Saying to someone, "here, take my business card," is a much smaller ask than telling them to follow you on social media. It's much simpler and faster than reciting your phone number or hoping a prospective student memorizes the link to your website. So what's the hesitation with getting business cards?

As a yoga teacher, it may feel like business cards are too corporate, or even worse, they're outdated for the digital age. But you may find yourself needing them next time you're at a social gathering or networking event. So might as well be prepared and keep them at hand. Find below reasons why you should invest in business cards for your yoga business, 10 creative ideas to make your cards stand out, where to create them and networking tips.

  1. Why use business cards as a yoga teacher
  2. How to make a great yoga business card
  3. Get creative with your personal brand
  4. Where to create a yoga business card
  5. When to give out your business card

Why use business cards as a yoga teacher

  • give accurate contact information in one go
  • make you memorable long after the first encounter
  • highlight your personal brand
  • demonstrate your qualification
  • show professionalism
  • cost-effective marketing collateral
  • easy to distribute after class or on community bulletin boards
  • can convert new students by including a promo code
  • nicely-designed cards can be shared
person offering a business card

How to make a great yoga business card

The first thing you want to consider is what information you'd like to include in your business card. Too much information can leave the small real estate of your card looking messy. Too little information might cause a negative impression of your business.

Contact information & social handles

You can't go wrong with including your name, website or subkit, and the easiest way of getting in touch with you - whether that's through email or a phone call. If you own a yoga studio, or only teach in one location, then consider adding your work address too.

If you promote your business on social media and provide quality content on those platforms regularly, then show that off too. Add your social handles. Ideally, you would have the same social handle across channels. If this is not the case, and you're recycling content on 3+ social media platforms, just pick the one or two that serve as your most important channels.

Get creative with your personal brand

There are a lot of ways you can show your personality through business cards. From colors, logo,  design, paper type, and more. Check out these ideas to make your yoga teacher business card stand out from the crowd.

  1. Include a photo of yourself in an interesting yoga pose. This can be an incentive for the prospective student to actually call you. Your yoga photo will remind them that if they take your class, they can also become as strong and flexible in their body. Just make sure your alignment is absolutely perfect otherwise this will reflect poorly on your teaching skills.
  2. Include a headshot. This will remind prospective students of who you are. If they've kept your card for a few months after meeting in person, there's a chance they might have forgotten what you look like. A headshot is a nice refresher. Getting your picture taken by a professional photographer can be really helpful in making sure your personality (and good lighting!) shines through.
  3. Choose your color scheme. There's no question about it, we associate different sensations to colors. So pick something that is coherent with the feeling you'd like students to associate with your class. As a yoga instructor, you may already be familiar with chakra colors and their meanings. This might be something nice to consider if you believe in energy work.
  4. Alongside the title of yoga teacher, you can also add your certification to show off your qualification and professionalism. For example, "Yoga Teacher, RYT 500" if you are a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance.
  5. If you have a logo that's near and dear to your heart and is used on your website, subkit or social media profile, then you can also add it to your business card. If you don't have a logo, that doesn't make you any less of a professional. You can also pick a design from ready-made templates that can serve as your logo. See below for where to find yoga instructor business card templates.
  6. Include a QR code. This might seem complicated, but you can generate QR codes for free here and add them to your business cards. When scanned you can be incredibly creative about where that takes prospective students. Maybe a 15-minute video of an online yoga class led by you? Or a video introduction about you and how you got started on your yoga journey? Or a yoga playlist...think outside of the box.
  7. The type of paper you use for your card can seem like a silly detail, but it can say a lot about your business. That's why nowadays there are so many paper options. From laminated to recycled and even seed business cards! Read below to see all the options at your disposal.
  8. To make sure people hold onto your business card you might want to offer something on them. This way people will save them for the right moment. One idea is to include a promo code on each card. When they present it to you before class they get 15% off.
  9. Another idea is to create some sort of loyalty program. For example, after they've done 5 yoga classes with you, they get the 6th one for free. I'm sure you've seen something like this for coffee, so why wouldn't you be able to use the same marketing hacks.
  10. Not all business cards have to be created equal. Ever think about that? Having a different selection of colors or designs and quotes can be part of your appeal. You can lay them out like a deck of tarot cards and invite prospective students to pick one that resonates with them. And once they turn the card around, right beside your personal information is an inspiring quote that makes them feel seen. Would that be a magical moment of connection? They might hold onto that quote like a mantra for years to come!

Where to create a yoga business card

Canva is amazing for any design work, including business cards. They even have yoga templates ready for you to play around with that are fully customizable.

Etsy, the home to homemade creations and crafty small businesses might spark your attention if you care about supporting small. They also have a whole selection of business cards for yoga instructors.

You'll find endless choices at Zazzle, including a huge selection of yoga & wellness-inspired business card templates.

As a beginner yoga teacher, you might not be in a position to spend too much on business cards. Vista Print has lots of affordable options. You can get 500 cards for $20!

If caring about the planet is part of your yogic lifestyle and personal brand, then you should definitely reflect that in your choice of business card paper. Sustainable Print has an amazing choice of papers. Recycled, algae, biodegradable...they're all awesome.

Your business card can actually be biodegradable and embedded with native seeds according to your region (USA-only). With Botanical Paperworks, once planted, the paper composts and the seed grows into a beautiful native flower or herb. No doubt this would wow any yogi.

full yoga class

When to give out your business card

  • You never know when a life serendipitously might lead to a prospective student. Maybe your uber driver strikes up a conversation and it turns out they want to try yoga for the first time. That could be you! Keep a few cards with you wherever you go, just in case.
  • Whenever you go to a networking event, make sure to stash up on business cards. However, you shouldn't be pushy about getting those out. Only hand them out when people seem interested in your yoga offering.
  • If you are co-hosting an event with some other great wellness professionals, agree to all leave a handful of business cards out on a table. Their audience might become part of your audience and vice-versa. But that's only going to happen if they know where to find you.
  • Consider leaving a few cards out by the door after class. You don't have to beg anyone to take them. After you've guided savasana and closed out the class, you can say, "oh, and by the way, if you have any questions or want to stay in touch grab my business card on your way out. I send regular newsletters so sign up..."
  • Ask around neighborly small businesses, like cafes and juice shops, if they would allow you to leave some cards (or flyers) on display. Even better if your personal branding seems aligned with theirs.

If  you need more tips as a beginner yoga teacher then check out our guide on How to start & grow a successful yoga business in 7 steps. And if have your own success story on running a yoga business and wanna share your story then reach out to mariana@subkit.com.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn “one day” into day one.