europeans do exercise on a regular basis. Online fitness trainers have the chance to tap into this trend by offering exercise plans that people can follow at home, alone or in a group.

There are many factors that can influence how much you charge for online personal training services. Always remember to establish reasonable rates both for you and your clients. It’s also worth remembering that the rate you set as a beginner won’t remain the same forever. It’s only natural that your rates will rise as you gain experience and build your reputation.

How Much Does Online Personal Training Cost You?

Consider how much you need to make it worth it for you once all your expenses are taken into account. Many online personal trainers will have a rough figure in mind when they start. However, this figure must be realistic taking into account the hours you put in and what it costs you to work.

Consider Your Experience

Typically, new coaches will charge less than trainers with an established reputation. Though you can raise your fees, you should back up any price increases with additional experience or qualifications.

In this day and age, potential clients will almost certainly do their research before getting in touch with you. Naturally, they’ll be more likely to hire someone with a proven track record.

Consider What Your Competitors Charge

It’s important to research how much other online personal trainers charge and what they offer for the amount they charge. Deciding what you’re worth doesn’t have to mean asking exactly the same amount as others. If you feel you’re worth more, try starting at a higher rate.

It’s also important to keep in mind that your rates need to be a fair and realistic reflection of what you offer. Study the market and establish your strategy accordingly.

Work Out Your Costs

Online businesses can be more economical than in-person businesses to run. However, you’ll still have overheads. Don’t forget to factor in costs like your online training platform, payment processing, fitness equipment, accounting software, marketing and advertising as well as your own salary. Aim to cover all of your business expenses with a markup.

What Type of Personal Training Services You Offer

You will naturally set different prices for different services. Prices will differ depending on whether a session is a group session or one-to-one. More specialised, tailored services like nutrition may also demand a higher fee.

What Can Your Clients Afford?

It’s important to charge what you think you’re worth without pricing yourself out of the market. Get familiar with who your ideal client is, and who your realistic client is, and use it as a basis to build a pricing strategy.

While it may seem appealing to offer steep discounts to clients with limited economic resources, charging different clients different prices might not sit well with your clients if they find out. It’s generally better to offer more affordable options like group sessions and video library access for budget-conscious customers rather than offering personalised discounts on one-on-ones.

Set Clear but Realistic Targets

You can work out your hourly rate by dividing the amount you need to earn per month by the number of hours you want to work. If you want to make €3,000 per month (before tax) from 30 hours of face-to-face sessions, you would need to earn an average of €100 per hour. In most cases, the focus would therefore need to be on establishing group sessions where you can earn more per hour.

Subscriptions and Recurring Billing

One of the priorities for an online personal trainer should be to set up subscriptions with recurring payments. A recurring payments model lets you charge your clients weekly, monthly or annually on pre-agreed dates and for a pre-agreed amount.

When clients subscribe, you can budget for the following months easier knowing you have guaranteed income. Additionally, your clients can take advantage of the convenience and value that recurring payments offer them.

How to Set Up Recurring Payments

An online personal training business that wishes to set up recurring payments must work in tandem with a payment processor. The payment processor will provide a payment gateway that processes various payment methods securely and allows you to save customer data.

A merchant services account with a payment gateway will also provide tools to protect you and your customers against things like chargebacks and fraud. This is essential when you’re storing customers’ payment information for future transactions.

Online Personal Training Pricing Models

There are various pricing models online personal trainers can use. These include charging by the hour and online personal training packages:

Hourly Rate

This is probably the most common model for online fitness coaching. It has various advantages for both online personal trainers and clients:

• This is the most lucrative pricing model on an hourly basis.
• The client knows how much they have to pay and what to expect from their trainer in return.
• There’s no long-term commitment on the part of the client or the trainer. The client can stop training sessions whenever they like.

Because there’s no long-term commitment, charging by the hour is a less stable option than some other alternatives for the trainer. It’s a good idea to charge higher per-hour prices to compensate for this risk.

