Don’t Stop at First Shots

Before you spend another dollar filling a First Shots class, look at what happens after it ends. Can a beginner book more practice with an instructor, or does your schedule jump straight to courses they don’t feel ready to take? Someone can enjoy an introductory class and still feel uncomfortable returning to the range without help.

That gap deserves attention before the holiday advertising starts. If you’re selling beginner classes as gifts, you have an opportunity to introduce people to something they’ll keep doing. But that requires having a second visit ready to offer, before you start promoting the first.

Before They Go It Alone

Cadence Defense, a firearms training business in Carson City, Nev., created a follow-up class called Next Shots. NSSF’s July 2026 profile explains that owners Mike and Sarah Masters developed it in response to customers asking, “So, what’s next?” The class builds on what students learned in First Shots.

At your range, that could mean a 45-minute practice session reserved for recent First Shots graduates, with an instructor helping them review what they learned. Keep the group small enough for individual attention, and use the same instructor when possible. Familiarity gives someone who is still nervous one less thing to worry about. Offer to book classmates into the same session if they want to return together. Those relationships can make another visit more appealing, too.

Schedule the session within a few weeks of First Shots, and publish its price, equipment provided and any additional costs. Before students leave, offer to book them and explain NSSF’s $25 reward: Eligible participants earn it by completing the online survey. They can redeem it exclusively at the host range, and NSSF reimburses redeemed rewards. Explain how to claim it so students can factor it into the cost of returning.

After the Gift Wrap Comes Off

Once that practice session is scheduled, it belongs in your holiday marketing. A gift buyer can see what the recipient will do during First Shots and how your staff will help them continue afterward. That makes the offer more substantial than a certificate with a dollar amount and the optimistic assumption that someone will use it.

Consider testing an optional package that includes the introduction and one guided practice session. Let the recipient choose from several dates rather than requiring a commitment to two particular Saturdays. Price the package around your actual staffing and equipment costs, and explain exactly what each visit includes. Reserve the instructor and range space before selling the package so you can deliver what you’ve promised.

Promote the offer with a short video of the instructor explaining both visits. With participants’ permission, show what the follow-up session looks like, too. A nervous beginner can see that returning means more help and practice, rather than being expected to manage everything alone.

Keep the buyer and recipient separate in your booking process. The buyer needs a gift confirmation; the person attending needs class instructions and scheduling help. A January reminder sent only to the person who paid won’t do much for the person who received the gift.

Ask What They Want to Try Next

After guided practice, students may have different ideas about what they want to try. Ask before recommending another course. Someone curious about competition needs a different invitation from someone asking how suppressors work.

NSSF announced First Shots Intro to Steel Challenge through its March 2026 partnership with the United States Practical Shooting Association and Steel Challenge Shooting Association. At participating clubs, the experience is designed to let newcomers try a Steel Challenge stage with a rimfire pistol or rifle.

NSSF also launched an introductory suppressor course in December 2025, combining classroom education with live demonstrations. If your facility can support either offering, ask customers whether they’d attend and which dates work before committing instructor time. Retailers without a range can ask a local First Shots host about classes to recommend to their customers.

Count the Visits That Follow

To find out whether this approach works, follow the next three classes through 60 days after attendance. Record how many students book a follow-up and how many actually return. For holiday gifts, start that clock when the recipient attends. Compare actual return rates for the two-visit package and the introductory class alone.

Also record why interested students don’t book. Repeated requests for evening sessions tell you something a low registration count cannot: people may want the practice but need a different time. Adjust the schedule and see whether bookings improve. You’ve already invested in getting these beginners through your door. Making their next visit worth booking gives that investment a chance to keep paying off.

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