Becca is the author of Teaching Yoga: Creative Cueing for Safer Mixed Level Classes. A long-time studio owner and teacher trainer, she now teaches online, blogs, and creates resources for other yoga teachers.

It has always been challenging to promote our yoga classes, and this challenge has intensified with the popularity of online classes. However, some people still want and need the in-person experience. When we teach in-person, it is easier to give our students feedback, and visual learners can better see all aspects of a pose. In-person also provides the energy of the group and more chances to interact and socialize. So even through yoga class advertisement isn’t easy, it’s worth the effort.

All of us who teach yoga want our classes to build, but sometimes the venue we work with isn’t effectively promoting our offerings. If we are paying rent for space at a studio or business, then the promotion is all our responsibility. Regardless, consistently marketing our yoga classes in the community is the key to long-term success. It is common for a new time slot to take 6 months or even a year to build a consistent clientele.

Who Are Your Best Yoga Students?

Marketing to everyone you know about your yoga is not effective, and may even annoy your friends. So before taking any action with yoga class advertisement, it’s best to create a basic profile of your best clients. In other words, what do you know about your most consistent students?

Gathering information on who enjoys your classes will help you find similar clients. Ask yourself some questions about your regular students:

1. What is their age range?

2. What is their average fitness level?

3. Do they have any similar needs? (Examples: posture issues, less flexible hips or hamstrings)

4. Do they prefer a challenging workout or a more relaxed, stretch-focused class?

As yoga teachers, we can’t be everything to all types of students. If we try to please everyone, then no one will be happy, and the class won’t grow. Observe what the majority of your regular students need and want and focus on that. For those students who want something different, refer them to other teachers. Although it is hard to turn away clients, in the end your classes will build faster with more similar students.

Six Successful Yoga Class Advertisement Ideas

The first three ideas are the simplest and involve promoting yourself to everyone with whom you interact.. When promoting my yoga studio I kept small index sized promotional cards in my purse, and gave them out at the appropriate times. The first step is having real conversations with people.

Ideas four through six take more time and planning, so pick one of them and get started on it. Small steps each day will lead to bigger classes in a few years. For those of us who teach a lot of classes, more time-intensive marketing may be worth it. If you teach yoga for multiple businesses, then avoid any conflicts of interest when advertising. However, there are ways to promote yourself and all of the places that you have time slots.

#1 Connecting and Soft Selling

Build your local in-person classes by connecting with a diverse range of people. I built up a yoga studio and ran it for 15 years and spent minimal money on traditional advertising. Instead of expensive ads, I spent my time engaged in soft selling all over town.

Soft selling involves creating relationships and genuine conversations. My intention was not to start a conversation about yoga, I let it happen organically. When someone who seemed to fit my group’s profile (the correct age range and fitness level), asked me where I worked, only then I would I mention yoga.

It’s at this point in the conversation where some yoga teachers (and others selling services) make the mistake of immediately promoting their classes. When soft selling you need to wait and gauge the person’s real interest. If they’re just making small talk, then they may have no interest in your classes.

If they continue to ask you questions about where you work, and what kind of yoga you teach, then it’s the right time to give them your class info. In some settings a business card or flyer might be appropriate.

Selling in-person yoga is about slowly building community awareness about who you are and what you offer. A conversation today may lead to a new student a year from now. You never know when people will decide to take action.

#2  More Networking and referrals

As you interact with people in your community, determine who might be a source for referrals. This doesn’t have to be only those in health and fitness, it can be anyone you feel does a great job. When someone gets a referral from you, they LOVE you for it. Then the next time yoga comes up in a conversation, they will likely refer back to you.

The best referral relationships build over time and help both businesses. The best part is that they cost nothing compared to paid yoga class advertisements. Look to create these relationships with people who work with a lot of clients like chiropractors, physical therapists, stylists, massage therapists, nail techs, insurance agents, and leasing agents. Anyone who has conversations with their clients is someone who may potentially give you a referral. Networking with other yoga teachers is also possible if they work with a very different clientele.

