How To Sell-Out Your Yoga Workshops and Jam-Pack Your Classes

yoga workshops

Which yoga teacher doesn’t want to teach to a room filled with enthusiastic, dedicated yoga students? Have jam-packed yoga workshops? But, if you’ve been teaching for any length of time, you’ve likely come to realize that consistently packing your classes and selling out your yoga workshops can seem like a bit of a mystery.

Often times, there appears to be no reliable formula for when students show up and when they don’t. And, at times, the very class or yoga workshops that we imagine will be popular sell-outs, are a total flop!

What’s the deal?

Is there any rhyme or reason to this mysterious ebb and flow, or is it completely random? Well, despite what it may seem, there is a bit of a science to the whole process, and I’ll be sharing that tip with you today. I’ll admit, upon first hearing this tip, you may think it’s obvious. But, obvious as it may be, putting it into practice is what separates the yoga pros from the amateurs. And, once you start using this tip consistently, you’ll see a huge uptick in the number of sign-ups for your yoga workshops, retreats and classes!

If you’re ready to tap into the power of your teaching and draw more of the right students to your yoga programs, I highly encourage that you take this tip to heart and put it into practice immediately.

So, what is this tip that will enable you to consistently draw the right people to your offerings?

Create something that your ideal students will love and rave about.

Now, if that tip has you thinking — “Yeah, great advice…but how do I do that?” — stick with me. We’ll get there. I promise. But first, let’s mine this advice a little further.

Too often, we, as teachers, develop a class, workshop, retreat or program that we want to create, that we think is neat, interesting or fun, with little regard to whether or not it’s a truly good fit for our students. Sure, our idea might be cool and innovative, but it may not be the program our students need. Many times, the offerings that are best for our students are much more basic and simple than we might be inclined to create at first brush.

Remember, you have hundreds of hours of yoga education under your belt. Your students do not. You don’t necessary need to deliver all the bells and whistles (which is probably what you’re inclined to do!), you just need to create something that addresses what your students are most interested in learning about.

Okay, so now that we fully comprehend what it means to create something that our students LOVE and will rave about, let’s cover how you can go about doing this!

1. Ask them

Send out an email survey, talk to them before or after class, hand out a questionnaire, and ask “What is it in my area of expertise you’d like to know more about?” or “What is one area of your yoga practice you’d like to explore on a deeper level?”

Depending on your yoga niche and what kind of program you like teaching, your question(s) will vary. But, no matter what you ask, leave the question open-ended so that your students can answer in their own voice without “prompting”.

2. Solve a problem

Find out what issues or problems your students are dealing with in their lives that you can help solve. It could be anything from joint discomfort to knee problems to anxiety and stress to chronic fatigue to simply feeling disconnected. Then develop a program that gives them the tools to remedy it!

3. Don’t overshare

Too much information can be overwhelming and make your program difficult to market. Instead KISS it, or “keep it super simple”. Stick to one topic and be focused in your delivery of advice, asanas and teachings. This also ensures they’ll get the most actionable tools and takeaways because you won’t water it down by including too much.

4. Be clear in your copy

In all your marketing, offer solutions, not preventative measures. Students will be much more compelled to attend yoga workshops that will teach them how to “Eliminate Low Back Pain” or “Top 10 Poses to Alleviate Chronic Back Pain” instead of something vague like “Feel Good From Head to Toe” or “Get In Touch with Your Healthiest Self”.

Outline a specific remedy and then people can self-identify that they need to attend your workshop.

5. Host a Q&A about your yoga workshops

If you have an expensive program coming up, like a teacher training or retreat, it’s a great idea to give interested parties a chance to ask their questions face to face. Host a 30-45 minute free class that gives a taste of your program and then invite people to stay afterwards for a casual Q&A.

Giving them time to ask their questions and calm their fears about the monetary investment is a fabulous way to get more people enrolled. (Be sure to have registration forms printed out so that people can sign-up on the spot!)

6. Invite your students

This is a simple one, but something that many teachers shy away from. If you know a program would be a great fit for a particular student, tell them! Invite them to sign-up, tell them why you think it’s a good fit, but also reassure them that there’s no pressure either way. Sometimes students are on the fence about enrolling and having a personal invitation is all it takes!

7. Authentically incentivize

If there’s a time frame for enrollment, let your students know! Or, if you have an early bird deadline approaching, be sure to fill them in before or after class and even send out a friendly email. Oftentimes without an incentive, people will keep putting off registering, but if you can authentically incentivize, you’ll notice that a lot of people enroll when the clocks ticking down!

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About the Author

Cailen Ascher is a marketing maven & yoga teacher/entrepreneur who wants to live in a world where everyone’s dream job is their day job and yoga pants are acceptable work attire. She has been spotlighted on GaiamTV, MindBodyGreen, YogipreneurTV, and more. She’s the creator of the revolutionary online course - Become a Yoga Brand.

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