Social Media For Personal Trainers Part 2 - Youtube

Hello everyone; Coach Tyler here.

Viral videos. It’s a term that you no doubt would have heard, right? A viral video is shared continually on social media, most notably on YouTube. It racks up millions of views and certainly is a marketer’s dream.

Now creating a viral video as a personal trainer isn’t really a realistic aim. But that doesn’t mean that the YouTube platform isn’t something you should consider as part of your social media strategy.

So in today’s blog, I am following up on my Social Media for Personal Trainers Part 1 – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with a piece on the biggest video-sharing site on the web today.

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Youtube for Personal Trainers

Social Media For Personal Trainers Part 2 - Youtube 6

As a personal trainer who has a presence on one of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – or possibly all three – you are probably wondering why to bother with YouTube.

Let’s look at a few stats first before I give you several good reasons why YouTube could form a crucial part of your social media strategy.

  • After Facebook, YouTube is the second biggest social media network on the planet, with 1.9 billion users.
  • Almost three-quarters of the world’s internet population use YouTube.
  • In the U.S. alone, 90% of internet users between the ages of 18 to 44 use YouTube.
  • Each day, 1 billion hours of video are watched around the globe.

Now those are some staggering figures; I am sure you will agree.

And from it, we can immediately see that Youtube gives you access to a massive audience. Of course, not all of them want to watch a fitness video, but some will certainly be interested. And that’s something you can tap into.

But perhaps the main advantage of YouTube is the fact that it is such a visual medium. Certainly more so than Facebook and Twitter.

Starting out

Starting out

So let’s start from the very beginning and look into the steps you must follow to set up Youtube as a successful part of your social media marketing strategy.

Create your channel

Create your channel

Obviously, if you don’t have a YouTube channel, you will have to create one. This is a relatively easy thing to do, especially if you already have a Google account.

While logged into your Google account, navigate to Youtube.com and click on your name on the top right of the screen. From there, you can select the ‘create channel’ option.

Insert a banner image.

First, you must add a banner image. Make sure to tie it in with your brand and keep it similar to your other social media sites. This image is 2560 x 1440 pixels in size.

Fill in your ‘About’ section.

Fill in your 'About' section

The ‘About’ section tells people who you are and what you offer. The first part you need to complete is the channel description.

This is extremely important, especially the first 150 characters, as these appear as the description of your channel in search engine results. So you want to make sure you get it right! That means saying what it is you do right off the bat. And that’s telling any potential subscriber what it is you offer them.

But there is another important factor to consider here and that’s keywords. Keywords are vital to have your video appear as high as possible in any search someone might conduct on YouTube.

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While keywords like personal trainer, fitness, health, and others will help, you should research even more keywords to help your channel rank as high as possible. You don’t want to overdo it, though, as that doesn’t look natural at all. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to help you find the best possible keywords to put in your ‘About’ section to drive traffic.

It’s a fine balance, that’s for sure. Most experts agree that you should first write a description and then insert the appropriate keywords where you can. Read this article for more information about how to write an awesome ‘About’ section.

Add links and other necessities.

Just below the ‘About’ section, you can add links that will appear on your YouTube channel page, an email address, and other contact details.

Don’t forget to link your other social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram here and your website, if you have one.

You need an intro video.

You need an intro video

Now you will need an intro video. That’s the first video someone sees when they click on your channel, as it plays automatically.

The main purpose of this video is to give potential subscribers a quick look into what your channel involves. It’s also a way to introduce yourself. This is not the time to be longwinded, however. Intro videos should never be over a minute long!

Here are some tips to help you to get that intro video right the first time!

  • Tell the viewers who you are. And that means you should introduce yourself.
  • Next up, tell them what you do. ‘I am a personal trainer with a passion for helping people to transform their lives’ or something similar. This is your chance to get your passion across. Let viewers see that you love what you do and you know what you are talking about!
  • Don’t forget a call to action. This isn’t just a boring introduction video. You want people to act and subscribe. So ask them to.

If you have never produced a video before, it can be a little daunting, so let’s look at a few tips to consider:

  • Use a cameraperson or set up a tripod. When you hold the camera yourself, things get a little shaky, especially because you probably are nervous. So either get someone to take the video for you or invest in a tripod/camera stand.
  • It’s important to take note of your background. It’s the finer details that matter and can leave a huge impression on a potential subscriber. Standing in a back alley outside a gym is probably not the place to film your intro video. An office environment, outside with a background of trees or, better yet, in the gym, are all good options. Just ensure the background noise levels don’t drown your voice out.
  • Perfect the video through editing. Most smartphones nowadays have built-in video editors or you can get others off the internet. You can use transitions, fade in and out at the video’s beginning and end of the video or even add text if you want to.

Remember, these tips also relate to any other video content that you produce on YouTube.

Generate some video content.

What’s a YouTube channel without video content, right? You will build up this over time, but it’s crucial that you at least get a few videos up and running for potential subscribers to watch.

I will go into what you can upload a little later in this blog.

Promote your YouTube channel on other social media platforms

Once your YouTube channel is up and running, it’s time to promote it on your other social media channels. That means posting links to the channel on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Remember to set these links so that they open to the new page and don’t close your YouTube channel.

Also, remember to promote any individual videos you might upload. In that way, you are driving traffic to your YouTube channel and posting meaningful material on your other social media sites.

Social Media For Personal Trainers Part 2 - Youtube 7
Social Media For Personal Trainers Part 2 - Youtube 8

What Types Of Videos Should You Post?

What Types Of Videos Should You Post?

While reading through this, I am sure you have been wondering what kind of videos a personal trainer should be posting on YouTube. Well, there is a range to consider, so let’s take a closer look at them.

