You don’t need a massive audience to generate residual income via passive income opportunities. What you do need is a sharp offer, simple automation, and a clear pain point.
Below are 7 expert-backed financial freedom strategies, used by real coaches and fitness content creators in the Trainerize ecosystem, to help you “make money while you sleep.”
#1: Sell Niche Digital Products (Beyond Workout Plans)
The digital products income space is booming, with its market size expected to hit $123.29 billion in 2025 and more than triple by 2030.
For personal trainers, it’s one of the easiest ways to earn passive income with minimal overhead. You can build and sell:
- Macro calculators & editable meal planners
- Niche fitness guides like “Prenatal Strength 101” or “Train Around Knee Pain”
- Digital habit trackers
- Onboarding kits
You can start small with low-ticket items or bundle your services into a high-value package. Either way, it’s a very popular way to build scalable income streams that don’t rely on live coaching hours.
Follow these steps to start your digital product income stream:
- Identify a real need
- Build one clear solution
- Choose a format (eBook, tracker, mini course)
- Test it
- Launch
- Rinse and repeat
Once set up, it becomes a source of income without trading time, and a step toward “work less earn more” lifestyle.
👉 Free Resource: How to Start Your Side Hustle Fitness Coaching Business
#2: Launch a Subscription-Based Membership Site
A subscription-based membership is an entire business model in itself. It lets you package your knowledge, services, or tools into a recurring offer that scales over time. Whether you’re delivering digital products, coaching support, or exclusive content, the real win is consistent revenue and deeper client loyalty.
There’s no single format. Some trainers run $29/month memberships with workouts and Q&As. Others keep it simple with paid newsletters full of mindset tips, meal prep templates, or business content. Some do both, dripping workouts via a mobile app and sending insights by email.
You can repurpose old content, offer VIP perks, and sell early access to tools. There are now a multitude of platforms like Trainerize, Beacons, ConvertKit, and Skool that can help you automate most of it, turning your system into a true passive income opportunity.
My top two recommendations are Skool and Trainerize. Skool is a community and course platform ideal for building a digital membership around your content and expertise.
ABC Trainerize, on the other hand, is a robust client management and coaching delivery app that also supports recurring digital memberships and streamlines your fitness business operations.
One final FYI: membership sites are best viewed as a semi-passive income idea. You’ll still need to invest time engaging with your community, managing content, and creating new value for members.
👉 Free Resource: How to Get 30 Clients in 30 Days
#3: Create and Monetize a YouTube Channel
YouTube is one of the most powerful platforms for building online income sources, and unlike Instagram, it has built-in monetization once you hit a certain threshold.
Once you hit 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours, you can apply to the Partner Program and start earning ad revenue. It won’t generate thousands overnight, but it’s a reliable first layer of passive income from home, especially if your content is evergreen.
But ads are just the beginning. YouTube’s real value lies in stacking multiple revenue paths.
- Add affiliate marketing income by linking to tools or gear you already use (e.g., supplements, apps, equipment).
- Add digital products income, templates, meal plans, guides, or courses that solve the same problems your videos do.
- Grow your list with lead magnets in the description or pinned comment, turning one viewer into a long-term buyer.
#4: Participate in Affiliate Marketing Programs
The affiliate marketing space isn’t saturated, it’s misunderstood. The fitness market is still starved for real guidance from working professionals. Whether it’s supplements, resistance bands, recovery tools, or apps, most people don’t know what actually works. That’s where you come in.
And it doesn’t have to be about the most scientific proven supplements, sometimes it’s also cool new brands people are down to try out.
Affiliate marketing lets you recommend products you already use and trust, then earn a commission when someone buys through your link. You don’t need to be an influencer.
Even with a modest audience, you can start earning affiliate marketing income passively. Sign up for a few affiliate programs, drop the links in your Link in Bio or website, and they just sit there, ready to convert anytime someone clicks.
You can even turn your love for ABC Trainerize into revenue. The Trainerize Affiliate Program pays you to spread the word and help more fitness professionals and business owners subscribe. If you’re already a user, you can apply directly inside the web app. If not, you can still join the program by applying through our public page.
#5: Offer Online Courses and Workshops
If you’ve ever walked a client through the same explanation more than once, you’re already halfway to building a course. Online workshops and self-paced courses are one of the most effective ways to earn passive income because they let you teach once and sell forever.
Live workshops are a great entry point. You run a focused, 60–90-minute session on a specific topic, like “Meal Prep for Busy Clients” or “Fix Your Squat Form”, and charge a small fee. Record it once, then turn it into a digital asset you can sell on repeat.
Or you can test with your short-form social media content, too. If one post or topic does particularly well, and it has the potential to be expanded, and offer more value, that can be an entry point too.
And don’t overcomplicate it. A short course with three clear modules and a workbook is often more effective than a 12-week beast that no one finishes. What matters is clarity, outcome, and a smooth delivery experience.
