Growing Your Retreat: Tips for Boosting Group Size Without Losing the Magic

Got a vision for your next retreat? Come play in the redwoods — with cabins, glamping tents, fire circles, and plenty of space for your magic.

Marketing a retreat can bring up a lot. It’s not just about logistics and promotion — it can stir insecurities, perfectionism, doubts about your worth, and the challenges of partnership and exchange. In some ways, it’s shadow work: confronting the edges of ourselves while asking others to join us in something intimate and transformative. That’s normal.

When discouragement or frustration comes, the key is to return to curiosity. Why does this work matter to you? What lights you up about it? That “why” can carry you through the awkward moments when the details feel overwhelming or when you’re doubting if people will sign up.

Over the last 15 years of leading, assisting, and organizing retreats around the world — from India to New York, Colorado to California — I’ve seen again and again that growing a retreat is both an art and a discipline. The vision inspires us, but the reality requires patience, honesty about our capacities, and often partnership so we don’t feel like we’re carrying it all alone.

I’ve also learned that this is a long game. Take the example of David Elliott, whose healer trainings have become renowned worldwide. For over 20 years, he has shown up consistently, building a reputation and trust so strong that his retreats often fill with little promotion. Word of mouth carries his work, because consistency and integrity have created a foundation that people deeply trust. That’s where many of us hope to grow into: a place where our community, reputation, and relationships sustain the work. But that takes years — often decades — of showing up again and again.

So, as you lean into growing your retreat now, remember: consistency, clarity, and care are your allies. Below are the strategies I’ve learned — sometimes the hard way — that can help you grow your groups while keeping your retreats intimate and authentic.

1. Team Up with a Fellow Guide

Partnerships make the work lighter and the retreat richer. You can co-lead programming or hold separate sessions in two different gathering spaces, while still sharing meals and community time. This variety appeals to participants, and inviting from two networks instead of one makes filling the retreat far more doable. Just be clear upfront about responsibilities and expectations so the exchange feels equitable.

2. Create Buzz Through Consistency

You cannot mention your retreat too many times. The Rule of 7 says people need to see something at least seven times before they act; today, it’s closer to 10–20. The Mere Exposure Effect shows that familiarity itself builds trust. Most people don’t see every post or email, so repetition is not optional.

In practice:

• Always include the dates (with the year!) so people know which retreat you mean.

• Always include the location.

• Always include a call to action — how to sign up — every single time. Make it clear, simple, and easy.

• Ask questions when connecting with people — “Would you like to learn more?” — so it becomes dialogue, not a one-way pitch.

It will feel like you’re repeating yourself. It may feel overboard. That’s when you’re finally doing enough. When I really honed my marketing and just kept showing up consistently, even when it felt like too much, that’s when retreats filled. And it helped to keep it fun for myself by changing the why — the heart reason behind the retreat — while keeping the what, where, when, and how consistent.

3. Hone Your Message

Many of us offer multiple modalities — yoga, meditation, breathwork, writing, song. The key is that the theme tying them together must be crystal clear. At Wild Heart Men’s Camp, for example, we offer breathwork, embodiment practices, cold plunge, sauna, dancing, singing, and fire rituals. On their own, they look like a lot. But every practice is in service of one theme: healing the divide between queer and straight men, reconnecting with our Wild Hearts, and building community across differences. It’s this unified theme that makes the offering powerful and compelling.

4. Share Your Human Side

This one has been hard for me. I struggle with perfectionism and the desire to look polished. But again and again, I’ve found that the most resonant, effective marketing comes from raw, unpolished, vulnerable sharing. People are drawn to the real. Vulnerability doesn’t mean complaining; it means speaking from ownership and honesty about your life. And when you do, you create resonance that calls in the people who are truly meant to work with you.

5. Invite Alumni to Bring a Friend

Past participants are your best advocates. Encourage them to invite a friend who is already curious or excited about this work — not someone they have to push into it. You can even be vulnerable with them: “I’d love to deepen our connection, and I think this retreat would be a powerful way to do that together.” Offer buddy discounts or shared cabin deals to make it easier.

6. Build Community Partnerships

Partnerships can be powerful, but they take time. If you already belong to a community hub like a yoga studio, it’s an easy in. If not, focus on giving first. Show up, build relationships, and establish a sense of belonging before asking for support. I’ve learned this the hard way — reaching out too soon, before building trust, almost always backfires. Lead with generosity and patience, and partnerships can become some of your strongest channels.

7. Play with Tiered Pricing

Options like early bird discounts, buddy rates, and payment plans make retreats more accessible. But here’s a lesson I’ve learned the hard way: don’t give away too much. In the past, I’ve offered too many discounts, filled the retreat, and then realized the budget didn’t work. Always run financial models before finalizing your pricing.

If you’re offering payment plans, use systems that automate reminders and billing, like Square Installments, PayPal Pay Later, or Stripe Billing. This keeps things simple for both you and your participants.

8. Offer Commuter and Local Rates

A commuter option is programming and meals minus lodging. But not all commuters are the same.

• Mendocino locals. Cost of living here is high and income is often low, so offering a discounted local commuter rate is community-friendly. If you choose to do this, let us know — we can feature your retreat in our newsletter and highlight it to our local community.

• Non-locals. Someone staying elsewhere — in an inn or Airbnb down the road — should pay the regular commuter rate. They’re investing in accommodations, so there’s no need for additional discounts.

9. Share Your Retreat on Our Website

Spirit Camp offers the option to list your retreat on our website and in our quarterly newsletter. Retreats posted six months in advance often gain two or three bookings this way. It’s not something to rely on, but it’s a solid visibility boost thanks to our SEO.

10. Expand in Layers, Not Leaps

You don’t need to leap from 18 participants to 45. Aim for 25–30 first. Growing gradually lets you refine your systems, strengthen your facilitation, and build confidence while keeping the intimacy that makes your retreats special.

11. If Small Groups Are Truly Your Jam

If you have experience filling a retreat quickly within a few months and know you can do it again, Spirit Camp sometimes offers reduced rates for weekends still open within 5–6 months. This lets you continue working with smaller groups while staying financially viable. Just remember that priority goes to larger groups and 4+ night bookings.

12. Care Is the Core

This one might seem obvious — most of us are drawn to retreats because we care. But it’s worth naming. Marketing doesn’t have to feel like scarcity-driven hustle. Marketing from the heart is simply another form of care. Care for the vision, care for the people you’re inviting, care for the transformation you’re offering. Repeat your message with clarity and consistency, and let yourself have fun with the why as you do. Be playful. Be silly. Don’t take it all too seriously. What people remember most is how they felt in your presence and the community connections they made — and that’s what keeps them coming back.

Key Takeaways

• Repetition is non-negotiable. Most people need 10–20 reminders before committing. If you feel like you’re being “too much,” you’re finally doing enough.

• Clarity attracts. Multiple practices can shine when they’re woven into one strong theme.

• Vulnerability connects. Sharing raw, imperfect truths creates resonance and calls in the right people.

• Partnerships and pricing need care. Build trust before asking, and always run your numbers before offering discounts.

• Accessibility matters. Differentiate local commuter discounts from standard commuter rates.

• Consistency is the long game. Teachers like David Elliott show that showing up steadily over decades builds trust so strong that word of mouth does the work.

• Care is the core. Marketing from the heart is another way of holding people, not selling to them.

Growing your retreat doesn’t mean losing intimacy. Think of it as expanding your fire circle — more hands to drum, more voices to sing, more energy to share.

Dreaming of a retreat that feels like summer camp for the soul? With cabins, glamping, fire circles, and redwood magic, Spirit Camp is ready for your gathering.