The online fitness industry is thriving, and 2025 presents the perfect opportunity to tap into its explosive growth. With advancements in technology, an increasing number of people are turning to online platforms for their fitness needs.
From personalised workout plans to one-on-one coaching, online personal training has become a flexible, scalable, and rewarding career path for fitness professionals.
In recent years, the demand for accessible and convenient fitness solutions has skyrocketed. As more people prioritise their health and wellness, they’re seeking trainers who can provide tailored guidance without geographical limitations.
This shift has paved the way for personal trainers to expand their businesses online, reaching clients globally while enjoying the freedom of working from anywhere.
Whether you’re a seasoned trainer or just starting your journey, this step-by-step guide will take you through how to become an online personal trainer in 2025.
Step 1: Understand the role of an online personal trainer
What does an online personal trainer do?
An online personal trainer provides professional fitness coaching in a virtual environment, enabling clients to achieve their health and wellness goals from the comfort of their own homes — or anywhere in the world.
Their responsibilities mirror those of in-person trainers, but are adapted to the online setting. Key tasks include designing bespoke or template-based training plans, tracking client progress, and offering tailored nutrition guidance.
What sets online personal training apart is its ability to overcome geographical and scheduling constraints.
Unlike traditional trainers who meet clients face-to-face, online personal trainers rely on technology to deliver their services.
This typically includes video calls, assigning customised workouts and nutrition plans and progress-tracking, using tools like My PT Hub to deliver your training plans and manage your client base seamlessly.
The virtual nature of online coaching empowers trainers to scale their services beyond physical limits, reaching a wider audience with minimal overhead costs, alongside greater flexibility for both coaches and clients alike.
Why is online personal training booming?
The online fitness industry is growing at an astonishing rate, fuelled by increasing health awareness and demand for flexible fitness options.
In 2023, the global online fitness market was valued at approximately USD $15.5 billion and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 32%, potentially reaching an impressive USD $172.4 billion by 2032. (Source – GM Insights).
Several factors are driving this growth (Source – Grand View Research):
- Flexibility and accessibility: Online training lets clients work out on their own schedule with just a device and internet connection.
- Scalability: Trainers can serve more clients without physical location or space constraints.
- Cost savings: Without the need to travel to a physical location trainers and clients can reduce travel and facility expenses.
- Lifestyle shifts: Growing interest in health, balanced diets, flexible workouts, and mental wellness is driving demand.
- Permanent industry shift: Virtual training has become a lasting trend, with live video classes and home workouts leading the way.
- Pandemic-driven growth: Gym closures during the pandemic accelerated adoption of online fitness solutions to the point that they are now normalized.
Step 2: Get qualified
Certifications you need
To build credibility as an online personal trainer, obtaining recognised certifications is crucial. Depending on where you’re located, the qualifications and frameworks may vary, but globally respected certifications can give you an edge.
United States and Rest of the World
In the US and internationally, certifications from bodies such as ACE (American Council on Exercise) are highly respected. These qualifications ensure you meet global standards in personal training, covering areas like anatomy, programme design, and nutrition.
United Kingdom
For trainers in the UK, the industry standard includes:
- Level 2 Certificate in Fitness Instructing: An entry-level qualification to work as a gym instructor, covering the basics of exercise instruction and anatomy.
- Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training: An advanced qualification enabling you to design training programmes, assess clients, and provide nutritional advice.
Both are typically accredited by organisations like Active IQ and YMCA Awards and aligned with standards set by CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity).
Standing out with specialisation
To enhance your career prospects, specialisations can set you apart. Consider focusing on areas like nutrition coaching, weight loss management, or post-rehabilitation training, which allow you to cater to niche client needs and expand your expertise.
How to choose the right certification program
When selecting a certification program, keep these universal factors in mind:
- Accreditation: Look for certifications recognised by respected governing bodies, such as CIMSPA in the UK or NCCA (National Commission for Certifying Agencies) in the US, to ensure they meet industry standards.
- Flexibility: Opt for courses that offer part-time, online, or hybrid options, allowing you to balance training with other commitments.
- Cost: Evaluate programme fees and additional expenses, like study materials or exam costs, to find an option that fits your budget.
- Industry recognition: Choose a programme valued in your target market to increase credibility with employers and clients.
Ongoing professional development is equally important, helping you stay up to date with the latest fitness trends and techniques.
By earning the right certifications and staying committed to continuous learning, you’ll be well-prepared to become an online personal trainer with a steady client base.
Step 3: Define your niche
Why niching down matters for online personal trainers
In the competitive online fitness industry, targeting a specific audience can set you apart and drive success.
By focusing on a niche, you’ll stand out as an expert in a particular area, making it easier to attract clients who resonate with your services and trust your expertise.
Specializing also allows you to tailor your offerings, marketing efforts, and messaging, making your business more efficient and impactful.
