Struggling with paid ads for your gym? Here's what's actually working in 2026.

Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain CEO John Franklin sits down with Colm O'Reilly, Two-Brain's paid ads specialist, for a tactical breakdown of everything gym owners need to know about Facebook and Instagram ads right now.

In this episode, Colm covers the real numbers behind paid gym ads: what you should expect to pay per lead, what a client actually costs to acquire and how to know if your ads are profitable.

John and Colm explain why ads amplify your other marketing funnels and how Meta's Andromeda update changed the ads game.

Colm introduces a simple “BUT” formula for writing ad copy that speaks directly to your ideal client's goals and objections and breaks down campaign structure for both beginners and advanced gym owners.

The pair also discuss what to say on that first phone call, how to handle the pricing question and how to keep cold leads warm for months after they first clicked.

Watch this episode and walk away with a clear starting point for running profitable gym ads in 2026.

Links

Gym Owners United

Book a Call

0:00 - Intro

2:51 - Ad math and budgeting basics

7:39 - What to expect from your ad spend

10:34 - The Andromeda update and creative strategy

13:03 - The “BUT” framework for ad copy

15:57 - Campaign structure for gym owners

22:15 - Lead ads vs. landing pages

24:13 - Lead nurture and what to say on the phone

32:24 - Troubleshooting ads that aren't working

34:01 - Should you hire an ad agency?

Paid ads have changed. Here’s what gym owners need to know to make them work in 2026.

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain CEO John Franklin and founder Chris Cooper close out Marketing May with the paid ads funnel.

You build this funnel last because it’s the one that amplifies everything else.

John explains why the old ads playbook is dead—Meta’s Andromeda update changed how ads are targeted and delivered—and what that means for gym owners.

Chris and John share why gym owners need to know how to run their own ads and understand their ad math, rather than just outsource to an ad agency.

They walk through exactly how to create an effective ad campaign and even deliver two clear action steps to help you get started: one for gym owners who have never run an ad, and one for gym owners who are already running them and want better results.

This is episode 4 of 4 in the Marketing May series. If you missed the previous funnels, check them out via the links below.

Links

The Referral Funnel

The Social Funnel

The Content Funnel

Gym Owners United

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0:00 - Intro

1:31 - Media buying is dead

5:56 - The 5-1-30 post

10:10 - How to generate content ideas

15:40 - Campaign structure & tracking

18:28 - Your action steps

No time to make content for your gym? Not anymore.

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper walks you through the exact system he uses to turn one idea into a full week of content in 30 minutes with AI.

Chris demos the entire workflow live, starting with a brain dump audio recording answering a question that came up naturally in his gym.

Then he uploads the audio and transcript into Claude with a prompt that generates a week’s worth of content:

- A podcast script
- A blog post
- An email newsletter blurb
- Five Instagram carousel slides
- A YouTube description and thumbnail

For gym owners who want to go further, Chris also shows the AI stack he uses to create fully polished and edited video content for YouTube and short-form reels.

After this episode, you’ll have the system and tools you need to create consistent content every week.

Links

Gym Owners United

Book a Call

0:00 - Intro

4:17 - Brain dump & QuickCast

5:34 - Claude workflow

10:25 - Podcast distribution

18:27 - Descript AI video editor

26:12 - Reels with OpusClip