Yoga studio chain case study in Poland: 6,240 leads and €1,800 LTV in 9 months

The client is a chain of 6 studios focused on hatha yoga, vinyasa and reformer Pilates: 4 studios in Warsaw and one each in Kraków and Wrocław. It also offers online programs with recorded classes and live sessions for busy clients. They came to us in September 2025 with three goals: scale the flow of new students across all studios, increase the share of 3+ month memberships and bring in corporate clients.

The starting point: before us

Before MAS Project, the client worked with two local contractors. The metrics:

• Average cost per trial class booking: €16
• Monthly flow: 140-200 leads on a €3,000-4,000 budget for the whole chain
• Lead-to-first-paid-visit conversion: 14-18%
• No-shows at the free intro class: 38-42%
• ROAS: 150-200% (barely breaking even)
• Average membership length: 4.5 months

The main problems we found in the audit:

1. Stock photos of perfect models in poses put off beginners
2. Selling memberships directly to cold audiences: 0.4-0.8% conversion
3. No segmentation by level: beginners and advanced students end up in the same class
4. Confirmations by email, hence the high no-show rate
5. One creative running for 4-5 weeks: fatigue, with CTR falling 3x
6. No retargeting for those who came to the trial but didn't buy: 70% of the potential is lost
7. No work with corporate clients at all

What we did

Solution 1: a funnel built on a free intro class

The biggest shift in this case. Instead of selling memberships directly, a two-step funnel built on a free 60-minute intro class:

1. Instagram/Facebook ads with a video from a student: “I came for the first time a year ago. Here's what happens at the free class and whether it's worth going”
2. Booking via WhatsApp Business: a short form with name, phone, level (beginner / intermediate / advanced) and preferred location
3. Automatic confirmation within 30 seconds + a time slot with a specific instructor (by level)
4. Reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before, with a video message from the instructor (“See you tomorrow at 18:30 at the Mokotów studio”)
5. The free class itself: 60 minutes, a regular group class, not a simplified one
6. At the end of the class, the instructor personally introduces the manager and walks through memberships and bonuses
7. Within 48 hours of the visit: a series of 4 WhatsApp messages: thanks for coming, a special offer of 30% off + 2 free group classes, reviews from other students, and the last day of the discount

The result: lead-to-first-paid-visit conversion rose from 14-18% to 32%. Conversion from intro class attendee to membership buyer within 48 hours: 64%.

Solution 2: UGC + real students instead of stock

We reworked the creative strategy. Here's what didn't work and what did.

What DIDN'T work

• Stock photos of models in perfect poses: 0.6% CTR, and they put off beginners (“this isn't for me”)
• “50% off a membership” in the first touch attracted the wrong audience
• Complex terminology (vinyasa, pranayama) in headlines scares off beginners

What worked

1. Video case studies of real students, “before/after”: changes in body, flexibility and well-being over 3-6 months. CTR 2.9-3.7%, lead conversion +180%
2. An instructor in Talking Head format explaining a common mistake in simple terms (“3 mistakes beginners make in their first pose”). CTR 2.4-3.2%
3. Unscripted UGC reviews from students: “I've been coming for 8 months and forgot what back pain feels like”
4. Real footage from the studio: the everyday atmosphere, not a glossy one. It builds trust

Over 9 months we tested 58 different creatives. 14 of them “hit” and delivered 76% of all leads. The other 44 cost $2,000-2,500 worth of learning (about what doesn't work).

“In yoga and fitness, the main barrier is the fear of ‘this isn't for me’ or ‘I'm not flexible/sporty enough’. Stock models in perfect poses REINFORCE that fear. But an ordinary woman saying she was just the same when she first came a year ago removes the barrier. That's why UGC delivers 3-4x better results.” — Natalia Maslakova, founder of MAS Project

Solution 3: WhatsApp Business + segmentation by level

We moved all communication to WhatsApp. This is critical in wellness:

