Here are 36 texts for the moments a gym owner keeps retyping between classes. Change the bracketed words and send. There's no form to fill in and no charge.
The label on each message tells you if it's service or marketing. Gym texts need more care than most, because a friendly "we miss you" can easily turn into marketing, and because new rules on subscription reminders are due in January 2027.
How to use this page
- Service messages are about a booking, a membership or a trial someone asked for.
- Marketing messages promote your gym. They need consent or the soft opt-in, and an opt-out in every one.
- Keep messages to quiet members about their training. Offers make them marketing.
- Name the gym in a first text, and on any message with a payment link.
- Send one text, then wait. Stop as soon as they say no.
Service or marketing?
The rules are in the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, known as PECR. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) enforces them. The maximum fine rose to £17.5 million or 4% of turnover in February 2026, according to the law firm Bratby, so this has become more serious.
| Question | Service message | Marketing message |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Part of a booking, trial or membership | Promotes your gym or an offer |
| Example | "Your class is at 18:00 tomorrow" | "January offer: come back for £50" |
| Consent needed? | My reading, not ICO wording: a true service message isn't promotion, so it shouldn't need consent. | Needs consent or the soft opt-in |
| Opt-out needed? | Not normally, though you stop if someone asks | Always, on each message |
Under the soft opt-in, a gym can text its own customers about similar services of its own. You must have given a clear chance to opt out when you took their details, and in every message. The ICO's page says it covers people who bought, or negotiated to buy, from you. A paying member fits. Someone who only came to a free taster may be less clear, so I'd ask them for consent on the booking form. It doesn't cover bought lists. Sole traders and some partnerships count as individuals.
The ICO is reviewing this guidance after the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, so reread it before you text your whole member list.
Three gym mistakes
Slip a sales pitch into a class reminder and it can become marketing. Keep the two apart.
Don't ask members for their friends' numbers so you can text them. The ICO advises against it. Give the member something to pass on themselves.
Keep health out of texts. A message saying "how's your back injury?" sits on someone's lock screen. Say "how are you getting on?"
The templates
Use the buttons to jump to a stage.
First reply
[Gym] here, it's [Your name]. I was mid-class when you rang. What can we help with? I'll reply as soon as we finish.
Hi [Name], it's [Your name] from [Gym]. Thanks for getting in touch. Have you trained before, or would you be starting fresh? Either's fine.
Hi [Name], thanks for contacting [Gym]. The doors are shut for tonight, so you'll hear from me by [time] tomorrow. This week's classes: [Link]
Only promise a time you'll keep.
No need to be fit to start, [Name]. Most of our members were beginners once. I'll be with you for your first session, and we'll scale everything to suit you.
Only say this if it's true of how you run first sessions.
Hi [Name], membership starts at £[amount] a month, and that includes [joining fee or "no joining fee"]. A trial is £[amount]. Want me to find you a time?
Give the full price, with any joining fee. The CMA treats gym joining fees as a mandatory charge.
Thanks [Name]. Best if we talk that through rather than text it. I'll ring at [time].
Don't give medical advice by text, and don't ask people to send health details this way. If it sounds urgent, ring them now and tell them to ring 999 or NHS 111. Have a qualified person approve any health wording you add.
If someone has collapsed or isn't responding, ring 999 now. Say it may be a cardiac arrest, where you are, and that you need a defibrillator. Start CPR.
Use this only if someone reports this by text or voicemail, and tell the owner at once. Based on the Resuscitation Council UK's guide for community sport. Have your first aid trainer approve your own wording before you use it.
Trials
Hi [Name], I can fit you in on [day] at [time] or [day] at [time]. Which suits you best?
You're booked, [Name]. [Day] at [time] with [Coach]. Wear something comfy and bring water. Arrive 10 minutes early and ask for [Coach]. Parking: [details].
Hi [Name], see you tomorrow at [time]. [Coach] will look after you. Plans changed? Just say, and we'll move your trial.
Hi [Name], we missed you today, and that's no problem at all. Would [day] at [time] work instead? It's [Your name] at [Gym].
Send this once, the same day. One more a few days later is plenty.
Great to meet you today, [Name]. How are you feeling? Expect some aches tomorrow, and that's normal. Any questions, just reply.
Hi [Name], it's [Your name]. Did you want to carry on after your trial? Happy to answer any questions about how membership works.
This sits close to the line. Keep it to the trial they asked for, send no more than two, and stop if they say no.
Hi [Name], I won't keep messaging you about this. If you'd like to come back at any point, just reply and I'll sort it. Thanks for trying us.
This is your last word on the trial. Send it, then go quiet.
Classes
Hi [Name], you're booked into [class] tomorrow at [time]. Can't make it? Cancel by [time] to free your space for someone else: [Link]
Hi [Name], a space has come up in [class] at [time] today. Want it? Reply YES by [time], and it's yours.
Hi [Name], sorry, [class] at [time] on [day] is cancelled because [reason]. Your credit's still there. [Other class] at [time] has space if that helps.
Hi [Name], from [date], [class] moves from [time] to [time]. You've been booked into this, so tell us if the new time doesn't work.
Check your terms if a change is large. Citizens Advice lists significant changes to facilities as a possible unfair term.
Hi [Name], we didn't see you at [class] today. All OK? Your next booking is [day] at [time]. Let me know if you'd like to change it.
