Selling Longevity: How to Attract Over-50 Fitness Clients and Grow Your Business

In this solo episode of the Optimal Aging Podcast, host Jay Croft shares a powerful chapter from his new book Selling Longevity: How Over-50 Fitness Can Transform Lives and Your Business. If you’re a fitness professional wondering how to better serve and attract people over 50—this is your playbook.

You'll learn:

• Why the over-50 market is your biggest growth opportunity
• What older clients actually want in a gym experience
• How to design programs, space, and language to connect with this demographic
• Real-life examples like Richard’s gym loyalty and Betty’s incredible resilience at 83

Jay also reads “Designing the Over-50 Customer Experience,” a key chapter, and shares a bonus story that proves: older clients aren’t just inspiring—they’re good business.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Why longevity is the biggest fitness opportunity
 01:10 – Who the book Selling Longevity is for
02:20 – Two types of gym owners over 50
03:30 – Why this market is good business
04:00 – Reading Chapter 8: Designing the Over-50 Customer Experience
05:00 – First impressions: respect, language, and imagery
06:30 – Designing welcoming spaces and programming
08:00 – Importance of small group personal training
09:30 – Retention tips and long-term loyalty
11:00 – Bonus Story: A failed customer experience in Nashville
12:20 – Message to fitness pros: How to engage people over 50
13:00 – Bonus Story: Betty and Rob's inspiring journey
14:00 – Final thoughts and call to action

Resources Mentioned:

• Selling Longevity on Amazon: https://a.co/d/2N0fEkw
• Prime Fit Content: https://primefitcontent.com

🎤 Host: Jay Croft
Jay is the founder of Prime Fit Content, helping fitness businesses grow by connecting authentically with people over 50.

🌐 Podcast Website: https://primefitcontent.com

👍 Rate the show on Apple Podcasts
 📬 Join the email list – https://primefitcontent.com
📱 Follow on Instagram – @primefitcontent
📥 Contact – [e-mail]

💬 Loved this episode? Share it with a friend or tag @primefitcontent using #OptimalAging.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everybody.
You probably know thatlongevity is a big buzzword
these days.
To talk about living better forlonger, right, and I love it.
I think it's a great wordbecause it encapsulates so much
of what's happening in fitnessand health and well-being for
people over 50, which is thetopic of this podcast, optimal

(00:22):
Aging.
I like to focus on content andcommunications and how content
marketing specifically can helpyou grow your business to reach
more people who are over 50 andtypically ignored by people in
the fitness industry.
Now, if you are already doingthat, then this particular

(00:44):
episode will be helpful to youin that I hope it gives you some
ideas about how you can do abetter job of presenting your
story to people who are over 50in your community.
And if you're not yet hip tothe idea of why this is the
greatest economic opportunityyou have right now, then this

(01:04):
episode's for you too.
Those two groups of listenersare, in fact, the reason why I
wrote my new book, which iscalled Selling Longevity with

(01:25):
the subtitle.
That's still so long I have toread it.
Over 50 Fitness Can TransformLives and your Business.
It's available today on Amazonand I hope you'll check it out.
The reason I wrote the book isagain because I see two camps of
gym owners that are mostrelevant for this discussion.

(01:48):
There's the group that seesthis opportunity and wants to
help more people over 50 andunderstands that they can make a
lot of money doing so, butneeds a little help in figuring
out how to do it, and I get that.
That's, in fact, why I'm inbusiness, why I created Prime
Fit Content to help gyms andother health and fitness and

(02:09):
wellbeing professionals do that.
The other group is people whodon't quite get it yet.
I don't understand this.
I feel like I've been talkingabout this for years.
There's still a lot of peoplewho are not interested in
marketing to people who are alittle bit older, despite the
fact that people over 50 havemore time and money and

(02:30):
compelling reasons to becomelong-lasting, high-paying
fitness customers for you.
So that's why I wrote the bookAgain.
It's called Settling Longevityand I hope you'll check it out
on Amazon Today.
I'm going to read one chapterfrom it and another little story
that I highlight in the book.
The book has a lot of greatstories in it about fitness

