Reply to a new gym or studio lead within five minutes while someone is on shift, and by a named time the next morning when you are closed. Then make about eight contacts over 14 days, mixing calls, texts and one or two emails, and stop the moment the person books, says no or asks you to stop.
Where we stand: Gigabit sells inquiry handling to studios, so we are not neutral. The cadence and scripts below are a starting point we would hand a front desk. They are examples, not a benchmark. Every statistic is linked to the page it came from, read on 10 November 2026.
The 14-day follow-up cadence
| When | How | What you send or say |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0, within 5 minutes | The channel they used | Answer their question, name your intro offer, offer two times |
| Day 0, an hour later | Phone call | No answer: leave a voicemail, then text the two times |
| Day 1 | Call at a different time of day | No voicemail this time. Send a short text after |
| Day 2 | Text or direct message | One useful detail: what a first class is like, where to park |
| Day 4 | Call, then a short email | The same offer with two new times |
| Day 7 | Text | One easy question: is it the timing, or the class? |
| Day 10 | A member story or a class video, and the booking link | |
| Day 14 | Text or email | Close the loop: say this is your last message and how to book later |
Three rules sit on top of the table. Stop when they book, say no or opt out. Change the channel and the time of day instead of repeating yourself. Carry something in every message: a time, an answer or a useful detail. A message that only says "just checking in" gives the person nothing to reply to.
If you only have an Instagram handle, ask for a phone number or email in your first reply and keep the later steps to two or three messages. If the web form included a phone number, make the first contact a call and send the text straight after.
This is lighter than some published advice. Two-Brain Business, a gym mentoring firm, tells owners to call twice a day for the first three days, then send something helpful every two weeks for at least 90 days (Two-Brain). If you sell high-priced personal training and have someone free to make the calls, use the heavier version. If you teach most of the classes yourself, the table is the least that still covers two weeks.
How fast to reply
Fast replies are rare, which is why they stand out. In July 2024 KeepMe sent membership inquiries to 45 fitness brands in the US and Canada. 58% of the emails, 61% of the Facebook messages and 52% of the Instagram messages got no reply at all. The clubs that did reply took nearly 4 hours on average by email, 17.5 hours on Facebook and about 37 hours on Instagram (KeepMe).
Calls fare no better. In Two-Brain's survey data, 14.6% of gym owners never call their leads at all, about one in seven (Two-Brain podcast, February 2026).
We could not open a study that measures how much a five-minute reply raises sign-ups at gyms, so we don't quote one. Five minutes is a working rule. The person is still on their phone, still thinking about the class, and may have messaged another studio as well.
Web form or email
Send a personal reply within five minutes during staffed hours. Answer the question they asked before you sell anything. Then name one intro offer and give two specific times. One person per shift should own the inbox, and the form should send a notification to a phone, not to a shared mailbox nobody opens between classes.
Instagram and Facebook messages
Reply inside the app, in the same thread. Do not send people to a form to ask their question again. Save your first reply as a saved reply so anyone on the team can send it in a few seconds, then edit the name and the answer. Turn on notifications for the business inbox on the phone of whoever is on shift.
Phone calls and missed calls
Answer if you can. If you are teaching, send a missed-call text within a minute and call back within five minutes of the class ending. A missed call from a new number is often the warmest lead of the day, so it goes to the top of the list.
After hours
Nobody expects a studio to answer at 11 p.m. They do expect to know when they will hear back. Set an automatic reply that names a person and a time, then keep that promise the next morning before the first class.
Scripts you can copy
Every script here is an example. Swap the words in square brackets for your own, and keep your real intro offer the same in every message. Short beats clever: each one should fit on a phone screen.
First reply by text or email
Example, first reply: "Hi [Name], it's [Your name] from [Studio]. Thanks for asking about [reformer classes]. [One-line answer to their question.] New clients start with our intro: [your intro offer]. I have a spot [today at 5:30 p.m.] or [tomorrow at 7 a.m.]. Which suits you better?"
Example, automatic reply after hours: "Thanks for your message. The studio is closed right now. [Name] will reply personally by [8 a.m. tomorrow]. To book an intro class now, use this link: [link]."
Instagram reply
Example, direct message: "Hi [Name], thanks for the message! [Answer.] The easiest way to try us is the intro: [your intro offer]. Want me to hold a spot [Thursday at 6 p.m.]? If it's easier, send me your number and I'll text you the details."
Missed-call text
Example, missed call: "Hi, this is [Your name] at [Studio]. Sorry we missed your call, we were teaching. Were you asking about classes or a membership? I can call you back in a few minutes, or you can book an intro here: [link]."
The call
A first call takes about three minutes and has five parts:
- Say who you are and why you are calling. "Hi [Name], it's [Your name] from [Studio]. You sent us a message about [Pilates] a few minutes ago, so I thought I'd call instead of making you wait. Have you got two minutes?"
- Ask one question and listen. "What made you start looking now?"
- Ask about experience. "Have you done [reformer] before, or would this be your first time?"
- Recommend one starting point. "From what you've said, I'd start with [your intro offer]."
- Offer two times and confirm by text. "I have [Tuesday at 6 p.m.] or [Thursday at 7 a.m.]. Which is better? I'll text you the details now."
If they mention an injury, a pregnancy or a health condition, don't advise over the phone. Book them a conversation with an instructor.
Voicemail
Example, voicemail, under 20 seconds: "Hi [Name], it's [Your name] from [Studio], returning your message about [classes]. Nothing urgent. I'll text you two intro times now, so just reply to that when you have a moment. My number is [number]. Talk soon."