If you charge for late cancels, say so in your terms first, not here for the first time.
New members
Welcome to [Gym], [Name]. Your first three sessions are [dates]. [Coach] is your go-to person. Text this number if you need anything.
Hi [Name], your membership details are in your email from [Gym], including your right to cancel within 14 days. Any questions, just reply.
From 1 January 2027, the draft rules give this right to everyone who joins, including in person. Send the full information by email or paper.
Hi [Name], before your first session please fill in our health form: [Link]. It's private and only your coach will see it. It takes 3 minutes.
Use a secure form. Only promise what's true of who can see it.
Hi [Name], one week in. How's it going? What's been best so far, and is there anything we could do better?
Quiet members
Hi [Name], it's [Coach]. Haven't seen you for a bit, and I hope all's well. I've got a space on [day] at [time] if you fancy it.
Keep it personal and about their training. Don't add an offer, or it's marketing.
Hi [Name], it's [Coach]. Anything we can change to make it easier to get in? I can ring for a quick chat, or we can sort a freeze if that's useful.
Payments
Hi [Name], it's [Your name] from [Gym]. Your payment of £[amount] on [date] didn't go through. Please update it here: [Link]. Any problems, just reply.
Stay polite. A failed payment can mean someone's short of money, so give them a way to talk to you.
Hi [Name], from [date] your membership will be £[amount] a month. Details are in your email from [Gym]. Questions or concerns? Reply here.
Give plenty of notice, and check your terms allow it.
[Gym]: your membership renews on [date] and we'll take £[amount] unless you end it. To stop it: [Link]
Draft rules from January 2027 call for reminders on a durable medium, before a discount ends and about every six months on a rolling plan. Keep this free of marketing. Check the required wording against the final rules before you use it.
Leaving
Hi [Name], we've got your request to cancel. Your membership ends on [date], and your last payment is [date]. Written confirmation is in your email.
Under the draft rules, the notice is due within 24 hours for an online exit and 3 working days otherwise.
Thanks for being with us, [Name]. If you're happy to share, what made you leave? No need to reply, and your cancellation's done either way.
Feedback must be optional, and can't delay anyone leaving.
Reviews
Thanks for training at [Gym], [Name]. Would you leave an honest review? It really helps a small gym: [Link]
Send it to everyone at the same stage. Don't offer a reward. This is a grey area, so to be safe, add "Reply STOP to opt out", and stop if they say no.
Hi [Name], no pressure at all, but if you get a minute I'd really value your honest review of [Gym]: [Link]
One reminder at most. The same grey area applies.
Win-back
[Gym]: Hi [Name], we've started [class] on [day] at [time]. Fancy trying it? Reply YES and I'll save you a space. Reply STOP to opt out.
[Gym]: Hi [Name], come back in [month] for £[amount] for your first month, then £[amount] a month. No joining fee. Reply YES. Reply STOP to opt out.
State what it rolls onto. Include any joining fee. From January 2027, a reminder and a second cooling-off period apply to a discount that rolls onto a higher price.
[Gym]: Hi [Name], we've got room in our [time] classes this month. Want to try one? Reply YES and I'll book you. Reply STOP to opt out.
[Gym]: Hi [Name], our next beginners' course starts on [date]. Want a place? Reply YES and I'll send details. Reply STOP to opt out.
Only send this if they gave consent, or paid for a trial and had a clear chance to opt out.
How much texts cost
You pay per 160 characters. Go over and the message splits into parts, each one charged. Add an emoji and that limit can drop to 70, so a cheerful flexed bicep may cost you double.
The bulk text firms I checked publish prices from about 3p to 11p a text, and they're selling, so get your own quote. Your booking software may include texts too.
When copying and pasting stops working
This page does the job for a gym with one class on at a time. By the 18:00 rush, with back-to-back classes and three messages waiting, it won't. The missed-call text and the trial reminder are the two I'd automate first, because they're the ones that get forgotten.
Questions gym owners ask
Can I text a member without asking first?
Yes, if it's about their booking or membership. Anything promoting the gym has to meet the marketing rules in the table above.
Is a "we miss you" text marketing?
It depends what's in it. A coach asking how someone's getting on is, in my view, service. Add an offer and it's marketing. If in doubt, include your business name and an opt-out.
Can I swap a free PT session or class for a review?
No. Google bans incentives for reviews and selective asking. Ask everyone at the same stage.
Can I text ex-members?
If you gave them a clear chance to opt out when they joined and in each message, and it's about similar services, the soft opt-in should cover it. If you didn't, you need consent. Act on every STOP straight away.
David Bell, founder of Real Business Systems
David helps small UK businesses get found, answer every enquiry and keep customers coming back. We sell some of the services mentioned here, and we say so where they come up.
Sources
- Resuscitation Council UK, resuscitation in community sports (April 2026)
- ICO, electronic mail marketing (under review after the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025)
- Bratby Law, Data (Use and Access) Act takes effect
- Bird & Bird, CMA enforcement drive (18 November 2025)
- Citizens Advice, cancelling a gym membership
- Draft guidance on consumer subscription contracts (October 2026)
- Lewis Silkin, draft guidance (30 October 2026)
- Google, prohibited and restricted content
- GOV.UK Notify, text message length
- Esendex, customer pricing (vendor)
- The SMS Works, pricing (vendor)
Prices and rules change. Check the source before you rely on a figure. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.