Gyms and fitness marketing
How people
choose a gym.
Most people choose a gym on three things: it's close and fits their routine, it feels like a place for someone like them, and they can see what it costs and how to leave. Fitness and gym is the second most popular activity for Australian adults, and in AusPlay data 85% of participants trained for physical health or fitness. The gym that answers the practical questions before the visit usually gets the visit.
Written by Dan Picken, a marketer who checks the sources. Last checked 6 November 2026.Why people
join.
AusPlay, the national participation survey, has asked fitness and gym participants why they train. Physical health or fitness came first at 85%, then weight loss or toning at 24%, mental health at 12% and fun at 10%. Those figures are from AusPlay's 2016 to 2018 data, so treat them as a guide to the order, not exact shares today.
The order matters for your ads. Most of the market wants to feel fitter and healthier. A smaller share wants weight loss, and that's the share that's hardest to advertise to on Facebook and Instagram. Lead with health, energy and routine and you're talking to the biggest group.
There's a social side too. In a 2026 Canstar survey, 16% of gym-goers saw the gym as a place to socialise, and 39% said they felt healthier because of their membership. Community is a reason to join, not a nice extra.
What they check
before visiting.
Buyers do most of their checking before they set foot inside. These are the usual checks, roughly in the order people make them:
- Distance and travel: is it on the way to work, near school pickup, easy to park?
- Hours: staffed hours, 24/7 access, early and late classes.
- The room: photos and video of the actual space, equipment and classes.
- The people: who trains there, and whether someone like me would fit in.
- The price: weekly or monthly fee, joining fee, other fees and the minimum term.
- The way out: how to cancel, the notice period and any exit fee.
- Proof: Google reviews, a friend's opinion, how long the place has been open.
The price,
all of it.
The weekly fee is the headline, but buyers do the maths on the rest. Gym-goers told Canstar they spend $77 a month on average, up from about $63 in earlier research. A fee that looks like $18.95 a week can come to a lot more once a joining fee, an access card and a 12-month term are added.
WA already requires fitness suppliers to publish the total minimum cost, the minimum term and all other fees, so buyers don't have to meet anyone to find out. NSW has no such code, but its government guide still says to give people a separate sheet listing all the fees. And from 1 July 2027, the national drip pricing rules mean extra charges must sit clearly next to the base price wherever it's shown.
My view: publish the total even where you don't have to. The buyer is going to work it out anyway. Better they do it on your page than on a competitor's.
Total minimum cost
What does joining
really cost?
Enter your membership as a buyer would see it. You get the total for the minimum term, the cost per visit, and a price line you can put on your website. The starting numbers are made up.
Total minimum cost
-
Price line to publish
The trial
does the selling.
A trial lowers the risk of joining, which is why 'first week free' works. It's also where gyms get into trouble, when the free week turns into a paid membership without the buyer realising.
In July 2026 the Federal Court ordered JustAnswer to pay $10 million over a $2 trial that rolled into a subscription of about $45 to $75 a month. Not a gym, but the same pattern. From 1 July 2027, the new laws also require notices when an introductory or discounted period ends.
A clean trial says three things up front: how long it lasts, what happens when it ends, and how to stop it. A clear ending puts off people who were never going to stay. A surprise charge turns a trial into a one-star review.
Why members
leave.
Keeping members starts at the sale. In AusPlay data, people who dropped fitness or gym most often gave not enough time (23%) and cost or transport (17%) as their reasons. A newer Australian Sports Commission release found poor health, age and not having enough time were the biggest barriers to being active.
Plenty of members drift: 1 in 4 go less often than they planned. In a June 2026 survey, an inactive gym membership was the most expensive unused subscription, averaging $93 a month. Those members cancel eventually, and they tell people why.
So the marketing that finds members should also set them up to stay: a realistic first month, a class time that fits their week, and a check-in from a real person before the habit fades.
Studios aren't
big gyms.
The checks change with the kind of place. Pilates and yoga have grown: Roy Morgan estimated 894,000 Australians did pilates regularly and over 1.3 million did yoga in the year to March 2023, both up on earlier counts. AusPlay named pilates one of the fastest-growing activities of 2024-25.
A reformer studio in Newcastle and a 24/7 club in Parramatta are both 'gyms' to Google, but their buyers ask different questions. Write for the questions, not the category.
| Business | What buyers check most | Put it where |
|---|---|---|
| 24/7 gym | Staffed hours, security, equipment, how busy it gets | Location page and Google profile |
| Reformer pilates | Price per class, class packs, the beginner path, class size | Price page and timetable |
| Yoga | Styles taught, heated or not, casual price, what to bring | Class pages |
| Boxing or HIIT | Fitness level needed, contact or not, the coaches | Class pages and Instagram |
| Personal trainer | Qualifications, where sessions happen, price per session | About page and Google profile |
What I see most often
What I'd check first
on a gym's website.
- 1
The price hunt
How many clicks it takes to find the weekly fee, the joining fee and the minimum term. Often they sit behind an enquiry form.
- 2
Photos of the real room
Whether the site shows the actual floor, classes and trainers, or stock photos that could be any gym in the country.
- 3
The trial's ending
Whether a trial or intro offer says what it costs afterwards and how to stop it, on the same screen as the offer.
The honest bit. A great website won't save a gym that's dirty, overcrowded or short on staff. Reviews will say so, and buyers read them. Fix the floor first, then the marketing.
Questions
people ask.
What do people look for when choosing a gym?
Usually location and hours first, then the feel of the place, then price, terms and reviews. Most people train for their health: in AusPlay data, 85% of fitness and gym participants gave physical health or fitness as a reason.
How much do Australians spend on a gym membership?
Gym-goers surveyed by Canstar in January 2026 said they spend $77 a month on average.
Why do people stop going to the gym?
In AusPlay data, people who dropped fitness or gym most often gave lack of time (23%) and cost or transport (17%) as their reasons.
Should a gym show its prices online?
Yes. In WA it's required: suppliers must publicly disclose fees, the minimum term and the total minimum cost. Elsewhere it's what buyers look for, and from July 2027 extra charges must sit next to the base price.
Do free gym trials work?
They lower the risk of joining, which helps. A trial should say how long it lasts, what it costs afterwards and how to stop it. From 1 July 2027, businesses must also give notice when an introductory period ends.
Related
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