You’ve seen the bike. You’ve heard the name. Maybe you’ve even taken a class.
Before Peloton became shorthand for home workouts, the word was simply a cycling term. A “peloton” refers to a group of cyclists moving forward as one.
Hence, the brand’s name is a direct signal of its entire business model: movement powered by community.
Peloton isn’t just a fitness company. It’s a masterclass in how to blend product, people, and participation into a retention engine.
In this article, we take a closer look at how Peloton turned a fitness idea into a global movement by focusing on building community, consistency, and emotional connection.
We’ll unpack the role of UGC marketing campaigns and share lessons from House of Marketers on how brands today can learn from Peloton’s success.
But first, a quick look at where it all began..
How Peloton Got Ahead When Everyone Was Struggling
Back in 2012, Peloton’s founder, John Foley, had an idea: What if you could bring the energy of a boutique fitness class into your living room? No commute, no crowds, just smart hardware, a screen, and a world-class instructor.
From there, Peloton grew steadily. It didn’t try to be everything to everyone. Instead, it focused on quality, habit-building, and creating a tight-knit community around fitness. Long before it became a household name, it was already building a product designed for people who wanted consistency and connection.
Then came the moment that would change the fitness industry: a global pandemic.
In 2020, when gyms closed and uncertainty took over, people looked for routine, motivation, and a way to stay active at home. Peloton had all three. By that time, it was already synonymous with high-end, instructor-led workouts. The pandemic just threw gas on a fire that was already catching.
@onepeloton TikTok, we’ve arrived. we’re a little nervous, but excited 😁 #peloton #onepeloton #pelotontiktok #pelotok
Source: Tiktok
During the lockdown, Peloton’s profits increased by a 172% surge in sales, and more than 1 million people subscribed to its streaming classes. But Peloton didn’t get there through flash sales or celebrity hype. It didn’t position its product as a hack or a shortcut. Instead, it positioned itself as a habit and built an ecosystem around sustaining that habit long-term.
As we often tell our clients at House of Marketers, the best-performing brands aren’t just selling a product; they’re designing a daily ritual. Peloton understood this from day one.
Broadening Appeal Without Losing Identity
Before 2020, Peloton’s original audience was pretty narrow: affluent professionals, tech-early adopters, and fitness enthusiasts. And for a while, that was enough.
Peloton Use of UGC
But by 2024, the brand started shifting. It expanded its messaging to speak to broader demographics, particularly older users, and communities that didn’t previously see themselves represented in fitness. Campaigns leaned into inclusivity: varied body types, different ages, and multiple lifestyles. This showed that everyone had a place in the Peloton ecosystem.
And that’s a lesson worth underlining: when you broaden representation, you expand your addressable market without diluting the emotional core of your brand.
One of their most effective pandemic-era campaigns spotlighted how different people, across careers, races, and routines, fit in workouts at home. It was quiet, emotional, and human. And it worked. Peloton’s retention rate soared to over 95%, an almost unheard-of number in the fitness space.
As you read this, ask yourself: Who isn’t seeing themselves in your brand today? And what would happen if they did?
Peloton’s Use of UGC
User-generated content (UGC) is at the core of Peloton’s marketing and has been for years.
The logic is simple: people trust people.
UGC influences purchase decisions for 70% of Gen Z and 78% of millennials.
On Instagram, Peloton regularly shares UGC stories, milestones, and even fitness recipes, turning everyday users into the face of the brand.
Source: YouTube
Source: Instagram
What we love about this at House of Marketers is how Peloton turns its members into main characters, giving them visibility on par with professional campaigns. And that’s exactly why it works.
For you as a marketer, the question is not whether your customers are talking about your brand, it’s whether you’re listening and amplifying the right ones.
Why Peloton’s Instructors Feel More Like Friends Than Fitness Coaches
Speaking of amplification, let’s talk about Peloton’s biggest strength: its instructors.
Peloton’s influencer marketing strategy looks different from the norm. You won’t see many #ad posts. Instead, you’ll see instructors.
And they aren’t just instructors. They’re brand ambassadors, motivational voices, micro-celebrities, and community leaders. Their personalities are integral to the product experience. Each one brings a distinct tone—hype, calm, grit, joy—and users naturally gravitate to the ones who match their own energy.
Peloton knows its instructors aren’t just there to lead workouts—they’re the emotional anchors of the brand.
Take Ally Love, for example. She’s a fitness coach, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker. She’s appeared on ESPN, The Today Show, and runs her own wellness platform called Love Squad. But it’s on the Peloton bike where her impact really lands.
Ally’s rides are part workout, part soul reset. Her quarterly Sundays with Love classes invite members to wear purple and ride with heart—and they show up, in full force. Her Artist Series rides feel like mini concerts. And her affirmations? They stick with you long after class ends.
