What to send after a trial class: follow-ups that turn trial students into members

The trial class went well. They kept up, they asked good questions, they smiled on the way out and said “see you next week”.

And then you never heard from them again.

If you run a martial arts school, you’ll know this one. It’s tempting to assume they just weren’t that interested. But in my experience, most people who enjoy a trial and don’t join haven’t decided against you. They just haven’t decided yet — and nobody gave them a reason to do it now.

That’s what follow-up is for. (If people aren’t making it to the trial in the first place, start with why most martial arts enquiries go nowhere — this post picks up from the moment they’ve been through your door.)

Why people who enjoyed the trial still don’t join

Coming to a trial and joining a school are two different decisions. The trial is low-risk: one class, no commitment. Joining means committing money, a regular evening, and a bit of their identity — “I do Krav Maga now”.

Between the two, a few things get in the way:

• The next step isn’t clear. Do they sign up online? Pay at the next class? Wait for you to send something?
• They’re unsure about the cost or which membership fits them, and asking feels awkward.
• Life takes over. They meant to sign up on Sunday, then the week happened.
• They’re waiting to be asked. Many people won’t commit until someone invites them to.

None of these are about your classes. All of them can be fixed with a couple of well-timed messages.

Follow-up 1: the same day

Send it the evening after the class, while it’s still fresh. The goal isn’t to sell — it’s to make joining the obvious, easy next step.

Three things matter: thank them, name what comes next, and give them a direct way to join.

Subject: Great to have you on the mats today

Hi,

Thanks for coming along to class today — it was great to have you.

If you’d like to keep training, the next step is choosing a membership. You can sign up here in a couple of minutes: your registration link

Any questions about classes, times or which membership suits you? Just reply to this email.

See you on the mats, Your name, School name

Keep it short. One clear link beats a list of options.

Follow-up 2: a few days later

Some people meant to sign up and didn’t get round to it. A second message, two or three days later, catches them — and gives you a chance to answer the questions they didn’t ask.

Subject: Any questions about joining?

Hi,

A few people ask the same questions after their first class, so here are the quick answers:

• What do I need? Just comfortable clothes for now — you don’t need kit straight away.
• How often should I train? Twice a week is a great start.
• Can I pause if I’m away? Yes — just let us know.

If you’d like to join us, you can sign up here: your registration link

And if you’ve already signed up — welcome aboard!

Your name

Swap in the questions you actually get asked. The last line matters: if they’ve already joined, the email still reads naturally.

Follow-up 3 (optional): a week later

One last, low-pressure message. If they haven’t replied by now, they probably won’t — but a friendly note leaves the door open without chasing.

Subject: The door’s always open

Hi,

Just a quick note to say you’re welcome back any time. If now isn’t the right moment, no problem — when you’re ready, you can pick up where you left off: your registration link

Your name

After this, stop. Three messages is a follow-up; five is a nuisance.

When they don’t turn up

No-shows are worth one message too. Most had a genuine reason — work ran late, a child was ill, nerves got the better of them. Send it the same day, and make rebooking effortless:

Subject: Sorry we missed you today

Hi,

We missed you at class today — no worries at all, things come up.

If you’d still like to try a class, you can pick another time here: your trial booking link

Hope to see you soon, Your name

No guilt, no pressure. The ones who rebook are often the ones who stick around, because you noticed they were missing.

What makes follow-ups actually work

Ask in person first. The best follow-up happens before they leave the building. A quick “How did you find it? Fancy joining us?” at the end of class does more than any email — the messages are there to back it up.

Make joining one click. If signing up means filling in their name, email and phone number all over again, some people won’t finish. A registration link with their details already filled in removes that last bit of friction.

Give one clear next step. Not “check out our memberships page and let us know” — just “sign up here”.

Be consistent. The follow-up only works if every trial student gets it, every time — which is exactly the part that slips when you’re busy teaching.

Automating it in FightKit

Doing this by hand works, but it relies on you remembering, every week, for every trial. That’s why FightKit can send these follow-ups automatically.

In FightKit, automations start from what happens to a trial:

• Trial attended — send your same-day email, wait a few days, then send the second one
• Trial missed — send your “sorry we missed you” email with a link to book another time

Each trial student goes down one path or the other — never both. You write the emails once, and they go out at the right time for everyone, while you’re teaching. (Automated emails go to every trial student, so write them like the templates above — warm, but without needing a name.)

For anything more personal, every email you send and receive with a lead shows up in one conversation inside FightKit. And when you reply, you can insert a registration link with their details already filled in — they just pick a membership and pay.

There’s a full walkthrough in the automations guide.

The bottom line

Most people who enjoy a trial class want to come back. Your job is to make it easy and to ask — the same day, once more a few days later, and then leave the door open.

Get that right and you don’t need more trial bookings to grow. You need more of the people who already came to stay.

If you’d like FightKit to send these follow-ups for you, start a free 30-day trial — no card required.