Building A Global Brand With Influencer Marketing, According To The Cofounders Of The Pilates Class

When COVID hit and the world went into lockdown, Jacqui Kingswell and Natasha “Tash” Oakley partnered up to create The Pilates Class: an online platform hosting Kingswell’s usual in-studio Pilates classes. The digital subscription based platform officially launched on May 27th, 2020 and gave Kingswell’s loyal students (Oakley included!) to continue practicing from home.

Between Oakley’s skill in marketing and development strategy (she is also cofounder and CEO of the wildly popular brand Monday Swimwear), and Kingswell’s unique expertise in Pilates instruction, the two successfully scaled the business in just seven months. 

Pre-pandemic, Kingswell had cultivated a strong following on her own, at in-person Pilates studios in Sydney, Australia.

“I started my online classes, called Jacqui Kingswell Classes,” Kingswell explains. “This was a private Instagram page where I would upload classes for members, including Tash! This is really where we saw the demand for a larger platform — which became The Pilates Class.”

TPC’s rapid growth and success is due in large part to organic influencer marketing and Oakley’s connectivity as a global swimsuit founder — TPC has worked with key influencers like Olivia Culpo and Shanina Shaik and Devin Brugman (Oakley’s Monday Swimwear cofounder) to spread the word. 

The stats speak for themselves:

• The Pilates Class has had over 53,000 members in 14 months / since launch 
• Kingswell and Oakley grew the business to a revenue in the multimillions, within first 12 months 

“Like many other brands, social media has been a huge marketing tactic for TPC,” Oakley (who in addition to serving as CEO and cofounder of The Pilates Class, is also the Head of Marketing, Business and Finance Strategy) explains. “From the early stages of the brand, we began reaching out to a diverse group of positive and inspiring influencers who we thought were amazing role models in their community. Content marketing has also contributed to our growth. I think for people looking to start a brand, it is really important to have a solid product or offering, and create great content around that.”

Speaking of content, The Pilates Class recently released a nutritional ebook written by Kingswell, emphasizing the holistic nature of the platform.

“Our recipe guide, Nourish Me, is an exciting new venture for TPC as we begin to introduce nutrition into the brand,” Kingswell shares. “Many of our members asked for this as they wanted to incorporate nutrition alongside their workouts. Nourish Me is a 30-day nutritional plan, created in partnership with a qualified nutritionist, with 50 recipes that are nutrient dense and will fuel your body with healthy, balanced meals. Nutrition is such an essential part of my routine so I am really happy that I can share this with our members.”

Karin Eldor: Congratulations on the phenomenal success of The Pilates Class! Can you share some details about The Pilates Class’ actual launch story?

Jacqui Kingswell: Our launch story is definitely an emotional one and something I reflect on a lot. When the pandemic hit, I remember sitting in my car crying to my husband because I was essentially jobless. Pilates studios had shut down and I, like so many others, was out of work. I had built business plans and come close to opening my own studio in the past, but obviously, there was something different in store for me – The Pilates Class. I took my classes online and had my most loyal students sign up and attend the online classes during the lockdown. Tash, being a close friend and student at the time, approached me about launching a global online brand that would showcase my specific method of teaching through an online subscription platform. We had such a beautiful synergy, and because so many of her beliefs about health and wellness align with my own, I knew she would be the perfect partner. The launch was definitely a whirlwind. We conceptualized and created an entire brand within one month, which meant a lot of late nights and early mornings. 

Natasha “Tash” Oakley: Our launch was driven by pure passion for health, wellness and mindfulness. We saw a gap in the market and knew that Jacqui’s methods were different and would resonate with a huge number of people. We were definitely surprised by exactly how many people that would be and how quickly they took to the classes, but the truth is, the platform is transformative and literally changes your habits, way of life and mindset when it comes to health and wellness. 

Eldor: How has Tash’s skill in marketing and development strategy (as cofounder and CEO of Monday Swimwear) and Jacqui’s expertise in Pilates instruction helped you thrive and scale the business in such a short period of time? It sounds like a dream team with your blended skill set! 

Kingswell: It truly is a dream! I think part of what has helped us scale so quickly is the way our skills are so perfectly balanced. I knew Tash had successfully grown Monday Swimwear with her partner Devin (Brugman), and that’s not something people can easily do. It speaks to Tash’s mastery of marketing and business development. My focus and skills are in creating a workout that resonates with our community and leaves a lasting impression to keep them engaged.

Oakley: After being in the business of marketing and development for ten years, I have developed a strong understanding of modern-age marketing, consumerism and business development. Things are done very differently now versus how they were done just ten years ago – especially with the growth of social media marketing. I saw early on that Jacqui had all the right tools to build something special with her practice, and I knew that my experience could help her realize this and build it out on a larger scale.

Eldor: How has the power of organic influencer marketing contributed to the growth of The Pilates Class?

Oakley: It has been a large component in establishing brand recognition. The number one question people have for me as an influencer is what my fitness regime is, so I realized this was a perfect way to organically promote TPC. Throughout the years, I’ve also made many friends in the industry who I knew would love Jacqui’s classes, and I introduced them to TPC as well.

Our strategy has been to gift influencers in the hopes that they’ll try the classes, experience first-hand how great they are and organically promote them. We don’t always ask for any promotion in exchange, so we don’t always see a return, but that’s part of the process. Being an influencer myself, I also understand both sides of the industry and apply my own positive and negative experiences to our approach to influencer reach-out and collaborations. We recognize that influencers are not only businesses but also people, and we want to earn their trust and know that they genuinely love the brand! 

Eldor: The fitness / wellness industry has changed tremendously as a result of the pandemic. What are some changes to the industry you’re seeing, in terms of what people are looking for? 

Kingswell: It has definitely changed significantly. I was an in-person instructor prior to the pandemic, and now I run an online digital platform. This is something I never would have seen myself doing if it weren’t for the circumstances of this past year. Now, I couldn’t really imagine not having the freedom offered by digital fitness.

Oakley: Initially, people might’ve felt limited with their fitness options when the lockdowns began, but I think it actually created a space for companies like TPC to flourish. Now, a year later, people have options. Some might have been eager to return to studios, but others still see the value in being able to roll out a mat, take a class from home, and be back to their routine in under 40 minutes and at a fraction of the price. Personally, I have found it so much easier to stay in shape when the classes are more convenient. I often fit in our popular “15-minute morning energy boost” classes before a Zoom call.

Eldor: By the same token, many fitness experts have had to pivot their offering last year. What is TPC’s main point of difference? It’s also worth noting that TPC was born out of the pandemic, rather than being a pivot.

Oakley: Because we were born out of a very trying time for the world, all of this was taken into consideration when we were building out our brand. We strategized ways to make TPC feel like more than just a workout. We wanted it to be an escape from the reality of what was going on at the time. We also wanted our members to feel supported, like they had a community in us and among themselves, so this was a cornerstone of our foundation. Our holistic and balanced approach to health and wellness also shines through in everything we do – and it’s felt by our members.

Kingswell: It was also very important for me to check in with my members in each class. I made sure to begin classes with breathing exercises and methods of decompression because I knew that each person tuning in was probably dealing with so much more at home. I think this is why many of our members have shared with us the profound impact TPC has had on them, and how it has gone beyond their fitness journey and assisted in the betterment of their overall well-being. In many ways, having started our company during such a monumental time in the world’s history has distinguished us greatly, and will continue to do so even beyond the pandemic.