👉 Check Out: The Best Online Business Courses for Personal Trainers in 2025
Wondering what’s the difference between online courses and digital products?
Digital products are standalone tools or resources, usually lightweight, easy to consume, and focused on speed or convenience. You don’t need to “teach” them, just deliver them.
Courses and workshops are learning experiences. You’re guiding someone through a structured transformation or set of skills, with content organized into steps or modules. Both can drive real results. The only question is what your audience needs more, and what you’re ready to build.
#6: Sell Branded Merchandise
Let’s be real, branded merch isn’t for everyone, and it definitely shouldn’t be your first step into passive income. But if you’ve built a brand people connect with, or you train in a gym or studio setting with a strong sense of community, it can become a fun and low-maintenance stream of semi-passive income.
This works especially well for CrossFit gyms, group training communities, or personal trainers with a niche following. You don’t need to become a clothing brand. You just need to have a vibe that people want to represent. Maybe it’s a slogan that came out of your coaching. Maybe it’s a design that captures your training style. Maybe it’s a simple way to reward consistency and loyalty.
With print-on-demand platforms like Printful or Gelato, you can set up a merch store in an afternoon. No inventory, no shipping, no overhead. Just design a few pieces, connect it to your site or Link in Bio, and let them run in the background.
Some coaches even take it smaller: they create limited merch drops just for existing clients, bundle branded journals or workout logbooks into program kits, or send out client gifts that double as subtle promo. It’s not just about selling, it’s about deepening the brand experience.
Still, if you don’t have a clear aesthetic, active client community, or interest in design, this might be better kept on the “someday” list. Branded merch makes more sense when your digital presence feels cohesive, and when people already want to be part of what you’re building.
👉 Check Out: Your Guide to Selling Merch as a Personal Trainer
#7: Develop a Mobile App
Launching your own app might sound like something only big brands can afford, but that’s no longer true with vibe-coding. If you have a clear offer, a bit of digital savviness, and the time to figure things out, you can build your fitness app using no-code tools or platforms like ABC Trainerize.
It takes effort, but it’s doable, and it’s one of the most future-proof automated income streams available to coaches right now.
With Trainerize, you can white-label a mobile app and start selling programs or memberships directly through it.
Your app can include everything from a personalized workout plan and built-in exercise library to nutrition tracking, progress photos, messaging, habit check-ins, and automated reminders. Some coaches also add exclusive video content, digital product access, or even community spaces.
👉 Check Out: The Ultimate Gym Mobile App for Member Success
FAQs
How can I make $1,000 a month passively?
Focus either on getting digital products income or growing a subscription membership at ~$25/mo, and aim for 40 active members. Later on, you can layer affiliate links to accelerate growth.
Is $5,000 a month realistic?
Yes, but it’s rarely from one passive-income source, especially when you’re starting as a microinfluencer. Combine a $59/mo membership (50 members) with a $197 digital course that sells twice a day.
What is the best way to earn passive income as a trainer?
The best ways to earn passive income start with what you already know. Digital products are the fastest to launch and easiest to automate. Choose a topic you’re known for and keep iterating.
Does passive income work in Canada?
Absolutely. Read more about CRA rules and the digital product tax. It’s one of the simplest ways to invest for passive income without a large startup cost.
Can you really make money while you sleep?
Yes, but only after you’ve built a sustainable, profitable business. Once that’s in place, you can automate and layer in new systems to scale. The real goal is to earn income without trading time, using evergreen offers and smart automation.
How do beginners start to earn passive income?
The first step is clarity. Choose from ways to earn passive income that align with your skillset, budget, time, and market.
What are some low-investment passive income ideas?
Low-effort income ideas like digital templates, email courses on fitness and health, or workout plans, meal plans, and ebooks.
Is passive income actually sustainable long-term?
Yes, when it’s built around semi-passive income ideas, offers that need light maintenance but continue to deliver value over time, passive income is doable and highly recommendable for professionals who provide services that depend on their time commitment.
Final Takeaway
Passive income isn’t a myth, but it’s also not instant and for sure not for the lazy. It’s earned leverage, where you set up delivery systems that don’t fall apart the moment you’re offline.
What’s changed in 2025 is that more of the tools are in your hands, from apps and affiliate platforms to digital products, memberships, and content engines that run while you sleep. But the process is still the same; you must have proven that your systems and expertise deliver the results you promise. What’s left is to turn it into “products” and then sell them from 1:1 to 1:Many.
Start with one stream. Make it good. Ship it. Then stack others once you’ve got proof that people are willing to pay. Whether it’s a Notion template, a workout bundle inside your branded app, or a full course on how to train around injuries, there’s never been a better time to turn your expertise into income that doesn’t rely on your calendar.
If you’re ready to put this into motion, check our ABC Trainerize Features and see how we can help!
