BTRIBALFIT: Transforming the Fitness Industry 1 Email at a Time

When fitness gurus and entrepreneurs Brooke and Finley Robinson launched their fitness platform, BTRIBALFIT, in 2017, they initially struggled with a common challenge many online creators face – the ins and outs of email marketing.

Today, not only have they mastered this aspect, they also offer valuable insights into the building blocks of a thriving fitness community.

Starting Small and Learning Big

When the Robinsons first introduced BTRIBALFIT to the world, they were treading into the competitive fitness industry armed with an idea and a fervor to create something meaningful.

The platform wasn’t envisioned as just another website full of workout routines.

Instead, they sought to curate a selection of hundreds of varied workouts, ranging from Pilates and boxing to cardio and weights. But more importantly, they wanted to foster an atmosphere where holistic health was prioritized and a genuine community could flourish.

As Brooke explains, BTRIBALFIT is all about “creating, activating, and connecting the women using our platform.”

She emphasizes that their goal was always beyond individual workouts; it was about making connections, forming bonds, and cultivating a community of women who could empower and support one another.

“We created this platform and had an email signup, and I said to myself, ‘Why would I want someone’s email?’” Finley confesses. They’ve come a long way since then, and their journey provides some important lessons for creators.

When it came to implementing email in their marketing strategy, they started with MailChimp. But as Finley started understanding the value of email marketing, building community, and the significance of consistent communication, they quickly realized they needed a more user-friendly platform.

This led them to ConvertKit, a service they found simpler to use, allowing them to focus on community-building and expanding their email list.

Tailoring Content for their Community

One of the key strategies they employed was focusing on their niche – understanding exactly who they served and why they served them.

Rather than aim for a broad, undefined audience, they built their content around the specific needs and goals of their users.

Identifying their niche was pivotal to BTRIBALFIT’s success. Rather than trying to cater to everyone, they zeroed in on a particular demographic: women seeking a supportive and empowering fitness community. They endeavored to understand their community’s desires, challenges, and motivations on a granular level. This thorough understanding enabled them to create content that resonated deeply with their audience, be it workout routines, health tips, or motivational messages.

“Community plays such a key role in your health, having people that are going to check on you and push you,” Finley reflects, highlighting the significance of their community-centric approach. BTRIBALFIT is more than a fitness platform; it’s a tribe of like-minded women supporting each other’s fitness journeys.

This led them to design their email strategy to complement a larger communication system across multiple channels. The duo set up emails to send about four times a month, ensuring their subscribers knew exactly what to expect.

Crafting a Customized Communication Strategy

Building a community requires more than just knowing your audience—it also necessitates thoughtful and consistent communication. Recognizing this, the duo implemented a communication strategy that spanned across multiple channels, including their website, social media, and most crucially, email.

Their email strategy, in particular, was designed to provide value while nurturing their relationship with the community. They set up a regular cadence of emails sent about four times a month.

This regularity ensured that their subscribers knew exactly when to expect updates, creating a sense of anticipation and continuity.

Each email was crafted thoughtfully, providing insight into upcoming workouts, focusing on different aspects of health like mental or emotional wellbeing, sharing personal fitness journeys, and celebrating community successes.

These emails weren’t just updates; they were vehicles to deliver value, share stories, motivate, and celebrate, thereby fostering a strong sense of belonging among the community members.

In a world where impersonal mass marketing is common, BTRIBALFIT’s tailored communication strategy stands out. By taking the time to understand their community and tailoring their communication to match their audience’s needs, they have created a fitness platform that thrives on connection and shared motivation.

Their strategy provides a blueprint for creators looking to build their own communities – know your audience, provide consistent value, and communicate with intent.

A Content Strategy That Engages and Motivates

Content is king, and Brooke and Finley certainly understood this. Each month, they first send an email announcing new workouts to get their community excited.

They also keep the emails varied, focusing on different aspects of health, revisiting their own fitness journeys, and celebrating success within their community.

High engagement, rather than just large list numbers, is crucial. “I have so many women who will reply back to our emails we send through ConvertKit,” Brooke notes, emphasizing the importance of being able to support their community through different means.

Implementing a Successful Challenge Strategy

In our last newsletter, we discussed the potential of creating a challenge for audience engagement. Here’s a perfect example of creators implementing this effectively.

BTRIBALFIT uses a 21-day challenge three times a year as a way to invigorate their community and grow their list. “We create the entire 21-day challenge within ConvertKit Commerce,” Brooke explains.

These challenges offer a mix of workout styles, from HIIT to Barre and boxing, with beginner and advanced tracks available.

Each challenge starts with a simple landing page made in ConvertKit hosting the workouts.

From there, participants are led to a Commerce page offering their various workout packages and a seven-day free trial.

A Clear Pathway for Engagement

Each challenge begins with a user-friendly landing page designed in ConvertKit, which hosts all the workouts. This landing page is kept simple, inviting, and intuitive, making it easy for anyone to quickly understand what the challenge is about and how they can be part of it.

From this landing page, participants are then directed to a Commerce page offering various workout packages and a tantalizing seven-day free trial.

This strategic move cleverly combines engagement with an opportunity for conversion. While participants take on the challenge, they’re also introduced to BTRIBALFIT’s broader offerings, potentially turning engaged participants into loyal customers.

BTRIBALFIT’s successful implementation of their 21-day challenge is a testament to the power of well-planned, engaging events for audience growth and retention. By understanding their audience, offering a variety of workouts, and using the right tools for seamless execution, they’ve created a strategy that not only motivates their existing community but also attracts new members. Their approach offers valuable insights for creators seeking to boost their engagement and grow their communities.

Continuous Learning and Experimentation

The Robinsons’ story shows that building an email list and fostering a community takes time and patience.

They remind creators not to fear experimentation. “We’re kind of tinkerers,” Finley admits. “We will try something and see what worked and what to do instead.”

Through their journey, they’ve used ConvertKit as their hub for everything email marketing-related, from landing pages to running their paid challenges.

If you’re a creator looking to take inspiration from successful models, BTRIBALFIT is an excellent case study.

With a clear understanding of their community’s needs, consistent communication, engaging content, and the implementation of engaging challenges, Brooke and Finley Robinson demonstrate how to transform a simple fitness platform into a thriving, engaged community.