Audience research
Part of Fitness audience research that starts from a decision rather than a demographic
Auditing comparable fitness content without copying it or profiling its creators
Audit comparable England fitness content by task, evidence, disclosure and access without copying work or profiling individual creators and audiences.
Competitor research should compare how public pages handle the same adult task. It should not compile dossiers on individuals, copy their work or treat follower counts as evidence of quality. Use this checklist for a dated, small sample of services genuinely available to the intended England audience.
What to take away
- Compare how public pages handle the same adult task rather than compiling dossiers on individual creators.
- Set the reader task, inclusion rules, capture date and sample size before you start searching.
- Record observable page facts and mark a field not stated when it is absent, never guessing.
- Treat health claims and advertising disclosures as separate ledgers requiring their own evidence.
- Keep short factual notes and links instead of copying images, programmes or long passages.
Set the comparison before searching
- Write the reader task, such as preparing for a first group class.
- Define inclusion by service availability, adult audience and comparable format.
- Set the capture date and sample size before viewing results.
- Exclude private groups, child-directed accounts, personal profiles and pages requiring deceptive access.
Verify the organisation behind a service. Companies House can confirm filed company information, but registration does not prove trading quality, professional competence or current service availability. Record the displayed legal entity and check the page itself for the offer.
Capture observable page facts
For each included page, record its URL, date, intended task, format, named author, stated qualification, cited evidence, commercial label, price display if relevant, accessibility route, correction contact and last update. Mark a field "not stated" when it is absent. Do not guess from photographs, comments or tone.
Separate a qualification claim from verification. A creator calling themselves a coach does not establish clinical registration or suitability for every reader. A named health professional must review any comparison of exercise or health advice.
Inspect advertising and claims separately
The ASA's influencer resource library explains ad recognition across sponsorship, gifts and affiliate formats. The CMA's endorsement guidance also covers a creator promoting their own business. Record whether a commercial connection is disclosed where the claim appears. Do not accuse a publisher of breaching rules from a desk observation; send uncertain cases for qualified review.
Health assertions need their own ledger. Capture the exact words, evidence linked on the page, population and conditions. CAP Code Section 12 sets requirements for objective health claims in non-broadcast advertising. A testimonial or transformation image is not independent substantiation.
Respect people and their work
Public visibility is not permission to gather personal data without limit. ICO guidance on collecting information from public sources says an open social profile does not make its information free for direct-marketing use. Do not infer residence, diagnosis, vulnerability, income or exercise suitability from a post or tracker screenshot.
Save short factual notes rather than copying images, programmes or long passages. The Intellectual Property Office's copyright notice for online images explains that internet publication does not remove copyright. Record a link and a limited observation unless counsel approves another use.
Turn the matrix into a research question
Compare coverage, not personalities. A gap matters only if eligible adults or buyers show that the missing information affects their task. Put the proposed change into an interview, comprehension test or prototype, then record who was recruited and what happened.
Keep the sample, exclusions and pages that contradicted the pattern. Do not publish a ranking from a convenience search. Repeat the scan when the reader task, included service, source page or relevant rule changes.
Archive the matrix version, not a copied library of competitor material. On the next review, revisit the same URLs and apply the original inclusion rule before adding replacements. Note pages that disappeared or changed their claim, author or commercial label. This produces a dated comparison trail without pretending the sample measures the whole England market.
Before you act
- Write the reader task before searching.
- Set capture date and sample size first.
- Record the displayed legal entity for each service.
- Mark absent fields as not stated.
- Log commercial disclosures where the claim appears.
- Save links and short notes, not copied material.
Common questions
What should I record for each included page?
Record the URL, date, intended task, format, named author, stated qualification, cited evidence, commercial label, price display if relevant, accessibility route, correction contact and last update. Mark a field not stated when it is absent. Do not guess from photographs, comments or tone.
Does a public social profile mean I can use that information freely?
No. ICO guidance on collecting information from public sources says an open social profile does not make its information free for direct-marketing use. Do not infer residence, diagnosis, vulnerability, income or exercise suitability from a post or tracker screenshot.
How should I handle health claims made by a fitness page?
Capture the exact words, evidence linked on the page, population and conditions. CAP Code Section 12 sets requirements for objective health claims in non-broadcast advertising. A testimonial or transformation image is not independent substantiation, and a named health professional must review any comparison of exercise or health advice.
