In these times of fashion for a healthy lifestyle, the fitness industry in Poland is experiencing its best period. Poles have become enamoured with practically everything related to it: healthy food, sports equipment, exercise accessories, and more. For several years, the most popular trends in social media have been dominated by being fit, workouts and successive diets: from vegan to ketogenic. Do you run a business in the fitness sector and want to take care of good PR in Poland? As a Polish PR agency we have been helping companies like yours to conquer the market for years. In this article we tell you which activities you should not miss out on!
Table of contents:
- What is the fitness sector?
- Event sponsoring
- Media relations in the Polish fitness industry
- Workshops and trainings
- Cooperation with Polish opinion leaders
- Content creation
- Analysis of Polish consumer trends
1. What is the fitness sector?
The fitness sector is basically everything related to a healthy and sporty lifestyle, and therefore includes:
- gyms (including gym chains), fitness clubs, sports clubs, swimming pools, etc,
- sports equipment (including domestic equipment such as dumb-bells, yoga mats, pads, etc.)
- sports clothing and footwear,
- nutrition apps, calorie counting, workout apps, etc,
- healthy food (e.g. high-protein bars, protein supplements, isotonic drinks, meal replacements, etc.).
- dietetic services, personal trainers, physiotherapists,
- boxed diets and catering,
- e-books and books for the fitness industry.
The fitness sector is quite broad, which means that many manufacturers from different industries are covered, even on a small scale. PR activities can focus on an entire company, a single brand or a product. An example here is the Polish brand Bakoma, which has launched a yoghurt with a high protein content intended for strength athletes.
How to do public relations for fitness products and services in Poland?
2. Sponsorship of sporting events
Olympics, football tournaments and marathons, but also local volleyball matches or competitions – all sports events need sponsors. Depending on your budget, it may be worthwhile to become a patron of a smaller or larger event of this type – as sponsorship is one of the most effective offline public relations activities in Poland. It is worth following the example of such brands as OSHEE – one of the main sponsors of the extreme running race Runmageddon or New Balance, which took patronage over this year’s Warsaw Marathon.
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CURgD-2I28Q/
3. Media relations in the Polish fitness industry
Good relations with the media and contact with industry journalists are the absolute basis of PR activities in Poland. This situation is no different in the fitness sector. On the Polish market there are many specialist magazines and websites to which you can regularly send the latest press releases about your company. In the case of new products or services it is also worth investing in sponsored articles – both in the trade and general press.
Source: https://www.vogue.pl/a/dietetyczny-catering-pudelkowy-maczfit
Popular Polish magazines and services from the fitness industry:
- Runner’s World
- Magazyn Fit
- Women’s Health
- Men’s Health
- Codziennie Fit
- BeActive
- Samo Zdrowie
- Sport
- KIF
- Well Fitness
- Fitness Biznes (good for B2B public relations)
- Branża Fitness (good for B2B public relations)
Media publications may only mention the company in passing or focus on it entirely. Interviews with brand representatives or founders can also be a great idea. Every external mention of the company linking to your website will not only build buzz around the brand, but will also positively impact the positioning of your website.
4. Workshops and training
Organising original workshops, training, or free open days is a great way to take care of external PR in gyms or sports clubs. If you only sell products related to the fitness industry (such as sports equipment or snacks), it may be a good idea to establish cooperation with such a place and mutually promote your brands. Such activities work particularly well in the case of companies which have just entered the Polish market – they allow new clients to get acquainted with the product.
5. Cooperation with opinion leaders
Just as classic influencer marketing is aimed at both image and customer relationship building, as well as sales, opinion leaders aim primarily to inspire trust in their audience. In the fitness industry, opinion leaders can be respected nutritionists, athletes, doctors, physiotherapists or trainers. It is important to ensure that such people inspire public confidence and are relatively recognisable – at least among your target group.
We can make the opinion leader an official brand ambassador or simply place his or her opinion on our sales page – a central point of contact between potential customers and the brand. See how the Huel brand did it:
Source: https://pl.huel.com/
6. Content creation
The slogan content is king has been repeated like a mantra in the world of Polish Internet marketing for several years. This has led to a situation where the average Internet user is now literally saturated with useless content. So how to create content in times of its excess? One should make sure that it is really interesting and absorbing. The fashion for creating “bulky” articles is slowly dying out. And that is fortunate! They are being replaced by substantive, very long knowledge articles created in cooperation with experts. Such content will always be in demand.
It is also worth taking care of an appropriate distribution strategy for such content, such as tailored communication in social media and/or a creative newsletter. Our advice: If you invest in cooperation with a content marketing or SEO agency, don’t just go for the lowest price. Good content not only has a positive effect on public relations, but also works for the positioning of the website for a good few years after the article is published.
Source: https://cityfit.pl/blog/gadzety-na-silowni
7. Analysis of industry consumer trends
Analysing current trends is the most important task in the work of a good Polish public relations specialist. The PR department (or the external agency that deals with it) should keep abreast of what consumers are searching for and expecting online. The easiest way to stay up-to-date is to follow industry influencers (after all, they are the trendsetters nowadays), and to regularly check search trends in Google Trends.
Current trends in the Polish fitness world:
- Online training,
- Fitness apps,
- Outdoor training,
- Self-love, body positive, mindfulness,
- Hypertrophy training and Schultz autogenic training,
- Jump rope workout,
- Tape workout,
- Resistance band training,
- Viking diet,
- Boxed diets,
- Ketogenic diet.
Ongoing analysis of consumer trends makes it easier to understand the characteristics typical of Polish consumers, as well as the differences between them and your customers in other parts of the world. This knowledge guarantees more effective reaching of target groups and creation of tailor-made offers.
These were just a few of the most important PR practices that work in the Polish fitness sector. Are you looking for experts to help you develop and implement a comprehensive Polish public relations strategy for your brand in the fitness industry? As a Polish PR agency, we have been helping foreign companies enter the Polish market and become a strong player among their competitors for many years. If you think you need us, write to us!