Pricing drop-in classes: single class, passes, concessions and deals
Price a drop-in class from its break-even: the night's hall hire and teacher pay divided by the attendance you can honestly expect. Then build the deals around that price: a 5-class pass at about 10 per cent off, a 10-class pass at 10 to 15 per cent off, a concession rate, a second-class-tonight bundle, and a trial that gets people to a second visit. Every deal should have a reason the door can say out loud, and every deal costs something, so know what.
Start from the break-even
A class with a $90 hall and two teachers at $60 costs $210 a night. At 10 people that is $21 a head just to break even; at 15, $14. So the question is not "what should a class cost?" but "at the attendance I honestly expect, what price clears the costs?" The class profit calculator does this sum. Price for the real room, then check the price against the neighbourhood.
The usual menu
| Deal | Example (the demo studio) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Single class | $23 | The anchor. Everything else is "cheaper than this". |
| 5-class pass | $105 ($21 a class) | For the person who comes most weeks. About 10% off. |
| 10-class pass | $200 ($20 a class) | For the regular. 10–15% off. Cash up front, and nine reasons to come back. |
| Concession | $18 | Students, pensioners, low income. A stated rate, not a negotiation. |
| Second class tonight | $12 | For the person already in the building. The hall is paid for; the second class is nearly all profit. |
| First visit | Free, or $10 | Trial. Measure how many come back; see below. |
| Band night / social | $15, or $25 with a band | A different price for a different night. "No passes tonight" is a fair rule when there is a band to pay. |
What each deal costs you
- The 10-class pass gives up $3 a class on the people most likely to come anyway. At 40 regulars on passes, that is about $120 a week. You get the cash early and the commitment. Fair trade; don't make it $5.
- The second-class bundle costs $11 against the list price, but the alternative is usually that the person goes home. The second class's hall is already paid; a $12 head is almost pure margin.
- The free first class costs a full head on a night that may be full, and most of the free people don't return. A $10 first class or a two-class trial pass converts better for most studios because it gets people to the second visit.
- Concessions cost a few dollars on people who would otherwise not come. Cheap.
- Couples sharing a pass is a 10-class pass used as two fives. Allow it or don't; just decide, so the door doesn't.
Rules the door can say out loud
A deal that lives in the owner's head gets applied unevenly and argued about. Write each one as a rule with a reason: "Came to Beginner tonight → Intermediate is half price." "Troupe members pay once a week." "Band nights: $25, no passes." The door should see the price and the reason at the moment of check-in, and be able to repeat the reason to the student. If a rule can't be said in a sentence, it is too clever.
Raising prices
Do it once a year, say why (the hall went up), give a month's notice, and sell passes at the old price in that month. The pass holders are your regulars; the month's notice lets them lock in, which they will remember kindly. Count the liability first: every unused pass class is a class at the old price you still owe.
What ClassMetrix does
A studio drop-in price, a different price per class if you want one, and your own pass sizes and prices. Pricing rules are settings written as sentences with blanks ("came to [class] this week → [price]"), with example students to try them on before switching them on. The door sees each price with its reason. An event night can have its own price and "no passes tonight", and people already checked in are re-priced if it is set late. Concessions and group rates are rules too.
See the pricing rules in the demo
The demo studio has a half-price second class, a troupe rate and a band night.
Read next
Questions
How much should a drop-in dance class cost?
Price from your break-even, not from the studio down the road. Work out the night's fixed costs, decide the attendance you can honestly expect, and the price has to clear the first with the second. Then look at what nearby classes charge and decide whether to match or explain the difference. A class priced to break even at 20 when 12 come is not a cheap class; it is a closing one.
What discount should a 10-class pass give?
Ten to fifteen per cent is usual: a $23 class at $20 on a 10-pass. More than that and your regulars, who are the people who would come anyway, are paying a lot less for nothing. The pass is for commitment and cash flow, not a sale.
Should the first class be free?
A free first class brings people in and a lot of them never come back. A cheap first class, or a two-class trial pass, usually converts better because the second visit is where the habit starts. Measure it: of the free-trial people, how many paid for a second class?
Should I offer concessions?
If your students include students, pensioners or people on low incomes, a concession rate at the door keeps them coming and costs you a few dollars on people who would otherwise not come at all. Make it a stated rate, not a negotiation at the door.