to not only get the latest news from their favorite skaters, but also infor- mation from those same skaters and other fans.” Bradley uses social media to
give his fans a window into his life. “Fans are very invested in your
career and life,” he said. “Social me- dia allows them to be part of your career. It gives fans a bigger voice.” Skating clubs can also benefit
from strong social media and pub- lic relations skills. Often, skating is competing with other sports in the community for media coverage. “You always want to remain a constant in the news, or people forget,” said Karel Zubris, publicity chair for the Diamond City Figure Skating Club in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Zubris’ club has benefitted
from her public relations back- ground, as she has held several simi- lar positions with other clubs and nonprofit organizations. Her tactics for getting exposure can be used by anyone, she said. “Build a rapport with local
media,” Zubris said. “Local news anchors love getting on the ice with me. It is great free exposure and makes for a fun TV segment.” She takes advantage of all the
media outlets available to her. “Radio is key, as well,” Zubris
said. “If there is a local radio talk show, contact the host to chat about your club and promote your events — it costs you nothing but a few minutes of preparation.” Like Zubris, Plage believes in
developing relationships with the media.
“I would suggest getting to
know the local media outlets and contacting them personally with e-mails,” Plage said. “Provide them with information on websites and upcoming events at your club or rink. Also, you need to have an agenda and know the story you want to pursue — having talking points for the media is very help- ful.”
Skating clubs can take advan- tage of social media channels as well, Evans said. “Social media is essentially a
requirement for all businesses now- adays,” she explained. “But it does require time and effort.” Specifically, Evans recom-
mends creating a social media plan based on the club’s needs and the audience it is trying to reach. “You need to generate content (videos, photos, blogs, Q&As) and
Karel Zubris gets the word out about the Diamond City Figure Skating Club’s participation in the Wilkes-Barre, Pa., parade.
then you need to edit that content,” she said. “You need to decide what kind of posts you’re going to make [to Facebook and Twitter].” And while generating content
is important, it’s also important not to overwhelm your followers. “Tere isn’t a magic number
on how many tweets you should send out every day or how many Facebook posts you should make,” Evans said. “Over time, you will realize how many your fans are ex- pecting and when people are turn- ing away because you’re taking over their news feed.” Trying to do too much is a common mistake, Evans said. “For someone just starting out with social media, the major pitfall is trying to do it all,” she said. “Te best thing you can do is start with the basics. Create accounts and start posting once a day. Once you feel comfortable with the features of each platform, start looking at the creative aspects of it — research various Facebook applications and decide if they can help you.” Understanding your “fans” is
crucial as well. “If you go in knowing who
your audience is and what they want, and if you can put in the time to stay current, you won’t fail,” she said.
Tere’s no need to be shy when it comes to getting your story told, Plage said. “Being proactive is very impor-
tant,” she said. “Tere are so many options for the media and fewer
SKATING 15
reporters to cover. You can’t always wait for them to contact you.” And for Bradley, there’s one
golden rule to remember when it comes to the image you want to project to the public. “Be genuine and sincere in what
you do — people can always tell when you’re not.”
Check out Ryan Bradley on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/RyanSBradley @RyanSBradley
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