The Ultimate Gym Member Engagement Guide

Losing members is inevitable in the fitness business. People move, priorities shift, and life happens. But too often, gyms and studio owners accept member churn as a fixed reality instead of something they can actively reduce.

The single most significant driver of retention is engagement. Members don’t leave because of a single bad workout. They leave because they don’t feel connected, supported, or seen. So engagement is how you can flip the script on churn. And that starts the moment someone joins your gym and continues through every interaction, from onboarding to their hundredth class.

As retention expert Paul Bedford explains, the gap often comes in the transition: many gyms do onboarding well, but then the contact drops off. Members drift, and loyalty erodes. The solution is a continuous engagement process that involves staff and systems working together to keep members active, recognized, and motivated.

Read Paul Bedford’s Full Retention Guide Here

That’s precisely what this guide will help you build: 10 actionable strategies to keep your community engaged, reduce churn, and drive lasting revenue growth.

Why is Gym Member Engagement Important?

Gym member engagement directly drives retention, loyalty, and revenue. Engaged members show up more often, build stronger connections, and stay longer, reducing churn and boosting lifetime value.

The numbers back it up. Leading U.S. clubs report an average 69.3% member retention rate, with independents at 73.2% compared to chains at 62.3%. The difference? Independents often deliver more touchpoints and personalized engagement.

Moreover, according to IHRSA, when staff interact with members at least twice a month, it leads to one extra visit the following month. That’s the compounding effect of engagement; every touchpoint adds momentum.

The more you encourage visits, create social interaction, and empower staff to connect, the more you shrink churn and grow long-term revenue.

Need help developing more successful commitment interactions? Check Out XLerate.

Member Engagement Touchpoints Explained

Every business is different. Boxing Studios and Spin Studios are going to have a completely different method of interaction with their members, just in the same way that a major franchise and a small studio will.

Typical Member Engagement Touchpoints Include:

Social media: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn
Email: Newsletters, personalized outreach, targeted promotions
In-person interactions: At reception, during classes, out in the community
In-app communication: Booking confirmations, reminders, push notifications
Private messaging: WhatsApp groups, SMS updates, personal trainer check-ins
Hybrid & virtual touchpoints: Livestream classes, on-demand content, post-class follow-ups

Each channel requires a different tone and approach. A one-size-fits-all message rarely works, but the right message at the right moment can make all the difference. For example, a quick push notification reminder might be perfect for a spin studio, while a long-form email newsletter might resonate more with a yoga community.

The goal is to focus your energy where it matters most. As a business owner, you’re already balancing a dozen priorities. So you need to be able to analyze which touchpoints create real engagement at large and fast.

ABC Glofox makes that easy with automated in-app messaging, push notifications, and analytics so you can double down on what works and cut the noise.

Download Now: The Customer Engagement Playbook for Your Fitness Business

10 Ways to Increase Gym Member Engagement and Drive Retention

The first thing you need to do as a business is ask yourself one simple, yet vital question:

“Who am I trying to attract?”

Every business has an Ideal Customer Profile, a demographic that is ideally suited to their type of workout, exercise, or activity. If you’ve noticed you’re getting a lot of people in the door and they’re not sticking around, it may be that you’re not appealing to the right customer base.

Take a look around your area: if there are other businesses similar to yours in the area, try to find out what demographic they’re aiming for.

Once you have a better idea of the people who want to be a part of your community, you can create a more solid member engagement program. Then, when that’s built, you can focus on these 10 key methods below.

1. Perfect Onboarding & the First 30 Days

The first month is make-or-break because of the primacy effect: early experiences shape how members see your gym long term. If they don’t feel welcomed, supported, or clear on how to get value, they’ll decide it’s not for them, fast.