Follow-up texts
Example, day 2: "Hi [Name], [Your name] at [Studio] again. In case it helps: a first class is [50 minutes], you only need [grip socks], and there's parking [behind the building]. Want me to hold a spot this week?"
Example, day 7: "Hi [Name], I don't want to pester you. Is it the timing that's off, or would a different class suit you better? Either answer is fine."
Example, day 14: "Hi [Name], I'll stop messaging after this one. If you'd still like to try a class, the intro is [your intro offer] and you can book any time here: [link]. If not, no problem at all, and thanks for considering us."
Before the intro, and after a no-show
Example, the day before: "Hi [Name], see you tomorrow at [time] for your first class with [Instructor]. We're at [address]; the door is [next to the cafe]. Come ten minutes early so we can set you up. Reply here if anything changes."
Example, no-show, the same day: "Hi [Name], we missed you at [time] today. I hope everything's OK. Would you like me to move you to [day and time] or [day and time]?"
What to track
Four numbers tell you where leads are being lost. Count them every week, by channel where you can.
- Reply time. Minutes from the inquiry to the first reply from a person. Use the middle value, not the average, and count after-hours inquiries on their own.
- Trial booked rate. Intros booked divided by inquiries.
- Show rate. Intros attended divided by intros booked.
- Join rate. New members divided by intros attended.
For comparison, Two-Brain's survey of gyms puts the median share of leads who book a sales appointment at 33%, and the median close rate at 62.5% of those appointments (Two-Brain podcast). We found no show-rate benchmark we could open, so measure your own and try to beat last month.
Here is how the numbers fit together for an example studio. Every count is an example.
| Example: inquiries, all channels | 60 |
| Example: intros booked | 20 |
| Trial booked rate | 33% |
| Example: intros attended | 15 |
| Show rate | 75% |
| Example: new members | 10 |
| Join rate, of those who attended | 67% |
| Inquiries that became members | 17% |
| Example: show rate lifted to 90%, same join rate | 12 new members |
| Example member: $200 a month, 5% leave each month | $4,000 |
In this example, lifting the show rate from 75% to 90% brings in 2 more members a month from the same inquiries. At $200 a month and 5% monthly churn, each is worth about $4,000 in dues over their stay. To see what slow replies cost with your own numbers, use the missed-inquiry calculator.
Each number points at a different fix. A low booked rate means slow replies, or a first message with no times in it. A low show rate usually means intros booked too far ahead, or no reminder the day before. A low join rate is about the class and the offer, not the follow-up.
- List every inquiry from the week, with the channel and the time it arrived
- Write down the time of the first reply from a person, and find the middle value
- Count intros booked, intros attended and new members
- Work out the trial booked rate, show rate and join rate
- Check that every open lead has a next step with a date
- Send yourself a test inquiry after hours and time the reply
What to automate, and what to keep human
| Step | Automate | Keep human |
|---|---|---|
| First response | An instant note that says when a person will reply, and a missed-call text | The answer to their actual question |
| Booking | A link that books straight into your schedule, plus confirmations and reminders | Offering two specific times in conversation |
| The cadence | Task reminders for days 1, 2, 4, 7, 10 and 14 | The calls, and every message after the person has replied |
| Hard questions | Nothing | Price worries, injuries, nerves about a first class |
| The end | Moving quiet leads to a monthly email, if they agreed to email | Stopping early when someone is clearly not interested |
An automatic reply is not a reply. Among the 15 single-site clubs in KeepMe's test, 64% of Facebook messages got an automated response, yet 36% never got a real answer, and no Instagram reply arrived within ten minutes (KeepMe). The samples are small, 14 Facebook and 13 Instagram messages, but the pattern is familiar: the robot answers and nobody follows.
Your booking platform may already include the tools. Mindbody lists an AI front desk for missed calls, a lead management dashboard and automated email and text campaigns on its Ultimate plan (Mindbody). PushPress sells Grow, a CRM with automated emails and text messages and lead capture forms, at $329 a month (PushPress). Check what your tier includes before you buy anything new. For what the rest of a marketing budget costs, see how much gym marketing costs.
Consent, quiet hours and opting out
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by state, so ask your attorney or your texting provider how consent should be recorded.
- Texts. The FCC's consumer guide says texts sent to a mobile phone with an autodialer need the person's prior consent, that commercial texts need written consent, and that people can opt out at any time (FCC). Put a consent line next to the phone field on your form, and stop the moment someone replies STOP or asks you to.
- Calls. The same guide says telemarketing calls to a home are prohibited before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m. Keep follow-up calls inside those hours in the lead's time zone.
- Email. The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide says marketing email must include a clear way to opt out, that opt-outs must be honored within 10 business days, and that the message must carry a valid physical postal address (FTC).
Where Gigabit fits
You can run everything above yourself with a phone and a shared checklist. Our Studio plan, at $449 a month, exists for owners who would rather teach: it covers missed-call text-back and replies to web, email and Instagram inquiries inside a minute, an intro-offer booking flow straight into your schedule, and a monthly report: inquiries, intros booked, new members. The Multi-site plan adds front-desk reply scripts and coaching. Every plan is on the pricing page.
Not sure how fast you reply today? Our free reply-time audit messages your studio by web form, Instagram, email and an after-hours call, times every reply and sends you a one-page report.
For ways to bring in more inquiries once replies are fast, read 25 gym marketing ideas. For what happens after a lead joins, read gym member retention. For how this works by format, see Pilates studio marketing and personal training studio marketing.
