GOLF Top 100 Teachers Summit: How To Guide
10 ways to grow your social media following
By Tim Reilly
- Study successful accounts
Scroll through the GOLF feed or other Teachers’ social media accounts and research what they are doing and what resonates with their audience. This also means turning the tables and going from teacher to student: Whether it’s your family members, your peers, or others you may know with large social media followings, ask them how they did it. Your goal isn’t to copy them, but instead, to find your own unique spin.
- Play to your strengths
Not everyone feels comfortable standing in front of a camera, and that’s OK! If that sounds like you: focus on close-ups and use text instead. If you’re sharing a tip about the grip, for instance, focus the camera on your hands, rather than your entire body.
If you’re not camera-shy, lean into your personality. Talk about what you saw on the lesson tee that day, and what you did to fix it. Put yourself out there so people can connect with you on a personal level — connecting with others is what social media is all about
- Connect with social users
Commenting and replying on posts helps strengthen relationships and creates a more engaged audience. This goes for your account or others. Engaging with other accounts in the comment sections is a good way to increase exposure, and collaborating with other teachers on social media is good for everyone. A rising tide lifts all boats.
- Post consistently
That doesn’t mean posting multiple times a day, but it does mean not going days, weeks, or months without posting. If that means focusing more on one platform than another, that’s ok! Consistency is key.
- Use the new functions
When a platform releases a new function (like Instagram with Reels), use it! Social platforms typically reward accounts that use what they want to be used.
- Connect with social users
Commenting and replying on posts helps strengthen relationships and creates a more engaged audience. This goes for your account or others. Engaging with other accounts in the comment sections is a good way to increase exposure.
- Create an aesthetic
Try to create a color scheme, templates or serial content so that when the audience is scrolling, they will instantly recognize something like yours
- Don’t overproduce
Oftentimes the best form of social video content is something raw and unedited. Worry about the messaging more than anything else.
Remember that social audiences are quick to scroll. You might only have a few seconds to get a point across. Condense your packaging as much as possible, and focus only on the stuff that’s most important
- Utilize student success stories
Odds are you’re already capturing the progress of a student from start to finish. Ask if they mind you sharing their progress along the way, or before and afters from lessons. If you wait until they start seeing real results, they likely won’t mind.
- Understand each platform
What works on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok typically isn’t the same across the board. Trial and error until you find what works on each.
- Instagram: It’s a visual-first platform. Find your look and present your content in a variety of ways between video, photos and text. Mix it up between short and long-form videos.
- Twitter: This is more of a conversation and text-based platform. Share your knowledge and engage in discussions where you can add to the conversation. Don’t be afraid to enter into a (civil) old-fashion debate from time-to-time
- Facebook: Long-form video (2-5 minutes) still performs well on Facebook. This audience tends to be a little bit on the older end. More traditional video and editorial content tend to perform best.
- YouTube: Think serial programming. Try to create a playlist of similar tips and longer-form video content with headlines that the average golfer would be searching for. This is a platform where some producing and polishing will pay off. Think: “How to fix a slice”
- TikTok: Have fun! This is an anything goes platform that is all about letting the creative juices flow. Don’t overthink or overproduce here. Keep it short, raw and informative
4 ways to make your videos look better
By Connor Frederico
- Prioritize sunlight when choosing your shoot location.
Natural light is the key to making you and your video look great. While many of you have in-home areas to hit golf balls decked out with great technology, the lighting in these can often be dull on camera.
Do not mistake more lights for better lighting. The best lighting you can possibly get is from the sun. Whenever possible, please go to a driving range or an outdoor setting to shoot your videos, they will look much better.
If this isn’t possible, please set up your in-home hitting areas near a window and shoot during the daytime. Place your phone between you and the window, so the natural light hits you nicely. If you place your phone on the other side, facing the window, you’ll see that you become a silhouette.
If none of the above are options for you, like your in-home setup is in your basement, please be careful of harsh ceiling light. The best lighting you can get in this scenario will come from the sides. If you have something as simple as a flexible lamp or light fixture you can point at yourself, this will look far better than overhead lighting.
If your location is incredibly windy, it’s not worth sacrificing the audio quality of your work.
- You can make it look like you have your own camera crew.
The key to a great video is having a wide range of creative camera shots and angles. Even if it’s just you and your phone, you can add lots of value yourself.
Repetition is key. Take your phone away from that one spot you’ve been using and move it elsewhere. Start by putting the phone directly behind you and hit two or three shots, then switch clubs and hit a couple more. Then pick up the phone and lay it down close to the golf ball, hit two or three shots, then switch clubs and hit a couple more.
Repeat this process that include shots of whatever it is that you’re teaching in this specific video. Include isolation shots of any body parts that you think are key to what you’re teaching. Don’t be afraid to get up close and personal.
A wide variety of shots gives the editor so much more to work with, will help viewers understand what you’re teaching, and add interest and value to your instruction.
- Don’t stress over speaking every line directly to the camera.
By using these creative camera shots we discussed above, our finished product doesn’t have to include you speaking to the camera 100% of the time.
Make voiceovers your new best friend. Write out a script and speak it into your phone.
By pairing this voiceover script up with the creative camera shots, combined with some moments of you demonstrating your technique directly to the camera, we will have made a great video with lots of visual variety.
This also saves time and doesn’t force you to commit everything you want to say to memory. It can also be a huge help if it’s a bit windy in your outdoor setting.
- Some basic equipment will make a huge difference.
This could mean the latest iPhone, GoPro, or DSLR camera. Figure out what your needs are and upgrade your gear to upgrade the quality of your content. You don’t need to break the bank to create high-quality content, and often, a new iPhone can do wonders for the final product.
As for a few additional add-ons that I’d can recommend:
A wireless microphone that simply connects to your iPhone for $50. No Bluetooth needed. An iPhone tripod for $24. Comes with a Bluetooth remote that starts and stops recording.
The more you spend, most likely the better the equipment will be. But these products are a great place to start.
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