“It’s just like riding a bike.” Okay, how many times have we heard that before?
“Just start creating content,” “Just tell your story,” and “Just do brand deals.”
There are so many “just do it” pieces of content online that it can be frustrating to understand where to start and where the starting line is, especially for athletes. As athletes, we understand why it’s crucial to have a personal brand, but how to execute that is a different problem entirely.
Let’s go back to the bike analogy for a second. I recently moved to the Bay area, and one of the activities I wanted to start doing was road/gravel biking. As a track athlete, I’m used to a very gear-light sport. Throw on a pair of good running trainers, and you are pretty much good to go. Biking, on the other hand, oh my goodness. The barrier to entry into a sport like biking is exceptionally high. Spending thousands of dollars on an activity you aren’t sure you will enjoy is intimidating. Feeling like a beginner always does.
Creating content as an athlete while competing can bring on that same sense of intimidation. “What if I share my story and no one cares?” “I don’t want to share about my injury because I don’t want to seem like I’m making excuses.” “I don’t want to fail and share something that isn’t perfect.” “Is this investment into content creation worth it if I’m not the best at it?”
These are all real sentiments shared with me by professional, highly accomplished athletes. It is easy enough to say to collegiate and professional athletes, “tell your story,” but we need to strip down what that means and understand the barrier to entry.
The first step to making any significant investment is research. In this case, the research investment is in yourself and your athlete brand.
Here are a few starting questions you can ask yourself:
What is your WHY? Why do you compete and care about your sport?
Who are you trying to inspire? Who do you want to consume your content?
What do you wish others knew about your sport? It may seem obvious to you, but new fans don’t understand the basics.
What competitions do you have upcoming? Does your audience know about them?
These questions are a tiny sample of things you can ask yourself as an athlete to inspire your content creation. Their purpose is to spark more questions and ideas.
Second, ask your network about what they wish you shared more of on your social media. Your friends, family, mentors, coaches, and current audience are the best place to start to understand how to make meaningful content for your biggest fans.
This short article is simply a place to start if you have thought about building your athlete online presence and brand. Start asking questions and practicing to see what works for you! Lastly, lean on others to inspire content ideas and keep you accountable.
You wouldn’t just buy the expensive bike without asking anyone, right?
