Congratulations! Your retreat is finally live and ready to go. All you need to do now is to market your retreat and get sign-ups. Whether you’re a seasoned or first-time wellness retreat host, retreat marketing can be a tough nut to crack. What’s the best time to start? Should I run social media ads? Will the holiday season affect sign-ups? If questions like these have ever popped up in your head, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve scoured the internet, poured through consumer reports, and talked to our in-house experts to help answer these questions. Here’s all you need to know about wellness retreat marketing!
FAQs about wellness retreat marketing
What is one retreat marketing best practice tip I should know?
Have a marketing calendar drawn up before you dive into it. Your retreat just went live, and you’re ready to tell everyone about it. We get it! However, jumping right into it without having at least a rough timeline sketched out can lead to missed opportunities to give your marketing a boost. For example, knowing when International Yoga Day is can provide you the chance to create content around the event while also talking about your retreat. If you’re planning to run launch day promotions or discounts, it’ll also be good to announce your retreat along with details of the sales.
Here’s how we recommend you split your marketing calendar, along with what each phase is about:
- Phase 1: Teasing
- Start talking about your retreat when it’s almost ready to launch. (e.g., “I’m putting something together — it’s almost ready, can’t wait to share it with you guys. Watch this space!”)
- Talk around your retreat. Do everything but reveal the specific details of your retreat, like the venue, destination, and especially the price!
- Phase 2: Promotion period
- On a chosen day, do a big reveal. Put out a social media blast across your available social media pages announcing your retreat.
- Use early bird discounts or any other promotion tactics to sell your retreat.
- Phase 3: Post-promotion
- Continue talking about your retreat even after promotions have ended, and even after your retreat has filled up. This can help you (1) generate waitlists just in case someone drops out of your current retreat, and (2) put together interest lists for future retreats!
It might make sense to start marketing your retreat only after all the logistics and administrative matters are settled. However, if you’re running short on time, we recommend starting your marketing efforts even before your retreat goes live. Every second counts!
💡 Tip: TourHero offers one-to-one marketing calls after your trip is published to help you figure out the best marketing strategy.
Should I focus on social media or in-person marketing efforts?
We get it — social media can sometimes feel like a shot in the dark. Depending on your following, it may or may not be the most effective marketing tool. However, social media is still the fastest and easiest way to get your message out there. We recommend posting at least once a week on social media to support any in-person marketing efforts you might be carrying out.
If the majority of your audience is actively online, you might be tempted to trim on in-person marketing efforts. Don’t! Even if you’re just mentioning your retreat at the end of an in-person class, it’s still a valuable chance to promote your retreat.
Tl;dr: Both social media and in-person marketing efforts are equally important when it comes to wellness retreat marketing. You should do both while focusing on the one that works best for you.
Should I run social media ads?
Ads can help you expand your reach and increase follower growth on social media. If you have the budget, feel free to experiment with ads!
Will the holiday season affect my sign-ups?
The answer is yes, but in a good way!
Bandwagon on promotions during the holiday season. Black Friday or Thanksgiving sales can make a significant impact. Another major travel-specific event during this period is Travel Tuesday, which takes place the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving weekend. Ride the hype around these widely-known holiday sales to catch people in a ‘spending’ mood to boost sign-ups.
One period you might want to avoid spending too much of your time promoting your retreat is during the post-holiday season. Everyone’s just returned from holiday and will be getting back into their daily routines — save your efforts and wait a little while after.
Should I run an early bird discount?
Yes! If you run no other promotions or discounts, we strongly recommend you at least run an early bird discount. An early bird discount is effective for two reasons. It creates both an incentive and a sense of urgency for people to sign up early. Both of these will encourage people to shift to action and help you meet any sign-up criteria or deadlines you might have with vendors or venues.
💡Tip: We recommend running a 10% early bird discount off the final price.
Is the price of my retreat too high, and is it affecting sign-ups?
While it might be difficult to decide the right price to set your retreat, you can offer ways to help guests manage their finances. Consider making flexible payment options available for your retreat. As you market your retreat, highlight these flexible payment options.
💡Tip: When you host your retreat with TourHero, you’ll be able to seamlessly offer flexible payment options for your guests.
What marketing CTAs/taglines can I use to drive sign-ups?
