7 Emails Every Gym Should Send Automatically

Most gym owners in the UAE have never sent a single automated email to their members. And every day they don't, memberships quietly expire.

Right now, a new member walks into your gym, signs up, and your communication with them is... whatever happens to happen. Maybe a WhatsApp from the front desk. Maybe a printed schedule. Maybe nothing for three weeks until you notice they haven't come back.

Picture this instead. A member signs up on Tuesday. By Wednesday morning, they've received a welcome email with everything they need for their first week. Hit 10 sessions? A message is waiting. Go two weeks without visiting? You reach out first — before they've mentally already quit. Birthday? Your gym remembered. That's what gym email marketing automation does.

Here are the 7 emails to set up once. They run forever. No extra work required after setup.

What Is Gym Email Marketing Automation, Exactly?

Gym email marketing automation means setting up emails that send automatically based on triggers — not based on you remembering to send them. A member signs up: trigger. They hit their 10th visit: trigger. They go 14 days without coming in: trigger.

The 7 emails in this guide cover the full member lifecycle: from their first day to long-term loyalty. You write each one once, set the trigger, and they run in the background handling communication that would otherwise fall through the cracks.

Below is a quick overview, followed by a template for each one.

Why Does Email Marketing Work for Gyms?

Gym email marketing works because it targets people who have already chosen you — not strangers who might be interested. According to email marketing research from Litmus, email delivers a 42:1 ROI on average, meaning every AED 1 spent generates roughly AED 42 in return. For gyms, the calculation is even more direct: one win-back email that keeps a cancellation-minded member from leaving is worth one month's membership fee — or multiple years if they stay long-term. The real power of gym email automation comes from timing. Welcome emails sent within 5 minutes of signup consistently achieve open rates above 50%, compared to the fitness industry average of 22–25% for standard newsletters. Birthday emails perform at around 45% open rates. Re-engagement emails, sent to members who haven't visited in 14 days, have lower open rates (around 10–12%) but a direct, measurable impact on churn reduction — a pattern confirmed by data from gym management platforms including Mindbody and Glofox.

Most gyms don't do any of this. Which means the bar for standing out is low.

Email #1: The Welcome Email

When it sends: Within 5 minutes of membership signup.

Your new member is at peak excitement. They just made a commitment. A welcome email that arrives before they've left your parking lot tells them they made the right choice.

Subject line: "You're in, [First Name]. Here's what you need for your first week."

What to include:

• Gym address, access instructions, and parking details
• Your class schedule (or a link to it)
• One first-visit tip: "Come 10 minutes early — our front desk team will walk you through everything."
• How to reach you (WhatsApp number or email)

Keep it under 150 words. No upsells. No long brand story. The only job of this email is to make their first visit feel easy.

Email #2: The Day-One Check-In

When it sends: 24 hours after their first recorded visit.

This is the email most gyms never send — and it's one of the highest-impact ones you can write.

Subject line: "How was your first session, [First Name]?"

What to include:

• A one-line check-in: "Hope the first session went well — the second one always feels easier."
• One practical tip for their next visit (e.g., "If you're using the free weights area, come before 7am or after 8pm to beat the peak-hour crowd")
• An open door: "Any questions before your next visit? Just reply to this email."

That's it. This email doesn't sell anything. It makes a person feel like they joined a gym that actually pays attention. Members who feel this in their first week are significantly less likely to cancel in their first month.

Email #3: The Milestone Celebration

When it sends: After visit #10, #25, and #50.

Most gyms celebrate nothing. Members hit personal milestones with zero acknowledgment, and feel no particular reason to stay loyal.

Subject line examples:

• "10 sessions down. That's not nothing, [First Name]."
• "25 visits. You're officially a regular."
• "50 sessions at [Gym Name]. We couldn't let that go unnoticed."

What to include:

• Acknowledge the milestone with the specific number — not just "you've been consistent"
• A small, meaningful reward: a complimentary personal training session, 20% off merchandise, or priority booking for one month
• A forward-looking line: "Most members tell us the 25-session mark is when it stops feeling like effort and starts feeling like routine."

These emails also generate word-of-mouth. A member who gets a milestone message tends to share it — which is free marketing you didn't have to pay for.

How Do You Re-Engage Members Who've Stopped Showing Up?

A member who hasn't visited your gym in 14 days is at risk of cancelling — but hasn't made the decision yet. This is the window when a single, well-timed email can change the outcome. Data from gym management platforms including Mindbody and Glofox consistently shows that 60–70% of gym cancellations are preceded by a clear drop in visit frequency during the 2–4 weeks prior. Most gym owners don't notice until the cancellation actually comes through. An automated re-engagement email, triggered exactly 14 days after a member's last recorded check-in, catches them in this critical window without requiring you to manually track each member's attendance. The subject line matters most: "We haven't seen you in a while, [First Name]" consistently outperforms promotional alternatives because it doesn't feel like a marketing email — it feels personal. Members respond to being noticed. Keep the email under 100 words, low-pressure, and easy to reply to.

