How to write a book that grows your health and fitness business

Publishing a book gets your name and unique ideas out there, helping you reach more clients and generate more repeat business. Let me show you how.

When you’re focusing on growing your health and fitness business there are so many angles to pursue – enhancing your online presence, developing your range of services, collaborating with other local businesses or fitness influencers – that writing a book might not be top of your list.

But many leaders in the health and fitness industry have found having a book to their name gets their unique ideas out there, helps them reach more clients and generate more repeat business.

One is Brian Keane , owner of Brian Keane Fitness and host of The Brian Keane Podcast, one of the top health podcasts on Apple Podcasts.

“I wrote and released my first book, The Fitness Mindset, in 2017,” says Brian. “It has grown my business in so many ways. I have had so many clients sign up to my paid programme after having read my book.”

In this article, we’ll take a look at how two best-selling books helped Brian reach his goals – and how writing a book could help you, too.

Why should I write a book for my health and fitness business?

Brian found that having a book helped him rise to many of the challenges of a health and fitness business, including:

Seasonal variation

Many small business leaders in the health and fitness niche struggle with fluctuations in client activity and revenue throughout the year, such as during holidays or summer. A book can bridge the gap for potential clients who want to develop or reach their fitness goals but can't commit right now due to budget or time constraints.

Client retention

Your book is an excellent way to keep clients engaged and committed to their fitness programmes over the long term. They’ve loved working with you, they benefited from your expertise and enjoyed your programme – and now they have a lasting reminder in the form of your book, reinforcing your brand as a go-to expert in your field and keeping you relevant and memorable.

Competition

Battling to stand out in a saturated market where many gyms, trainers, and fitness programmes vie for the same opportunities? A book helps set you apart.

Marketing and promotion

Effectively promoting your services and reaching potential clients can be hard work in a crowded digital and physical space. But nothing sells you like a book. It’s a more in-depth marketing tool than an ad or an email campaign, and more efficient than arranging multiple face-to-face meetings.

Brian has found that many clients sign up to his paid programme after having read his book. “I have run ads in the past and it cost me money to get new clients – now the book pays me a royalty AND gets me clients.”

Differentiation

With so many health and fitness businesses out there, it can be tough to create and promote unique selling propositions that set your services apart from your competitors. Brian has a strong brand, with a focus on mindset. Having a book allows him to showcase his methods, so readers understand what they’ll get when they work with him.

How do I decide what to write about?

If your book is going to bring in clients, you need to start thinking about those clients well before you start to write. That’s how you decide on the book you’re going to write: it’s the book that your ideal client needs to read.

Think about the 3 Ps of Position: the Person, the Pain and the Promise.

• Person: who is your ideal client? What might be their motivation(s) for using your services?
• Pain: what is the central question or problem you solve for your clients?
• Promise: what solution will your readers find in this book, and how will it make them want to come to you for more?

The answers to these questions will help you define the book you need to write, and to understand how it ties in with the services you offer.

Brian Keane knew who his ideal clients were, and he noticed that one pain point they struggled with was maintaining healthy habits. They understood the need for training and nutrition, but couldn’t seem to stick with it…

That’s why he wrote The Fitness Mindset to address this specific challenge. Brian explains, “The first section, ‘fitness’ explains how to get in shape; the second section, ‘mindset’, shows you how to stay in shape.”

The ‘promise’ of the book is therefore that you will get fit, and understand how to stay fit long-term instead of going back to square one.

How can I use my book to grow my fitness business?

A book is a powerful way to generate warm leads.

If someone reads Brian’s book and then approaches him about signing up to one of his paid programmes, Brian knows that they’re likely to be a good match – and finding good matches is what great sales is all about.

This pre-qualification means the leads Brian engages with are informed about and interested in his style as a fitness coach: focusing on long-term and sustainable goals, not quick fix solutions. Brian says that being able to pre-qualify customers with the book significantly reduced the number of “‘headache’ clients, or people who are not aligned with my way of working.”

How can I publish my health and fitness book?

The best choice of publishing route depends on you, your book and your business goals. The main thing is that you produce a high-quality book that offers real value to your readers, however you publish it.

For most entrepreneur authors, we’d always recommend hybrid publishing, to avoid traditional publishing’s barriers and gatekeeping, and DIY self-publishing’s pitfalls in terms of professionalism and credibility.

Offering professional production and project management of a quality product alongside high royalties and access to author copies, hybrid publishing offers the best of both worlds.

Brian published both The Fitness Mindset and his successful follow-up book, Rewire Your Mindset, with hybrid publisher and sister company to Book Magic AI, Rethink Press.

How can writing a book impact your health and fitness business?

Writing a book has had a profound impact on Brian's fitness business, beyond increasing his revenue through book sales and lead generation. It has positioned him as an authority in the health and fitness space, opening the door to speaking opportunities with big-name clients and at high-profile events.

“I’ve spoken at Google HQ, SAP, Allianz, just to name a few,” he says. “Speaking at Google HQ was a particular high point. I was also flown to Dubai to the MEFIT Health and Fitness Summit to speak around the topics of the book.”

Use Book Magic AI to write your health and fitness book faster

Ready to write the book your ideal clients need, and use it to promote the difference between you and your competition so you can win more perfect clients and keep them? Book Magic AI gives you the framework and guidance you need to write and publish the book you need to make your dreams a reality. Get started here.