Fitness Marketing – How To Become A Media Superstar

Fitness marketingA Ready To Use Publicity Blueprint You Can Follow To Become The Trusted Media Expert In Your Area

Things have been crazy here lately.  Between Tyler heading back to school, lots of travel for workshops and franchise training, Holly being 8 months pregnant, 4 different BIG projects finally wrapping up and the recent growth of Athletic Revolution (we’re up to 17 franchisees and expect to be the biggest Youth Fitness & Sports Performance franchise in the world by mid-2011), I’ve barely had a moment to spare.

That seemed pretty overwhelming just typing it icon wink Fitness Marketing   How To Become A Media Superstar

Actually, the last part of that is really what really led to this post.  One of our franchisees – well two: Dave and Andrea Gleason – have positioned their Athletic Revolution location as the ‘Go To’ youth training and sports performance facility in the area and got the equivalent of thousands of dollars of advertising by leveraging the media through press releasing.

I’ve told you a number of times how powerful press releasing can be, but thought it might be better if you got a first-hand look at the exact releases Dave sent to the local paper and the articles they resulted in.


OK – here’s the initial email Dave sent the editor of the local paper:

Hi Dana,

Sorry to not have met you yet.  Nice to meet you and a belated congrats on being editor of our town paper!  My name is Dave Gleason.  I live and own a business in Pembroke.  Steve Annear and I had a great working relationship and I hope he is doing well with his new position.

I have attached a Press Release for you review.

Thanks for your time and if I can be of any help to you please let me know!

Best Regards,

 

 

Dave

 

And here’s the fitness marketing  press release:

For Immediate Release
Contact – Andrea Gleason, 781.XXX.XXXX or Andrea@XXXXXXXXX.com

Pembroke Resident Going for Gold in 2010 X-Games in L.A.

Nora Vasconcellos Prepares for the Big Stage at Local Youth Sports Training Facility


July 2, 2010 – Competing in the Dew Tour, at the famed Boston Garden, Nora Vasconcellos was in the company of the greats of men and women’s skateboarding.

Fitting in practice time in Rye, New Hampshire while maintaining any semblance of balance for an energetic and ambitious 17 year old whose life and friends are home in Pembroke, is a tall order.

With the 2010 X-Games Vert competition looming the weekend of July 29th – Nora’s training at Athletic Revolution in Pembroke gets ramped up.

Unlike all other evaluations of physical prowess, at Athletic Revolution the young athletes ranging in age from 6-18 are judged on the quality of carefully selected movements put together in a flowing, choreographed routine.

Dave Gleason, Head Coach of Athletic Revolution, says that preparing Nora physically is a steady system of balance, mobility, strength and stamina.

“Making sure Nora moves correctly and efficiently is paramount to her staying healthy as well as continuing to improve at the rapid rate she has been on”, says Gleason.

Nora’s thoughts on her work with Coach Gleason and Athletic Revolution are quite complementary.

“I’ve noticed an overall improved level of fitness; greater flexibility, strength and endurance which has me more confident and better able to focus on what I want to do when I’m skating.  AR is not one-size-fits-all”.

“Coach Dave’s asks great questions and listens to create an approach that is unique to my particular sport.  I feel so good about having AR as a partner in my skating that I truly can’t wait to get to every workout”, continued the 17-year-old athlete.

For more information about Athletic Revolution or their training programs for young athletes, please call Andrea Gleason at 781.XXX.XXXX

####

Here’s the article that sending that release resulted in:

article1 Fitness Marketing   How To Become A Media Superstar

Since the article was pretty long I’ve just included a screen shot, but you can click on the photo and it will take you to the actual article where you’ll see exactly how powerful this article could be for a fitness business.  Be sure to check out the photos with their logo everywhere too.

 

Needless to say, when Dave and Andrea had something else that was newsworthy, they sent another release.  Here it is:

For Immediate Release
Contact – Andrea Gleason 781.XXX.XXXX or andrea@XXXXXX.com

 

Soccer Hero Named to MLS All-Star Team after Training at Local Facility

Alston suggests new training program had much to do with reaching is dream

 

August 2, 2010 – Local soccer hero and member of the New England Revolution played against the famed Manchester United last week after being named to the MLS All-Star Team.

“This is an absolute dream come true” said Kevin Alston, the former Indiana University star.

“A chance to play on a massive stage and against some of the very best in the world”

Alston believes part of his success is due to training with Dave Gleason; Head Coach at the Pembroke-based Athletic Revolution Training Center.

“The speed and agility training I have received from Dave and Athletic Revolution has had a major impact on my game”, continue Alston.

“It is very unique stuff that builds a foundation on which any athlete would improve”

The Athletic Revolution training system is based on developing skill and technique in body movements that translate to increases in speed and agility.  The program also works on strength and mobility – two fundamental elements for both increasing sport performance and reducing the chance of injury.

