TV has officially surpassed mobile as the primary device for YouTube viewing in the U.S., measured by watch time.

For personal trainers, that signals a major shift: people aren’t just scrolling on their phones, they’re watching YouTube on their living room TVs, giving more attention and time to creators than ever before. 

Part of this shift is that your target audience, who didn’t find genuine, educational, and entertaining fitness content on traditional TV, turned to platforms like YouTube and searched there for their interests, including fitness and health.

In this article, we’ll break down five powerful ways personal trainers can use YouTube in 2025 to attract clients, grow revenue streams (whether from offers, watch time, or affiliate marketing), and build stronger connections. 

We’ll also show how ABC Trainerize features can help you turn views into engagement, and ultimately into long-term client relationships.

Should Personal Trainers Create Content on YouTube?

8 Reasons Why YouTube Matters in 2025 for Personal Trainers

YouTube does what no other platform fully does: It helps you get discovered, build trust at scale, and monetize in multiple ways, all with content that keeps working long after you post it.

#1: Search-first, not feed-first

YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world. Unlike TikTok or Instagram, your content doesn’t disappear after 24 hours; it keeps showing up in search results and suggested videos. 

That means one well-titled video (e.g., “10-Minute Core Workout for Beginners”) can bring in leads for months.

Check Out: The Most Popular Fitness YouTubers in 2025

#2: Cost-effective content marketing

You don’t need a massive budget to grow on YouTube. With free Shorts, native editing tools, and AI-powered enhancements (like auto thumbnails and video ideas), it’s one of the most scalable and affordable platforms for building a brand.

#3: Youtube Shorts + long-form = a funnel

Shorts drive visibility. Long-form builds trust. When used together, they create a content funnel that moves someone from curiosity to coaching. It’s not about going viral; it’s about staying visible and converting over time.

#4: Own your library, build your business

Every video you post becomes a permanent asset in your content library. Whether it’s a client onboarding walkthrough, a mobility series, or a funnel to your premium coaching offer, your YouTube channel keeps delivering value long after you hit publish.

#5: Multiple ways to monetize

High-earning YouTube creators rely on income beyond ads. YouTube now supports product tagging, affiliate links, merch shelves, channel memberships, and more, perfect for trainers selling programs, templates, or digital products.

#6: Built-in tools for retention

YouTube is doubling down on keeping viewers engaged. With features like Community posts, collaborative playlists, vertical live streaming, and direct product tagging, you can build an audience that sticks, without relying on disappearing Stories or feed algorithms.

#7: AI creation + translation tools

YouTube’s newest AI features help you work smarter. You can now generate thumbnail suggestions, auto-caption and dub videos into other languages, and even get help brainstorming content ideas, all while keeping control of your brand and likeness.

#8: Unlimited reach with built-in accessibility

YouTube breaks geographic barriers. Thanks to captions, language dubbing, and its TV-native experience, your content can reach viewers around the world—on phones, laptops, or the biggest screen in their home.

5 Ways Hybrid Personal Trainers Can Use YouTube

#1: Create personalized welcome & onboarding videos

86% of people say they’d be more likely to stay loyal to a business that invests in onboarding content that welcomes and educates them after they’ve bought.

In a sea of fitness influencers, creators, and coaches posting similar content, your edge isn’t just what you offer, it’s how you frame it. A welcome video is your chance to do that from the very first touchpoint.

What should the welcome video include: 

• Tell a short, compelling origin story
• Reaffirm what makes your coaching different
• Highlight the best features of your program
• Set expectations and create early accountability

It adds a face and voice to your brand, and it sets the tone for accountability right from the start.

How ABC Trainerize helps with onboarding content:

• Record once, personalize often: Film one evergreen welcome video and add personal details in the message when you send it.
• Automate with onboarding: Use Trainerize’s automation tools to trigger a video sendout when a client starts a program.
• Embed directly in the app: Add your welcome video to the client’s dashboard or first workout to make it part of their Day 1 experience.

