Now that we’ve shown you how to create an online class with FitogramPro, we want to give you some tips for successful online classes.

We’ve been getting feedback from our customers and it seems that whether you teach yoga, fitness or dance online, there are a few points to keep in mind when running online classes. The recipe for successful online classes includes a clear framework, good structure, and personal interaction with participants.

We have gathered five important tips for you to help you become successful with your online classes.

1. Structure your class well

A good structure is essential for the success of your online classes. That’s why it’s important to think about how you’re going to organize your online class.

A recurring routine builds trust with your participants even if they just discovered you through your online classes. For example, you can have a common warm-up and cool-down at the beginning and end of your class.

Furthermore, you should put different blocks after each other, such as technique training before endurance training. Within the individual blocks, you should make sure that you offer the exercises with variations for different skill levels and that you logically build up the exercises – both in terms of muscle groups and the degree of difficulty.

Be creative and constantly try to invent new concepts and implement them strategically. Your participants will be happy to have some variety every week. For example, you can focus on different parts of the body for each class, so you don’t keep repeating the same exercises.

However, be careful not to make too many changes so that your students don’t lose the thread. The level of student engagement can make the difference between failing and successful online classes.

2. Interact with the participants and give them feedback 

Feedback on the execution of the exercises and individual support are just as important for successful online classes as they are for the classes in your studio. Since these aspects usually depend a lot on the trainer, it is very important to keep them, because your participants come to the class mainly because of the trainer! You have two ways to improve the interaction between trainer and participants.

Don’t work alone

While one person demonstrates the exercises and gives instructions in front of the camera, a second person can monitor the participants, correct them and answer their questions right away.

However, the second person should refrain from sending feedback or corrections via the chat. Although this will not disturb the class atmosphere, the participants are unlikely to get up every time they receive a message in the chat to check whether the message was addressed to them.

Feel free to give instructions over the microphone! This way, your participants know that they are being addressed and can improve the execution of the exercise immediately.

It’s also fine if you don’t have anyone who can help you.

Work with multiple screens

Who says you can’t log into your own class with more than one account? While you are streaming the class with your main account and have tactically placed the device for it, you can easily log into your class on your tablet or smartphone as well.

Simply place the tablet/smartphone within reach of your mat or location. This way, while your students are doing the exercises, you can quickly correct them while you’re still exercising yourself. If you just want to give instructions, you can ask someone to demonstrate the exercises for your online class.

This gives you a win-win situation. All participants can see how you perform the exercises and at the same time get feedback on their own execution of the exercise.

Of course, you can also use this option if you are working in pairs. In fact, many of our customers use this type of individual support. The important thing is to not ignore the participants.

At the end of your class, you should invest a couple of minutes to collect feedback from your participants. Since online classes are a relatively new concept, there is always room for improvement!

Small tip – if possible, you can welcome all participants with their name at the beginning of the class. This way you make your online classes more personal. In addition, you can check the attendance this way ;-).

3. Choose appropriate music

Motivating music is often one of the most important things during intensive training sessions. Without music, the whole thing is only half as much fun. So if you want successful online classes, you definitely need to think about the music.

The easiest solution is, of course, that you as a trainer play the music of your choice and thus all participants can listen to the same music. Your music is often tuned to the workout you are doing. Nevertheless, this option brings some problems with it:

• – The quality of the music is bad and limited in its volume because it is competing with your voice
• – Due to other noises in the room, it is extremely difficult to follow your instructions without using an external microphone

You can easily avoid these problems.

Your participants are probably on mute and therefore can’t disturb the class. So why shouldn’t they turn on their own music? The advantage here is that the participants can adjust the volume themselves, the music quality is good and the participants can even choose their own music.

Of course, you also have the option to send a playlist from YouTube or Spotify to your participants if your lesson is only possible with the music you have selected. The important thing here is that you tell the participants when it starts.

However, as a trainer, you don’t have to perform all exercises without music. The solution is headphones with an integrated microphone (e.g. AirPods). This allows you to listen to music yourself, and your participants can understand your instructions even better through the microphone – and thus turn the music up even louder!

4. Use objects from home as equipment

Exercises at home can not be as effective as with equipment in your studio? Yes they can! You just need to think outside the box more often and get resourceful. To do this, you can incorporate a lot of objects you can find at home into your workout.

Books

Everybody has at least one book at home!  Whether as a yoga block, a raise to train your calves or a weight to hold – books have many applications. For example, try chest press (hold the book pressed between both hands and move diagonally upwards) or core exercises (press the book between your elbow and your knee on one side while lying on the back and bringing together knee and elbow on the other side)

Chairs or sofas

Many exercises can be improved with a little bit of elevation, whether you use a chair, a table, or a sofa. Exercises with raises can be triceps dips, push-ups with increased legs or arms, or thrusts with increased legs.

Towels

Probably you are quite familiar with towels in your training but for a different purpose. Towels can fulfil more functions than just for the hygiene of your workout.

One great example is to lay your rolled towel on the ground and use it as a mark or line for side jumps. Another option is to roll your towel, grab it with both hands, and keep the tension. This isometric exercise can be included in squats, lunges, or runnings.

Another tip is to imitate row movement with the towel. Just go to a door and wrap it around the door handle with the ends facing into the room. Now you can grab both ends and pull you towards the door. One last option is to use the towel as a slider on the ground for mountain climbers or sliding lunges.

Pillows

Do you like to incorporate balance exercises into your workout? Proprioceptive training is perfect to train the deep muscles. These are the muscles that you can’t directly target. To make your exercises more difficult, you can use a pillow or even a blanket as a base.

Water bottles

Maybe some of your participants even have weights at home, but if not, water bottles are the perfect alternative. Water bottles may not carry the heaviest weight, but they are perfect for making exercises more difficult. You can incorporate this tool into any exercise you might otherwise perform with a weight.

5. Promote your online classes

Our final tip for successful online classes is to promote them extensively. Promoting online classes, on the one hand, has never been easier than in our digital age. There are hardly any people who don’t have access to the internet and social media, and that’s where you’ll best reach your potential customers. On the other hand, it means that you have to overcome ever-increasing competition to attract more new customers to your online classes.

Social media

Social media plays a key role in promoting your online classes. On Facebook and Instagram, you can reach thousands of people more or less for free. To do this, you need to create a meaningful profile with all the relevant information about your studio and post regularly to stay in touch with your existing and potential customers.

Interacting with your subscribers on social media is just as important as communicating with your participants during online classes. For example, you can tell your customers that you’d love for them to tag you in Instagram Stories. This way you can promote your online classes quickly and for free!

Website

A website with up-to-date information about your online classes, prices and schedule should be a no-brainer. If you use FitogramPro, you can benefit from our free online booking tool. There your customers can find all relevant information about your studio as well as quickly discover and book your online classes. You also have multiple ways to share the link to your booking tool with your clients.

Newsletter

The good old newsletter is still a popular marketing tool for customer retention and reactivation of inactive customers. By communicating directly and personally with your customers, you can build a relationship with them that can play an important role in making your online classes successful.

Promotions

Think about different giveaways or referral programs. For example, you can give away a free trial lesson every week or give your existing members a free lesson when a friend of theirs books a class. Don’t limit your creativity, but also remember to set a generally fair price for your online classes.

That’s it! If you implement these 5 tips you will certainly get at least a step closer to successful online classes. We wish you good luck!