How MatchMyTrainer works: a guide for trainers

MatchMyTrainer gives you a public trainer profile and a place for clients to book sessions, pay online, and use session packs. You can offer one-to-one training, group classes, or online sessions, with your own services, prices, and availability.

It also has a marketplace where people can look for a trainer. That gives your profile two jobs: a booking page to share with existing clients, and a way for new people to discover what you offer. You can start with a small client list; there is no monthly software fee to cover while you build it.

For the story behind the platform, read why I built MatchMyTrainer by founder Ashley Russell.

Start with where, what, and when

Your booking setup has three parts: venues, services, and schedules. Each answers a different client question.

Venues: where the session happens

Add the places where you train, such as a gym, studio, or park. Use a name clients will recognise and explain any access arrangements. If a gym membership or separate entrance payment is needed, make that clear in your service information.

You can also use an online venue for sessions delivered by video. MMT supports adding a meeting link to a booking; the video call itself happens through your chosen provider. Where an address is kept private until booking, clients still need enough location information to judge whether they can get there.

Services: what clients book

A service has a name, description, duration, price, and participant limit. Make separate services where the experience or price differs: a private PT session, a beginner strength class, and an online consultation should be easy to tell apart.

Explain what the price covers. A live online session is different from a programme someone follows independently. A class price per person is different from the price for a private group. Clients should not have to work that out from the title alone.

Schedules: when clients can book

A schedule connects a service with a venue and the times you offer it. For example, you might offer private sessions at a gym on weekday mornings and a group class in a studio on Saturday.

Set bookable times that match your working week, then block time off when you need it. Leave room for travel and preparation between venues. A service description on its own does not create bookable slots; its schedule needs to be set up too.

Group classes have their own booking needs

For a class, set the maximum number of participants and publish the relevant times. Clients book places in that session, and you can view the bookings and attendees rather than collecting names across messages.

This works for small group training as well as classes. Say who the session suits, what participants need to bring, and whether equipment is provided. For an online group class, include the joining arrangements too.

Session packs can give regular attendees another way to pay, where the pack applies to that service. Buying a pack does not reserve a place in every class: clients still need to book. Our group class booking guide covers the practical setup in more detail.

What happens when a client books?

1. They open your profile. They can read about you, see listed services and prices, and choose what they want to book.
2. They choose a venue and time. Available options depend on your services and schedules.
3. They choose how to pay. A paid session goes through Stripe Checkout, or they can use an eligible pack session or credit.
4. They check the booking status. Some bookings confirm automatically; others need your approval. A request awaiting approval is not yet a confirmed appointment.

For paid sessions needing approval, checkout places a temporary hold on the client's card. Payment is taken when you approve. Automatically approved paid sessions take payment through checkout. Your bank payout is a separate step, so a successful client payment does not mean the money has already arrived in your bank account.

Packs, subscriptions, and regular clients

A session pack gives a client a set number of sessions to use against eligible bookings. MMT tracks the sessions used and remaining. Set the price and terms around what you actually offer; a discount is a choice, not a requirement.

A subscription bills on a recurring basis for a defined session allowance. Make the included services, renewal terms, and expiry arrangements clear. Recurring payment does not by itself reserve the same weekly slot or guarantee future income. Clients still need suitable availability.

Start with straightforward individual bookings if that suits your business. Add packs when you have a clear use for them. The session pack guide includes examples to help you decide.

Your calendar and day-to-day admin

The trainer calendar brings bookings, availability, and blocked time together. You can use the calendar subscription feed to view MMT bookings in a compatible calendar app. That is a feed from MMT, not two-way editing or an automatic import of everything in your personal diary.

Keep unavailable time up to date in MMT and check requests that need your attention. Booking and payment tools reduce repeated admin, but you still manage your services, client communication, and any exceptions.

What does it cost?

There is no monthly software or setup fee. For ordinary session and pack purchases, the platform fee is 10% on the first £3,000 of monthly booking revenue and 8% on the portion above that. Crossing the threshold does not reprice earlier bookings.

Clients pay an additional 50p on individual paid bookings below £20; there is no client fee on pack purchases. Check the fee breakdown for the full terms, including payment processing. Compare costs using the bookings you expect, rather than assuming one pricing model suits everyone.

Get your first service ready

Add your profile, a venue, a service, and its availability, then complete the account checks needed to become bookable. Connect Stripe for paid bookings. Upload relevant qualification documents through the qualification section and check their status; uploading a document is not the same as having it reviewed.

Before sharing your link, view your public page as a client. Check the price, place, duration, available times, and next step. Marketplace visibility gives people another way to find you, but does not promise enquiries. You can also share your page directly by WhatsApp, from your website, or in your social bio.

Next, use our trainer profile guide to write the details clients need, or follow the booking-page checklist to review the whole journey.