Les Mills shares seven key tips for how to successfully livestream, a vital addition to a health club’s long-term digital offerings.
If there’s a silver lining to COVID-19’s effect on the industry, it’s undoubtedly the emergence of digital fitness solutions. Livestreaming has allowed clubs to keep members active and engaged during the pandemic, while becoming a vital addition to their long-term digital offerings.
Here are seven tips to help your club activate a strong livestream offering:
1. Champion your team.
A single great instructor can attract and retain hundreds of members to a club, and the same principles apply to online workouts. Making the most of your instructors — the people your members identify and engage with — can be key to gaining and maintaining online fans.
2. Build your audience.
You’ll get the best traffic and value from your livestreams by tracking the attendance of your classes and adjusting your plans accordingly. Aim to schedule out your livestream workouts as close to your live workout schedule as possible and seek your members’ input to ensure you choose programs and timings which suit them. Check out timetable examples here.
3. Adopt an agile mindset.
Once COVID-19 anxiety subsides, a strong online-to-offline strategy is vital for clubs to retain members who are now familiar with online offerings, with the key differentiator being the mindset clubs choose to adopt. The more agile will double down on digital, adopting the philosophy that their club is now always open and every person on the internet is a potential member.
4. Test your tech.
If a livestream loses internet connection mid-way through a class, you’re likely to encounter a bunch of disgruntled members. To deliver a successful livestream clubs should aim for minimal-to-no buffering, no dips in audio or video quality, optimize microphone and music levels, and no delay in the conversation between members and instructors.
5. Give members your best shot.
Providing a great livestream experience will make your members feel like they’re in the room with you. There are resources available to you, to help create a high-quality livestream experience. Check out a livestream guide and livestream tips here.
6. Dial-up the engagement factor.
Creating an interactive experience where members feel a sense of community is a sure-fire way to dial up the engagement and enjoyment factor. Encourage members to turn on their own videos for class and host a Q&A session at the end of the workout. Both will provide more energy for the Instructor and enable them to offer corrective or encouraging feedback.
7. Clear instructions are key.
A livestream workout is only as good as the coaching that participants receive and the requirements are noticeably different from a live class. Remember that your members will be working out alone, rather than in a group where everyone is doing the same moves, so be sure instructors provide extra cueing.
Visit the Les Mills website for more information on livestream options available for your club.
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Les Mills is the global leader in group training and creator of over 25 programs available in leading fitness facilities around the world. Les Mills programs include the world’s favorite group strength workout BODYPUMP, BODYCOMBAT, BODYBALANCE, LES MILLS GRIT and the world’s most cutting edge group experience LES MILLS THE TRIP.
The company was founded by Les Mills — a four-time Olympian and head coach of New Zealand’s track and field team — who opened his first gym in 1968 with the aim of taking elite sports training to the masses. Today, Les Mills workouts are delivered by 100,000 certified instructors in 22,000 clubs across 100 countries, as well as via various streaming and XR platforms.