Strong onboarding goes beyond showing the space or finalizing billing. It’s a few key touchpoints:

Welcome video or message: Personal, warm, and sets expectations
App walkthrough: Show members how to book classes, track progress, and access content
Goal-setting session: Map out a first milestone (like 10 visits in the first month)
Check-in calls or messages: Follow up after week one and week four to reinforce the habit

With ABC Glofox, you can automate much of this process. Check out: The Complete Member Onboarding Guide

2. Segmented Personalization & Tags

No two members are the same, and treating them all the same is one of the fastest ways to lose them. The solution is personalization.

With ABC Glofox, you can use Tags to segment members by things like:

Skill level (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
Goals (weight loss, strength, endurance, flexibility)
Preferences (favorite class types, preferred trainers, times of day)
Behavior (inactivity, milestone achievements, frequent cancellations)

Tags turn raw data into action:

Send a reactivation message to someone who hasn’t booked in two weeks
Offer a strength program discount to members tagged as “muscle gain”
Celebrate a “10th class” milestone with an in-app badge and a push notification

The payoff is huge: companies that excel at personalization generate 40% more revenue from personalization activities compared to competitors!

3. Consistent & Multi-Channel Communication

Businesses that keep communication consistent across channels hang on to nearly 9 out of 10 customers. Those that don’t keep just 3 out of 10.

That means combining the usual suspects:

Email: Newsletters, class updates, promotions, and personalized check-ins
Push notifications: quick reminders to book, celebrate milestones, or alert members to an opening in a full class
In-app messaging: answering booking queries, sharing new content, or nudging inactive members
SMS: short and direct, ideal for urgent updates or last-minute cancellations

The magic happens when these channels work together. With ABC Glofox’s retention best-in-class features, you can automate these touchpoints, ensuring every member receives timely, relevant communication without adding hours of manual work for your team.

Looking for an Automated Messaging Platform? Check out XLerate!

4. Community Building & Social Engagement

Community and socialization are some of the main reasons people go to gyms in the first place, and why they keep going.

6 Keys to Building a Loyal Fitness Community

Discover more

And it’s not just about retention. That’s how you grow, too. People today are hunting for social connection, for places where they feel part of something. They can’t get that from a treadmill at home or an influencer video.

Ways to build community include:

Group classes: Create shared energy that equipment alone can’t deliver
Events and challenges: Give members goals to rally around
Private member groups: Facebook groups, WhatsApp chats, or in-app forums where members share wins and support each other
Virtual hangouts: Livestream Q&As, nutrition talks, or casual coffee chats
Peer mentorship: Pairing new members with more experienced ones
User-generated content (UGC): Encouraging members to share transformation stories, workout highlights, or challenge progress on social

5. Hybrid & Virtual Access

How do you compete with the internet, Instagram influencers, accessible home equipment, and even AI tools like ChatGPT? You provide a hybrid experience. Members no longer see fitness as limited to four studio walls; they expect flexibility, access, and variety.

That’s where hybrid memberships shine. By combining in-person training with virtual options, you meet members wherever they are while keeping your brand at the center of their routine.

Ways to deliver hybrid value include:

Livestream classes: Allow members to join in real time from home or while traveling
On-demand content: A library of workouts, mobility sessions, or recovery routines
Virtual challenges: Unite online and in-person members in a shared competition
Flexible memberships: Packages that mix studio visits with unlimited digital access

We believe this is the new baseline in fitness. Members who can stay engaged through travel, busy work weeks, or life’s curveballs are far less likely to churn. And for gym owners, hybrid offerings expand reach beyond your geography while increasing average spend per member.

With ABC Glofox, you can stream classes, host on-demand programs, and deliver push notifications all within your branded app, creating a seamless hybrid experience that keeps members engaged for the long haul.

Check Out: The Perfect Gym Software Hybrid

6. Gamification, Challenges & Leaderboards

Engagement thrives when fitness feels fun! Gamification is how you tap into people’s natural drive for competition, progress, and recognition, and it can transform consistency from a chore into a game.

Here’s what you can do:

Weekly or monthly challenges (e.g., “Attend 12 classes this month”)
Badges and milestones (celebrating streaks, PRs, or class attendance)
Leaderboards (friendly competition between members or across locations)
Rewards (discounts, merch, or simple public recognition for hitting goals)

XLerate’s Member Loyalty Milestones workflow, for example, lets you automatically reward members when they hit a certain number of visits in a month.

