In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton walks cheer gym owners through the 8 things you MUST do now to set up your best tryout season for the 2026–2027 year. We cover how to evaluate what worked (and what didn’t) this season, how to build a tryout packet that sells your program without overwhelming parents, and how to plan your budget, tuition, and assessments so your cheer program is actually profitable.

Dan also breaks down what to market internally vs externally, how to use organic posts as “market research” before you spend on ads, why your website needs a high-converting tryout page with an opt-in (stop giving your packet away for free), and how email + SMS automation can turn leads into registrations without you living on your phone.

If you want more athletes at tryouts, smoother registration, and a repeatable system that fills teams year after year, this episode is your playbook.