You need to put your prices up. You're scared it'll cost you members.

I've been there. So I built a system that lets me raise my prices every year with my members behind me. And my member numbers go up, not down.

Watch the video to see how I do it. Then put your own numbers into the planner at the bottom of the page.

Run my numbers

Not putting prices up costs you more

Most gym owners would rather soak up rising bills than pass them on. Gas, electric, rates and wages all go up. Your prices stay put.

It feels kind. But it leaves less money for new kit, a better gym, and a pay rise for you and your staff. The gym slowly gets tired, and members leave anyway.

Yes, a few people may leave. If someone quits over £2 a month, they were probably on the fence already. They're rarely your best members either.

And your members have no idea what kit costs. They see a £300 treadmill on Amazon. My last arm machine was about £5,000, and that was with a discount. Tell them.

Run my numbers

5 mistakes I see all the time

Too many pricesFive or six memberships confuses people. Keep it to about 3. Most people pick the middle one.
Leading with your bills"Our costs went up" is your problem. Members care that their price went up. Start with what they get.
Forgetting loyal membersExpect "I've been here 10 years". Give them time before their price changes and a chance to lock in the yearly price.
Competing on priceThe big chains will always be cheaper, and they can buy the same kit you can. People pick a gym on location, equipment and community. They can't compete with your community. That's your USP.
Saying the monthly price firstThe first number people hear sticks. Say "£300 for the year, or 12 payments of £30". Monthly then feels like the easy option.

Every price rise needs 3 things

The 3 things every price rise needs Three circles: member benefit, gym benefit and member involvement. Member and gym benefit without involvement feels imposed. Member benefit and involvement without gym benefit makes the gym implode. Gym benefit and involvement without member benefit makes trust erode. All three together: stronger together. MEMBERBENEFIT GYMBENEFIT MEMBERINVOLVEMENT Feelsimposed Gymimplodes Trusterodes STRONGERTOGETHER
Gym benefitThe rise has to be big enough to make a difference. A £1 rise gets all the moaning and none of the money.
Member benefitMembers need to get something better for it. New kit, better facilities, more classes.
Member involvementAsk members what they want before you spend. This is the one most gyms skip.

Miss one and this happens

Feels imposedNo involvement. You buy kit nobody asked for and it sits there.
Trust erodesYou ask, then don't deliver. The survey looks like it was just for show, and people stop filling them in.
Gym implodesYou give them everything, even what you can't afford. Members feel entitled and the gym stops growing.
Stronger togetherGet all 3 right. The rise is accepted, members feel part of the gym, and you get money to keep improving it.

The price rise plan, step by step

This is the process I've used at Ministry of Fitness for the last 5 years.

Stage 1

Survey your members

Keep it to 7 questions. Past 7 to 10 questions people switch off and the answers get short. Start with questions about them, not the gym. Let people answer anonymously if they want.

  1. Your goals. What are you working towards?
  2. Your areas. Which parts of the gym do you use?
  3. Your favourite. What do you like most about the gym?
  4. Our superpower. What do we do really well?
  5. Our kryptonite. What don't we do so well?
  6. New powers. What could we add? Classes, kit, facilities?
  7. Anything else. Good or bad, it all helps.

Don't take it personally. People tell you because they want the gym to be better. I once lost a member because the benches were an inch too high. You can't please everyone.

Stage 2

Sort the answers into 3 buckets

Put the answers into Claude or ChatGPT and ask for a summary. Ask it for member quotes too. They make great social posts.

Quick winsCheap fixes you can do this week. Our survey said half the lockers were broken. About £100 to fix, and 20 members said thanks.
PossibleAsked for by a few people and in budget. A hip thrust machine, more benches, better changing rooms.
Not possibleA swimming pool. 24/7 opening. Say no to these, and say why.

Then add your own plans. Things you know will make the gym better, but nobody thought to ask for.

Stage 3

Tell the story in 8 slides

Use it as an Instagram carousel and as emails to members. The price comes near the end, after they've seen what they get.

  1. Our plans for your gym this year
  2. Everything we've done since the last price rise
  3. What you told us in the survey
  4. What we've already fixed because you asked
  5. What we're doing next, and why it helps you
  6. What we can't do, and why
  7. The new price, and when it starts
  8. Want to chat? DM me, reply, or call

The timing trick: new members pay the new price from next week. Existing members don't pay it for 2 or 3 months, so they see the upgrades first. Offer the yearly option at the old price before the rise. Lots of members switch and stay for years.

Stage 4

Email your ex-members

Send them the same story, but leave out the price. Just ask them to come and see how the gym has changed. I usually get 10 to 12 members back from one email. Most left for a cheap chain and missed us.

Sounds like a lot of work? Try a price rise without it and count the complaints. Pick your hard.

Your price rise planner

Now for your numbers. We've filled in an example gym so you can see how it works. Change the numbers to yours. Add a line for each membership you sell. Upfront memberships are turned into a monthly figure for you.

Membership
How they pay
Members
Price now
New price
Quick test, add to every price:

Quick test adds £2, £3 or £4 a month to today's prices (upfront prices go up by the same amount per month, so a 12-month option goes up 12×).

Members who could leave
0
and you'd still be no worse off.

Extra per month
£0
Extra per year
£0
Income now (monthly)
£0
Income after (monthly)
£0
Average rise per member
£0 a month
Extra from day passes & pay as you go
£0 a month
Included in the totals above. Not counted in the members who could leave.

What if some members do leave?

Slide to pick how many leave because of the rise.

5 members leave You're still £0 a year better off

Get the Claude prompt that plans the rest

Pop your email in and the prompt appears straight away, with your numbers from the planner already added. Paste it into Claude and it walks you through the whole price rise, one step at a time:

  • Checks your maths and tells you if the rise is big enough to matter
  • Writes your 7-question member survey
  • Sorts the answers into quick wins, possible and not possible
  • Writes your 8-slide announcement and member emails
  • Plans the timing so loyal members feel rewarded, not punished
  • Gives you replies for "I've been here 10 years"
  • Writes the email that brings ex-members back

Get my prompt

Thanks

Your prompt is just below, with your numbers already in it. We've emailed you a copy too.

See my prompt
Gym Business Coach · Built by Tom Blackman, owner of Ministry of Fitness, Bristol