The other day I received a DM on instagram asking if I could speak about pitching workshops to yoga studios.
Sigh. Yoga studios, in my experience, are tough. So tough, in fact, that at YBC®, we don't even waste our time pitching them anymore. Unless they have an option to rent their studio out, I don't bother because in the past when I'd pitched them, I either wouldn't get a response, or I'd get a reply that basically said, "Since our teachers don't know you and haven't seen your work, we aren't comfortable with you teaching here." Mmmmkay. I mean, on one hand, I completely understand. On the other hand, I feel if they spent a little time looking at my Media Kit and social presence, they might change their mind.
My suggestion is this: If you want to teach a workshop at a local studio, start attending the classes there and become a part of their community. I think you'll have a better chance of getting an email back. If you're looking to travel to a studio to teach, I would suggest forgetting the studio altogether, and renting either a dance studio or art gallery, and pitching the idea to your own social followers in the area. That's essentially how I do it. There are pros and cons to this, though.
Pros:
- no one can tell you no, you'll just be renting the space up front
- you don't have to split the profits with anyone
- you usually will have lots of flexibility with the times the space is available
- your followers will come, and since they already know all about who you are and what your vibe is, you'll be teaching to people who already "know" you
Cons:
- you won't have a built-in yoga community you can advertise to (but you could still ask the venue if they'd be willing to hang a flier at their dance studio or gallery, you never know!)
- rental rates can vary and you'll have a little bit of overhead including your travel getting there, your accommodations if necessary, your food, and insurance
- you likely will not have access to props in the same way you'd have access to props at a yoga studio
If you're the creative, think-outside-the-box type, you can have a lot of fun with this, actually. You could target verticals like gyms or dance studios and create a workshop that would speak to that particular community. If you're at a gym, you could get creative with the equipment they have available and use, say, foam rollers in lieu of bolsters. There are lots of ways to flip the inner dialogue so instead of feeling bummed that you can't break into a yoga studio, you can feel empowered to create a whole workshop for people who might not otherwise be drawn to a yoga workshop.
The Pitch
You're going to need a pitch if you're not going to directly rent a venue space. As for the actual pitch itself, I would recommend keeping it short and to the point. People simply don't have a whole lot of time and if, at first glance, your email is too wordy, they might just erase it without even reading. Don't be overly formal, but don't get too crazy with the exclamation points. Every single sentence should have a purpose. Avoid filler sentences. I'd suggest something like this:
Hi Name of Manager or Whoever,
My name is Sally, and I'm (give some sort of quick and credible reference for you) reaching out from SallysWebsite.com and the author of Sally's Sciatica Solutions, an e-book that has helped hundreds of people eliminate their sciatica.
Recently, I designed a two hour yoga workshop that I think would be perfect for the members of your gym and I wondered if you'd like to partner up for this offering. The workshop is designed to (name benefits here and briefly explain why this would benefit their community) and I'd love to (explicitly say what you want in terms of money) talk with you about doing a revenue split.
You can reach me at phone number and email address.
I'm looking forward to bringing stress relief to your community and I'll circle back with you soon so we can discuss!
Warmly,
Sally
You'll notice that each sentence above has a purpose. The first sentence is an intro and some sort of credential or reason why the manager should care about you. The second gets straight to the point and says what you're offering (2 hour workshop), and what you're looking to do (partner up). The next sentence explains how it benefits them (you always need to spell this out for people) and the last part of that sentence states exactly what you want in terms of money. Remember, this is business. Money is just part of it and you need to address it. The next sentence explains how to reach you. The last sentence reminds them of the benefits to their community (ie a way that makes them look good in their customers' eyes) and lets the person know to expect another email or call from you in the near future (ie they have no choice but to consider this because they're going to hear from you sooner or later).
You could also probably use that pitch with yoga studios as well, but I stopped pitching them years ago because it was too much work for very little return, and instead focused my efforts on building a strong following and then renting out venues at various cities.
I hope that's helpful! Let me know any thoughts or questions down in the comments section below and I'll be sure to answer as soon as I can.
PS- More Yoga Teacher Talk.