 |
Better Writing = More Success: Tips for Boosting Attendance in Fitness Workshops, Courses & Programs
The titles and descriptions you use for your workshops, courses, classes or special events can have a major impact on registration numbers.
By Amanda Vogel |
|
 |
The more persuasive your writing, and the more interesting and useful you make your educational offerings and programs sound, the better the attendance and overall impact. Consider these ideas for creating clearer and more enticing copy for fitness workshops, courses and programs.
Beat Writer's Block with This Simple Starting Point
If you struggle with writer's block when preparing descriptions for workshops, special events or fitness classes, try this tip. Begin by imagining the average person who might come to that session, then brainstorm answers to the following three questions.
What interests them about the session?
What do they hope to get out of it?
How will its contents improve their lives or skill set?
Remember to address what every prospective client or participant wants to know: "What's in it for me?" This technique also works well for writing articles, websites and other marketing material.
Hook 'Em with a Stand-Out Title
The session title is usually the first and perhaps the only thing people read. This is especially true if your description is competing with many others in a brochure, group exercise schedule or conference guide.
Motivate people to read your entire description by crafting a catchy title that also clearly communicates the workshop's benefit or purpose. For example:
Instead of: Managing Finances in the Fitness Industry
Try: 5 Steps to Smarter Spending for Personal Trainers
The second example works because it sounds more doable and also more interesting - "smarter spending" as opposed to "managing finances" (snore!). The second sentence also announces who should attend the workshop: personal trainers.
Sell Your Workshop with the Description
If you write descriptions for your master classes or workshops, remember that you're selling the event, just like an ad sells a service or product. Which of the following two workshops would you be most compelled to spend your money on?
A: Join Charlie Brown for his famous FAB ABS workshop. He'll make you sweat as he takes you on a journey beyond any other core workout you've experienced. You'll leave this session with ideas and moves that'll knock your participants' socks off.
OR
B: In this back-by-popular-demand workshop, Charlie Brown explains the concept of core training, including why it's important for your participants to learn, and simple strategies for how to instruct the recruitment of core muscles in a group setting. Leave this workshop with a host of new ab-training ideas and a tried-and-true framework for designing your own core-conditioning class.
Hopefully you chose description B. Why? Because it provides specific information about what to expect. The language in description A is vague, which makes it difficult to picture exactly what the session entails. People want to be clear about what they are forking out money for; remember this the next time you compose a workshop description.
Identify Effective Verbs for Writing Learning Objectives
When writing learning objectives for course material, CEC workshops and client programs, you must clearly define what you expect the student or client to ultimately accomplish. A properly written learning objective uses verbs that describe measurable behavior and performance. For example:
Instead of: Understand basic exercises for working the core.
Try: Identify basic exercises for working the core.
Instead of: Learn the main elements of a safe and effective step class.
Try: Explain the main elements of a safe and effective step class.
Instead of: Recognize the major muscles in the body.
Try: Name the major muscles in the body.
Other good verbs for writing learning objectives: analyze, demonstrate, define, outline, discuss, list.
This article is an excerpt from 51 Need-to-Know Writing & Marketing Tips for Fitness Pros. Receive a free copy of this e-book when you subscribe to Active Voice's free fitness writing/marketing e-newsletter at www.activevoice.ca.
About Amanda Vogel
Go to Amanda Vogel info page.
More Like This…
Writing About Stressful Life Events May Improve Health by Patti Testerman
Four Easy Ways to Get Publicity for Fitness Professionals by Jim Labadie
 Back to Articles Home Page
020508  |
|
|