Some profitable niches in the online personal training space include:
- Postpartum fitness: Helping new parents regain strength and fitness while addressing their unique needs.
- Corporate wellness: Catering to companies and their employees with customised fitness programmes to improve productivity and well-being.
- Vegan athletes: Providing nutrition and training plans designed for those following a plant-based lifestyle.
- Senior fitness: Offering low-impact exercises tailored to older adults seeking to maintain mobility and health.
- Sports-specific training: Focusing on athletes in areas like marathon running, tennis, or football to optimise performance.
Choosing the right niche not only positions you as an authority but also helps you build long-term relationships with clients who value your expertise.
Read more: Popular CPD Courses for Personal Trainers
Step 4: Build your brand
Create a memorable brand identity
Building a successful online personal training business starts with a strong, memorable brand identity. Your brand should communicate who you are, what you offer, and why clients should choose you over competitors.
Start by crafting a unique selling proposition (USP) that highlights the specific value you bring to the table.
For example, your USP could focus on delivering tailored programmes for busy professionals, specialising in vegan athletes, or offering a hybrid of live and on-demand training.
To establish trust and authority in the crowded online fitness space, consistency is key. Use your branding — logos, colours, and tone of voice — to present a cohesive image across all platforms, from your website to social media.
Sharing client testimonials, success stories, and professional certifications also strengthens your credibility. Position yourself as a reliable, approachable expert who delivers measurable results.
Using social media as an online personal trainer
Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn are invaluable for growing your brand and connecting with potential clients.
Share workout snippets, nutrition tips, or behind-the-scenes content to showcase your expertise and build a relatable presence.
Engaging with followers through comments, live Q&A sessions, or fitness challenges fosters a sense of community and positions you as a trusted authority.
Read more: 6 Engaging Instagram Post Ideas for Personal Trainers
Extend your branding to your coaching app or training platform
Once you’ve defined your brand identity, it’s essential to maintain a professional appearance — and My PT Hub makes this easy.
The platform’s custom branding features allow you to personalise your dashboard with your own in-app logo and color scheme, ensuring your brand is front and centre in every client interaction and creating a seamless, professional look.
For trainers looking to elevate their branding even further, My PT Hub also offers the ability to fully customise the client experience by branding your app with your own custom logo, so that your app looks and feels like your brand at all times.
These tools allow you to showcase your expertise under your own branding, making your business appear more established and trustworthy.
Step 5: Set up your online personal training business
Register and legalise your business
- Start by determining the legal structure of your business, such as a sole proprietorship, partnership, or limited company.
- Register your business with the relevant authorities in your region and ensure you have all necessary licences or certifications to operate legally.
- For added protection, secure liability insurance to cover your online coaching services and create clear client contracts that outline terms and conditions.
- If you handle personal data, you’ll need to ensure that your business is compliant with data protection regulations (depending on where in the world your business operates). This might include, for example, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU or California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in California, USA. This includes implementing a clear privacy policy, obtaining consent for data collection, and ensuring data security.
Organise your financial systems
- Setting up proper financial systems is crucial for managing your online personal training business.
- Open a dedicated business bank account to keep personal and business finances separate.
- Consider using accounting software or My PT Hub’s Financials feature to track income, expenses, and taxes efficiently.
- You can also integrate these systems with a payment processing supplier to simplify transactions, or use a tool like My PT Hub, which houses secure payment processing and financial reporting for your fitness business under one roof.
Create a professional online presence
Your website is your digital storefront and should reflect your brand’s professionalism. Include essential pages such as:
- About me: Share your expertise and certifications to build trust.
- Services: Outline your training packages and pricing.
- Testimonials: Showcase success stories and client reviews.
- Blog: Provide valuable fitness content to engage visitors and improve SEO.
Complement your website with an active presence on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
Top tip: My PT Hub includes a MySite website landing page as part of your subscription, enabling coaches to set up a custom domain within minutes which seamlessly integrates with your coaching app.
Design a seamless client onboarding process
- First impressions matter, so create a smooth and professional onboarding process.
- Start with a detailed consultation to understand each client’s goals, fitness level, and preferences.
- Follow this with a fitness assessment and clear explanations of your training plans.
- Platforms like My PT Hub can help automate onboarding tasks, saving you time while delivering a personalised experience.
Invest in the right tools and equipment
- Although you don’t need a gym, investing in quality equipment can enhance your online services.
- A camera, microphone, and proper lighting are essential for creating instructional videos or conducting live training sessions.
- Basic fitness tools, such as resistance bands or dumbbells, can also help you demonstrate exercises effectively.
Establish a marketing strategy
To grow your business, plan a comprehensive marketing strategy that leverages multiple channels:
- Social media: Use platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to build a following through engaging content, such as workout challenges or nutrition tips.
