Twitter wasn’t a thing when I went through the recruiting process.

Heck…email was barely a thing back then!

Today, Twitter is a useful tool for maximizing options (which is critical for finding your best fit).

I worked with a player recently who used Twitter masterfully.

He’s a good player and received attention using methods other than Twitter (email, my contacts, the CAA process etc.).

But he used Twitter DMs to first engage the coaches at the school to which he eventually committed.

He would have missed this opportunity had he not used Twitter as part of his overall recruiting strategy.

DON’T miss out! Use Twitter!

If you don’t believe me, listen to a D1 head coach’s perspective:

Note: Coach Wallis was the recruiting coordinator at the time of this video (2020). He is now the head coach at Grand Canyon.

Using Twitter Can Help (AND Hurt)

The WAY you use Twitter determines its effectiveness.

Coaches use Twitter to add players to their recruiting list AND to take them off.

DON’T post inappropriate content! It’s not a good look.

What constitutes inappropriate content?

• Vulgar Language

• Pornography

• Crude Jokes

• Etc.

Good Advice: If you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see it, don’t post it!

Most of this is common sense, but can’t be understated.

So now you know what NOT to do. But what SHOULD you do, and why?

Here are some benefits:

• Starting conversations with college coaches.

• Providing updates to college coaches.

• Hosting a video library in one place.

• Highlighting improvements over time.

How can you achieve these benefits? Read on for some tips.

Setting Up Your Twitter Profile

I suggest creating a Twitter profile exclusively for recruiting (separate from your personal profile if you have one).

This is optional, but prevents coaches from having to weed through irrelevant Tweets.

Your profile contains several parts:

• Handle

• Bio

• Location

• Link

• Photo

• Banner

Handle

Don’t name your handle something silly. Use your first and last name (you may need to use underscores or add a number if you have a common name). Here are some examples:

• @JohnSmith

• @John_Smith

• @John_Smith_21

• Etc.

Bio

Include your most relevant baseball information in your bio:

• High School/Club Team (State)

• Grad Year

• Position(s)

• Height/Weight

• Metrics/Stats

• GPA/ACT/SAT

• Academic Interest(s)

• “Uncommitted”

• Cell Phone/Email (optional)

Divide the information up with dashes (or emojis) so it looks clean. Here’s an example:

• Smith HS/Thunder Club (IA) - Uncommitted 2025 RHP/OF - 6’4”/200 - FB = 86-89 - 2.03 ERA - GPA = 3.83 - Major: Business/Undecided

Note: Twitter only allows 160 characters, so you may have to abbreviate. Leave out “uncommitted” and/or stats if necessary.

Link

Provide a link to a recruiting profile, YouTube page, website, etc. that contains videos and more in-depth personal information:

• Contact Information

• Coach Contact Information

• Transcripts

• Metrics/Stats

• Schedules

Photo

Use a head shot with your baseball uniform/cap on or an action photo.

Banner

Use a team photo, action shot, general baseball banner, etc. Make sure it’s not pixelated.

What To Post and How Often To Post

Stick to posting about yourself on your recruiting feed:

• Video Clips

• Statistical Updates

• Academic Updates

• Athletic/Academic Honors

• Metrics Updates

• Etc.

Be sure to post updates that stand out (highlights). Posting a video clip of a rollover ground ball won’t catch a coach’s eye.

When possible, combine video clips using iMovie or another video editing program.

Keep this account about YOUR recruiting. Avoid posting about anything other than YOUR recruiting. Avoid retweeting others.

Why?

It will muck up your feed, making it more difficult for coaches to navigate.

If you post a video clip you’d love coaches to see and then immediately retweet 10 posts from other people, your video clip will get buried in your feed.

Create a separate Twitter account for everything not related to YOUR recruiting.

Post something at least once a week (especially in-season). Several times a week is better. Several times a day is too much (usually).

Following College Coaches

In a previous newsletter, I wrote about casting a wide net (reaching out to a lot of coaches at a lot of levels).

Use this approach when following college coaches on Twitter as well.

Follow as many coaches as Twitter will allow (up to 5000 for new accounts).

Follow head coaches AND assistant coaches (any coach that has an account).

Some college programs have created Twitter accounts specifically for recruiting. Follow those as well.

It’s impossible to follow too many coaches.

Sending DMs

When a coach follows you on Twitter, consider this an invitation to send him a DM.

Use the DM like an introductory email (but with much less text).

Here’s an example:

• “Thank you for following me Coach Smith! I’m a 2025 RHP from Wisconsin. Have you had a chance to look at the videos and content on my Twitter feed? If so, does my skillset and my metrics and stats match what you’re looking for?”

Always ask a question to put the ball in his court to answer back.

He might respond:

• “I did watch your videos and liked what I saw. I’d like to see you in person, but we do have some initial interest.”

To which you might reply:

• Great! Will you be in Wisconsin recruiting next summer, or do you have any prospect camps coming up?

Then he might say:

• We don’t make it to Wisconsin very often, but we do have some prospect camps coming up. You can find the dates and times on our website.

To which you might reply:

• Thank you. I will definitely take a look. I will also let you know if I’m going to be playing in your area once my summer schedule comes out. In the meantime, could we schedule a phone call in the next week so I can learn more about your program?

This type of dialogue is ideal. The more the coach responds, the higher his interest level.

But you won’t always get a response. Don’t get discouraged.

You may have to send 100 DMs to have 5-10 conversations like this.

Remember: Cast a wide net!

To Tag or Not To Tag

I’ve heard varying opinions about tagging coaches on your posts (videos and updates).

Here’s the consensus:

I suggest the DM approach first.

Once you’ve established dialogue, you can ask the coach if he’d like you to tag him when you post updates.

Randomly tagging college coaches (especially those who aren’t following you) isn’t an effective strategy.

Please comment or reply if you have questions and/or want more depth about certain topics.

All the best!

- Matt

P.S. If you'd like to schedule a free consultation with me to discuss your specific recruiting process, reply to this email or sign up for a time here.