How To's
How to Promote Couples Classes for Valentines Gifts
Couples are always looking for something new to do on date night. While dinner and a movie is a classic, it hardly stands out as an evening worthy of a memorable Valentine’s Day. As partners begin planning for a Valentine’s date that isn’t mundane or overdone, you can offer a solution in the form of couples classes.
Positioning certain classes for couples doesn’t just provide students with a unique date night, it can also help you fill seats and bring new students into your program. When these students share the experience of learning with someone they love, they’re likely to enjoy the class even more. We’ll explain the benefits of offering couples classes and share some ideas for promoting them so this Valentine’s season is unforgettable for your students.
The Benefits of Couples Classes
Taking an enrichment class with a loved one can deepen relationships because it allows couples to intentionally spend time with each other. These bonding opportunities let partners show each other their creativity, their willingness to take risks, and their ability to laugh at themselves. Classes create a shared sense of adventure and give partners opportunities to support one another. In short, partners who take classes together get to see one another in a new way.
All of these good feelings can bubble over into your program. Students who take couples’ classes are likely to fondly remember the program where they had that experience. They’re likely to return for other courses both as individuals and as a couple. They may even tell others about their positive experience, helping even more people learn about your program.
Popular Couples Classes
Even if your program doesn’t typically offer courses for two, it won’t take much work to create a unique Valentine’s gift. Cooking and yoga are two of the most popular kinds of classes for couples, but almost any class can be adapted into a couples class.
You could offer classes for couples in:
- Flower arranging
- Massage
- Mixology/cocktails
- Acting/improv
- Dance
- Art
- Trip planning
- Rock climbing
- Communication
- Mindfulness
- Pet parenting
- Scrapbooking
- Self-care
- Wine/coffee appreciation
- Video games
- DIY home improvement projects
- Photography
- Gardening
- Candle making
You can create a whole new course offering or modify one you already have to be more couple-friendly. Use your program’s social media platforms in January to get a sense of what couples might be looking for so you know you’re offering something people are interested in.
If you plan to offer a class you already regularly host, consider adding a Valentine’s or romantic theme. For example, if your program teaches language lessons, you might have a class on “French Romantic Poetry” or “Passionate Spanish Expressions.”
If you have a class on landscape painting, you could offer a Valentine’s class where students paint the place where they fell in love with their partner or where they got engaged. Class participants could bring famous dramatic love scenes to life if you teach acting.
How to Promote Couples Classes
The first step in promoting couples classes is making your offering clear. Write a course description that focuses on couples and romance. Mention benefits like feelings of closeness, fun, and adventure. Here’s an example of what that might look like:
Forget the heart-shaped box of chocolates this Valentine’s Day. Learn to make the chocolate instead. You and your partner can explore the secrets of master chocolatiers in this two-hour chocolate making course. After all the sweet fun, you’ll take home a selection of chocolate-covered cherries and strawberries. Plus, a free bottle of chocolate wine from This Sweet Winery. Your partner will love this unique Valentine’s Day experience, so register now.
Make sure to include the word “couples” or “valentine’s day” in the title. The course above might be: Romantic Chocolate-making Course for Couples or Valentine’s Day Special: Learn to Make Chocolate For Two.
Once you have a solid description and course title, it’s time to spread the word to lovebirds and potential students. Here are four tips to help you promote your couples classes.
- Optimize for “near me” searches. Make sure your address information is correct on your Google Business Profile and have your location details on your website and your social media profiles. Try to also include the location of the class in your course listing. Even if searchers don’t use the phrase “near me,” Google uses their location data to generate results that are close to them.
- Include keywords in your course titles and descriptions. Keywords help people find your courses. Relevant keywords might include: couples class, couple activities, valentine’s day gift, unique valentine’s gift, or date idea. Think about the words someone might use to find a course like the one you’re offering.
- Use the lure of a physical gift. The simplest way to do this is with a downloadable card or certificate that a student can give to their partner. For a value add, include a take-home gift, like the bottle of wine and chocolates in the course description above.
- Offer a promo code for a couples discount. The point of a couples’ class is to encourage people to take it together. Make that idea more attractive by offering a discount when two or more people register together.
Beyond the Season for Couples
Even though Valentine’s Day is on February 14, you can make the whole month a celebration of couples, or even extend your couples course offerings into March to give people time to coordinate their plans. So don’t wait, start planning and promoting couples’ classes today!
You might even consider offering some couples classes all year round. Some people resist what they consider to be a “Hallmark holiday” and prefer to do couples activities at other times of the year. And don’t forget that people have anniversaries, birthdays, and other milestones they might want to celebrate together.
Whenever you offer couples’ classes, remember that couples primarily want to enjoy being together while learning something new. However you help them do that is a win, not only for the couple, but also for your program.
Nic Lyons
Nic is skilled in scaling start-up edtech and education organizations to growth-stage success through innovative marketing. A former journalist and copywriter, Nic holds a postgraduate certificate in digital and print publishing from Columbia University School of Journalism's publishing course.