Issue #423 – Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Boost Your Pilates Business with AI: Engage More Clients, Save Time, Get Creative
Part 1
When ChatGPT was first released, I honestly had little interest aside from the occasional silly exploration with friends — “Describe to me a french cabernet wine in the style of an arrogant sommelier who never drinks wine from anywhere but Napa California.” (Yeah, this is peak me…a ‘wild night’ involves using whatever it takes to generate a laugh. Pun intended lol).
It seemed it would be used in ways that would benefit me but that I would be quite removed from it directly. For example, a software engineer might use it to check or clean up their code.
But after some research and conversations with folks in fields like finance or who work on self-driving cars, I now think my relationship with AI is different.
Yes, it’s true Pilates instructors won’t likely be replaced by AI anytime soon. But, what it can do for ‘the business of Pilates’ is potentially very powerful.
AI is evolving right in front of our eyes in real time. It needs all our creativity to let it evolve into something useful for the field of Pilates (and beyond).
Let’s start with a really simple explanation of Generative AI and ChatGPT. ChatGPT and Google Gemini are examples of generative artificial intelligence that use deep learning to generate original content, retrieve information, respond in chat dialogues, create designs and more.
One of the ways generative AI might be used in Pilates is for programming sessions. Here’s an article published by IDEA, “50 AI/ChatGPT Prompts for Fitness Professionals,” that’s an excellent way to get started thinking about writing AI prompts to develop lesson plans for Pilates sessions (This article also has a good definition of “prompts”).
Generating class ideas and customized programs for clients is only the tip of the iceberg for what generative AI might do for us.
So, in this two part article, I’m asking: How can we leverage generative AI in Pilates, particularly when it comes to increasing efficiency in our daily activities? How can AI help automate and accelerate a variety of tasks and processes, saving time and resources?
How is using generative AI different from “Googling”?
Generative AI tools have been trained on vast amounts of the internet including anything you could learn through internet browsing. The difference is when you search with a browser, you have to scan the results, then decide what to read. With generative AI, the chat tool is completing that evaluation and comprehension layer for you. It’s as if an assistant performs research for you and summarizes what it found.
Uses for Generative AI in Pilates
Attracting & Engaging Customers
When it comes to marketing, platforms like SquareSpace use AI to assist you in writing your website’s content, including text for SEO and tags to make content more searchable. There are specific AI tools to create marketing slogans for campaigns, or to improve your writing like Grammarly. If you want to create visuals for a marketing campaign, there are tools like Canva Magic Studio that translate text and imagery into beautiful designs. Almost every form of marketing has specific AI tools.
• Planning marketing campaigns
• Building website content
• SEO and customer engagement
• Align content with your brand strategy so that it will resonate with your market
• Hashtag generation
• Style creation
• Generating visual content
If you use a chatbot (Large Language Model, LLM), you might use a prompt like, “How do I market my Pilates website located in Springfield, Missouri to people who have not ever tried or heard of Pilates?”
I asked Google Gemini, “What hashtags should I use for a social media post about improving balance and preventing falls with Pilates?” I know I would never have thought of some of the more engaging and quippy hashtags like #ditchthewalkeruseapilates #nomorefallsjustpilatesposes #pilatesismyfountainofyouth.
I asked Google Gemini, “What would be a good caption for an Instagram post with a photo of a girl doing Pilates on a Reformer with a large glass of orange juice next to her?”
Here are some of response (and I have to admit there are couple I love):
Hopefully this gives you some ideas for how you might use these tools in your own practice. In the next article, we’ll explore how generative AI can increase efficiency, improve creativity and lead to innovation.
Holly Furgason is the founder of the Blue Sparrow Pilates in San Francisco, California (2007) and has trained everyone from Olympic athletes to cancer patients.
Holly is driven to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with other teachers. She wrote a book on how to turn a Pilates passion into a career, Finding Your Center. She has presented educational courses and taught pedagogy, or the “art” of teaching at numerous training facilities around the world.
Holly is a Nationally Certified Pilates Instructor and Merrithew Lead Instructor Trainer, specializing in STOTT PILATES, Fascial Movement, CORE and Total Barre. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from the University of Michigan, and a Masters of Fine Arts in Choreography and Performance from Mills College in Oakland, California.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounded by technology, Holly is excited about the intersection of technology + Pilates, pivoting to digital delivery, Pilates as a Product, and program development.
Free classes with Holly: https://www.youtube.com/@Blue-Sparrow-Pilates
Instagram: @bluesparrowpilates