How To Price Introductory Offers To Attract First Time Clients

Offering an introductory offer for new clients is a great way to build your studio and it can have a big impact on retention which ultimately translates to increased profitability. An analysis done on millions of wellness consumer records by Mindbody back in 2018 showed that retention is substantially better when new clients start on an intro offer:

54% New Client 90 Day Retention

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54% New Client 90 Day Retention 〰️

54% of new clients are retained at 90 days if they started on an intro offer versus only 35% when they come in under a non-intro offer pricing option. That’s a big difference that adds up over time.

Lets talk pricing intro offers to help get those new clients in the door!

Getting new clients through the door is only half the battle—the key lies in crafting an irresistible offer that not only attracts first-timers but also encourages them to return. Pricing your introductory offers effectively requires a delicate balance: it needs to be enticing enough to lower the barrier to entry, but valuable enough to set the stage for long-term commitment. In this post, lets explore how boutique fitness studios can strategically price their intro offers to convert new clients into loyal members.

Introductory Offer Pricing Strategy

Basically, you want to offer a new client special, aka Introductory (Intro) Offer, that is easy for prospective customers to choose to buy and try your services. You don’t want them to get lost on or overwhelmed by the cost of your services. People bring all kinds of money baggage to the table when considering your business and having an intro offer makes it easier on their money emotions.

This is a common intro offer for yoga studios these days

I loved being able to say “for the price of two drop ins you might as well try our intro offer”. If you offer a monthly membership (YOU LIKELY SHOULD!), then it makes sense that your intro offer is also one month duration. If you offer appointment based services, you could offer 2 for 1 deal and plenty of appointment based businesses have great success at having first session discounted as long as it coincides with upselling and rebooking. Basically 20-50% off of your regular priced similar option is a good pricing range to start with. If you are on the full side capacity wise, then have a higher priced intro offer. If you have plenty of room for new customers, then perhaps you go more competitive with your intro offer price.

For example, at my studio my membership was $100 for a monthly unlimited. Therefore, I started my intro offer at $49 for a one month unlimited pass. Every new client had a chance to buy it once during their first visit. Sometimes, I went down to $30 for 30 days or changed it up a bit during summer or January. No sharing, returns, etc.

My intro offer was the call to action I had everywhere on my website and especially right at the top of my landing page. Once people bought that intro offer, they were then in my “new client sales funnel” and we followed up with them in lots of ways to make sure they were enjoying their sessions and let them know about our membership opportunities.

Duration

Testing is critical with finding a duration that works for your studio business

It has been my experience that longer duration always outperforms shorter intro offer duration, retention wise. This means that 1 month duration outperforms 2 weeks, outperforms 1 week, etc. This is entirely anecdotal though and I have yet to see a bigger data analysis done on this. I have more clients lately who are offering 2 weeks somewhat successfully. It’s easier to sell because the price is lower, but you have less time to convert the client. Pros and cons both ways. Retention is always the key here, so try it out and see if you are converting at least 50% at 90 days. If not, duration is something you can play with.

First Time Free Intro Offer

Example of a clear intro offer right on this very website :)

I generally don’t recommend first time free because the conversion of those new clients is usually not good. Basically, you get the warm bodies into your studio and that certainly feels good, but they are not warm leads, they have no intention of becoming paying members. If you decide to try offering a first time free intro offer, just make sure that you have a process to convert them to paying clients somehow and pay attention to conversion rates with those free clients. Otherwise, you are throwing money into the wind by paying teachers and rent for those classes. A couple exceptions to this rule: First, appointment based service businesses who develop an immediate and personal relationship with the client. They have a clear offer available after the free trial session or discovery session. Second exception to this is what I called my “community classes” at my yoga studio. I liked offering a couple community classes each week, taught by teachers in training, that were a lower drop-in rate. They were offered in my smaller studio space, at less popular times of day. All of my teachers in training were required to teach a few of these and take a few of these.

What About Intro Offers for Teacher Trainings, Events, or Session Based Offerings?

With Teacher Trainings and Events I most often see an early bird discount that expires 1-8 weeks prior to the event. For my studio, we usually wanted at least a month for longer events like teacher trainings or 1-2 weeks for shorter weekend workshops.

With Session Based Offerings I have seen lots of success with first time free. Make sure you have a process in place for converting them thereafter. Have I said that enough? Rebooking rewards are popular too, rewarding people who repeat the series.

In conclusion…

The right pricing strategy for your intro offer can create a low-risk opportunity for new clients to experience your studio, while also setting the foundation for a long-term relationship. Whether you opt for one month or two week duration, your offer should reflect both the value of your services and the experience you want to provide. Take time to test different approaches, adjust based on your retention, and always focus on delivering a welcoming experience. With the right intro offer, you can turn curious visitors into loyal members and help your studio thrive in a competitive market. Remember, when you play with pricing, you affect the demand for your services, so pay attention, it’s not a set it and forget it decision. Nothing is ever fixed in stone and tweak things until you get the best results possible.

Now go get those new clients!