Want to write a personal trainer testimonial but unsure where to start? Success stories, reviews, and testimonials are a powerful marketing tool that it much easier to sell training sessions. So we’ve put together this guide on how to create them (whether you’re a PT or client) along with handy examples and templates to follow.
Trainer Essentials articles are written by qualified personal trainers with 15+ years of fitness industry experience. We’ve helped thousands of PTs to embark on their careers, level up their coaching, sales, and marketing skills, and grow their own training businesses.
Benefits of Testimonials
Testimonials and reviews are vital for marketing fitness successfully. They prove without a doubt that you can help people to achieve their health goals.
When clients are looking for a personal trainer to work with, they’re much more likely to hire one with a proven track record. Testimonials are evidence of your ability to get results so it’s crucial to have some from satisfied customers.
Testimonials and word of mouth drive an incredible 20-50% of all purchasing decisions.
Yep, personal trainer testimonials contribute to up to half of all purchases! So, if you’re not using them, you’re missing out on a serious number of sales. Let’s dive into how to create them for your PT business…
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How To Write Testimonials
Testimonials come in all sorts of shapes and sizes – case studies, reviews, success stories, quotes, and sound bites. Even the classic ‘before and after’ photo is a form of testimonial.
But to be really effective, a personal trainer testimonial should include four elements…
- Starting situation – what was the client struggling with?
- Trigger – what made them want to change?
- Transformation – what activities did the client do?
- Outcome – what were the results?
Outlining the ‘starting situation’ helps people understand the baseline that the client was starting from. This can include what they were struggling or frustrated with, health stats like body weight or BMI, or performance related info like their personal best time at that point. Including this helps reassure others that the personal trainer can get results for anyone, no matter how ‘unfit’ or ‘overweight’ they are to begin with.
Including the ‘trigger’ highlights what prompted the client to make a change. It might be a diagnosis from a doctor, an unflattering photo, or a life event like getting engaged. Including this can help motivate others to do the same thing.
The ‘transformation’ is where you explain what activities the client did. What did the personal trainer get them to do in terms of fitness, nutrition, or mindset? What kind of exercises were part of the program and how often did they workout? Covering this info helps would-be clients understand what to expect from personal training.
The ‘outcome’ is where you highlight the results that the client achieved. This is where you provide real-life proof of how your training methods benefit people. It could be the amount of weight they lost, how their confidence improved, or they got better as an athlete.
So now you know how to write a testimonial for a personal trainer (or prompt clients if you’re a PT yourself). This simple format can be used for any type of success story, recommendation letter, or review.
Following this structure will ensure that you create a personal trainer testimonial that’s persuasive, impactful, and effective. Having strong testimonials on your website, social channels, or marketing collateral will make it SO much easier to sell your PT services!
Personal Trainer Testimonial Examples
Let’s look at some personal trainer testimonial examples that follow this format…
“Before training with Jamie, I was always on a diet but didn’t seem to lose weight. It was really frustrating. After three years of struggling on my own, I decided to sign up for personal training. Jamie analysed my eating and exercise habits, then developed a workout plan that was actually fun! I now love training, eat a well-balanced diet, and am much happier with my weight.”
This sample review for a fitness trainer is excellent because it describes what the client struggled with beforehand, how the PT helped them, and what the result was.
Now let’s look at an example of a personal trainer testimonial that’s focused on sports performance…
“Before training with Holly, I’d completed four triathlons but my running was letting me down. I just wasn’t particularly fast and didn’t know how to improve. After being disappointed with my last race time I didn’t to hire a personal trainer. Holly developed a training plan that combined speed work with endurance, which improved my running ability no end. I’m so much faster and took several minutes off my running time so can’t wait for my next race!”
Personal Trainer Testimonial Template
Here’s a personal trainer testimonial template that you can use to create your own. It includes a list of questions that can help prompt clients on what to write or say. Simply collate the answers into a paragraph that flows and you’ll have a testimonial ready to go!
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