by Matt Weik
There is definitely no shortage of people out there who have a social media fitness page. If you engage with others on Instagram who enjoy fitness, bodybuilding, or working out in general, your entire feed in the search is full of great fitness content that can help get you motivated. That being said, it’s absolutely saturated and if you want to stand out, you need to think about your long-term social media strategy.
If you think posting images of your ripped abs or developed booty is the best way to go, think again. While those types of images will help you win in the short-term, it may not work out in your favor in the long-term. Below I want to discuss why this isn’t the best strategy for your social media fitness page and what you should actually consider doing to stay relevant.
Sex Sells… But Your Image Can Fatigue Over Time
Let’s say on a scale of 1-10, you’re a 10. How do you know? Because everyone tells you that you have a great body and physique. Congrats! Now what? If you’re like everyone else who has a social media fitness page, you’re probably posting images of yourself at the gym, you half-naked, you doing photoshoots, etc. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that (you do you), how long do you think that will last?
The reality is, a great physique is a dime a dozen on social media these days. Sure, you may have some loyal followers who enjoy your images (maybe even a little too much), but guess what? As soon as they leave your page, they’re introduced to someone else who also has a good physique. From there, the cycle continues in what seems like perpetuity.
Your body may be the flavor of the day, week, month, or year, but what happens next? Because there are so many people out there posting sexy images on their social media fitness page, the attention can easily shift from one account to the next. Instagram models are popping up every single day. While you may have been getting thousands of likes every day, you can start to see your numbers drop once your “image” starts to fatigue. Once people see you all the time, it’s nothing new or intriguing. And eventually, they can move on.
What happens next is you either need to reposition yourself or you need to take your photos to the extreme. For the ladder, you may see a lift in your likes and engagement, but you risk running into the same dead-end you did above or risk people losing respect for you when you start losing even more clothes. That’s why I believe there is a better play for you to take advantage of.
Add Value to Your Social Media Fitness Page
While I’m not telling you to stop posting images of your physique if that’s what you’re all about, what I am telling you to do is think about how you can add value to your social media fitness page. How can you help people? If not just for your good looks, how else can you keep bringing people back?
Not everyone on social media is in the fitness industry (and that’s ok), so I’m going to discuss two different scenarios.
The first scenario I want to talk about is the obvious where you’re active in the fitness industry in some fashion. Maybe you’re working with a supplement company? Maybe you’re a personal trainer? Maybe you’re a competitor? Use that to your advantage. People love to learn new things that interest them so find your niche and run with it.
As an example, let’s talk about the personal trainer who has a social media fitness page where they are always showing off photos of their physique. Maybe you start working your content around training tips and methods to see better results from your effort in the gym? Sure, you can still take photos of your body but leverage the photo to match the value you want to provide.
For instance, if you want to talk about how to better etch out your six-pack, take a photo of your chiseled abs and then in the caption provide the tip you’d like to share. Also, in there you can promote your personal training business. Or build a carousel with the images of your abs by executing an exercise and on the picture provide a quick one-sentence caption so people can scroll through the carousel and learn something new. This is a great way to keep people engaged while also providing value.
Now, let’s switch gears and talk about the person who has a social media fitness page but only considers it a fitness page because they have a good physique. In this instance, the individual isn’t affiliated with the industry at all. How can they better keep people engaged with their page? It’s simple. What else are you passionate about or enjoy as a hobby that you can combine both?
To illustrate what I’m talking about, let’s use the example of someone who loves the outdoors. Hiking, camping, sightseeing, etc. Take photos that show off your physique while you engage in those activities. Talk about the things you are doing in the photos. If you love hiking, talk about the trail you hiked over the weekend and why others should consider hitting up that trail. Or if you love camping, talk about your gear and why you feel others would benefit from also buying the gear for themselves.
The bottom line I’m trying to get across is, what VALUE can you add while also showing off your physique (if that is what’s truly important to you)? Build a community around your passion to keep people engaged and coming back.
