A chain of 4 fitness clubs in Warsaw, Wrocław and Kraków. The goal: lower the cost per lead and, above all, beat churn in the first 90 days (the whole industry's pain point). Budget: $44,000 over 8 months. Result: 7,400 leads, an average CPL of €4.9, 38% conversion to a first visit, 64% retention after 3 months (against an industry 40-55%), €920 LTV and a ROAS of 510%. The funnel: UGC transformations → a trial workout with a personal trainer → a membership sale → a 30-day onboarding program + gamification for retention.
About the client and the goal
A chain of 4 mid-market fitness clubs (€45-70/month membership) in three Polish cities. Formats: gym floor, group classes, personal training. Before working with us, the client used two local freelancers and was stuck in the classic fitness trap: there are leads, but people leave after 1-2 months.
Metrics before we started: a CPL of €9-13, 24% visit conversion and only 38% retention after 3 months. The goals:
- Cut CPL to €6 or lower
- Lift first-visit conversion to 35%+
- Above all, lift 3-month retention to 55%+
- Grow LTV through retention and upsells (personal training, nutrition)
Final numbers after 8 months
The key insight: in fitness, retention beats acquisition
Most fitness clubs burn their whole budget on acquisition and ignore retention. The math is brutal: if a member leaves after 1.5 months, you barely recover the acquisition cost. Profit starts from months 3-4 of the membership.
We rebalanced priorities: 60% of the effort on retention, 40% on acquisition. It was the growth in retention from 38% to 64% that drove most of the 510% ROAS.
The acquisition funnel
- Reels ads with a UGC transformation lead to WhatsApp (Messages objective)
- The bot asks 2 questions: the goal (lose weight / gain muscle / stay fit) + the most convenient club
- It books a free trial workout with a personal trainer for the chosen goal
- 24 hours before: a reminder with the address, what to bring and parking info
- 2 hours before: a final confirmation (no-shows fell from 35% to 12%)
- At the trial, the trainer takes measurements, runs a test workout and draws up a plan, creating an emotional connection
- A membership sale at the end of the workout, with a discount valid for 48 hours
The retention system: how we lifted retention to 64%
Onboarding in the first 30 days
- Day 1: a welcome pack with a training plan, access to a chat with the trainer and a beginner's guide
- Day 3: a WhatsApp message: “How was your first workout? What was hard?”
- Day 7: an invitation to a group class (social connection is critical)
- Day 14: first progress measurements + photos
- Day 30: a review of results + plan adjustments
Gamifying attendance
- Streaks for consistency (don't miss a week)
- Badges at 10 / 20 / 30 / 50 visits
- Monthly challenges with prizes (a free personal training session, merch)
- A referral program: bring a friend and you both get a bonus
Retention manager
A dedicated person tracks attendance in the CRM. After 2 missed weeks, there's a personal call or message: “We miss you, is everything OK? Shall we adjust your schedule?” This one step brought back 30% of members who were drifting away.
Creatives: what worked and what didn't
| Creative format | Result | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| UGC transformation of a real member | +130% conversion | A “I used to be like you” story removes the barrier |
| The club's atmosphere at peak hours | +70% CTR | Eases the fear that “it's all bodybuilders” |
| A trainer gives a quick tip | Average CTR, high trust | Works for nurturing and retargeting |
| Fitness models with perfect bodies | −40% conversion | Scare off beginners, the core audience |
| Stock photos of gym equipment | Worst CTR | Dropped after the first tests |
“Fitness is a retention business disguised as an acquisition business. A club that only knows how to bring in new members is always short on cash: it pays for a lead, loses them a month later and pays for a new one. We shifted the focus so that 60 cents of every marketing euro went into keeping people. It was retention growing from 38% to 64% that turned a project with loss-making unit economics into a 510% ROAS.” — Natalia Maslakova, founder of MAS Project
Targeting: local and goal-based
- Location: a 3-4 km radius around each club (people won't travel far to a gym)
- Age: 20-45 (core 24-38)
- Gender: 55% women (group classes, weight loss), 45% men (gym floor, muscle gain)
- Goal-based segmentation: separate creatives and landing pages for “lose weight”, “gain muscle” and “stay fit”
- Languages: Polish + Ukrainian + Russian (the diaspora)
- Seasonality: pushing harder in January (New Year's resolutions) and April-May (getting ready for summer)
- Lookalike: 1-3% of members who renewed after 3 months (not just bought, but stayed)
Upsells: how LTV grew
The €920 LTV came from more than the basic membership:
- Personal training: 28% of members added a personal training package
- A discounted annual membership, offered after 2 months of engagement
- Nutrition programs, upsold after 30 days
- Merch and sports nutrition: small but steady extra revenue
3 key takeaways
- Retention matters more than acquisition: shift 60% of your effort to keeping members beyond 90 days, because that's where the profit is
- UGC transformations outperform fitness models by 130%: a beginner needs to see “someone like me”, not an unattainable ideal
- A trial workout with measurements and a plan creates an emotional connection and lifts membership conversion
Want the same results for your club?
We work with fitness clubs and studios in Ukraine, Poland and Germany. We'll build an acquisition AND retention system for your club. Free 30-minute consultation.
Get a free consultationFrequently asked questions
What's a normal cost per lead for a fitness club in 2026?
Ukraine €3-6, Poland €4-8, Germany €7-13, Spain €6-11. We reached €4.9 with UGC videos of real members, location targeting within 3-4 km, a free trial workout offer and a WhatsApp bot. In fitness, retention matters more than cost per lead: profit comes from months 3-4 of the membership.
What's a normal client retention rate for a fitness club?
40-55% after 3 months, 25-40% after 6 months. We reached 64% after 3 months with a 30-day onboarding program, WhatsApp reminders, gamification (streaks, badges, challenges) and a retention manager who calls after 2 missed weeks.
Which creatives work best?
Top 3: 1) a real member's before/after UGC transformation: +130% conversion; 2) the club's atmosphere at peak hours (it eases the fear that “it's all bodybuilders”): +70% CTR; 3) a trainer giving a quick tip. Worst: photos of perfect fitness models, which scare off beginners, the core audience.
How do you build a trial workout funnel?
UGC Reels → WhatsApp (Messages objective). The bot asks 2 questions (goal + club) and books a free trial with a trainer. Reminders 24 h and 2 h before. At the trial: measurements and a plan. A membership sale with a 48-hour discount. 30-day onboarding. 38% visit conversion, 64% retention.