1,000 members in 3 months: How Natalie grew Body by Barre

For Natalie Rose, fitness has always been a part of life. A former professional dancer turned personal trainer, she spent years coaching clients online before launching her own fitness studio, Body by Barre, in 2022. What started as a passion project quickly gained momentum — thanks to the strong community she had already built on Instagram and TikTok.

Within three months of launching Body by Barre on Uscreen, she grew from zero to 1,000+ members — all without paid ads. Today, her membership has 7,500+ members and 3 branded mobile & TV apps. She drives an average of $10,500 monthly recurring revenue that's growing at an 18.4% rate every month. Her paid member growth stands at a monthly average of 17.4% with 85.9% increased active community members.

Natalie had extensive experience with her engaged communities on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. However, starting a digital fitness membership posed new challenges. Lacking prior experience in digital business, she was unsure about how to structure her offerings and achieve seamless operations, all while being solo. 

Natalie wanted to move her social media audience into a membership—but running a membership was a whole new game.

She ran into a few challenges:

• No experience in launching a membership site: When Uscreen first reached out to her, she ignored the idea, unsure of what a membership platform could do. The thought of launching an app felt overwhelming.
• Managing everything solo: With no team behind her, Natalie had to handle everything — from content creation to community management. She needed a platform that was easy to use and streamlined.
• Keeping members engaged long-term: Since her audience loved structured programs, she needed a way to keep them consistently motivated without overwhelming herself.

“I didn’t know how to launch a membership or an app. But Uscreen made it seamless. I would never have started my studio without them,” says Natalie. 

Launching a membership can feel daunting, especially for solo creators without technical expertise. Uscreen’s onboarding team walked Natalie through every step, from structuring her membership offerings to setting up pricing and designing her website.

Beyond setup, Uscreen’s support team has remained a reliable partner. Anytime Natalie has a question, she gets quick responses.

Creating a seamless experience with an app-first approach

From day one, Natalie knew she wanted Body by Barre to be more than just a website. She wanted her members to be able to work out anytime, anywhere, whether on their phones, tablet, or TV.

That’s why she launched her own app early on, giving members:

• Workouts on demand – No need to log into a browser, just tap and play.
• TV streaming – Workouts are available on Apple TV and Roku, so members can train on a bigger screen.
• Reminders & notifications – Push notifications keep members engaged with new workouts and challenges.

"A lot of my members never even used the website. They joined straight from the app. It’s made it so much easier for them to stay on track and stay engaged." For her, launching an app wasn’t about fancy tech—it was about making workouts more accessible.

Building a real community that keeps members accountable

With Uscreen’s community features, Natalie created different discussion spaces—challenges, bonus resources, and general chats—allowing members to connect, stay accountable, and celebrate progress. “Our members are so welcoming. They introduce themselves, share wins, and truly feel part of something special,” says Natalie.

Making fitness feel effortless with structured challenges

One of the biggest hurdles in fitness is staying consistent. Members don’t just need workouts; they need a clear plan to follow. That’s why Natalie built Body by Barre around monthly challenges — structured programs that tell members exactly what to do each day.

The built-in calendar and challenge capabilities made it easy for members to stay on track. Even when there weren’t active challenges, members followed the pre-loaded workout schedules. “The calendar is a real win. Everyone loves it. They just open the app, see what’s scheduled, and get started.”

Keeping members engaged with a personal touch

Natalie isn’t just running a membership—she’s actively listening to her members and making changes based on what they need. Using her engagement and retention data, she can see:

• Which workouts are the most popular – So she can create more of what members love.
• When members start losing interest – So she can check in and re-engage them.
• Why members cancel – So she can send personalized emails with updates that bring them back.

"When someone cancels because there’s not enough content, I let them know about new workouts and challenges. It’s helped me reactivate a lot of members." Beyond analytics, she keeps engagement high with email touchpoints:

• Welcome emails – Every new member gets a recipe guide and challenge instructions.
• New content alerts – She keeps members excited about upcoming workouts.
• Win-back emails – If someone cancels, she personally reaches out with updates.

"I always send new members an email welcoming them and giving them access to recipe guides and challenges. It gets them involved right away."

Growing a membership without paid ads

Many fitness memberships rely on expensive marketing to grow. Natalie didn’t. Instead, she built her membership using:

• Monthly challenges – Each challenge brought in new members who stayed long-term.
• Social media engagement – Her Instagram and TikTok funneled followers into her membership.
• Word-of-mouth – The strength of her community led to referrals and organic growth.

By keeping her members engaged inside her membership, she created a self-sustaining cycle of growth — no ads required. "It’s like the membership is working for me. I focus on creating great content, and my members keep coming back because they love the experience."

Story Written by: Aarushi Singh