Every August, the same thing happens.
Parents start Googling “martial arts for kids near me.” Adults think about getting back in shape before fall settles in. Enrollment inquiries show up out of nowhere.
And most gym, studio, and martial arts school owners aren’t ready for it.
Most are paying attention. They just don’t have a system. They post something on Facebook, throw out a discount, and scramble to respond to whoever shows up. At the end of the month, they have no clear picture of what worked.
This guide walks you through a simple 4-week system: one landing page, one enrollment form, three follow-up emails, and UTM tracking. You can build all of it in a day.
Get the full Back-to-School Campaign Kit: every template in one download
How do I run a back-to-school promotion for my gym or martial arts school?
A back-to-school enrollment campaign needs four components: a dedicated landing page built for a single offer (not just a social post), an enrollment form with no more than eight fields, a three-email follow-up sequence at Day 0, Day 3, and Day 7, and UTM tracking on every link so you know which channels drove results. The Day 7 email typically recovers a meaningful share of leads who filled out the form but never showed up, most of them simply got busy and forgot. Each piece takes less than a day to set up when you have templates.
Why a system matters more than a great offer
Back-to-school is one of the two or three highest-intent enrollment windows of the year. Parents are already in buying mode: signing kids up for activities, setting new schedules, spending money. That intent doesn’t last long.
Most studio and martial arts school owners already get inquiries in August. What trips them up is what happens after the inquiry. Without a dedicated landing page, people land on your homepage and bounce. Without a follow-up sequence, a “maybe” becomes a no. Without tracking, you run the same campaign next year without knowing if it worked.
A system fixes all three.
Week 1: Build your landing page
You don’t need a new website. You need one page with one job: get someone to fill out a form.
Here’s the fill-in-the-blank structure:
Landing Page Copy Template
Headline:
[Back-to-School Special: Try [Studio Name]'s [Program Name] for [Offer] This September]
Example: Back-to-School Special: Try Northside Martial Arts for 2 Weeks Free This September
Subheadline (one line):
[What the student gets + what the parent doesn't have to worry about]
Example: Kids build confidence, focus, and discipline. No long-term commitment required.
Three bullets:
- [First class is [day/time], just show up]
- [No equipment needed to start]
- [Enroll in under 2 minutes below]
CTA button text:
[Claim Your [Offer] Spot]
Example: Claim Your 2-Week Free Trial Spot
That’s the whole page. No paragraphs about your studio’s history. No navigation menu. Just: here’s what you get, here’s why it’s easy, here’s the button.
Week 2: Set up your enrollment form
Your enrollment form is where most studio owners lose people. Too many fields and people abandon it halfway through.
Here’s the structure that works for a trial enrollment:
Enrollment Form Fields
Required:
- Parent/Guardian First Name
- Parent/Guardian Last Name
- Parent/Guardian Email
- Parent/Guardian Phone Number
- Child’s First Name
- Child’s Age
- Which program are you interested in? (dropdown, list your programs)
Optional (one field only, do not mark as required): 8. How did you hear about us? (dropdown: Google, Facebook, Instagram, Friend/Referral, Saw your sign, Other)
Eight fields maximum. The “how did you hear about us” field is worth keeping. It gives you a manual backup if UTM tracking isn’t fully set up, but don’t make it required or you’ll lose completions.
Not sure which programs to list? See our guide to types of memberships for how to structure your offerings clearly.
Week 3: Write your 3-email follow-up sequence
Most studios follow up once or not at all. A three-email sequence catches the people who were genuinely interested but got distracted, and there are more of them than you’d expect.
Here are the three emails, copy-paste ready:
Email 1: Day 0 (send immediately after form submission)
Subject: You’re in, here’s what to expect at [Studio Name]
Hi [First Name],
Thanks for signing up for [Studio Name]‘s back-to-school trial.
Here’s what happens next:
- Your first class is [day], [date] at [time]
- [Address + parking note if relevant]
- Wear comfortable clothes. We’ll take care of the rest.
Any questions, just reply to this email.
[Your name] [Studio Name]
Email 2: Day 3 (send 3 days after form submission)
Subject: Quick question about [Child’s Name]‘s first class
Hi [First Name],
Just checking in, [Child’s Name]‘s first class is coming up [day].
A few things first-timers usually ask:
- What should they wear? Comfortable, athletic clothes.
- What time should they arrive? Five to ten minutes early.
- What if they’re nervous? That’s normal. We see it every week.
See you [day].
[Your name] [Studio Name]
Email 3: Day 7 (send if they haven’t attended yet)
Subject: Your trial is still waiting
Hi [First Name],
I noticed [Child’s Name] hasn’t made it in yet. No worries, things get busy.
Your trial spot is still open through [date]. If you want to grab a different day or time, just reply and I’ll find something that works.
[Your name] [Studio Name]
That third email recovers a lot of soft no’s. Most people who don’t show up after Day 1 simply got busy, not lost interest. A short, no-pressure reply invite is usually all it takes.
For more communication templates, see our payment reminder email templates. The same principles apply.
Week 4: Add UTM tracking
This is the step most studio owners skip. Without it, you won’t know which channel drove the enrollment, and next year you’ll run the same campaign and hope for the same result.
A UTM tag is a small piece of text added to the end of your landing page URL. It tells Google Analytics where a visitor came from.
Format:
your-landing-page-url.com?utm_source=[channel]&utm_medium=[type]&utm_campaign=august-bts-systems
Use these tags for every link you share:
| Where you’re posting | UTM tag |
|---|---|
| Facebook post | ?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=august-bts-systems |
| Instagram bio/story | ?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=august-bts-systems |
| Email newsletter | ?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=august-bts-systems |
| Google or Bing ad | ?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=august-bts-systems |
Once the tags are live, you don’t need to do anything else. They show up in Google Analytics under Acquisition → Traffic Sources. At the end of August, you’ll see exactly which channel drove which enrollments.
Start this week, not next week
Back-to-school doesn’t have to be chaotic. It’s one window where parents are already in buying mode. You just need to be ready when they look.
Build the landing page. Set up the form. Write the three emails. Add UTM tags to every link you share.
The whole system takes a day to set up. The results carry you through September.
Download the Back-to-School Campaign Kit: all templates in one place
Also: if you want to understand why most promos fall flat before building yours, read Why Your Back-to-School Promo Falls Flat (And 3 Things That Fix It) first.
FAQ
Q: Do I need a separate website page for this, or can I just use Facebook? A: A dedicated landing page consistently outperforms a Facebook post because it has one job: get the person to fill out the form. Your homepage asks visitors to do too many things. Even a simple one-page build on your existing site works fine, it doesn’t need to be elaborate.
Q: What’s a realistic conversion rate for a back-to-school trial campaign? A: It varies a lot by market and program, so treat any specific percentage you see quoted elsewhere with caution. What we can say directionally: a trial offer (one or two free weeks) converts a meaningfully higher share of form completions to first-class attendance when it’s paired with a working follow-up sequence than when it isn’t. The follow-up emails are the biggest lever you have.
Q: What if I don’t have email automation set up? A: You can send these manually at first. Set calendar reminders for Day 0, Day 3, and Day 7 after each form submission. It’s more work but it still works. Automating it is the upgrade, not the starting point.
Q: How far in advance should I promote? A: Four to six weeks before September. If you want September enrollments, your landing page should be live by early August. Back-to-school intent peaks in mid-August in most markets.
