How to use Twitter to get recruited: The Ultimate Guide

Twitter can be a powerful tool for student-athletes looking to get recruited by colleges. Coaches are now using Twitter to find new recruits, and if you’re not using it to your advantage, you’re missing out.

Building a personal brand on Twitter is crucial for student-athletes aiming to get recruited, as it helps them stand out and showcase their unique skills and personality.

In this article, we will discuss the top 8 ways student-athletes can use Twitter to get recruited by college coaches. We’ll also provide some tips on how to make sure your Twitter profile is attractive to coaches. Let’s get started!

Why Twitter is a powerful college recruiting tool

College recruiters and coaches use social media tools like Twitter to discover more athletes and fill their recruiting pipelines. Twitter is a powerful recruiting tool because it allows student-athletes to share their story with every college coach. Who knows, you may end up earning a scholarship offer due to a conversation that started from sending a direct message to a coach on Twitter.

Twitter allows you to share photos, videos, and thoughts about your life as a student-athlete in a way that is easily accessible and engaging. This can help coaches learn more about you as a person and athlete. Engagement with coaches can lead to better relationships. You can even DM college coaches to develop a more personal relationship with them during the recruiting process.

Twitter also provides a platform for connecting with other athletes and fans, which can help you build relationships with people who may be able to help you get recruited or discover NIL opportunities.

Understanding College Coaches on Twitter

College coaches are increasingly using Twitter to connect with prospective student-athletes, share updates about their programs, and build their personal brands. With over 95% of student-athletes having a Twitter account, it’s essential to understand how college coaches use the platform. Coaches use Twitter to:

• Share updates about their programs, including news, scores, and highlights
• Connect with prospective student-athletes and build relationships
• Share their expertise and showcase their coaching philosophy
• Engage with other coaches, athletic directors, and sports professionals
• Stay up-to-date with the latest news and trends in their sport

By understanding how college coaches use Twitter, student-athletes can better navigate the platform and increase their chances of getting noticed. Knowing what coaches are looking for and how they interact on social media can give you a significant edge in the recruiting process.

How to use Twitter for College Recruiting: our top 8 tips

1. Follow college coaches and programs you're interested in
2. Setup the perfect college recruiting Twitter profile
3. Tweet about your achievements and goals
4. Tweet out your video highlights
5. Reply to tweets from college coaches and other recruiters. Engagement with coaches can increase your chances of getting noticed.
6. Announce offers you receive to gain attention
7. Send Direct Messages (DMs) to college coaches
8. Manage your Twitter account carefully and avoid inappropriate posts.

Follow college coaches at the programs you're interested in

If you're interested in getting recruited by a certain college, it's important to follow the college's coaching staff on Twitter. This will give you a better sense of what the coaches are looking for in potential recruits and allows you to connect with them on a more personal level.

How to find college coach Twitter accounts

You can search for a Twitter account directly with Twitter’s search tool. Additionally, most colleges have their coaching staff’s Twitter handles listed on their athletic website. If you can’t find the information on their website, you can always do a Google search for “coach name Twitter” or “college name Twitter.” It could be good to note their other social media accounts and follow them there as well.

The above methods are simple but time-consuming. If you want to save some time, an easier way to find the Twitter account for any college coach is to use ProductiveRecruit. Using ProductiveRecruit, you can view the contact information for any college coach, including their Twitter handle. Coach information (including their Twitter accounts) is updated monthly to ensure the most accurate information possible. There are over 90,000 coaches in our database across 22 sports. Coach Twitter accounts, team social profiles, and recruiting questionnaires are linked automatically — all the information you need is now in one place.

Researching College Programs on Twitter

Researching college programs on Twitter is a crucial step in the recruiting process. By following college coaches and programs on Twitter, student-athletes can:

• Get a sense of the program’s culture and values
• Learn about the team’s strengths and weaknesses
• Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates
• Connect with current players and alumni
• Show interest in the program and increase their visibility

To research college programs on Twitter, student-athletes should:

• Follow the program’s official Twitter account
• Follow the coaches and athletic directors
• Use hashtags to track conversations about the program
• Engage with the program’s tweets and show interest
• Use Twitter lists to organize and track multiple programs

By researching college programs on Twitter, student-athletes can make informed decisions about their recruiting process and increase their chances of finding the right fit. This proactive approach will help you stand out to college coaches and demonstrate your genuine interest in their programs.

How to set up the perfect Twitter profile for recruiting

Your Twitter profile is one of the most important college recruiting assets for prospective student-athletes during the recruiting process. Your social media accounts represent who you are as a person, and Twitter is no exception.

1. Add a profile picture
2. Setup a great bio
3. Add your recruiting profile and highlight video(s) as your website link

Add a great profile picture

A strong profile picture is important for college recruiting because it helps coaches put a name to a face. When coaches are scrolling through Twitter, they may stop and look at your profile if your picture catches their eye. They may move on to the next profile if your picture is blurry or unprofessional.

Make sure your profile picture is high quality. You may consider using a professional headshot or another photo that captures your personality. Or, use a high-quality action shot from a game if you have one available. By having a great profile picture, you’re more likely to catch the attention of college coaches on Twitter. A good profile picture can also enhance engagement with coaches.

