Not Sure What to Post? Use These 7 Basic Plots to Get Your Baseball Story Out There
Swords & Crispy Seeds are already taken - You do you in 3 steps....
If your Twitter or Instagram feed is your daily inspiration for what to post, it's time for a social media strategy that puts you at the center of the story. Looking at all those Pitching Ninja Re-tweets and Coach Ferber Likes before you post, is just going to make you feel worse. Don't use their stories for a starting point, use yours.
Every social media post tells a story using Art or Copy, usually the best use both. Social posts are meant to be a shared experience, and emotion plays a big part - use these 3 steps to bake it into your process...
Step 1
COPY - What do you want to post about - a play, coaching lessons, training aid, college you want to play for? Now think back on a baseball memory - on-field or off, hero or wannabe. Write down what you remember. How did it made you feel? What did you you learn? What was the before and after? How did it help you?
ART - What bests represents what you wrote down? If you don't have the actual photo or video, check out the free site Pixabay for royalty free pics that give you a visual. "Royalty Free" means you won't get sued for taking someone else's content!
Step 2
Pick one of these 7 basic story types from Christopher Booker's The 7 Basic Plots to frame up your story and connect to your audience. We gave it a baseball spin to get you started...
1). The Quest - The Hero and their companions set off to find their Holy Grail, to do the impossible. Pitch a perfect game? World Series Title? HR Record? This is classic underdog territory. Who wins despite all odds? Who uses grit and hard work? Don't post a pic of hard work without the end goal.
Post Examples - Championship pic, bat flip video, dog pile video, lifting video
2) Overcoming the Monster - Think Sandlot. The hero sets out to defeat a hostile force that threatens the hero in some way. The unbeatable team. Hitting a curve. Staring down a hard throwing LHP. Or a giant dog.
Post Examples - Pitcher on mound, clutch hit video
3) Rags to Riches - Think Bad News Bears. The hero goes through trials to gain fame, riches and power, sometime before losing it all and becoming a real person again.
Post Examples - Team celebration pic, throwing out a runner vid
4) Rebirth - Think Charlie Sheen in Major League 2 and real life. The hero is an unlikable or does not take things seriously enough and works hard to redeem themself.
Post Examples - Maturing player, recent program grad, comeback player
5) Voyage - Think Tom Selleck in Mr. Baseball. The hero goes to a strange land and and overcomes threats to become a better person. Baseball tournaments, new team, showcase, college prospect camp, tryouts.
Post Examples - Prospect camp pic, Showcase vid, tournament post
6) Comedy - Think Adam Sandler in almost everything except Uncut Gems. Funny or light. hearted character who bumbles their way into learning life lessons of hard work, sacrifice and teamwork.
Post Examples - Bloopers, epic fails, MVP winners,
7) Tragedy/Adversity - Think Pride of the Yankees / Bang the Drum Slowly. The hero stares down a villain, inspiring those around them, before ultimately succumbing to forces bigger than themselves. They remind us to live life to the fullest, take care of those around us and sometimes carry on their memory.
Post Examples - Overcoming injuries and loss. Tributes to our coaches, parents and teammates who have had to deal with adversity.
Step 3
Match up the art and copy to your story. Typically the art shows the what and copy tells the how. Don't just post pic or a video - give the viewer the backstory and let them know why you're feeling what you're. feeling.
Post Example - Scrappy 2nd basemen muscles a clutch hit after working out hard in the off-season. Amazing work ethic!
Post Example - No one gave this team a chance. We were undersized and lacked confidence. After starting 0-3, the coach changed up the approach and got them to believe in themselves.
Post Example - Don't fear the curve! This tee drill will teach you how to own the nastiest 12-6 like a boss.
Remember that "poster's block" (social media equivalent of writer's block), happens to EVERYONE. You have a whole life's experience to draw from. Use it to work your way through a blank canvas and paint your reality. No cat videos, no crispy seed or sword knock-offs.
Don't try to be famous, just be you.
If you're struggling to find the right content to post and when, we're here to help. We can either write and post for you, or coach you through our process. DIY'ers always welcome! Hit us up - 973-337-6518 or drop us a line - smallballmedia@gmail.com.