How to get more free trials to turn up at your kids’ club

If you run a kids’ club, you’ll know this one. A parent books a free trial on Sunday night. You add the child to the register, you plan for them, and on the day nobody comes. No message, no reason.

It isn’t that the parent didn’t care. They booked because they wanted their child to try it. Somewhere between booking and the day itself, life got in the way.

Why free trials don’t turn up

Most no-shows come down to a handful of things, and none of them are about your club:

• They booked on a whim. It felt like a great idea at 9pm on the sofa. By Thursday it’s just another thing on the list.
• They forgot. The booking email went to an inbox they barely open.
• The child got nervous. A new room full of children they don’t know is a big deal at six years old, and parents don’t want a battle at the door.
• Free feels like nothing to lose. Nobody has paid, so skipping it doesn’t feel like letting anyone down.

You can’t fix any of those with a better class. You fix them with what happens between the booking and the door.

The four messages we send before every trial

At our own club, every trial booking gets four messages before the class. One confirms it, and three remind them, each timed for a reason.

1. The confirmation, straight away

The moment they book, they get an email with a trial pass and a QR code to show at the door. It makes the booking feel real, and it gives them something to come back to.

2. The evening before

A short text the night before. It lands while they’re planning tomorrow, which is exactly when they need it. Families who have your app get it as a notification instead, so nobody gets reminded twice.

3. 9am on the day

A quick “today’s the day” text, early enough to plan the afternoon around.

4. An hour before, with the coach’s name

This is the one that matters most, and it does almost nothing. It doesn’t remind them of the time or tell the child not to be nervous. It just says a named coach will be waiting at the door.

That turns “we might pop along” into an appointment with a real person who is expecting them. A spot has been kept for their child, and someone will notice if they don’t come. People turn up for people.

Our numbers

Here’s how many of our trial bookings have actually turned up since we started sending all four messages.

Our own club, 1 September to 19 October 2026. Counted from check-ins on the register, not from bookings.

That number has a name in business: your show-up rate. It’s worth knowing yours.

Two in every three families who book a free trial with us walk through the door. If you’re seeing far fewer than that, the gap is usually in the days between booking and the class, not in the class itself.

What to do when someone still doesn’t come

Some won’t, and that’s fine. The worst thing you can do is nothing, because a no-show is still a family who wanted to come.

• The next day, offer another date. One friendly message with a link to rebook. No guilt, no “we missed you”.
• If that goes quiet, ask why. A one-tap question: was it the day, the time, or something else? You’ll learn more from those answers than from any survey.
• After a trial they did come to, follow up within a day. Ask how it went and send the link to join while it’s still fresh.

A quick checklist

1. Send a confirmation the moment they book, with something to show at the door.
2. Remind them the evening before.
3. Remind them on the morning of the class.
4. An hour before, tell them who will be waiting for them.
5. Rebook no-shows the next day, and ask the quiet ones why.

You can do all of this by hand with a phone and a spreadsheet. It just has to happen every time, for every booking, including the ones made at 11pm.

Questions