“We are very different from other training centers”, said Gleason; the Athletic Revolution Head Coach.

“We don’t’ just run our athletes into the ground and make them tired.  We build skills in the areas of movement and strength, which allows all of our athletes to become absolutely dominant on the court or field”

Nora Vasconcellos, a skate-boarder and recent addition to the popular Dew Tour and X-Games, also trains with Gleason at Athletic Revolution.

The Athletic Revolution facility is home to athletes ranging from elementary, middle and high school athletes to professional superstars like Alston.

For more information on Athletic Revolution, contact Gleason directly at 781.XXX.XXXX.

####

 

Here’s the article that sending the second release resulted in:

article2 Fitness Marketing   How To Become A Media Superstar

You can click on this photo too and it will take you to the actual article.  You’ll quickly see how this is better than any ad they could ever run in the same paper.

Now I don’t want you to think that every release will get picked up.  In fact, maybe just 1 in 10 will…but look how much impact that one release can have for your business.

And the best part is that Dave is very similar to many of the really good trainers & coaches that I know.  He doesn’t love to focus on fitness marketing or sell.  He loves to coach.  So he’s implemented a strategy (the Athletic Revolution Marketing System) that focuses on using his coaching as the centerpiece of his marketing efforts.

Press releasing, referrals, free trials, clinics, camps – all things that either get him coaching new people or showcase the coaching he’s currently doing.

My recommendation is that you do some of the same – and you can start by following Dave’s approach and using press releases to position yourself as a Fitness Media Superstar too!

As a side note – if you’d like more information on Athletic Revolution, either our Facility-Based Model or our new Independent Coach Model, you can grab a free special report about the Athletic Revolution Opportunity here.

 

Dedicated to your success,

Pat

 

 

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Comments

  1. Dave says:

    …Honored and humbled, Pat to be a part of your blog post!

    For anyone who reads this…Andrea have followed the direction of Pat. For so many of us (trainers and coaches) marketing can seem overwhelming.

    The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to do something everyday and DO NOT get discouraged if your press release doesn’t get picked up. Write a press release at least once per week. They do not all get us front page above the fold as well as the online version of our paper. But we have been in the paper a ton because it.

    The press releases become easier to write – the more you write them. So write and write often about what you do and how you are changing lives!

    That said, another lesson learned from Pat is to commit to your strategy. In part, develop a relationship with local media and do what you can to make their job easy. We strive to provide the editor of our paper a done for you article with pictures if possible. Let them know you are there to help them and provide news worthy press releases.

    Not one dime spent on paid advertising since we opened…Thanks Pat!

  2. Todd Lowder says:

    A common thread among most successful people is they find experts in their field, they learn, they take action and succeed! This is another shinning example of just that!

  3. Wil Fleming says:

    Dave-

    That is awesome man. I really like your personal touch on the press release. I think that is always more successful than going with the generic press release sites. Great job man, way to rep AR to the highest!

    Wil

  4. Nikki Layton says:

    Great work Dave and Andrea! good job on working with your clients and great job on the promotion!

  5. Kori Bliffert says:

    Awesome work Dave and Andrea!!! The press release is great and really shows the great work you are doing.

  6. BJ Bliffert says:

    Awesome Job, Dave. What a great example of the power of press releases!

  7. Jim Labadie says:

    People LOVE stories.

    And the media is made up of PEOPLE! ;-)

    They love stories and they know their readers, listeners and viewers love stories.

    Great job, Dave and Andrea, of giving them what they WANT – stories!

  8. Dave and Andrea,

    First, let me say congrats on all your success!

    I echo the sentiments about the personal touch in the email. It wasn’t just another press release, it told a small amount of a great story and in turn gained the eye of the editor and tons of readers.

    Job well done! You both are awesome representatives for AR!

  9. Ryan Ketchum says:

    Dave has done an awesome job! Congrats, you deserve every piece of press and publicity that you can get!

  10. Ken Grall says:

    Nice work, Dave and Andrea!

    We’re proud to be part of the AR team with you-

  11. Art McDermott says:

    I love templates I can use right away. I’ve been looking for a way to be the local resource to go to and get some front page time in the paper.

    This stuff looks like a solid start to me!

    Great stuff Dave.

    Art

  12. Tiffany says:

    Wow that is excellent, the press release has been a solid tool in our exposure to our community. It works way better than any paid ad ever could.

    Find something newsworthy about your business and write about it….

  13. Jonathan says:

    Nice post!

  14. Awesome!!!

  15. Liz Donnelly says:

    Awesome post, Pat! (Should we be surprised?) ;) Congratulations to Dave & Andrea and well deserved attention at that!

  16. That’s totally awesome post. Way to go you guys

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