Last month, we addressed how to email college coaches during the coronavirus pandemic – now we are discussing the power of social media to showcase your skillset and communicate coaches.
College coaches are known to use social media to get a better understanding of a recruit’s personality and character. While a poorly manage social media page can hurt an athlete’s recruitment, a well manage account can increase a coach’s interest in recruiting you.
These guidelines can help you create a strong social media presence that will catch the attention of college coaches.
- Make it easy for the coach to find your accounts. College coaches won’t be able to find and review your social content if your account is set to private, so make sure your profile is public. Not to mention, when a college coach sees a private profile, they may assume that the recruit is trying to hide something.
- Engage with athletic programs you’re interested in. Just as you keep up with friends and favorite brands on social media, follow athletic programs you are interested in to stay updated on their season and noteworthy achievements. You can use this information as a conversation starter when contacting college coaches to show your genuine interest in their program.
- Use direct messaging to connect with coaches. Aside from calling, emailing and texting college coaches, recruits can also direct message college coaches. Similar to sending an email to a college coach, DMs should be short and to the point. Start with an interesting fact about the program, followed by few key stats about yourself and include a link to your NCSA Recruiting Profile so the coach can view and follow your profile.
- Highlight your athletic accomplishments. Coaches want athletes that are talented but also show interest in the sport and improving their skillset. Use your social media accounts to share news about your sport, things that inspire you to be a better athlete and skills and game footage. This is also a place to highlight your academic or athletic achievements, camp experiences, college visits and share college offers that you are considering.
- 5. Closely monitor your social media accounts. While you may be dedicated to maintaining a positive social media presence, it’s hard to control the actions of those around you. Stay on top of content you are tagged and featured in and choose what appears on your accounts. When it comes to Facebook, we suggest using the Facebook Timeline Review tool to manage what posts appear on your wall. Learn how to use this tool.
For more insider tips on using social media to get recruited, visit NCSA’s website.
