Top 7 Ways to Earn Passive Income for Personal Trainers

As a health and fitness professional, you know that personal training is a fulfilling and rewarding career, but it often requires trading your time for money. However, there are a variety of opportunities to create passive income streams that can generate revenue even while you sleep.

In this article, we will explore various strategies, tips, and insights on how personal trainers can leverage their expertise and passion to build passive income streams, allowing you to expand your financial horizons and achieve greater freedom in your profession. Discover how you can turn your personal training business into a lucrative venture that works for you day and night. But first, how much does the average personal trainer even make?

Average Personal Trainer Income

The salary of a personal trainer can vary widely based on factors such as location, experience, certifications, and whether they work independently or for a gym.

• Hourly Rates: On average, personal trainers charge between $30 to $100 per hour. In high-demand areas or with specialized expertise, rates can go even higher.

• Annual Salary: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for fitness trainers and instructors is around $50,000, but this can range from about $30,000 to over $70,000 depending on various factors.

• Additional Income: Many personal trainers also earn additional income through group classes, online training, or selling fitness-related products and services.

Top Ways to Earn Passive Income for Personal Trainers

Building streams of passive income is an excellent way for personal trainers to make more money as well as provide additional support and resources to their personal training clients. There are a variety of ways to create passive income. The following are some of our favorites.

1. Write an eBook

Do you have a special niche, extensive knowledge or experience in nutrition, or a unique perspective on a health and fitness topic? Maybe you have numerous recipes to share, a personal success story, or new techniques to share. Creating an eBook requires work on the front end, but once it is ready, you receive passive income every time someone buys your book online. 

2. Create and Sell Pre-Made Workout Programs

There are often a handful of clients who want expertise from a fitness professional but don’t have the time, location, or resources to work with them one-on-one. Although some clients may want generic workouts, consider developing workouts for specific goals or niches. For example, create a program for new moms to help them get their body back after a baby. If you create solid workout programs that have great content, user-friendly access, that are fun, safe, and effective, you can sell them directly to consumers. 

3. Create a Membership Website

Another way to create passive income is by creating a website that has membership access. You can charge a monthly or annual fee and provide access to a variety of recipes, fitness tips, workouts, resources, contests, and tools. It’s important to understand what the clients want and need so you can create great content that they will want to access. It is possible that a membership platform will require some work throughout the process, however, because you will want to continue to add to the platform and create more value for your clients. 

Related Article: The Best Personal Training Software for Your Fitness Business

4. Hire Other Personal Trainers

If you own your own personal training business, you can scale your business by hiring other trainers to work underneath you. You can bring on independent contractors and negotiate a portion of their training fees in exchange for your support with their business (help them attract more clients, allow them to train clients in your fitness gym, etc.).

Related Article: Top Personal Trainer Salary by Sector, Gym, and State

5. Promote a Product as a Brand Ambassador or With Affiliate Marketing

There are a variety of companies that like to partner with health and fitness professionals that have a wide audience (especially on social media). Is there a certain product that you love or a piece of fitness equipment you think is incredible? You may be able to connect with the company to help promote the product to earn royalties, flat payments, or free gear. 

Love ISSA? Sign up here to become an ISSA Affiliate Partner! All you do is place your affiliate links on your website, blog, or social media pages. When customers make a purchase, you earn a commission for each valid transaction. 

6. Write a Fitness Blog and Monetize It

Personal trainers and health and fitness professionals often have a wealth of knowledge. There are a variety of companies that will pay you to display banner ads on your blog. If you have great content and can build a solid following, the blog can also become a platform where you can promote some of your other streams of income (products, e-books, etc.).

7. Create a YouTube Channel and Monetize It

Although this one may take some time and requires you to have a solid base following before you can monetize it, a YouTube channel is another great way to make passive income. Whether you create workout videos, a cooking show, or a discussion on a particular topic, the internet is one of the main resources people use to find information. And, much like the blog, YouTube can become a platform to promote and sell your other products and services to your audience. 

Additional Income for Personal Trainers

Looking for more ways to make money using your personal training knowledge and skills? These side hustles require a bit more consistent work than the passive income options, but they'll still help you hit your financial goals:

1. Online Coaching: Create and sell customized workout plans, nutrition tips, or provide virtual training sessions through video calls.

2. Social Media Influencing: Build a following on platforms like Instagram or TikTok, collaborating with fitness brands for sponsored posts or promotions.

3. Group Classes: Organize outdoor boot camps or fitness classes in local parks, charging participants per class or offering membership options.

4. Specialized Workshops: Host workshops on specific topics like strength training, yoga, or nutrition, charging a fee for attendance.

5. Fitness App Development: If you have tech skills, consider developing a fitness app that offers workout tracking, meal planning, or coaching features.

6. Selling Merchandise: Create and sell fitness-related merchandise like apparel, equipment, or accessories.

7. Corporate Wellness Programs: Partner with businesses to offer wellness programs, workshops, or fitness challenges for their employees.

8. Mobile Training: Offer in-home personal training sessions, catering to clients who prefer to work out in their own environment.

Check out this ISSA article for more side hustle tips: Top Health & Fitness Side Hustle Ideas to Grow Your Training Business

Top 5 Tips for Personal Training Passive Income Success

Creating a passive income stream is more than just setting up a YouTube channel and posting some videos. There are some key things to consider that will help you successfully generate passive income. 

1. Stay Focused

One of the most important components of attracting awesome followers is having strong content. Stick to what you know. If you are going to create something that is not within your expertise, make sure you do your research and create content that is your own. 

 2. Keep Learning

The fitness industry is always growing and changing. There is always so much to learn. Make sure you are continuing to grow and learn so that you can communicate the information to your followers. That is one of the reasons they are following you!

3. Be Authentic

Be cautious about the products or companies that you promote. Promoting a product you don’t align with just to make passive income isn’t necessarily the route to go. Find products you use, love, and want to promote that are in alignment with your brand and your overall stance on health and fitness. 

4. Measure Twice, Cut Once

Although passive income shouldn’t require much work to maintain, it may require work to create before it can become passive income. Your brand, products, and content are what will draw people in. But, if your content is poor or your platform isn’t user-friendly, you will likely lose your audience very quickly. Do the work and do it well the first time!

5. Practice Makes Perfect

If any of these are new routes for you, you likely won’t be perfect with them the first time you do them. But, keep in mind that this is true for everyone. Nobody starts at the top. If you want to take on an e-book, start writing. If you want to create a YouTube channel, start creating video content. You will get better by doing—gain the confidence you need and start to piece together the things that work to make your content successful. 

There are clearly many ways to build streams of passive income! Whether you work towards one stream of passive income or build multiple revenue streams is up to you. So, if you are looking to build passive income, choose what resonates with you most and build from there. 

Expand Your Personal Training Knowledge and Earn More Money

Are you ready to learn more? Do you want to expand your knowledge so that you can continue to educate others? Check out ISSA’s Master Trainer Certification program and get started today! 

References

Fitness trainers and instructors. (2024, August 29). Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/fitness-trainers-and-instructors.htm#tab-5

Sweatt, L. (2024, February 26). YouTube Monetization: How to Make Money from Videos in 2024. vidIQ. https://vidiq.com/blog/post/how-to-monetize-youtube-channel-beginners-guide/