- Email campaigns: Nurture leads and keep existing clients engaged with personalised email newsletters.
- SEO-optimised content: Attract organic traffic by creating blog posts that answer common fitness-related questions and highlight your expertise.
As mentioned in Step 4, consistent branding and messaging is key to making a lasting impression on potential clients.
Set clear business goals
- Define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for your business, such as acquiring a specific number of clients, generating a set revenue target, or expanding your services.
- Break these down into actionable steps and track your progress regularly to stay on course.
Step 6: Find and retain clients
Attracting your first clients
Building a client base as an online personal trainer requires a mix of effective marketing strategies and trust-building techniques. Here are key approaches to attract your first clients:
- Social media marketing: Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn are powerful tools for showcasing your expertise. Share engaging content, such as workout videos, nutrition tips, and client success stories, to draw in potential clients. Use fitness hashtags relevant to your niche and collaborate with influencers to broaden your reach.
- Email campaigns: Build a mailing list by offering free resources, such as fitness guides or sample workouts, in exchange for email sign-ups. Use email campaigns to nurture these leads with targeted content and exclusive offers.
- Referrals: Word of mouth is invaluable. Encourage satisfied clients to refer friends and family by offering referral incentives, such as free sessions or discounts.
Trust is a cornerstone of attracting clients. Highlight your expertise with professional certifications, specialisations, and testimonials from satisfied clients. Sharing before-and-after photos or detailed progress showcases can demonstrate the tangible results you deliver, further building credibility and encouraging sign-ups.
Delivering value to retain clients
Attracting clients is only half the battle—retaining them is where long-term success lies. Deliver exceptional value by personalising your services and creating a supportive client experience.
- Personalised experiences: Use My PT Hub’s tools to create tailored workout and nutrition plans that align with each client’s goals. The platform’s progress-tracking features help you monitor and adapt plans to ensure continuous results.
- Value-added services: Keep clients engaged by offering extras, such as exclusive webinars, fitness challenges, or live Q&A sessions. These not only add value but also foster a sense of community among your clients.
Client loyalty stems from feeling supported and valued. Regularly check in with clients, celebrate their milestones, and ask for feedback to continually improve your services.
Step 7: Scale your online personal training business
Expand your offerings
Once you’ve established a steady client base, scaling your business means diversifying your revenue streams and reaching a broader audience. Here are some strategies to expand your offerings:
- Digital products: Develop and sell digital products like eBooks, online courses, or pre-recorded workout programmes. These resources provide clients with valuable tools while generating passive income for you. For instance, a detailed nutrition guide or a “30-Day Home Workout Plan” can appeal to clients who prefer self-paced options.
- Subscription-based programmes: Offer tiered subscription plans for exclusive content, such as weekly workout routines, live coaching calls, or specialised fitness challenges. Subscriptions create a recurring revenue stream and build a loyal community of clients.
- Virtual group classes or workshops: Host live group sessions focusing on specific goals, like yoga for beginners or strength training for runners. These classes cater to multiple clients simultaneously, increasing your reach and efficiency.
Expanding your services not only increases your income but also strengthens your brand’s position as a comprehensive fitness solution provider.
Automating and outsourcing
To focus more on client engagement and less on administrative tasks, consider the following strategies:
- Automate client communications and scheduling: Utilise My PT Hub’s features to send automated reminders, schedule sessions, and track client progress, ensuring a seamless experience for both you and your clients.
- Outsource marketing and content creation: If you have the financial resources, consider delegating tasks such as social media management, blog writing, or graphic design to professionals. This will free up more of your time, allowing you to concentrate on delivering quality training.
Step 8: Use personal trainer software to streamline your business
Running a successful online personal training business requires more than just expert fitness knowledge. You need tools to manage clients efficiently, deliver customised programmes, and handle administrative tasks.
A robust software platform streamlines your operations, saving time and reducing the stress of managing multiple tools. With features like scheduling, payment processing, and progress tracking in one place, software helps you focus on what matters most: your clients’ results.
For online personal trainers, software isn’t just a convenience — it’s a necessity. It allows you to scale your business, keep client communication seamless, and maintain a professional appearance. Without it, juggling spreadsheets, emails, and manual processes can quickly become overwhelming.
By following these steps, you’ll lay a strong foundation for your online personal training business, ensuring it’s legally compliant, financially sound, and professionally presented.
Choose the right platform
Choosing the right software platform is critical to the success of your online personal training business. While there are several options available, My PT Hub stands out as the ultimate all-in-one solution designed specifically for fitness professionals. Here’s why:
- Client-friendly interface: My PT Hub is built by coaches, for coaches. We understand that clients value simplicity and ease of use, so our app has been developed to maximize accessibility and make it enjoyable and rewarding for clients to use.
- Unlimited scalability: No limits means no limits. My PT Hub doesn’t penalize coaches for their own success, meaning that you can add as many clients as you want, at no additional cost.