7. Feedback Loops & Member Involvement

One of the simplest ways to boost engagement is also the most overlooked: ask your members what they think, and then act on it. When people feel heard, they’re far more likely to stay loyal.

Practical ways to build feedback loops:

Quick surveys after classes or challenges
In-app polls on class times or new program ideas
Suggestion boxes (digital or physical) for open-ended input
Feedback requests from trainers during casual conversations

The key is follow-through. Collecting feedback without acting on it can actually harm trust. But when members see their input reflected, like a new class added based on demand or equipment upgrades announced after a survey, it creates a sense of ownership and connection.

Can ABC Glofox help here, too? Yes, you can track feedback trends, segment responses, and use data insights to guide decisions that directly improve retention.

8. Track & Celebrate Progress

A lot of the strategies mentioned here are member-centric. And when people come to your gym or studio, they come with goals, so nothing fuels commitment like seeing progress where they intend to.

When members can clearly see how far they’ve come, they’re more motivated to keep going and more likely to stay loyal to your gym.

So track and celebrate things they care about:

App-based milestones: Badges for hitting attendance streaks, completing challenges, or achieving personal bests
Wearable integrations: Syncing fitness trackers to log activity inside and outside the gym
Before-and-after check-ins: Progress photos, measurements, or strength benchmarks
Public recognition: Shout-outs in class, on leaderboards, or inside member groups

These celebrations don’t have to be big to be meaningful. Even a quick push notification: “Congrats on your 20th class!” can spark pride and reinforce habit-building.

And research shows that recognition matters: Gallup found that employees who receive frequent recognition are five times more likely to be engaged at work, a principle that applies just as strongly in fitness communities.

Check Out: A Guide to Tracking the Performance of Your Members

9. Staff & Trainer Engagement

Your staff are the face of your business, and often the most significant factor in whether members stay or go. A warm greeting at the front desk, a trainer remembering someone’s goals, or a coach celebrating a small win can create loyalty that no discount or ad campaign ever could.

Ways to empower staff as engagement drivers:

Training and culture: Equip staff to build genuine relationships, not just deliver workouts
Recognition and accountability: Celebrate staff who go the extra mile in member interactions
Consistent touchpoints: Make sure your trainers check in on members between sessions or after absences
Leadership opportunities: Let staff run challenges, events, or mentorship groups that deepen community

ABC Glofox supports staff engagement by making it easy for trainers to communicate with members through in-app messaging, push notifications, and milestone tracking.

10. Rich App / Digital Experience & Micro-Interactions

Your members can now carry your gym in their pocket. Their phone is where habits live, reminders, streaks, payments, playlists, and even the buzz that tells them it’s time to move. If you’re not showing up there with the right nudges, someone else will.

The trick is micro-commitments. Small, timely prompts that get a member to take a straightforward action: book a class, check a workout, confirm attendance. Each micro-commitment builds momentum, and momentum builds loyalty.

Examples of powerful digital nudges:

A push notification reminding them to book tomorrow’s class.
A streak tracker that lights up when they hit three sessions in a row.
A quick in-app poll (“Yoga or HIIT this week?”) that makes them feel involved.

Keep it personalized and constant, and you’ll build a tight-knit community of members who will also show up for each other.

Don’t want to build a member app by yourself? No worries, we can do it for you.

Community and Achievement is Everything

In short, everything you do in trying to engage and attract your members should be focused on creating a sense of community and achievement.

You need to make your members feel like a part of something greater than themselves, and that their lives are better because of it.

Automated messaging systems, referral programs, and group initiatives are some of the most effective ways of boosting your member retention rate, but there are far more methods that can help you and your business.

Need more insight into how a fitness business platform can help you? Meet Glofox, Your New Fitness Business Partner!

Melisa Gjika

The Future-Proof Fitness Management Platform