Advice on how to post, when to post and what to post on social media can feel overwhelming, especially when social media can be a time-suck. If we look to some of the most visible fitness professionals in our industry, we begin to see valuable patterns we can apply to our own businesses so that social media becomes an effective extension of our services, our brand and our value.
Here are just a few posts that captivated Facebook feeds recently…(in no specific order)
1. The motivating post: does exactly that…motivates and inspires!
Who’s good at it: Josh Bowen
Sample post:
Most people walk through life never thinking about the end in mind, only concerning themselves with today and only worrying about themselves. When, in fact, it is the investment in others that is the most valuable currency and the legacy of who you are and why you exist is what will live forever. So I ask you do you want to be remembered when your dead and gone or do you want to live day to day, following the mundane rules of society and never doing anything to be become a better version of yourself? You either become phenomenal or you will be forgotten. Choose to be phenomenal #buffgandhi
2. The “Claim-your-Brand” post: consistently brands you as the expert in a specific area or focus.
Who’s good at it: Bret Contreras “The Glute Guy”
Sample post:
This is an 800 lb hip thrust. [video attached]
I've been hammering hip thrust variations three times per week for the past couple of months in an effort to chase down eight-hundy.
I've done barbell hip thrusts, band hip thrusts, and bar plus band hip thrusts each week like a boss, leading up to last night.
Full hip extension was reached. Couldn't keep my chest down but it's not too bad.
In this video, I included the 765 lb set that I had done right before the 800 lb set. Felt easy.
Some might say, what's the point? Well, I don't just do 1RM singles. I do 1-10 reps with the barbell, 6-20 reps with bands, and 6-15 reps with a bar plus bands. But I try to get stronger with all loads and rep ranges. After these two heavy singles, I did 495 lbs for 10 smooth reps.
And guess what? Despite being almost 40 yrs old and having trained for almost 25 years, my glutes have definitely grown in the past two months and are at their all time best. That's the point.
3. The stir-the-pot post: highlights what is seemingly obvious and sparks one to challenge the status quo.
Who’s good at it: Nick Tumminello
Sample post:
It's great know a lot of exercises - general health and fitness clients do enjoy variety. However, simply being a human exercise encyclopedia is NOT what makes someone a qualified fitness professional.
Put simply, it's knowing how to find a safe training direction through individualized exercise prescription by knowing what exercises NOT to do, while following a logical organization and progression of sessions that separates the certified trainers from the QUALIFIED trainers.
4. The take-action post: makes you want to just get up and do something NOW!
Who’s good at it: Todd Durkin
Sample post:
When life throws you a curveball, how do you respond? Brittany Harrell-Miller joins me in this Dose of Durkin to answer that very question. We were eliminated in the Finals of STRONG, yet we both won as a result. How do you turn a hardship into fuel for victory?
You learn from your toughest defeats... what will you learn the next time you get knocked down?
"We always do our best and we NEVER give up.
5. The sharable post: includes information so relevant, followers feel compelled to share.
Who’s good at it: Jessie Mundell
Sample post:
[BRAND NEW] The Pregnant CrossFitter.
Some people aren't going to like this. But, it needs to be said.
Every week someone asks my opinion about the latest pregnant woman who's exercising super intensely, lifting heavy weights, running sprints, and doing burpees.
There seems to be two camps:
1). Those that think she's going to hurt her baby
2). Those that think she's a badass, hardcore, and so strong.
I don't fall into either side.
There's a key piece of the conversation that's missing and here is what I think it is: (link to her web article)
6. The educational post: breaks down science, even if it is contrary to common belief, backs it up with evidence and most importantly, shows how to apply the information.
Who’s good at it: Brad Schoenfeld
Sample post:
Contrary to what I used to believe (yet another case where I've changed my opinion), emerging research shows that activation of the glutes during squatting reaches a peak at approximately 90-degrees and then actually decreases thereafter. Now this doesn't necessarily mean that there's no benefit to muscular adaptations in the glutes from deeper squatting. In fact, the opposite would seem to be true. From a hypertrophy standpoint, the glutes are fully stretched at the lowest position and there is evidence that muscle growth is maximized when muscles are placed under load in a lengthened position. Nevertheless, interesting points to consider.
7. The pump-someone-else-up post: showcases the success of others.
Who’s good at it: Robert Linkul
Sample post:
Joan and I started working together eight months ago (we started about a year after she suffered a stroke) and we have seen her ability progress from rather limited to very active. She can squat below parallel, get up off the floor without support, plank, press both arms over head, perform assisted lunges, works the battling ropes, move laterally and backwards without falling, etc. and, as you see here, can track an implement really well with both hands.
When rookie trainers tell me training everyday people is boring (compared to athletes). I tell them about people like Joan and how much she has improved, how rewarding that is for me to be a part of her progress and to see how happy she is when she accomplished her next goal. It's an honor to help people improve their health!! I love this job!!
8. The walk-the-talk post: tells your followers not just the how and the why…but shows them you do it too.
Who’s good at it: Dr. Emily Splichal
Sample post:
Feeling *empowered* after today's #bodyweightathlete training. For all the amazing professionals in the industry who serve others (Dr, coach, trainer etc.) remember to always do YOU at least once a week #findyourthing #inthenow
9. The honesty post: connects to readers by showing vulnerability. Enough to make it go viral.
Who’s good at it: Molly Galbraith
Sample post:
This is my body.
This not a before picture.
This is not an after picture.
This just happens to be what my body looks like on a random Tuesday in December of 2015 — it's a LIFE picture.
This is a body that loves protein and vegetables and queso and ice cream.
This is a body that loves bent presses and pull-ups and deadlifts and sleep.
This is a body that has been abused with fast food and late nights and stress.
This is a body that has been pushed to the brink of leanness in figure competitions and maximum strength in powerlifting meets.
This is a body that begged for mercy when it was diagnosed with Hashimoto's and PCOS.
This is a body that has been called:
- too fat
- too thin
- too masculine
- too strong
- too weak
- too big
- too skinny
...all within the same week.
This body has been publicly evaluated, judged, and criticized, and those judgments have been used to determine my level of skill as a coach and a trainer, and my worth as a person, both positively and negatively.
Some people say they would "kill to have this body."
Others say they would "kill themselves if they had this body."
(Yes, unfortunately that's actually a thing humans say to one another.)
This is a body that I spent too much time, energy, and mental space wishing would look differently.
And today?
Today this is a body that is loved, adored, and cherished by the only person whose opinion matters — ME.
This is the first year in as long as I can remember that I have made NO resolutions to change the way my body looks.
This is a kind of freedom I didn’t think I’d ever experience, and it feels really, really good.
#GirlsGoneStrong #GGS #Mindset #Perspective #Autonomy
10. The no-filter post: gets your followers to know you in your most “real” forms…in real-time, and does so unapologetically.
Who’s good at it: Jen Sinkler
Sample post:
“The thing is, I don't even WANT to kick anyone's ass.* But this is a common refrain in my life, especially when I’m hanging out with my fitness friends. Or my rugby friends. Or really any of my friends.
And I think it's a good thing.
*This statement is perhaps not entirely true.
