Run These 4 Promotions In 2025 For More BJJ Gym Leads & Members

The new year has just begun and that means planning your 2025 promotion calendar to generate more leads, members, and revenue. 

Running promotions keep things fresh at your gym, creating interest and buzz around your school. 

When done strategically, they can help lift your numbers during slow periods, or take advantage of natural sales cycles when consumers are programmed to buy.

You can run promotions whenever you’d like in your business, but it makes sense to have them every 8 weeks, or once per quarter at a minimum.

Today we’ll cover the 4 essential promotions your BJJ should run in 2025, with one for every quarter of the year.

1. Q1 - New Year Special

The New Year is a perfect time to run a promotion, as many people are motivated to improve their health and fitness or start a new challenge. 

Gyms are packed the first month of the year, as people take action on their new year’s resolutions. Take advantage of this natural cycle by incentivizing motivated leads to try jiu-jitsu for their health and fitness goals this year.

That means creating an irresistible offer or presenting some kind of short 30-day challenge.

Combine the two for even better success. 

You could offer new members a 30-day, first stripe challenge, where they get a month of training, a uniform, a 30-minute private and their first stripe if they complete 3 classes a week over the next 30 days.

Tie the benefits of improved health and fitness, as well as building practical life skills and becoming part of a community in your pitch.

The new year is a guaranteed time for success in your school.

2. Q2 - Memorial Day Sale

Running a promotion during Memorial Day weekend may be the smartest, and most strategic sale you run all year. 

There’s a reason why all the major brands run a sale during this time, and it’s because summer is approaching and people haven’t had an extra day off in months. This gives them a reason to shop.

But more importantly, it gives gym owners an opportunity to stack some cash before heading into the slow summer months.

Nearly every gym I work with experiences a drop during the months of June, July, and August. People are traveling, spending time outside, and simply don’t want to spend the nicest months of the year in a gym.

Use the Memorial Day sale to lock in members for 6 or 12 months. Run a discount on paid-in-full memberships to collect cash up front to get your business through the inevitable summer dip.

Run this promotion to current and former members via email and internal promotion, and save your ad spend for Q3.

3. Q3 - Back To School

Grow your kids program by running a back to school sale in August and September. This is a natural time to run a sale like this, as kids and parents both have the new school year top of mind.

Many kids and parents are concerned with bullying or having difficulty transitioning into a new grade or school, so ease their fears with an anti-bullying promotion that prepares kids for life.

Run a similar package to the New Year Special with a month of training and a uniform for new members.

Highlight the benefits of building confidence, awareness, fitness, and practical self-defense skills that will prepare kids for anything they encounter in school.

Use paid ads and email marketing to make this a big success after a slow summer.

4. Q4 - Black Friday

It only makes sense to run a promotion during the biggest sales holiday of the year. People are primed and ready to buy, so make it easy for them to take action.

You can run the same promotion that you ran for Memorial Day to current and former members, which will help pad your account for the slow month of December. Make the savings obvious to committed members who are paying month to month.

You can also run an external offer to new members to attract new leads and take advantage of curious buyers who have been on the fence and are looking for a deal.

Black Friday presents a the biggest opportunity for sales, with $20k to $40k weekends not out of possibility.

Final Thoughts

These four strategic promotions will give your BJJ school fresh leads and revenue each quarter of the year. You not only capitalize on seasonal buying events, but get ahead of slower months and when students commonly freeze their accounts.

You’ll want to give yourself at least 4 weeks lead time to prepare and advertise these promotions. You’ll need to create graphics, email sequences, landing pages, paid ads, and prepare your staff.

So, start planning now if you want to make 2025 your most successful year yet.

If you start running these every year, you’ll have data to work with to optimize future promotions.

If you need help with any of these, just book a call.