Read More: 3 Ways to Make Your Client Onboarding Experience Exceptional 

#2: Publish teaser-style content with broader reach

Teaser content is designed to bring new people into your channel, fast. It’s short, public-facing, and optimized for algorithmic discovery. Think of it as the top of your funnel YouTube content, or as promotional tools to create buzz ahead of launches or campaigns.

You can create:

• Brief and visually striking clips that highlight features or moments
• Suspense-building storytelling or intriguing questions
• Clear but subtle calls-to-action, prompting viewers to subscribe, follow, or watch the full video

Here’s how to tie it to your offerings:

1. Post YouTube Shorts with strong hooks (e.g., “Correct this squat mistake in 15 seconds”).
2. Use SEO‑optimized titles (“Fix Your Form Fast | Trainer Tip”).
3. Drive traffic by using nurture funnel links in the description or pinned comments:
   1. Send to your Trainerize.me profile.
   2. Link directly to a challenge, lead magnet, or free trial.
4. Add QR codes in the video or repurposed content (ideal for gym posters or swag).
5. Send traffic to your landing page using Trainerize:
   1. Use your Trainerize.me page as the destination, where clients can learn about your offerings.
   2. Or send them directly to a challenge, program, or product via your Trainerize account.

#3: Send targeted video responses via ABC Trainerize

In 2025, more trainers are treating YouTube like a private video vault, using unlisted or private videos to deliver client-specific content at scale. 

Think: YouTube content made just for your clients, or members, in case you have a membership platform and sell 1:many offers. 

Who wouldn’t want that, especially if it’s personalized, motivational, educational, or even entertaining, with their name on it?

Personalized video replies, whether shared via ABC Trainerize messages or embedded into client calendars, are one of the most effective tools to:

• Increase retention
• Create differentiation
• Scale personalization
• Build a true client community

Hybrid trainers, especially, are already using this strategy for:

• Virtual check-ins (weekly or bi-weekly progress updates)
• Form feedback using screen recordings or side-by-side comparisons
• Accountability nudges after missed workouts or low tracking
• Milestone shoutouts that celebrate consistency and wins

You can pair your private video with in-app messaging for faster follow-up and two-way communication, too.

Free Resource: Fitness Industry Trends & Predictions | The State of the PT Industry Report 

#4: Create video tutorials & library content

It’s a given: as a coach, you’ll keep getting the same questions. Clients share the same concerns. The same myths keep showing up. And trending topics often need your professional opinion to cut through the noise.

Instead of answering them one by one, start building a video library that covers these repeat topics clearly and confidently. Think of it as a content bank, designed for both current clients and future marketing.

Your video library should answer:

• Common questions (“Should I train fasted?” “What’s the difference between strength and hypertrophy?”)
• Ongoing mindset blocks (“What if I mess up a week?”)
• Popular trends or “hot takes” in fitness (“My thoughts on 75 Hard…”)
• Tactical how-tos (“How to log meals” or “When to swap a movement”)

Creating these videos helps in two major ways:

1. You can batch record and then clip the most relevant or replayed videos into YouTube Shorts, fueling your discovery funnel.
2. It compounds over time; the more helpful videos you post, the more views, shares, and SEO value you build. Clients find you, trust you, and stay with you longer.

How to use it with ABC Trainerize:

• Embed videos in your clients’ calendars, workouts, or habit tasks
• Organize content by theme: Recovery, Nutrition, FAQs, Mindset, Coaching Philosophy
• Upload to YouTube (unlisted for clients, public for lead gen) and import into your Trainerize account
• Use video tags, progress milestones, or onboarding sequences to trigger the right videos at the right time

Read More: Using Groups to Share Educational Content with Clients 

#5: Leverage YouTube SEO & Shorts to attract cold leads

If you’re not trying to post thousands of videos or turn yourself into a content machine, that’s fine. You don’t need to.

YouTube works best when you’re strategic. With the right SEO setup, you can post less often, but still attract new leads consistently. Instead of guessing what to film, you build content around what people are already searching for, and structure it to lead back to your offer.

