So your content machine is running hot and your website and social platforms are packed with great stuff.
Congrats—that’s 50 percent of the work in 2025.
The other 50 percent: being social on social media.
Almost no one does this, by the way.
It’s much more common to post something great, dust your hands off and walk out like a maestro leaving the stage.
But that’s the content-funnel equivalent of expecting your current members to just randomly refer their friends. Referrals don’t just happen, and your social funnel won’t do what it’s supposed to if you’re antisocial.
Yes, posting all the time without interacting is antisocial behavior online.
Quick check:
- How many local people have you followed on Instagram this week?
- How many “likes” have you tapped on posts from local people and businesses this week? (Do not count your interactions with Pat McAfee, Joe Rogan and the account that posts clips from your favorite sitcom.)
- How many well-considered comments have you left on local posts this week?
- How many DMs have you sent to new followers, likers and commenters this week?
I bet the total for most gyms is zero, and if it’s not zero, it’s probably something like 10, which is not enough.
For some reason, we business owners think we are the focal point, and we all check our likes, comments and follows more than we’d care to admit.
We tell ourselves that more likes mean more clients and revenue, but that’s like saying “my business will grow because I’m a great coach.” (It won’t.)
We also sometimes tap hearts on comments but don’t respond, we watch stuff but don’t interact with it, and we tell ourselves we’re too busy to leave comments beyond the fire emoji the bots love so much.
If that’s you, I’m here to tell you that you are producing too much content and not interacting enough on platforms that are designed to make interaction easy. You must give to get.
Huge players like Coke and Nike don’t have to respond to 100,000 notifications. But the owner of the local plumbing company should respond to the five he gets each day—and so should you.
Similarly, Ford doesn’t need to DM people and thank them for following, and Jeff Bezos isn’t following your personal account in hopes that you order from Amazon. But they’re in a different league.
As a gym owner who sells in-person coaching, you need to connect with about 125 awesome local people to make a great living. Use those people to find about 50 more and you can become a millionaire in a surprisingly short amount of time.
You can use organic and social-media funnels to do this, but the key is that you must reach out to people. You did not buy a Super Bowl ad, and you do not have a captive audience. You need to work to connect with people. It’s exactly like making friends in the playground: You’ll get more if you take the initiative and “go first.”
Reach out Today
Here’s your 10-minute-per-day plan to make local connections and supercharge your content and social-media funnels:
- Follow every local small business you can find. Don’t worry if your “following” count goes beyond your “follower” count—I know it’s scary, but it’s going to be OK.
- Like at least three of their posts and leave one well-considered comment. Do not say “cool!” Say, “That’s the most creative fireplace design I’ve even seen from a mason. What kind of stone is that?”
- DM the business and introduce yourself. Don’t try to sell anything. Just say, “Hey! I’m [NAME] from [GYM], and I’m connecting with other local businesses. You have a great account. How long have you been doing [THING]?”
- Keep liking and commenting on content from local businesses. Scroll past McAfee and Seinfeld and interact with the local accounts regularly. You might have to actively search out local content because platforms don’t present it prominently anymore.
- Send a personal message to thank everyone who follows you. Here’s a great line from gym owner and marketing expert Kieran O’Dwyer: “Hey [NAME]! Thanks for the follow! You’re speaking with Kieran. Are you here for the content or do you need help with your fitness?” Kieran’s tip: It doesn’t matter if they respond; they just need to see your name and some proof that you are a real person.
What do you think would happen if you started interacting instead of just posting?
Kieran says you’ll get warmer leads and make more sales (read all about that here).
I agree with him 100 percent. If you start reaching out to people instead of staying distant, you’ll greatly increase the effectiveness of your social-media and content funnels.
Start right now: Take 5 minutes to follow and message three local businesses!
