Membership Perks and Rewards: How to Structure Your Offerings

Your fitness studio is more than just a place to break a sweat—it’s a space where your guests can join a community, connect with fellow wellness lovers, and work toward personal and group goals. It’s essential to make your clients feel like they’re a seen and valued member of this community, not just another name on a class roster. Providing perks and rewards to members who hit milestones, sign up for certain membership tiers, participate in studio events, or purchase a significant amount of merchandise is a great way to show your guests how much you value their loyalty.  

Whether your business has an established client base across several locations or is working hard to build up a robust membership, automated tools are an excellent way to track a member’s activities and automatically deliver rewards when earned. If you want to implement a system to incentivise class attendance, friend referrals, and upleveling membership packages, start by considering these ideas for structuring your perks program. 

Show off potential perks early and often

Often, fitness clients get started at a new studio or gym through an intro offer, drop-in classes, or a limited-size class package. While these options help get new guests in the door, they may not give your visitors the best look at what it’s like to be a member—reducing the potential of converting them to a long-term membership. To give your new visitors a great experience and a peek into what membership looks like, create a new member package that makes staying a member a no-brainer.   

As part of your intro special, consider providing limited access to some of the perks that accompany higher-tier membership packages. For example, your intro offer may include one week of unlimited classes or access to virtual classes or a video library, or a one-time discount on a higher-priced item, such as an individual training session. Once your visitors have a taste of what membership is like, they’ll be less likely to want to give up all the benefits. During this introductory period, utilise automation with Mindbody’s comprehensive Marketing Suite to create touchpoints and check-ins with your clients. A simple, personalised text to congratulate someone on attending their first class or visiting two days in a row can be just the inspiration they need to keep coming back. 

Try out tiered membership packages

Not all gym or studio goers are looking for the same experience or have the same wellness budgets. Membership tiers allow your guests to choose a package that suits their goals, wallets, and lifestyle.  

A tiered-pricing structure invites clients to choose their own level of VIP experience. For price-sensitive members, you might choose to offer a no frills membership option that includes fewer perks and rewards but still allows access to classes. Higher-tier memberships can unlock benefits like: 

• Automatic discounts on merchandise 

• Discounts on workshops, events, and training 

• "Bring a friend for free" passes 

• Waiving a late cancellation fee once a month 

No matter what level of membership your visitors choose, remember that they may choose to up- or down-level their package in the future. Keep high-tier members happy and excited about their choice by reminding them of their perks and encouraging them to use their benefits through personalised emails or text messages. For clients with lower-tier memberships, keep track of when their packages are nearing expiration. Use this time to provide personal offers for higher-level, high-value membership options.  

Reward all your loyal members

Once your members are hooked, regardless of the package they choose, continue to build connections and relationships with them through your perks program. Through an automated points system, your visitors can rack up points by taking classes, purchasing merchandise, and referring friends. You can even reward certain milestones (like taking 20 or 50 classes or achieving a personal best in cycling class) with bonus points. Then, when members reach a certain number of points, they can unlock rewards and receive recognition. For example, a member who reaches 100 points may be gifted a free class to give to a friend or a special discount on a piece of merchandise. Along the way, you can use the tools in your marketing suite to send an automated text or email congratulating them on their accomplishments and encouraging them to keep it up. 

There’s no one-size-fits-all perks program that will work for every fitness studio and client base. As you design your benefits and perks structure, think about how you can best keep your members happy and wanting more. Remember, delivering a great service is important, but it's the way you make members feel that can make all the difference in your client retention and long-term success.