• Segmentation right from the first request: level (beginner/intermediate/advanced), goal (weight loss / flexibility / stress relief / rehabilitation) and preferred location
• Assigning a specific instructor by level: beginners get the most patient one, advanced students the most technical
• Reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before, with a video message from the instructor
• After the intro class: a series of 4 messages over 48 hours with a sales offer
• Didn't buy within 48 hours: 5 messages over 2 weeks with useful content (short practice videos, well-being tips)
• Bought a membership: a mini-program for the first month, the class schedule and a chat with other newcomers
• After 5-6 months: reactivation, with a renewal offer + bonus classes + a personal plan

The effect on business metrics:

• Intro class no-shows: 40% → 14%
• Intro class attendee to buyer: 28% → 64% (within the first 48 hours)
• Average membership length: 4.5 months → 7.2 months
• Share of customers buying extras (PT, workshops): 12% → 28%

Solution 4: 3 acquisition channels: paid social + retargeting + corporate

Cold paid social (60% of budget)

• Geotargeting within 5-8 km of each studio
• Interests: yoga, Pilates, fitness, wellness, mindfulness
• Age 25-45 (top conversion)
• A 1-2% lookalike based on people who bought a course package

Retargeting (15% of budget, 35% of all leads)

• Level 1: visited the site: a short video from a student inviting them to a trial class
• Level 2: started booking but dropped off: “only 3 spots left this week” + a bonus
• Level 3: attended the intro class but didn't buy: a series of 3 student stories + a deadline
• Level 4 (LTV): former customers who cancelled: a win-back offer with a discount

Corporate channel (new, 5% of budget)

• Direct LinkedIn outreach to HR directors at large companies
• A free “yoga against burnout” workshop at the office
• Corporate packages: 30% off when buying 10+ memberships
• Delivered 18% of all revenue in months 7-9 (3 corporate contracts averaging 25 people each)

Results by month

Month	Budget	Leads	CPL	Paying clients
Month 1 (September)	$3 000	185	€16	27
Month 2 (October)	$3 800	320	€11.8	74
Month 3 (November)	$4 500	490	€9.2	132
Month 4 (December)	$5 200	660	€7.9	189
Month 5 (January)	$5 800	815	€7.1	245
Month 6 (February)	$5 500	895	€6.2	282
Month 7 (March)	$5 200	970	€5.4	318
Month 8 (April)	$5 500	1 045	€5.3	342
Month 9 (May)	$6 500	860	€5.4	388
Total	$45 000	6 240	€7.2 avg.	1 997

Financial results over 9 months:

• Ad budget: $45,000 ≈ €42,000
• Leads: 6,240
• Paying customers: 1,997
• Customer acquisition cost: €21 (via ads)
• Average first-month spend: €120
• Average membership length: 7.2 months
• Average customer LTV over 9 months: €1,800
• Corporate contracts: 3 (Pekao Bank, Allegro, Empik) worth €165,000
• Total revenue: €3.59M
• ROAS: 520%

What we'd do differently

1. We'd launch the corporate channel sooner: we only set it up in month 5 when we could have in month 2, missing €80,000+ in revenue
2. We'd connect the Conversions API right away: we only set it up in month 3 and lost 25-30% of the data in the first 2 months
3. We'd shoot 5-7 UGC videos a month with real students instead of 2-3, since UGC delivers better results
4. We'd launch Advantage+ in month 5 (once we had 500+ conversions a week), not month 7

A checklist for your studio

What to implement in your fitness studio or yoga chain:

1. Switch to a two-step funnel built on a free 60-minute intro class
2. Segment customers by level at their first request (beginner / intermediate / advanced)
3. Shoot 5-7 “before/after” video case studies with real students (with their permission)
4. Shoot 8-10 Talking Head videos of instructors (explaining myths, mistakes and technique)
5. Use WhatsApp Business for all communication
6. Assign a specific instructor at booking (based on the customer's level)
7. Set up 4-level retargeting (warm / hot / intro class attendees / former customers)
8. Launch a corporate channel via LinkedIn outreach
9. Track LTV (not just CPL): it's the right KPI in wellness
10. Rotate creatives every 2-3 weeks, as fatigue sets in fast