(02:51):
professionals and gym owners,but, most importantly, about the
fitness consumer people over 50who are changing their lives
for the better by getting strongand getting agile and building
stamina to live better liveslonger.
I'm a storyteller by nature andby profession.
I come to this from journalism,where I went out and

(03:14):
interviewed people all day aboutall kinds of things, and
there's been nothing asrewarding in my career as
talking to people who areimproving their lives in ways
that they never imagined whenthey were growing up, because
they didn't know that liftingweights and going to a gym would
improve their health, theirquality of life, their

(03:35):
day-to-day activities, theirrelationships, their sleep,
their medical outlook and more.
It's fascinating, it's movingand it makes sense financially.
So that's what we have to lookforward to.
Today on this episode ofOptimal Aging, I'm going to read
you chapter eight and then I'mgoing to share with you just a

(03:58):
little story that's also fromthe book, from a different
chapter.
That's about one of my favoritefitness couples, betty and Rob.
Enjoy chapter eight.
This is chapter eight of SellingLongevity.
The title of the chapter isDesigning the Over 50 Customer
Experience, and I begin it witha quote from Will Rogers, who

(04:21):
said you don't get a secondchance to make a first
impression.
Here it is.
The over 50 fitness marketisn't a niche anymore.
It's the mainstream.
Yet most fitness businesses arestill stuck designing
experiences that don't fit theneeds, expectations or
preferences of this powerful,growing demographic.

(04:44):
This chapter shows you how tobuild a full customer experience
that attracts delights andkeeps active agers from first
impression to long-term loyalty.
Start with respect, notassumptions.
Older adults don't want to feelbabied, patronized or ignored.

(05:05):
They want spaces that feelvibrant and welcoming, staff who
treats them with dignity,programs that challenge them
appropriately.
As a doctor in New York City,he looked around his

(05:26):
neighborhood for a gym.
He was ignored everywhere hewent.
When he moved to ruralMassachusetts, one gym greeted
him warmly, introduced him to atrainer, made him feel like he
belonged there.
That was five years ago andRichard is still a loyal member,
paying dues to that gym andtrainer fees to his trainer.
He has no plans to ever stop.

(05:47):
So all those boys back inChelsea who ignored him because
he was a little bit older well,they missed out on an
opportunity.
You don't want to be like that.
Language shapes reality.
Forget senior fitness andgentle exercise.
Use empowering language likefunctional strength, active

(06:09):
aging, performance, longevity.
Stock photos of frail seniorsno outdated stereotypes.
Now you can use stock photossometimes, of course, we all
have to, but be careful aboutwhat you're putting forth in

(06:31):
those images.
Your space matters Good lighting, clean floors and restrooms,
safe navigation, without makingthe place feel clinical.
You want pleasant backgroundmusic Think Motown, 70s rock or
80s pop.
You don't want to be blastinghip-hop or heavy metal.
You want a front desk staffthat looks people in the eye,

(06:59):
smiles and greets them by name.
Manners matter.
Older adults don't want to feellike they're at a frat party.
Set a tone of respect,friendliness and professionalism
.
Programming with purpose.
Design fitness programs aroundreal-world goals.
Building strength to liftgroceries and grandchildren.
Improving balance to reducefall risk.

(07:22):
Increasing endurance for traveland hobbies.
Small group personal trainingis particularly effective with
people in this demographic andit lets you make more money per
hour, even while charging eachperson a lower rate.
It combines individualattention with a strong sense of
community two things activeagers value highly.

(07:44):
Also highlight that your staffare trained and credentialed to
work with older adults.
Certifications fromorganizations like the
Functional Aging Institute andothers show commitment and
expertise.
Retention starts on day one.
Retention starts on day one.
Everything about the experienceshould make it easy for clients

(08:10):
to say yes and to keep sayingit.
Staff should know and useclients' names.
Systems should be easy tonavigate.
Clear schedules, simple,booking friendly signage.
Booking friendly signage.
Celebrate milestones andimprovements.
Not just weight loss, butmobility, stamina, travel,

(08:34):
birthdays, be flexible.
When life happens.
Surgeries, travel, family needslike this can throw people off.
That's okay.
Let them know, it's okay.
Consistency and personalconnection matter more than
clever apps or slick marketing.
You know, one thing about beinga little bit older is you can
smell BS a little bit betterthan when you're younger.
So keep that in mind.
People don't want to be fed aline.