- Scheduling tools: Effortlessly manage your calendar, book one-to-one sessions, or group classes or live stream, depending on your business set-up or personal preferences., and sync appointments with your clients.
- Progress tracking: Monitor client metrics like weight, reps, and workout compliance to keep them on track and motivated. Create custom progress reports with ease and even integrate client health data from third-party apps and fitness wearables like Apple Watch, Fitbit and MyFitnessPal.
- Secure payment processing: Accept payments directly through the platform, ensuring seamless and secure transactions from clients all over the world in a matter of seconds.
- All-in-one solution: Consolidate all the tools you need to run your business successfully into one platform, eliminating inefficiencies and elevating your professionalism.
Essential business tools
In addition to its core features, My PT Hub provides everything you need to streamline your operations and grow your business:
- Client management: Organise client data, track progress, and maintain consistent communication—all from one central hub.
- Session bookings: Simplify the booking process for your clients with a flexible and intuitive calendar booking system.
- Program delivery: Create and assign bespoke workout and nutrition plans tailored to your clients’ individual goals or multi-week progressive programs that scale with your clients’ progress.
- Pricing strategies: Set competitive pricing for your services by offering packages, memberships, or one-time sessions, all easily managed within the platform.
Step 9: Stay competitive in 2025
Continuing education and trends
Staying competitive in the online personal training industry requires awareness of new developments. To stay ahead in 2025, focus on acquiring new certifications and skills that align with emerging trends, such as:
- VR fitness: Virtual reality workouts are gaining traction as a highly immersive and engaging way to exercise. Understanding how to incorporate VR into your services could position you as a pioneer in this area.
- AI tools: Artificial intelligence is revolutionising fitness by enabling personalised programmes, predictive analytics, and advanced progress tracking. Familiarising yourself with these tools will give you a cutting-edge advantage.
Leveraging technology for growth
Technology continues to shape how personal trainers connect with clients and deliver services. To remain competitive, embrace emerging tools and adapt to market trends:
- Wearables and fitness tech: Devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers provide valuable data on clients’ activity levels, sleep patterns, and overall health.
- Client-centric adaptations: Stay attuned to changing client needs and preferences. For example, virtual group classes or hybrid coaching models combining online and in-person training are increasingly popular.
- Seamless integration: My PT Hub’s ability to integrate with fitness tech and emerging platforms ensures you can adopt new tools without disrupting your workflows.
By embracing innovation and leveraging technology, you’ll remain a trusted, forward-thinking fitness professional who meets the evolving needs of clients in 2025 and beyond.
FAQs About Becoming an Online Personal Trainer
1. What certifications do I need to become an online personal trainer?
The certifications you need depend on your location. In the US, certifications from organisations like ACE are widely respected. In the UK, obtaining a Level 2 Certificate in Fitness Instructing and Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training, accredited by bodies like Active IQ or YMCA Awards, is essential.
2. How much does it cost to start an online personal training business?
Start-up costs can vary. Basic expenses include certifications, liability insurance, and equipment like a camera or microphone. Investing in software like My PT Hub for client management, scheduling, and programme delivery ensures you run your business efficiently without needing multiple tools.
3. What tools do I need to run my online personal training business?
Key tools include a professional website, marketing materials, and a reliable software platform like My PT Hub to manage your clients, payments, and scheduling. Other essentials might include video editing software and wearable tech integration for advanced services.
4. How much can I earn as an online personal trainer?
Earnings as an online personal trainer vary depending on your location, niche, pricing model, and services offered. For example:
- United States: In the US, online personal trainers typically charge between $50 and $150 per session, depending on their experience and niche. Subscription-based programmes, including on-demand workouts and live coaching, range from $50 to $200 per month. Trainers offering specialised services or targeting affluent markets often command higher fees.
- United Kingdom: In the UK, rates are generally between £30 and £100 per session. Monthly subscription programmes start at around £40 for basic services, but premium offerings, including one-to-one live coaching and nutrition plans, can exceed £100 per month. Trainers focusing on lucrative niches like corporate wellness or post-rehab fitness often see higher earnings.
- Rest of the World: Rates in other regions vary widely, influenced by the local cost of living and demand for online training. In Europe, trainers may charge €30–€120 per session, while in countries like Australia, rates are comparable to those in the US or UK. Trainers in emerging markets can adjust pricing to attract local clients while targeting international clients with higher-priced programmes.
Take the first step today with My PT Hub
Becoming an online personal trainer in 2025 is an exciting and rewarding career choice, offering the flexibility to work from anywhere while helping clients achieve their fitness goals. By following the steps outlined in this guide — from gaining certifications to building your brand and scaling your business — you’ll be well-equipped to succeed in this thriving industry.
Start your journey with My PT Hub and transform your online personal training business in 2025.