The document provides guidance for athletes on using social media. It discusses how social media can help athletes with personal branding, sponsorship opportunities, and engaging with fans, but it also notes risks like criticism and distractions. It recommends platforms like Twitter for large audiences and Instagram for visual content. The document offers best practices like including images, providing relevant content about an athlete's life, and being aware of team rules. It cautions athletes to avoid posting when angry or intoxicated, making offensive remarks, or mentioning sponsors in conflicts of interest.

1. Social Media for Athletes
Presented by Hockey Canada

2. Purpose: Why use social media as an
athlete?
Personal branding
Sponsorship
Engage with fans
Promote a cause

3. How social media can help you
(opportunities)
• Build network
• Get sponsorship
• Promote causes (personal and other)
• Create a name for yourself
• Grow fan base
• Gain respect
• Shape public perception of you
• Receive encouragement/praise for
accomplishments

4. How social media can hinder you
(risks)
• Attract/receive criticism
• Distract from “job” at hand
• Embarrass yourself (team, nation, league,
sport, sponsor)
• Lose sponsorship
• Break the rules = fine, suspension, etc.
• Tarnish reputation

5. Platforms: Which one(s) and why
• Twitter
Why: lots of sponsors using it, large audiences,
short text, relatively easy to understand, get real
time updates/news, mobile friendly
• Instagram
Why: visual, easy to use, integrates with Twitter,
can limit who “follows” you, mobile friendly

6. Getting started
• Know your purpose
• Understand the medium
• Have a good display picture and well-written
bio
• Adjust your account settings

7. Best practices
• Include images (and videos) whenever possible
• OK to retweet on Twitter, but try not to do it
back-to-back (balance of original and curated
content)
• Provide shareable, relevant, value-driven content
– Talk about your development, previous teams, day-to-
day life (exclusive info)
• Be aware and abide by team/tournament rules
• Remember to log off if using a public computer

8. What not to do
DO NOT:
• disclose personal information about yourself or others
• post when angry, upset, tired or intoxicated
• make offensive, defamatory or discriminatory remarks
• engage in controversial, heated discussions
• mention people/companies that conflict with current
sponsors
• post images with drugs/alcohol, money
• do not complain about people/companies/services on
social, not the venue as a public figure

9. Things to remember
• Who you represent – team, league, sponsor,
sport, teammates, family, nation
• It’s almost impossible to ever permanently
delete a post (screen shots last forever)
• People want to hear from you, but they want
to SEE you more
Social media is a tool, not a toy.

10. Things to think about
• What platform(s) make sense for you, your goals?
• What three words do you want people to think of
when they think of you? How can you use social to
build a personal brand?
• What appears when you Google your name? Good,
bad? What do you want to see?
• How to appeal to potential sponsors?
• Do you speak multiple languages? Which one(s) should
you communicate online with?
• Having your own website/online asset (in case a
platform ever folds and you lose everything)