(08:54):
They want consistency, theywant connection.
They want results.
They want a good customerexperience.
They want connection, they wantresults, they want a good
customer experience.
So here's some takeaways fromthe chapter.
One respectful, empoweringlanguage and imagery will
attract active agers to your gym.
Two your facility should feelenergizing, not clinical or

(09:18):
overwhelming.
Three purposeful programmingfocuses on strength, balance and
independence.
Four small group personaltraining offers connection,
value and results.
Five every interaction, fromfront desk to trainer to email

(09:46):
should reinforce that olderclients are valued, capable and
welcome.
No-transcript.
Whenever I visited my mother inher small town in another state,
it was a challenge to find agym.
I found that one was too bare,one was too corporate, too
generic, too cheap, too run-down, too full of teenagers.
You know the drill.

(10:06):
I went online to exploreoptions in the nearest big city,
nashville, tennessee, and therewere more options, but none of
them seemed at all directed atme at age 60.
None of the websites showed anyphotos of people in my
generation.
All the content was focused onbeing young and hot.

(10:27):
Some had daycare options.
There might've been a silversneakers class mentioned
somewhere, but no thanks, don'tneed that.
I eventually rolled the diceand picked one.
It was fine, adequate, it gotthe job done, but I've spent
decades in gyms, so I'mcomfortable in a new one.
I don't need a lot of customerservice and since I wasn't going

(10:50):
to join the gym in this newcity, my scope of requirements
was skewed.
But still, not one of thesegyms in a leading regional
metropolis had put any thoughtinto a positive customer
experience for someone over 50.
Hey, are you a fitnessprofessional trying to grow your

(11:12):
business with people over 50?
Hey, are you a fitnessprofessional trying to grow your
business with people over 50?
If you are, then you need toknow how to communicate with
them, how to market to them andhow to get them to trust you
with their fitness, well-beingand money.
We're talking about millions ofpeople who are a little older
than the typical market that thefitness industry usually
pursues.
They have more money, more timeand better motivation to make

(11:34):
the best long-term fitnessconsumers you'll find anywhere.
If you're not focusing on them,you should be.
Prime Fit Content is the onlycontent marketing company
designed specifically to helpyou engage people in this group
and to help you distinguishyourself from competitors in
your community.
It's effective, affordable andsuper easy to use.

(11:55):
Check it out atprimefitcontentcom.
That's prime, like prime ofyour life fitcontentcom.
Back to the show Now.
This is a different chapter'sbonus material, but it's a story
I want to share with you.
It's one of the favoritestories that I've gathered over
the years of talking to trainersand gym owners and fitness

(12:16):
consumers over 50.
It's heartwarming and smart andgets to the heart of all of
this.
It's not just about beingheartwarming, it's about good
business.
Okay, so this is a story aboutBetty and Rob.
You can't stop Betty.
No matter what challenges lifethrows at her, the resilient

(12:37):
83-year-old keeps on exercising.
For example, she battled cancerand won, and she was
hospitalized after being hit bya van and came back, and when
Betty faced another challengethat could have derailed her,
she fought back after amysterious leg and hip pain and
she returned as resolute as ever.

(12:57):
I don't even want to thinkabout something so awful that I
couldn't keep exercising.
Betty says I will go on as longas I can.
Betty's story is a greatexample of the power of sticking
with exercise even when it canbe tempting to just give up.
The power of sticking withexercise even when it can be
tempting to just give up.
She's been working out with hertrainer, robert, for years.

(13:18):
Rob says I have a wide range ofclients, from high school
athletes, aspiring bodybuildersand even a former NFL player,
but Betty, easily, is my mostphenomenal client.
So that's a little taste ofwhat's in my book Selling
Longevity.
I hope you'll check it out.
I hope you'll let me hear fromyou when you've read it.

(13:39):
I'd love to know what you think.
I'd love to know what yourexperiences are.
I'd love to help you grow yourbusiness through content and
through communications.
So thanks for joining me today.
I'll see you next week withanother episode and another
guest to talk about all of this.
Bye.