CrossFit CEO Don Faul spoke at the West Region Affiliate Summit hosted by CrossFit Invictus in San Diego, CA, the weekend of September 14. 

• About 115 affiliate owners and coaches representing 60 affiliates from the area were in attendance. 

Faul kicked off his presentation with some reasons why affiliate owners do what they do.

• “Despite living in the wealthiest and most technologically advanced country in the history of the world,” Faul said, “we have a society that is increasingly sick, that is increasingly lonely, that is increasingly unhappy.” 

Faul recently went to Washington, D.C., with the End Chronic Disease Coalition, where he said they had “really exciting conversations” about specific steps forward, like expanding HSAs to help pay for CrossFit memberships with the help of partner TrueMed. 

Although he felt they made good progress, he is aware of the amount of investment from much larger companies whose “future financial success is dependent on making sure that we become more and more medicated.” 

• “I left those conversations both inspired and daunted. This is not an easy fight,” Faul told the crowd of owners. 

Faul then broke down CrossFit’s plans into three segments: Media, brand, and coaching. 

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Media

CrossFit media has been lacking since the mass firing of the media team in 2018, following the most successful Games season in terms of participation and viewership. That said, Faul was clear that they are making a “meaningful” investment in media.

The first campaign, called “Hear Their Stories,” has already started. The videos will be on YouTube, which will also be cut into shorts and used on Instagram as well. 

The trailer for this campaign was released on YouTube on September 23, and the first full video was released on September 30, which highlights the community of Model City CrossFit in Anniston, AL. 

• He asked for affiliate owners and members to share their stories. Anyone can do so by emailing content@crossfit.com. 

He said the goal is to release one to two long-form pieces every single week through the end of the year. 

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• “Expect to see the velocity of content really pick up,” Faul said. 

Affiliates currently receive a monthly marketing toolkit that will see an increase in resources as well. 

The Brand

The CrossFit Medical Society was launched earlier this year to connect medical professionals with gyms and individuals so they can give their patients long-lasting, sustainable options. 

• “We will continue to work with them to provide more information and education for members,” Faul noted. 

He also reviewed plans to get more people inside affiliates, highlighting the extensive work going on behind the scenes to get CrossFit to the top of Google searches. 

• According to Faul, if you searched Google for “CrossFit gyms near me” a year ago, the number one result was “F$@king Orange Theory.”

“Not anymore,” he continued. “We’ve been working hard on capturing that existing intent and getting those folks into your gyms.” 

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He pointed out that leads to affiliates are up 450% in a year. According to Faul, that will equate to about 60,000 leads by the end of the year. He said that would be about seven leads per gym, which equals 1.5-2 members per gym. This will hopefully create the income to cover the annual affiliate fee.

He said they are continuing to invest in their legal team to protect the brand from “copycats.”

• “Our legal team processes thousands of these cases a year. We win over 90% of them,” Faul said. 

He shared that the legal team recently had a big win and acquired trademark protection in Mexico after a decade of litigation.

Coaching  

Faul said that CrossFit aspires to build a team of world-class coaches at every gym throughout the world. He believes that the coaches are the individuals who retain members, help build communities, and change lives. 

• “Fundamentally, [coaching] is a huge part of what separates us from our competitors,” he said, “and we need to make sure that folks who have not experienced CrossFit yet understand that.”

Earlier this year, CrossFit HQ announced that, along with increased annual fees, a level 2 certification would be required of all affiliate owners. 

• “Coaching drives everything. We are doing well here but we’re not doing good enough,” Faul asserted.

Recognizing that this can be a financial burden for owners, CrossFit is offering a $500 discount on the L2 course. 

Additional investments in coaching by CrossFit: 

• A coach mentoring program is in the works. This will provide members of the seminar staff with access to coaching feedback. It is currently in the testing phase. 

• Growing the weightlifting and gymnastics courses. Faul believes these courses, along with the level 1 and level 2, are essential. “I would argue they are a must-have for every coach if you aspire to be great in this community,” he said.

• Launching a new YouTube channel specifically focused on training. “Free resource with really high-quality content.” Expect to see this in the next “month or so.”

• Making a “Big push on the level 1.” Faul pointed out that it is the starting point for future coaches and affiliate owners. Members who don’t become coaches who take the level 1 are “stickier.” They believe in the methodology and are invested in the brand. 

Faul concluded with the last part of the plan, which is hosting more affiliate summits. 

• “The assets that we will deliver online are great. But there is nothing that beats bringing people together.”

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Featured image: @crossfit / YouTube

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