The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast
238: How to Host a Yoga Challenge with Amanda McKinney
Description:
One of the main questions that is often asked in The Connected Yoga Teacher Facebook group is “How do I get more students to sign up for my classes?” A common and effective way that you might build your yoga student roster, your email list or a Facebook group is by hosting a yoga challenge. Amanda McKinney has a lot of experience in hosting challenges, and she joins Shannon Crow in this episode to share her 10 step process to successfully host a yoga challenge.
Amanda McKinney is a marketing coach who is passionate about helping yoga teachers find the tools and the confidence within themselves to build a thriving yoga business. She couples her background in marketing and years of experience in the corporate world with her knowledge and love of yoga to help yoga teachers create sustainable businesses they enjoy through the Marketing Yoga with Confidence podcast, online courses and the Thrive membership program.
Yoga challenges can come in all shapes and forms. Amanda explains what a yoga challenge really is, and how it can help grow your yoga business. She also outlines her tried-and-tested 10 step program to help you put together a successful yoga challenge. Whether you’ve been running challenges for years, or have never done a challenge with your audience, you’re sure to get some useful tips to ensure your next challenge is a huge success.
Key Takeaways:
[3:06] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Amanda McKinney.
[4:25] Shannon gives a shout out to Schedulicity.
[8:52] What is a yoga challenge, and why or when would we use one?
[11:27] Challenges can range from 3 days to a month long!
[12:32] Challenges are great because they can kickstart engagement in your community, and they are shareable!
[14:53] Step 1: Decide on the topic you want to focus on.
[15:32] Amanda shares her thoughts on having a yoga teacher training be the paid offering at the end of a challenge.
[16:49] If you're planning to promote classes at a yoga studio at the end of a challenge, be sure to check in with the studio about running the challenge!
[17:42] Step 2: Map out the details of the challenge like the dates, the goals, how you're going to deliver it.
[23:59] Step 3: Outline all of the content.
[27:04] Step 4: Create a pre-challenge to-do list.
[31:03] Step 5: Write out a "during the challenge" to-do list.
[38:37] Step 6: Get everything you've planned onto your calendar.
[41:06] Step 7: Actually do the work, and follow the plan you've created!
[43:37] Step 8: Promote your challenge.
[45:04] Step 9: Host your challenge.
[47:29] Step 10: Invite people to the paid offering.
[50:41] Amanda has prepared all the resources to get your own challenge off the ground with Yoga Challenge in a Box - check it out.
[56:04] Will you be running a yoga challenge soon? Tell us all about it in The Connected Yoga Teacher Facebook group!
[57:08] Shannon leaves us with an action step for this episode.
How to Host a Yoga Challenge with Amanda McKinney
Pre-Challenge - What's the goal? What do you want people to do at the end of this? Be on your email list? Join your Facebook group? Sign up for your paid offering?
Links:
Gratitude to our Sponsors Schedulicity and the Accessible Yoga Conference.
Quotes from this episode:
"A challenge is something where you walk your students through small, tiny steps to either give them some relief to solve a problem or to give them the experience of working with you."
"The health of your email list is a direct indication of the health of your business."
"We make it so complicated, but it actually needs to be so simple... You want people to think about, how can I take this action, whatever that action is, in 15 minutes or less a day."
"Once you run a challenge one time, 90% of the work is done for you. All you have to do, even if it's a different challenge, is use what you've already done and adapt it."
"If it's scheduled, it will happen."
"If you're creating this amazing party, people have to be invited to it or they don't know what's happening."