George’s Intro
Start with one useful test. I’m George, a BWY yoga teacher, creator of the Online Yoga Lesson Planner, yoga card deck maker and enthusiastic sticky-note doodler.
The quieter version works better. Choose one clear offer, put it in front of suitable people and notice what happens. These ten tactics can help you attract new students and give existing students more reasons to return. They are options to test, not guarantees of a full class.
Newly qualified?
Begin with Yoga Marketing for New Teachers. It shows you how to clarify one offer and run a manageable 30-day test before trying the ten options below.
The Ten Tactics at a Glance
Jump to share one useful resource, make the class easy to understand, make the first visit easier, build one local partnership, use a targeted flyer, email people who asked, publish one helpful page, use recognisable images, ask for honest reviews and check the price and next step.
Share One Useful Resource
Useful beats enormous. Give students something that answers a real question: a one-page prop guide, a short home-practice reminder, a breathing-practice audio or a link to a carefully written article.
The resource should be relevant to the class you teach. A beginners’ course might need a simple “what to expect” guide. A chair-yoga group might value a short seated practice. A ten-page manifesto entitled Everything I Know About Hamstrings may be magnificent, but perhaps not required by Wednesday.
- Keep the resource short enough to use.
- State who it is for and any important limits.
- Use material you created or have permission to share.
- End with one relevant next step, such as the next class date.
For examples of useful teacher-created resources, browse the yoga class handouts and free yoga lesson plans.
Make the Class Easy to Understand
Before promoting a class, ask somebody unfamiliar with it to read the description. Can they quickly tell who it is for, what happens, where and when it meets, what it costs and how to book?
Clear example
“Four-week beginners’ Hatha yoga course in Brecon. Tuesdays at 6 pm from 6 October. £40 for the course. Email [address] to ask a question or reserve a place.”
Use the same essential details on the website, flyer, booking page and venue listing. Small contradictions create large hesitation. If the poster says 6 pm and the booking page says 6:15, the prospective student may choose a class whose clocks have reached agreement.
Need a clearer focus? Use the ideas in Uncover Your Yoga Teaching Niche.
Make the First Visit Easier
Marketing continues after booking. A new student may still be wondering where to park, which door to use, what to bring, whether the class suits a beginner and what happens if they arrive early.
Send a brief confirmation containing:
- the full venue address and entrance details;
- the start time and suggested arrival time;
- what equipment is provided;
- what the student may wish to bring;
- a sensible way to tell you about relevant needs; and
- how to contact you if plans change.
After the class, a short thank-you and the next booking option can help the student decide whether to return. Good retention is partly good teaching and partly the removal of small avoidable mysteries.
Build One Local Partnership
A venue, community organisation, workplace, sports club or complementary business may already know the people you hope to reach. Choose the partner because the audiences overlap—not merely because the premises contain a noticeboard.
Begin with a small, specific request:
“I teach a beginners’ yoga class nearby on Tuesday evenings. Would it be useful if I sent you a short description for your community noticeboard or newsletter?”
Make the partner’s job easy. Supply current dates, one approved image, a short description and the correct link. If you suggest a joint event or offer, agree responsibilities, costs, data handling and what each organisation may say publicly.
For a wider list of possibilities, read the existing local partnership marketing post.
Use a Targeted Flyer
A flyer is neither magical nor obsolete. Its result depends on the audience, message, location, timing and next step.
- Give the flyer one job.
- Use a headline that identifies the class and audience.
- Make the place, date, time, price and booking action easy to find.
- Place a small batch where suitable local people genuinely visit.
- Track responses with a memorable link, QR code or booking question.
Ask your venue whether it can also include the class on its website, timetable, welcome email or social page. Provide the final wording and image so nobody has to chase “yoga-poster-final-final-actually-final.jpg”.
The existing yoga flyer guide will receive its own full rebrand later.
Email People Who Asked to Hear from You
A small relevant list helps. Send useful, occasional emails about suitable classes, course dates, timetable changes and resources. Keep the promise made when the person subscribed, identify yourself and provide a simple way to opt out.