Subject line: "We haven't seen you in a while, [First Name]. Everything okay?"

What to include:

• A human, low-pressure opener: "No guilt here — life gets busy. We just wanted to check in."
• A reason to come back: a new class that launched, a schedule highlight, or a simple invitation
• An easy exit: "If you want to adjust your membership or have any questions, just reply here — we'll sort it out."

Don't guilt-trip. Don't offer a discount immediately — it cheapens the gesture. Just remind them there's a real person on the other side of their membership.

For members who go even longer — 30 or 45 days — consider pairing this with a win-back WhatsApp message too. See our guide on how to use WhatsApp for gym member engagement for how to set that up alongside your email flow.

Email #5: The Birthday Email

When it sends: On the member's birthday (requires birthday data collected at signup).

Birthday emails achieve open rates around 45% — more than double the fitness industry average. And they cost nothing to send.

Subject line: "Happy Birthday, [First Name] — we have something for you."

What to include:

• A genuine two-sentence birthday message (no corporate filler)
• A meaningful gift: a free day pass for a friend, one month at a reduced rate, or a complimentary personal training session
• An expiry date: "This offer is valid until [date — 2 weeks from birthday]."

If you're not currently collecting birthdays at signup, add that field today. It takes 30 seconds. A birthday email that re-activates a drifting member is worth far more than any paid ad.

Emails #6 & #7: The Referral Ask and the Review Request

These two emails do your marketing for you. Once they're set up, they run quietly in the background generating leads and reviews from your happiest members.

Email #6: The Referral Ask

When it sends: 90 days after joining, for members who have completed at least 10 visits in that period.

Only send this to engaged members. A referral ask to someone who barely shows up reads as tone-deaf.

Subject line: "Know anyone who should be here, [First Name]?"

Template: "You've been coming consistently since [month] — and we'd love more members like you. If you know anyone looking for a gym in [area], send them our way. We'll give you both [incentive: e.g., one month free, AED 100 credit] when they sign up and complete their first month."

According to Nielsen's Consumer Trust research, referrals from friends or family convert at 3–5 times the rate of cold leads. Your most engaged members are your best sales team — you just need to ask.

Email #7: The Review Request

When it sends: After visit #10 or at the 3-month mark — whichever comes first.

Ask for a review when a member has had enough positive experiences to mean it.

Subject line: "Quick favour, [First Name]?"

Template: "You've been with us for [X] sessions now. If you've been happy with [Gym Name], a Google review would genuinely help us. It takes less than 2 minutes: [direct Google review link]. Thank you — it means more than you know."

Add your Gymzone listing link here too: "You can also leave a review on our Gymzone page — it helps other members find us." Reviews on both platforms strengthen your credibility with people who are comparison-shopping for a gym in your area.

For a full system covering both Google reviews and platform reviews, the guide on gym member retention strategies covers how review generation fits into a broader member engagement approach.

Which Email Tool Should You Use?

Start with whatever your gym management software already includes. Mindbody, Glofox, and Wellyx all have built-in email automation — and since member data (visit counts, sign-up dates, birthdays) is already in the system, your triggers connect automatically.

If you need a standalone tool:

• Mailchimp — Free for up to 500 contacts. Covers all 7 automations above. Best starting point for most independent gyms.
• Klaviyo — More powerful segmentation (e.g., send different messages to annual vs. monthly members) but a steeper learning curve. Worth it if you have 500+ members.
• ActiveCampaign — Strong automation logic at a fair price. Good middle ground between Mailchimp and Klaviyo.

Whichever platform you choose, expect to spend one afternoon setting this up. Not one afternoon every week. One afternoon, total. After that, the emails run on their own.

Set It Up Once, Then Forget About It

These 7 gym email marketing automations cover your entire member lifecycle: arrival, early engagement, active loyalty, risk detection, relationship-building, referral generation, and reputation management. Every gym should have all of them running.

The best place to start: your welcome email. Write the subject line today. Write one short paragraph. Send a test to yourself. That first email is the hardest — once it's done, the rest follow the same pattern.

One thing to keep in mind: automated emails are excellent for keeping current members engaged. But new members have to find you first. Your Gymzone listing works the same way as email automation — set it up properly once, and it keeps working in the background, connecting your gym with people who are actively searching for a gym in your area right now. Both should be running at the same time.