Squat University (Dr. Aaron Horschig) / Squat U Club
SUCCESSFUL IG 4.8M @squat_university · YT 6.9M
Walked as buyer "Jake", an ex-athlete with a cranky knee.
Verdict: 4.8M followers and no owned funnel: reach alone does not sell a program.
IG: @squat_university · 4.8M IG; 6.9M YouTube subscribers
Who they target: Lifters, weightlifters, CrossFit and gym athletes with pain (knee, back, hip, shoulder) who want to keep lifting; Squat U Club targets Olympic-lifting hobbyists.
Freebie: None (free content only: IG, YouTube, blog). Only opt-in is a WordPress 'follow blog via email' widget, which errored.
Paid: Squat U Club (TrainHeroic, with Chad Vaughn); also books Rebuilding Milo and The Squat Bible on Amazon; TYR shoes, $29/month or $290/year
Emails seen: 0
Jump to: Walk the funnel · Emails · Paid offer · What works / avoid · Blocked
Walk the funnel (15 steps)
1Viewed public profile
What the buyer sees
IG profile: 'Dr. Aaron Horschig's guide to (down) pain, moving better & optimizing performance! WSJ Bestselling Author'. Highlights: Shoulder Pain, Knee Pain, Lift Tips, Back Pain, Hip Pain, My Shoe, My Books, Mobility
Notes
Pain-first highlights organized by body part.
Next step →2Opened link list
What the buyer sees
Bio links: YouTube channel, Rebuilding Milo (Amazon), TYR x SquatU lifting shoes
Notes
No lead magnet, no email capture, no Squat U Club link in bio.
Next step →3Browsed homepage
What the buyer sees
squatuniversity.com: old WordPress blog. 'Improve Technique. Decrease Pain. Increase Performance.' Book, blog database, contact form, 'Follow blog via email'
Notes
No hero CTA, no offer.
Next step →4Viewed
What the buyer sees
YouTube About: 6.9M subs; links to books (Amazon), TYR shoes
Notes
Video descriptions push the Rebuilding Milo book and TrainHeroic programs.
Next step →5Opened
What the buyer sees
YouTube links panel
Next step →6Mobile view
What the buyer sees
Homepage mobile
Next step →7Entered inbox
What the buyer sees
'FOLLOW BLOG VIA EMAIL' (Jetpack) with email filled
Notes
Only email capture on the site.
Next step →8Submitted
What the buyer sees
'Oops! There was an error when subscribing. Please try again.'
Notes
Failed; likely disposable-domain block or broken Jetpack.
Next step →9Found via Google (not linked from IG/site)
What the buyer sees
TrainHeroic marketplace 'SQUAT U CLUB - Vaughn Weightlifting + Squat University', $29/mo, full sample week of programming visible
Notes
Copy still says 'NEW cycle starts this coming Monday, November 14th' (stale).
Next step →10Mobile view
What the buyer sees
Squat U Club page mobile
Next step →11Opened checkout, STOPPED
What the buyer sees
TrainHeroic checkout: create account (name, email, password, DOB), $29/mo or $290/yr (17% savings)
Notes
No trial.
Next step →12Viewed
What the buyer sees
Rebuilding Milo book page: 'A book designed to get you out of pain & back to lifting big weights!' links to Amazon
Notes
Book is the main monetized CTA everywhere.
Next step →13Viewed
What the buyer sees
Clinic page: in-person PT at SSM Health St. Louis, travel/hotel info
Notes
No booking form.
Next step →14Viewed
What the buyer sees
Blog post 'How To Fix Back Pain (7 Science Backed Steps)', long article, links to book on Amazon
Notes
No opt-in or content upgrade inside a high-traffic article.
Next step →15Submitted again
What the buyer sees
Retry blog follow from blog database page: same error
Notes
Blocked.
Next: the emails →Email timeline (0)
No emails arrived in the watch window. See "Blocked" below for why (often the test inbox domain gets filtered, or there was no opt-in).
Next: the paid offer →Paid offer
Name: Squat U Club (TrainHeroic, with Chad Vaughn); also books Rebuilding Milo and The Squat Bible on Amazon; TYR shoes
Price: $29/month or $290/year
Billing: TrainHeroic subscription
Trial: None
What is included: 5 days/week programming (Oly lifts + strength + mobility), warm-ups, movement demos, coach message boards, community
Free to paid bridge: Essentially none. Massive free content -> book on Amazon (affiliate-style, no list built). Squat U Club is not linked from IG bio or website; only found via YouTube descriptions/podcast notes and Google.
Freebie detail
Type: None (free content only: IG, YouTube, blog). Only opt-in is a WordPress 'follow blog via email' widget, which errored.
Exact promise: Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Length: n/a
Asks for: Email (failed)
What works
- Pain-by-body-part IG highlights (Knee Pain, Hip Pain...) match how a hurting buyer searches; Jake would tap 'Knee Pain' first.
- Clinical authority (DPT, bestselling author, works with Olympians) builds huge trust.
- Squat U Club page shows a full sample week up front: transparency sells.
- Book as the low-ticket 'paid freebie': $20-30 product that teaches the method.
Avoid
- No lead magnet and no email list capture: 4.8M followers with no owned funnel.
- Broken opt-in (error on subscribe).
- Stale sales copy ('November 14th') kills urgency and trust.
- Paid program hidden on a third-party marketplace and not linked from bio or site.
- Squat U Club is Olympic-lifting focused; wrong fit for an ex-soccer player with a cranky knee.
Blocked or missing
- Blog follow opt-in returned 'error when subscribing' twice; 0 emails received.
- No quiz, guide, challenge, webinar or trial exists.
- Did not create a TrainHeroic account (it is the checkout step).