Monthly Payments

This can be the most stable option for a personal trainer, although you’ll earn slightly less per hour. There are several advantages to monthly payments:

• You can build a relationship with the client. This can be good for building experience as well as gaining more clients via referrals.
• Monthly payments can make it easier to organise your finances as you know how much you will receive the following month.
• It’s easier to organise your schedule when you agree to a fixed number of sessions on an agreed-upon schedule.

For the client, monthly payments are also beneficial as the rate per session will typically be lower. Your business will need to work with a payment processor to enable secure card-on-file transactions.

One-Time Payment Structure

Offering an online personal training package involves charging a one-time payment in exchange for a fixed number of sessions. This can be beneficial for an online personal trainer as it allows you to work with a client for a limited period of time. This allows you to test different concepts and build relationships with clients without committing long-term.

One-Time Fee for Digital Training Materials

An online personal training business doesn’t only involve leading online training sessions. There are a number of other ways personal trainers can make money. This can include charging a one-time fee for a digital product you’ve produced. Online coaching material could take the form of:

• Focused exercises for one purpose. E.g. exercises to reduce back pain
• Exercises focusing on using specific equipment. E.g. kettlebell exercises
• Nutritional advice. This could be for people who wish to lose or gain weight.

Online trainers can use downloadable material to impart information on any aspect of personal training they’re experts in. This type of material also allows you to use the same online training material with many different clients.

For the client, downloadable material gives them access to expert advice that they can use in their own time and for a much lower rate than working directly with a trainer. It also allows them to test the water before signing up for classes.

Digital Access Subscription

To build your monthly recurring revenue (MRR), you could adopt a subscription business model and offer a monthly subscription that gives users unlimited access to all of your pre-recorded training materials. Subscribers will have access to everything you have published in the past as well as new materials as they become available.

Bundles of Online Personal Training Services

A bundle could include, for example, a package of 10 online training sessions with one nutrition coaching session included. This type of bundle is advantageous to the trainer in many ways:

• Bundles can help you lock in a client, reducing cancellations as a result.
• Larger packages are a fairly long-term commitment for the client, giving you some financial stability.
• Bundles with different services give clients a chance to try out different aspects of your service.
• Bundles can be marketed as a great Christmas or birthday present given via a gift card.

FAQs

Still have questions about some financial aspects of online personal training? These points may provide clarification.

Is Online Personal Training More Economical than In-Person Training?

Typically, clients would expect to pay less for online training than in-person training. This is because an online trainer has fewer costs and doesn’t provide clients with equipment or space as they would in a gym. An online trainer also can’t cue movement patterns through touch or provide physical support.

How Does Charging for an Initial Consult Work?

Initial assessments are an essential step to establish a new client’s goals and understand their history, wishes, and any limitations they may have. How much you charge will depend mostly on the length of the consultation and if you have to prepare for the meeting. Many online fitness professionals offer a free (15-minute) fitness consultation to attract potential clients.

Are Discounts or Promos a Good Idea?

Promotions or special offers can be a great idea as part of your digital marketing strategy. Offering special prices can help you attract new customers and encourage customer retention.

It’s important to keep in mind, however, that offering too many promotions could undervalue your services. Implement them judiciously for the best results.

Which Programs Should I Charge More for?

As a skilled trainer, you should think about charging more for services that require more knowledge, preparation or resources. Remember that your prices aren’t static either. Don’t be afraid to raise prices as you gain more qualifications and experience.

How Can I Explain My Value to Potential Clients?

When disclosing your prices, you need to be able to explain your value to your clients. Be ready to describe what they can expect for the sum they pay and emphasise any added value you can offer.

As you gain more experience, build a portfolio of testimonials and case studies that highlight the outcomes your clients have as a direct result of your training. This will communicate your value to potential clients with very little explanation needed.

Maximise Your Earnings Strategically

Deciding on the rates you will charge as an online personal trainer is a big decision that depends on many different factors. New trainers should study the market and charge rates that are reasonable given their expertise.

Because being an online trainer allows you to train people all around the world, accepting a range of payment methods in different currencies will boost your appeal to international clients. Offering payment models like subscriptions can also boost your revenue long-term.