24 Hour Fitness

Keeping the influencer program alive—and finding a way to scale it

24 Hour Fitness knew the value of influencer marketing. They were already running campaigns, but internal bandwidth was at a breaking point.

With over 35 gyms undergoing full renovations—new flooring, updated equipment, premium recovery rooms—they needed a way to keep up with growing content demands across both national and local social channels. Managing creator outreach, campaign setup, and reporting alone proved too much.

They didn’t just need support; they needed a partner who could own the process end to end.

Service hours that scaled with the brand, club by club

24 Hour Fitness expanded to 20 service hours per month with Later’s Managed Services team. Later took on creator sourcing, outreach, content coordination, and reporting—keeping the program moving while giving the internal team room to focus on strategy.

A dependable, always-on Fit Squad

The team also restructured their Fit Squad, curating a pool of trusted creators who post monthly in exchange for a free membership. These creators, often local gym-goers, became a consistent content source across ongoing promotions and campaign pushes. As Wheeler put it: “The Fit Squad has become our go-to creator pool. They know the brand, they love the gym, and I don’t have to source someone new every time—we just tap them and they deliver. It’s a repeatable, low-effort way to keep high-quality content flowing.”

Localized content to drive local impact

Rather than focus solely on corporate reach, influencer content was strategically distributed across local Instagram feeds, targeting communities near refreshed gym locations. Wheeler was direct about the priority: “We’re not just going for reach—we want people who are in that three-to-six-mile radius. That’s who walks in the door.” By showcasing members in their actual clubs, 24 Hour Fitness created a stronger sense of local connection and drove engagement where it mattered most.

197K impressions, 8.4% average engagement, and a creator model built to last

Between March and December 2025, Later activated 29 creators to support gym reopenings and club-specific storytelling across social.

• 197.8K+ total impressions

• 16.6K+ total engagements

• 8.4% average engagement rate (vs. the wellness & fitness industry benchmark of 2.4% on Instagram, per Later internal benchmarks)

• 51.2% top-performing post engagement rate (@cjjohnsonjr)

• 29 creators activated across the campaign

With Later’s service hours and always-on creators in place, 24 Hour Fitness built a sustainable influencer model—one that supports national brand growth while staying grounded in the communities around each club.