Call-to-action (CTA) lines can focus on promotions or discounts you’re running, the remaining number of spots left to book, or highlight flexible payment options. Generate a sense of urgency for your guests to act upon. For example:
- x% early bird, for the first x number of sign-ups only!
- x% early bird discount until xx. Don’t miss it!
- x number of spots left. Sign-up now!
- Flexible payment options available!
What consumer trends should I consider when planning or marketing my retreat?
Here are some recent consumer travel trends that are relevant to wellness retreat marketing.
- 💸 Budget: According to Hopper’s 2024 Holiday Travel Outlook, 81% of Hopper users say they are concerned about being able to afford a holiday. Gen-Z and millennial travelers are planning to manage by cutting back on other expenses and taking advantage of deals and discounts to stretch their dollar.
- Our advice: Consider setting up discount deals or offering flexible payment options for your retreat.
- 🗓️ Planning: In Bank of America’s 2024 Consumer Spending and Saving Behaviors for summer travel, 91% of travelers plan ahead for their holidays, with 40% of them starting 1 to 3 months in advance and 24% starting 4 to 6 months in advance.
- Our advice: Plan your marketing schedule to start no later than six months before trip departure. Ramp up marketing efforts three months before. Time your promotions accordingly. If you start earlier than six months, don’t be disheartened if you don’t get sign-ups immediately after launch — pace yourself, but keep going.
- Our advice: Plan your marketing schedule to start no later than six months before trip departure. Ramp up marketing efforts three months before. Time your promotions accordingly. If you start earlier than six months, don’t be disheartened if you don’t get sign-ups immediately after launch — pace yourself, but keep going.
- 🗺️ Destination: According to McKinsey’s 2024 State of Travel report, most travel spending in 2023 took place either domestically or intraregionally, and they’ve projected that this trend will continue even as travel spending grows
- Our advice: Consider running retreats in the neighborhood where most of your audience is based. Alternatively, since international retreats are more lucrative, run retreats at locations that are easy to fly into from your audience’s base location (e.g., think about access to non-stop flights when choosing your destination).
- Our advice: Consider running retreats in the neighborhood where most of your audience is based. Alternatively, since international retreats are more lucrative, run retreats at locations that are easy to fly into from your audience’s base location (e.g., think about access to non-stop flights when choosing your destination).
- 📈 Experiences: According to Hilton’s Annual Trends for 2025, travelers are looking for experiences such as adventure tourism, sleep tourism, and slow travel.
- Our advice: Consider structuring your itinerary to include elements of adventure, a good amount of free time or downtime, or local cultural immersion. Then, highlight these aspects of your retreat when you do your marketing!
I’ve gotten a couple of sign-ups. What can I do to encourage more?
When your retreat is gaining momentum and has gotten a few sign-ups, consider running a referral program. Offer discounts or freebies to existing attendees for each person they successfully refer to join your retreat. A referral program enables you to tap into the networks of your existing attendees, helping you cast your net wider.
Examples of freebies you could offer:
- Complimentary one-on-one sessions – Offer a free personal coaching or consultation session before or during the retreat, providing extra value and a personal touch.
- Exclusive digital wellness kits – Create a downloadable kit with meditation guides, wellness recipes, or morning/evening routines to help attendees prepare mentally and physically for the retreat.
- Personalized wellness plan – Provide a customized post-retreat wellness plan, including follow-up advice, exercises, and tips for continuing their journey at home.
- Gift bag with thoughtful goodies – Surprise attendees with a curated wellness gift bag featuring local or sustainable products, such as herbal teas, healing crystals, aromatherapy oils, or handcrafted items.
BONUS TIP: Offer ‘discounts’ on your down payment instead
Instead of offering discounts off the final price of your trip, you can consider offering a ‘discount’ off the down payment. This wellness retreat marketing tactic can help you preserve your profit margin while also making your retreat more financeable.
Take note: this isn’t actually a ‘discount’. What you’re doing is reducing the initial down payment required. Guests will still have to pay the full price of your retreat over time. However, when you couple this with flexible payment options, it can help guests manage their finances. This makes signing up for a trip less intimidating than having to pay large sums upfront. For you, you’ll get to maintain your profit margins without trimming them to offer discounts off the final price.
About TourHero
TourHero is a social travel platform that enables you to travel with like-minded people and fall in love with the journey. We work closely with handpicked local operators to ensure every experience curated is unique and exclusive to your travel group. Come with us on epic adventures and create memories that last a lifetime. Get started here!