Ally doesn’t just lead a class; she creates an atmosphere where you feel seen, motivated, and genuinely connected
What Peloton understands is that relatable people build stronger communities than any logo ever could. The instructors aren’t polished spokespeople. They’re human. That’s what makes them stick.
Even better? There’s variety. If one instructor isn’t your style, there are 30+ others to choose from. That choice gives members control and creates mini fandoms inside the wider community. Just like the instructor Camila Ramon’s fans, known as the ‘lamilamafia’, who’ve created their own fandom inside the Peloton community.
Source: Instagram
Which means even if one part falters, the whole doesn’t fall apart.
Humour, Humanity, and Knowing When to Be Light
Not everything has to be motivational mantras and sweat. Sometimes, a meme can do wonders.
Peloton knows when to have fun. Their social team doesn’t overdo it—but when they drop a well-timed joke, it hits. Just like their “Skelly on the Pelly” joke for Halloween!
Source: Instagram
That’s something we always recommend when planning content calendars: use humour as a bridge, not a crutch. Let your brand breathe. Just make sure it still sounds like you.
Beyond humor, Peloton consistently supports causes that matter to their community, including LGBTQ+ inclusion, postpartum fitness, and mental health.
Source: Instagram
They’re not just checking boxes. They’re extending the story of “togetherness” into the values their members care about.
And when that happens, your product moves beyond function. It becomes part of someone’s identity.
We always encourage brands we work with to ask: What would your customers proudly align with, even when you’re not selling to them?
That kind of alignment builds trust. But growth happens when trust turns into action, and your audience shows up and brings others with them.
Peloton’s Use of Referral Marketing: Perk, Not a Push
And here’s where that sense of community turns into acquisition.
Peloton’s referral system is smart, simple, and designed to feel like a natural extension of the member experience. Instead of pushing sales tactics, it rewards members for doing what they were likely doing anyway, talking about the classes they love.
Here’s how it works: members can share Peloton referral links or Guest Passes with friends and family. Those who refer get rewarded, and those who sign up get a generous offer. It’s a built-in incentive that turns loyal users into advocates.
The genius here isn’t just in the discount, it’s in the timing. When you’re already excited about a class or hyping up your favorite instructor, sharing a link just makes sense.
At House of Marketers, we often talk about frictionless advocacy—making it easy for people to share your product without it feeling like a pitch. Peloton nails that. Whether it’s texting a Guest Pass to a sibling or sharing a link with a friend after a group ride, referrals feel personal, not promotional.
More importantly, they bring people closer together. Families ride together across time zones. Siblings challenge each other on the leaderboard. What starts as a referral ends up becoming a shared ritual.
That’s the kind of marketing you can’t fake—and the kind every brand should aim for.
House of Marketers Insights: Lessons from Peloton
At House of Marketers, we help brands move beyond short-term wins to build long-term influence. That means designing systems where storytelling, trust, and community drive sustainable growth.
And that’s what we help our clients replicate.
Peloton’s strategy reveals four key principles every modern brand can act on:
- UGC is infrastructure, not filler.
User-generated content works because it’s credible, scalable, and emotionally resonant. But for it to thrive, you need to create an experience people want to talk about. Peloton nails this with rituals, recognition, and a product designed to be shared. - Real influence starts from within.
Strong internal creators give your brand a face, a tone, and a reason for people to come back. Whether you’re building influence internally or partnering with creators, authenticity must come first. - Retention is growth.
Peloton’s referral system works because it fits into natural conversations. When the experience is strong, marketing becomes social, not transactional. - Listening is only useful if it changes what you do.
Peloton shows how to build based on community insight—from campaign pivots to product evolution. The brands that win long-term are the ones that treat listening as an input, not a report.
As a TikTok Marketing Agency, we at House of Marketers have seen these exact strategies work across industries, from skincare to supplements to fashion. UGC, referral loops, internal creators, and value-driven messaging aren’t just “nice to have”, they’re foundational to scaling a digital-first brand.
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Ready to Use UGC Like Peloton? Let’s Talk Strategy
Peloton is not just selling workouts. It’s selling a feeling. And that feeling is powered by community, trust, visibility, and purpose.
If you’re serious about growing your brand in 2025, the lesson here isn’t about bikes or fitness at all. It’s about building something people want to belong to.
Ready to put UGC at the heart of your growth strategy?
Let’s build UGC Marketing Campaign strategies that earn attention and keep it. At House of Marketers, we help brands turn real customer stories into scalable, authentic growth. By partnering with us, you gain access to a team dedicated to curating and leveraging authentic content that resonates with your audience. Contact us for a free consultation and proposal today!
House of Marketers (HOM) is a leading TikTok Marketing Agency. Our global agency was built by early TikTok Employees & TikTok Partners, which gives us the insider knowledge to help leading brands, like Redbull, Playtika, Badoo, and HelloFresh win on TikTok. Want us to convert more of Gen Z and Millennials with TikTok? Get in touch with our friendly team, here.