How to set up your Twitter bio for success and stand out to coaches

Make sure your bio includes the following:

• Your position
• Your graduation year -Your school or club team name
• Your height and weight
• Your GPA (if available)
• NCAA/NAIA id number
• Your highlight video link(s) — whether it be your highlight reel from Hudl, YouTube, or another platform

Adding your recruiting profile or highlights as your website link

Twitter allows you to add a website link to your profile. You should ideally add either 1) your online recruiting profile (made with a platform like ProductiveRecruit) or 2) a link to your highlight reel. You want to give coaches quick access to all your information and highlight videos as quickly as possible. Now any coach that lands on your Twitter account will be able to recruit you if you’re a good fit for their program.

Example of a great Twitter profile for college recruiting

The above profile is a great example of how you should set up any social media account for your recruitment process. The picture is high quality and shows him in action, the bio includes all relevant information a coach would want, and the link goes to his Hudl profile with all his highlight videos. A well-setup profile can enhance engagement with coaches.

Creating a Personal Brand on Twitter

Creating a personal brand on Twitter is essential for student-athletes looking to get recruited. A strong personal brand can help student-athletes stand out from the competition, showcase their skills and achievements, and build relationships with college coaches. To create a personal brand on Twitter, student-athletes should:

• Use a professional profile picture and header image
• Write a clear and concise bio that includes their name, sport, and contact information
• Share updates about their athletic achievements and accomplishments
• Engage with other athletes, coaches, and sports professionals
• Use hashtags to track conversations about their sport and increase their visibility

By creating a strong personal brand on Twitter, student-athletes can increase their chances of getting noticed by college coaches and recruiters. Your Twitter profile is a reflection of who you are both on and off the field, so make sure it represents you in the best possible light.

Tweet about your achievements and goals

Regularly tweet about your achievements and goals as a student-athlete to keep coaches updated on your progress. Regular updates can enhance engagement with coaches. This demonstrates your dedication to the process and shows that you’re taking your recruiting seriously. It can also be a good idea to tag college coaches on your tweets to increase your exposure.

Twitter’s algorithm surfaces relevant content to its users, so if you continue sharing your progress, it will land on many coaches’ timelines.

Share highlight videos

One of the best ways to use Twitter for college recruiting is by sharing your highlight videos. When coaches are scrolling through Twitter (or other social media sites), they may stop and look at your profile if your video catches their eye. Sharing videos can enhance engagement with coaches. Video is a great tool to get noticed by more coaches, so share any new clips you have as your season progresses.

Reply to tweets from college coaches

It’s important to stay engaged with coaches on Twitter throughout the recruiting process. By replying to their tweets, you’re increasing your chances of getting noticed by one of your dream schools! Replying to tweets can also enhance engagement with coaches.

When you reply to a college coach’s tweet, you’re demonstrating your interest in their program and that you’re engaged in the recruiting process. Coaches love when recruits are proactive and engage with them on social media. It shows that you’re serious about playing at their school and that you’re taking the time to learn more about their program.

When you reply to tweets, it also helps coaches keep track of your progress. Coaches often use Twitter to recruit, so replying to their tweets will help them remember who you are. They may even favorite or retweet your replies, which will help increase your exposure to other coaches.

Send Direct Messages (DMs) to college coaches on Twitter and other social media apps

Sending direct messages (DMs) to college coaches on Twitter is a great way to get their attention and build a relationship with them. Sending DMs can also enhance engagement with coaches. Plus, coaches appreciate when recruits are proactive and reach out to them on social media. By sending a DM, you’re able to communicate with them privately, which can be helpful if you have any questions about their school.

Another benefit of sending a dm to a coach is that (like a text message) they will get a mobile notification, making it more likely for them to interact with you. Just like when you email a college coach, you need to remember to make each DM personalized so the coach knows you have done your research.

Announce offers you receive to gain attention

When you receive an offer from a college, be sure to announce it on Twitter! This will grab the attention of college coaches and let them know that you're a high-priority recruit. By tweeting about your offers, you're showing that other schools are interested in you and that you're a desirable player.

Another benefit of sharing your offers on Twitter (or other social media sites) is that they will likely receive more engagement than other Tweets. Getting more likes and retweets will lead to more coaches seeing your offer, which will build more hype and desire to recruit you.

While some may find it is bad taste to share college offers on social media, at the end of the day an offer is an endorsement from at least one coach that you are good enough to play at the next level. So why not use that asset to your advantage during the recruiting process?

Manage your Twitter account carefully and avoid inappropriate posts

Twitter can be a great tool for college recruiting if used correctly. However, if you’re not careful, you can easily mess up your chances of getting recruited. Careful management of your account can enhance engagement with coaches.

One way to ruin your chances of getting recruited is by posting inappropriate content on Twitter. This could be anything from offensive jokes to explicit photos. Coaches are looking for recruits who represent their school in a positive light both on and off the field, so avoid posting anything that could reflect poorly on you or your team.

Also, be wary of anything you like and retweet. Any user (including a college coach) can see what you have liked and retweeted, so make sure they are things you endorse and that they would be proud of.

Conclusion: How to use Twitter for College Recruiting

If you use it correctly, Twitter can be a powerful tool for getting recruited by colleges. By tweeting about your offers and other relevant achievements, you can grab the attention of college coaches and gain more exposure. Just make sure to avoid posting anything that could reflect poorly on your character, and be careful of what you like and retweet. Good luck!

About ProductiveRecruit

ProductiveRecruit is the perfect tool for aspiring student-athletes who want to play college sports. This online tool makes it easy to keep track of all the colleges you're interested in, and allows you to contact (over 80,000 different) coaches directly. ProductiveRecruit also helps you stay organized and keeps track of all your recruiting tasks. We have products for athletes, individual teams, clubs, high schools, and recruiting services. Get started at productiverecruit.com.