Demonstrations of various exercises

The most obvious videos to post are exercise demonstrations. Now while doing a certain type of exercise might come naturally to you, some people are just beginning their body transformation journey.

So showing them the correct way to do a certain exercise is a bread-and-butter video that you should be posting! And they are extremely popular on Youtube and can help you grow your channel, that’s for sure.

These videos need not be too long. All you have to show is how to do the exercise correctly with the correct form. You can also talk about what muscles it targets and how reps one should do to add to the visuals.

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How to Stretch

How to stretch

Many people don’t know how to stretch before they work out, so it’s an awesome idea to have some stretching videos and tips on your channel.

Success stories

Without a doubt, success stories and testimonials need to be one of the types of videos on your YouTube channel. This shows your client’s success and paints you in a good light as a personal trainer, right?

This is the perfect way to connect with other potential clients who will hopefully act on the fact that you have helped turn people’s lives around and will do the same for them. It is certainly one of the best ways to help build up trust.

Fitness tips

As a personal trainer, you would have an arsenal of fitness tips to share with your viewers. Make short videos about them, including a call to action to ask them to subscribe to your channel to see even more. These are also some of YouTube’s most searched videos and a good way to gain exposure for your channel.

Again this is a great way of helping to generate trust with your audience.

Nutrition and supplementation tips

Nutrition and supplementation tips

Nutrition and supplements can be a minefield for people wanting to be fit and healthy. This allows you to provide information on these subjects as video content for your channel.

Both these fitness tips help identify you as an expert and help show that you are credible and know what you discuss regarding fitness, exercise, and health.

Structured workout programs

While you probably will never provide a full workout program on your YouTube channel, it’s always good to show potential clients what it is that you can do for them.

So take the time to film examples of workout programs to build muscle or perhaps to lose weight, for example, with descriptions of the exercises and the reps they can expect to do.

Again, by visually showing what you can offer, you could turn a prospective client into an actual one.

Motivational videos

Motivational videos

While perhaps not the easiest to make, motivational videos can be an important part of your videos.

Why? Sometimes people need guidance and backing with the mental side of training. It’s often overlooked and by having several videos that help people stay motivated, you can ensure that clients that may want to quit don’t!

Weight loss advice

Another way to draw traffic to your channel is by having some weight loss advice videos.

Not everyone who wants to be healthy is searching YouTube for fitness or exercise tips. Some of them want to know how to lose weight. And that’s why it’s important to have videos like these.

In them, you can include a call to action to ask viewers to subscribe for more weight loss and fitness tips.

Other video ideas

Other videos you can consider include:

  • Vitamins
  • Yoga
  • Your personal fitness journey
  • Sample meal plans
  • Exercising without gym equipment

Extra Tips When It Comes To Youtube

Extra Tips When it Comes To Youtube

As with everything in life, as you get more acquainted with the platform, you will better use YouTube to promote yourself as a personal trainer.

But I thought that providing you with a few tips could come in handy to make that process move a little faster. So here they are.

Improve your equipment

If you are starting to produce more and more videos and you can see the impact they are having by generating more leads, you might want to consider getting better equipment.

Smartphones are incredible but their primary function is still as a communication device. You can pick up a decent video camera for relatively cheap these days and may want to invest in some editing software. Other equipment to consider are a few lighting rigs and a microphone.

Publish often

YouTube is all about creating content. Even as a personal trainer, you are now a content creator by using YouTube.

The most important thing to remember here is that people subscribe to YouTube channels to see the content. And the channel of a personal trainer is no different, that’s for sure.

Link your social media.

Link your social media

I mentioned it briefly before but it’s so important that I will mention it again; you must post your Youtube video on all your other social media accounts. This improves the chance of them being shared by followers on those accounts, which increases your exposure.

Don’t forget to embed videos.

If you run a blog, don’t forget to embed your YouTube videos into your blog articles.

The reason for this is twofold. Firstly, it helps to diversify your blog posts and secondly, it will expose your YouTube videos to another unique audience. It really is a win-win situation when you mix all your content across the different mediums available to you.

Don’t be afraid to punt your YouTube channel.

While I have already talked about cross-pollinating your various social media channels, using one to promote the other and vice versa, you can also advertise your YouTube channel in many other ways.

Make it part of your email signature, put it on your business card, and include it in your brochures. The more exposure, the better.

Last Words

Last Words

There you have it.

I hope that my social media guide to starting on YouTube will help you when you move to this exciting social media option. It certainly is very different from all the other types of social media available.

And that’s because it is so visual. That should appeal to you as a personal trainer as it gives you a chance to show people what you do, present client transformations, and more.

Thanks for taking the time to read it, and see you all again soon!

References

  1. “YouTube Channel Description: The Ultimate Guide.” Backlinko, https://backlinko.com/hub/youtube/channel-description.
  2. “Tips for Trainers: How to Get Started on YouTube.” True Fitness, https://www.truefitness.com/resources/tips-for-trainers-how-to-get-started-on-youtube/.
  3. “How to Promote Yourself on YouTube.” Neil Patel, https://neilpatel.com/blog/promote-yourself-on-youtube/.
  4. “Use YouTube to Build Your Fitness Business.” National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT), https://www.nfpt.com/blog/use-youtube-build-fitness-business.
  5. “11 Fitness YouTube Video Ideas to Keep You and Your Audience Fit.” Filmora Community Blog, https://www.filmora.io/community-blog/11-fitness-youtube-video-ideas-to-keep-you-and-your-381.html.
Tyler Read - Certified Personal Trainer with PTPioneer

Tyler Read


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