More people now find new ways to switch off on TikTok and Instagram, and yoga is no different. Ofcom found that 76% of UK adults say they use the internet for at least one health and wellbeing activity, so if you run a yoga studio, that’s where a lot of your future students are looking.
Most people choose a yoga studio based on three things:
- Location
- If it feels welcoming, and like a place they’d fit in
- If someone they trust has been
Walking into a new yoga studio for the first time can feel daunting. When a local creator shares their first class, from unrolling their mat to the final savasana, their followers get a real glimpse of the space, the teachers and the feel of the room. By the time they book, it already feels familiar. They know there’s no pressure to nail a headstand, and because they live nearby, they can join you on the mat.
Between teaching, running the timetable and looking after your community, there’s very little time left over for marketing. You might never have worked with creators before, or you might have messaged a few yourself and heard nothing back.
Why Local Creators Work for Yoga Studios
- Yoga content is calming and shareable. A slow vinyasa flow, a candlelit yin class or a sound bath is a moment of calm in a busy feed.
- They make it feel welcoming. Seeing someone like them settle into a class shows nervous beginners that they’d fit in too.
- They invite their community to yours. Creators have loyal followings, and when they share a class at your studio, some of those followers come along and become part of your community.
How Can Yoga Studios Work with Influencers and Creators?
There are four common ways:
- Gifted classes: Invite a creator to a class (or a few) to experience your studio and, if they enjoy it, share it honestly with their followers.
- Paid partnerships: Work with a wellness influencer with a bigger following on agreed, paid content, like a series of posts around a new class or retreat.
- Community events: Host creators at a workshop, sound bath, open day or full moon class.
- Calm, ad-ready videos: With Ad Studio, a creator films a class to your brief for your Instagram and TikTok ads. Because it feels like a genuine recommendation rather than a polished advert, it sits naturally in people’s feeds.
Our guide to gifted visits, paid collaborations and videos for ads goes into how to choose between them.
What to Offer Creators
Keep the offer clear and generous, and you’ll find creators who are excited to come. For yoga studios, that might be:
- A free class, plus a post-class tea or a bit of merch if you have it
- A few sessions or a free month, so they can share how yoga fits into their week
- A spot on a workshop, special class or retreat, which gives them something different to film
Promoting Workshops, Retreats and Teacher Trainings
Special events are often where yoga studios make the most impact, and they’re perfect for creators. A workshop, retreat or teacher training is an experience people want to share, and it gives their followers something to look forward to.
Retreats in particular are often discovered on social. Statista reports that 75% of travellers look to social media for inspiration for their next trip.
- Invite creators early: a creator on your first retreat or workshop gives you content to help sell the next one
- Show the whole experience: before, during and after helps people imagine themselves there
- Make it easy to book: give creators a link or code their followers can use to secure a spot
How Joli Works for Yoga Studios
Joli is a creator platform for hospitality and leisure brands, built so a small team can work with creators without it taking over the week.
- Set up your campaign: add your offer, like a class pack or a workshop place, when creators can come and what you’d love them to capture.
- Creators apply: local creators who like the sound of it apply to visit, so there’s nobody to chase.
- Choose who comes: look at their content, engagement rate and where their followers live, and pick the ones whose energy suits your studio, whether that’s slow and mindful or strong and sweaty.
- They join a class: creators book in and take the class like anyone else, and if they enjoy it, they share it with their followers.
- See the results: their posts collect in your content library, so your page fills up with real recommendations.
Every creator on Joli is based in the UK and reviewed by our team before they can apply to anything, so the people walking into your studio are ones whose content we’ve already checked.
The Results It Can Drive
Creator content works for any venue people book ahead. Rocket Padel has used Joli since April 2024 to bring creators into its clubs, and the team now hears it from the people ringing up:
Marketing is always hard to quantify, but we’ve had calls coming in for bookings telling us they found us on TikTok which is all you can ask for!
Oskar, Club Manager at Rocket Padel
If you’d like more people finding your classes, book a demo and we’ll talk you through how it would work for your studio.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I market my yoga studio?
Start with your community. Make it easy for new students to find your timetable and intro offer, encourage regulars to bring friends, and run events that give people a reason to talk about you. Local creators help that word of mouth reach far beyond your current students.
How do I get influencers to promote my yoga studio?
Look for local creators who already share wellness, movement or slow-living content, as their followers are likely to be interested. Invite them to a class or workshop with a short, friendly brief. With Joli, you set up one campaign and interested local creators apply to visit, so there's no need to message them one by one.
Do yoga studios need influencers?
If you want to grow, they're worth considering. Plenty of people would love to try yoga but worry it isn't for them. A creator showing that anyone can roll out a mat and enjoy a class is one of the most effective ways to win over those first-timers.
How do I get more sign-ups to my yoga studio?
Put your intro offer front and centre and make it quick to book. Then give local creators a link or code their followers can use, and ask new students where they heard about you, so you know which visits are bringing people in.
Should I pay creators or gift classes?
Most studios start with gifted classes. Paid content makes sense when you want content for ads, or when a creator has a highly engaged local audience.
Can creators help promote yoga workshops and retreats?
Yes, and they're some of the best things to promote with creators. Workshops and retreats are special experiences that look great on camera, and a creator sharing theirs gives their followers a real taste of what they'd be booking.
What if other people in the class don't want to be in the content?
Yoga is often a calm, personal space, so it's a fair worry. Give the creator a spot where they're the focus of the shot, check with the class before you start, or book them into a quieter session. For bigger shoots, a dedicated creator class or workshop means everyone in the room has chosen to be there.