Do not quietly turn an enquiry, attendance register, competition entry or collection of business cards into a permanent marketing list. The ICO’s electronic-mail marketing guidance explains the current UK rules, including consent and the limited existing-customer exception.
The platform matters less than the permission, relevance and usefulness of the message. Software prices and free plans change; an old recommendation should not be treated as a lifelong vow to Mailchimp.
Publish One Helpful Page
Create a page or post that answers a question suitable students repeatedly ask. It might explain what happens in a beginners’ class, how to choose the right class level, what props are used or how a short course is organised.
Give each page a clear purpose:
- answer one useful question;
- use a title a human can understand;
- include current class information where relevant;
- link to the next helpful page; and
- finish with one suitable action.
Update useful pages when the information changes. A beautiful article promoting last winter’s Thursday class is an unusually elegant way to confuse somebody.
Continue with How to Start a Yoga Teacher Blog.
Use Recognisable Images
Help people recognise you. A small collection of consistent, good-quality photographs can make a website, venue listing, flyer and profile feel connected.
You do not need hundreds of advanced-pose photographs or a camera strapped to your head. Begin with a friendly portrait, a clear teaching image and a few accurate photographs of the venue or class setup. Choose images that reflect the people and experience you actually teach.
- Get permission before photographing or publishing students.
- Agree how a photographer’s images may be used.
- Add useful alternative text where an image conveys information.
- Avoid implying that a stock photograph shows your real class.
Good images support the message. They do not need to perform a one-person audition for Cirque du Soleil.
Ask for Honest Reviews and Referrals
Ask at a natural moment: after a course, workshop or series of classes when the student has enough experience to comment honestly. Make the request easy and optional.
“If the course was useful, would you be comfortable leaving a short honest review? It may help another beginner decide whether the class suits them. No pressure at all.”
Use a review or testimonial only with suitable permission. Keep evidence that it is genuine, do not alter its meaning and do not turn a student’s words into a health claim they did not make. The ASA’s testimonials and endorsements guidance explains the current advertising requirements.
For referrals, give students something specific to share: the next beginners’ date, a booking link or a bring-a-friend session with clear conditions. Do not ask students to supply their friends’ contact details for you to market to.
Check the Price and Next Step
The original article simply advised teachers to raise their prices. The better question is whether the price covers the real work and is explained clearly.
Include venue hire, travel, equipment, payment costs, insurance, administration, preparation, communication, cancellations and the attendance you can realistically expect. Then make the offer understandable:
- state the total price prominently;
- explain whether students book one class or a course;
- make expiry dates and important conditions clear;
- avoid invented urgency; and
- provide one obvious way to book or enquire.
A lower price does not automatically create demand, and a higher price does not automatically create a premium experience. Test the whole offer rather than treating one number as a tiny business oracle.
Which Tactic Should You Test First?
Choose the tactic with the shortest sensible path to your current audience.
Write down the test, cost, time limit and result you want to measure. Use the 30-day yoga marketing test when you want the full step-by-step process.
Common Questions
Do I need to use all ten tactics?
No. Choose the tactic that best matches the audience and offer you already have. Running one clear test produces better information than starting ten projects and finishing three-and-a-half.
How long should I test a tactic?
Long enough for suitable people to see and respond to it. For a new local class, 30 days is a useful starting structure. Record the dates and review the result rather than allowing the test to drift indefinitely.
Should every useful resource be free?
No. A short free resource can demonstrate your teaching style or help an existing student. A more substantial course, class plan, recording or workbook may reasonably be part of a paid offer.
Which numbers matter most?
Track direct cost, time, suitable enquiries, trial bookings, attendance, paid bookings and revenue linked to the test. Likes and impressions may add context, but bookings and retention make the kettle boil.
Give Your Marketing a Plan
Pick one useful tactic. Decide who needs to see it, give it a fair test and record what happens before opening nine more tabs.
George’s Conclusion
Useful conversations beat volume. Make the offer clear, help the right people notice it and make their first experience easy. Then count what happened.
The megaphone may remain on the floor. It has had a busy decade.