You need to do your own research, or outsource this (SEO has great ROI), but people search for fitness and health queries constantly, for example:

• “Best glute exercises at home”
• “How to start meal prepping for weight loss”
• “Beginner strength workout 3 days/week”

The steps are simple:

1. Start with search intent: Use YouTube autocomplete or SEO tools to find what your niche is searching for.
2. Film 1 long-form video per topic: Prioritize clarity, not editing. Explain the “what” and “why” clearly, and show your face.
3. Clip Shorts from those: Pull the hook, myth, or tip from the main video. You can make 2–3 Shorts from every long-form post.
4. Include funnel links: In every video description, add a link to your free offer, training quiz, or Trainerize page.

Drive all video links to your Trainerize.me profile or product page. The idea here is to use YouTube as your content system and your Trainerize profile to deliver the coaching.

Pro Tips for Filming and Publishing Fitness Content on YouTube 

YouTube is full of content creators with studio lights, DSLR cameras, and professional editors, but that’s not your lane, and it doesn’t need to be.

As a personal trainer, your priority isn’t high-end production. It’s clarity, consistency, and connection. You can absolutely film effective, engaging videos using just your smartphone or a budget-friendly camera setup, as long as you follow a few platform-friendly guidelines.

YouTube still has unspoken rules about what keeps people watching. So even if your setup is simple, your framing, sound, lighting, and delivery still need to be intentional.

Here’s how to keep your production sharp, without turning into a full-time content creator:

5 Top Tips for Filming YouTube Videos as a Personal Trainer

• Use natural light when possible: Face a window or film outdoors for soft, even lighting. Avoid overhead fluorescents.
• Don’t film from the floor: Prop your phone at hip or chest height. Angles matter for credibility and movement clarity.
• Use a wireless mic or headset: Poor audio loses viewers fast. You can find great budget mics under $40.
• Frame intentionally: Full-body shots for workouts; waist-up for talking. Keep your background clean and distraction-free.
• Shoot vertical for Shorts, horizontal for tutorials: Don’t fight the format, lean into it.

5 Top Tips for Workflow & Publishing YouTube Videos as a Personal Trainer

• Batch your filming: Record 3–5 videos in one session to stay consistent without burning out.
• Use consistent thumbnails: Clear titles, your face equals more trust, more clicks.
• Write helpful descriptions: Add timestamps, keywords, and links to your Trainerize funnel.
• Keep your cadence realistic: One solid video a month (plus a few Shorts) is enough to grow if you’re strategic.

How ABC Trainerize Amplifies Your YouTube Strategy

As with any other social media platform, YouTube is just a tool. It can help you get views, build visibility, and showcase your expertise, but that’s not where your business grows.

To turn that visibility into clients and recurring revenue, you need something of your own: your own profile, landing page, and service delivery platform. And not to brag, but ABC Trainerize is the best-in-class for hybrid personal trainers.

You can capture interest, centralize communication, and deliver your coaching in a streamlined, professional way, all in one system.

So you can use YouTube for discovery and let ABC Trainerize do the delivery and the heavy lifting for your business: 

Embed YouTube content directly inside Trainerize, so clients experience everything inside one ecosystem:

• Add long-form videos to specific days of a program
• Connect Shorts to habits or quick check-ins
• Deliver tutorial libraries inside custom workouts or as bonus content

Add video links to:

• Habit and lifestyle coaching check-ins
• Recovery or stretching flows
• Exercise modifications and progressions
• Onboarding and program walkthroughs

Use ABC Trainerize to Centralize the Funnel

• Host your Trainerize.me profile as the main destination for your YouTube videos
• Embed your free challenge, quiz, or lead magnet directly inside a product or offer
• Deliver automated email sequences or app reminders once someone signs up

Build a Sustainable Content System

• Reuse and repurpose content in multiple coaching programs
• Tag clients and trigger milestone content with embedded videos
• Keep all messaging, content, and client engagement in one place

Conclusion

You don’t need to be everywhere to grow your business. You just need a clear path from content to client, and a system to deliver what you promise.

Pick one or two YouTube strategies from this guide that make sense for your model. Test them. Make them repeatable. Then plug them into ABC Trainerize so that every view, click, and comment leads somewhere, into a system that delivers real results and drives real revenue.

ABC Trainerize helps you connect your content to your coaching business, without the tech headache. Start your 30-day free trial below!