The primary setback facing RYI was that the NYC fitness scene had faced a swarm of negative reviews on similar apps. Trainers didn't want anything to do with them, gyms refused to signup, and gym goers weren't sure whether it was worth sharing their honest feedback if their instructors were going to see it and have a bad reaction to it. Our goal was to rework the narrative around the fitness review system so everyone would see value in participating.

We started by launching a set of marketing campaigns aimed at showcasing NYC instructors who chose to participate. Free marketing for them, brand awareness for RYI. From there, we hosted a variety of events to bring trainers and their clients together in the same arena, creating the narrative that we're all just human. By humanizing the trainers and familiarizing them with their clients on a more intimate level, reviews became far more emotional and positive.

Our audience was drawn to the punchy, motivating, uniquely designed graphics we presented on the RYI Instagram account and it kept them engaged and interested in the next campaigns we'd roll out.

We focused on fast growth metrics, which inevitably led to a healing energy surrounding the once negative environment of rating gyms and instructors in NYC. We didn't focus on what failed, or what was struggling. Instead, we focused on acquiring new clientele and winning over, with time, the gyms from the past who had fled in fear of judgement. This led to a 500% increase in client acquisition in 6 months, a 100% reconnection with gyms that had abandoned rating apps in the past, and 64% increase in RYI profit margins with advertisers.