Building a social media presence while training to become a Pilates Instructor is not for everyone, but for those “socially” inclined, there are many benefits.
Of course, there are some good and bad ways to approach it. Here are our tips to be successful, while staying authentic.
- AUTHENTIC BRAND BUILDING.
Build your brand from the ground up.
Creating a social media presence during the training phase of your career is a great way to demonstrate depth and vulnerability. No one is an overnight/instant expert, people want to see the process: the successes, failures, your evolution.
Bring the audience along on your journey, build meaningful connections and in doing so an authentic foundation.
2. LEARN + SHARE.
“Shared joy is doubled joy”. Sometimes you just love something so much you want to share it. Use your social media as a way to share* the love.
*safely and ethically, always.
3. USE SOCIAL AS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
“How do I put out my own content? I have no experience! I’m not even a Pilates Instructor yet. What am I doing here?”
As a Student, the thing you’re most expert in is being a Student: lean into that.
Use social media as a way to enhance your learning experience. The simplest content strategy is to post about the things you find interesting. Share that information but contextualise it. What does it mean to you? Why do you find it interesting? What are you going to do with this information?
This way you’re staying true to your skill-level, but also providing value, developing your brand, and helping people!
4. CONNECT.
Get connected with:
- Other Students.
- Educators.
- Industry Instructors.
- Studios (it’s not uncommon to be approached for work via the ‘gram!)
- Clients.
If you intend to start your own Studio when you graduate, this is also where you start building your business network.
Invest in connection!
5. DEMONSTRATE QUALITY.
Use social to evidence the quality of your education and qualification. A visual CV of sorts: show ’em what you’ve got, what you know, and showcase your teaching style*.
*safely and ethically.
A NOTE ABOUT SAFE AND ETHICAL SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT.
Safe and ethical posting, in a nutshell:
Use social media for entertainment and education – not to claim expertise or offer advice beyond your scope of qualification.
Things to consider:
- Transparency: be clear that you are an Instructor in training. Include this in your bio, or add with a disclaimer at the bottom of posts. (optional)
- Am I qualified to recommend/advise/teach/demo this? Liability issues are a real thing.
- Is this safe?
- What message does this send?
- How can I make it safe for my audience (which may include a broad selection of abilities.)
- Could I link/on refer to someone more experienced than me?
- Consider privacy. If you’re using images or video of clients, make sure you have their approval to do so.
- If you borrow content – images, video, words – from other sources; credit them (tag and mention.)
And be humble about it. You are growing and learning. Don’t proclaim false expertise or try to trick people, because industry pros can see the lack of authenticity.
(Don’t forget to tag @pilatesitconline in your content so we can share your work!)
