Free product campaigns are effective tools in your Business Hub for growing your client base. Whether you're onboarding new gym members, running seasonal promotions, or generating leads through social media, a strategic free offer can fill your pipeline while keeping operations streamlined.
When to Use Free Product Campaigns
Member Onboarding: Quickly add existing or new members to Bridge and assign them to programs. Share a link that guides members through self-service sign-up, saving you time on administrative work.
Trial & Sample Programs: Run time-limited promotions across your social channels or in your facility. Examples include "January Jump Start" (4-week program), "Free Week of Speed Training," or monthly gym challenges.
Lead Generation: Capture contact information from prospects with automatic deactivation after a trial period. This gives you a qualified email list for follow-up campaigns without manual tracking.
How Free Campaigns Drive Revenue
Understanding the business strategy behind free campaigns helps you maximize results.
The Conversion Path: Free trial → Coach-Athlete relationship building → Paid program upsell
Contact List/Lead generation: Automatically collect contact information from every athlete who signs up, building a qualified lead list for follow-up later on.
Reduced Friction: Prospects can self-serve sign-up 24/7 through your shareable link
Step-by-Step Setup Guide
1. Create Your Product Page
Create a new product page for your free program with a clear, enticing name like "Free Month Speed Programming" or "14-Day Athletic Performance Trial." Update the banner image to prominently feature "FREE" and reflect your program's theme.
2. Add Program Details
Link to the program from your library and include:
Duration (e.g., "4 weeks of training")
Content overview (e.g., "16 workouts" or "3 sessions per week")
Equipment needed
Access period (e.g., "30 days from sign-up")
Expected outcomes
Bridge Tip: Add action images, testimonials, and benefits to boost conversions.
3. Enable Automatic Deactivation
Set the program to automatically deactivate users after your trial period (e.g., 2-4 weeks).
Why This Matters:
Clean member management with no manual removal needed
Natural urgency that improves conversion to paid programs
Bridge Tip: Set auto-deactivation for 1-2 weeks before your next plan program launch to have a planned next touch point.
4. Customize the Email Notification
Personalize the confirmation email athletes receive after sign-up:
Welcome message with clear program details
Reminder on how long they have program access
What to expect: workout frequency, program structure
Contact information for questions
5. Promote Your Free Program
Once your page is ready, deploy multi-channel promotion to maximize sign-ups.
Effective Promotion Strategies:
Social Media: Post announcements on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or LinkedIn with links to your program. Use Instagram Stories with countdown timers and swipe-up links.
Email Marketing: Promote to existing clients, past clients, or newsletter subscribers with exclusive early access offers.
In-Person: Create QR codes on gym signage or business cards linking directly to the product page.
Partnerships: Share with local sports teams, high schools, youth leagues, or complementary businesses like physical therapy clinics.
Paid Advertising: Run low-cost Facebook or Instagram ads ($5-10/day) targeting your geographic area and specific demographics.
Bridge Tip: Start with organic social promotion for the first week to gauge interest, then invest in paid ads if you're seeing good engagement but want more volume.
6. Track Engagement and Optimize Performance
Use the product's stats page to monitor campaign effectiveness and make data-driven decisions.
Bridge Tip: Use the Member Management tab to view active and deactivated members to generate lists
7. Convert Leads into Paying Clients
After auto-deactivation, implement a systematic follow-up sequence to turn trial users into revenue. The best way to do this is with a CRM tool so you can message a full email list.
Essential Follow-Up Emails:
Mid-trial check-in: "How's your training going?" (builds relationship)
Trial ending soon: Reminder with special upgrade offer (15-20% off)
Post-trial: "Continue your progress" with clear call-to-action to paid programs
Monthly nurture: Add to newsletter with training tips and occasional offers
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Setting and forgetting: Free campaigns require active promotion and follow-up
No follow-up plan: Have your email sequence ready before launch
Too long of a trial: 4+ weeks often leads to drop-off; 2-3 weeks maintains urgency
Too short of a trial: 1 week doesn't give enough time to build habits or showcase value
Generic welcome emails: Personalize communication from day one
Ignoring engagement data: Low engagement flags problems with program design or communication
Need Help?
If you have questions about setting up your free product campaign, contact our support team at support@bridgeathletic.com.