#3  Promote yourself as a yoga and wellness expert around town

Another networking approach is offering free talks or classes at community events. Initially I provided many free sessions, but did less as I my client base grew. Sometimes an event was a real bust, I didn’t connect with anyone. However, other times I found new clients and networks of people.

Some examples of this type of networking include giving a free talk or class at the local library, being a speaker at a wellness day for a local company, and speaking at the monthly meetings of philanthropic groups. Check your community calendars for opportunities.  Once you do a free talk for a group, this often leads to more invitations.

#4 Social Media

Social media can be effective locally if you take time to engage with clients on the platforms. Most of us are too busy to be on all the social media platforms, so start with the one where you believe most of your clients are present, and one that is it easiest to find people and interact with their content.

Facebook and Instagram remain the largest platforms, with Facebook’s user base leaning older. If you are not sure which platform your clients may be on check out this data from Pew Research Center on demographics.

Using these platforms to assist with your local networking is different than trying to build a huge following online. So much of the advice that marketers give out has to do with the latter. In this case, we are wanting to connect with people in our area, so we want to follow them all back, and like and comment on their photos and posts. People remember you when you interact with their posts online. It’s part of building community.

On Facebook, wait until a client attends classes for a while before friending. Give them time to connect with your teaching first. It’s best practice to be yourself on your personal Facebook profile and post about your life and experiences, and then occasionally post about yoga. The idea is to remind people once in a while that you are a yoga teacher. If you have a business page, then daily yoga posts are welcome and expected, but they won’t get the reach that personal posts receive without paying.

Instagram is different as there are a lot of personal yoga accounts and people posting photos daily. Notice what type of content your clients interact with the most. They may enjoy photos of your daily experiences along with yoga posts. Whatever works to connect will encourage students to return to classes. Take time to like and comment on their photos too.

#5 Your Own Email List

Email is still the best way to reach our clients. If you don’t own a studio, then you may not have thought about starting an email list. I think this may actually be more effective than social media, if you are willing to put in the time to create a short newsletter, even once a month.

When you ask students if they’d like to join your email list, make it clear how often they will receive email from you, and what type of content it will include. Even if they attend your class or workshops often, you still need their permission to be added to the list.

There are times you’ll want to be careful collecting emails, such as when you are renting space at a yoga studio. Studio owners often spend a lot of money on advertising, and may not want you collecting their clients’ emails. Make sure to talk openly about this before agreeing to the rental terms. If you work for the studio, then it is a conflict of interest to collect emails, as you are there to promote that studio and not yourself.

If you rent space from another type of business or a church, then collecting emails is super important for building your classes. When I first started teaching I rented the back room in a large Pilates studio. The owner did not care that I was collecting emails as my clients were quite different from hers.

No matter where you work, promoting your yoga newsletter on social media is another option. Clients may find you on social media on their own, especially if they love your classes. Some of the email platforms allow us to post our emails online as a link, which works well to bring in more subscribers.

#6 Your Own Website

These days it is not hard at all to put up a small website all about you and your teaching. I personally use Squarespace and I love it! If you are working towards owning your own yoga and/or fitness studio, then put this at the top of your to-do list. Even if you have no plans for studio ownership, a small website may still be helpful, depending on your goals.

With your website address and QR code on your marketing material it’s more likely people will eventually attend your classes. When a student attends your class and loves it, they can visit your website to easily find out where else you teach, and to refer friends.

If you have a goal of offering online classes too, then your own website really makes sense. Creating a few small digital products such as a video collection or course not only supports your teaching but also creates some extra revenue.

Yoga Class Advertisement Takes Time to Work!

The first year I taught yoga my classes were sparse! Although difficult at times I didn’t quit. I actively networked both in-person and online, and over time my classes grew significantly. It takes time to build your reputation and network. If you are passionate about teaching yoga, then stay committed and watch your classes evolve into a community! ♢

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