Social Media Strategy

Pick your platforms intentionally

You don’t need to be everywhere. Choose 2-3 platforms you can sustain:

• Instagram - the FRC hub: feed posts, Stories, and Reels. Best all-around for the community.
• TikTok / YouTube Shorts - best for reach and showing personality through short vertical video.
• YouTube - home for reveal videos, recaps, and long-form match footage.
• X (formerly Twitter) - real-time updates during competition (live match results, alliance selection).
• LinkedIn / Facebook - reaching sponsors, alumni, and parents.

Build a content calendar

The #1 thing that separates good team accounts from dead ones is consistency , and consistency comes from planning. Build a simple content calendar in a spreadsheet:

• Map out a posting cadence you can actually keep (e.g., Instagram 3-5x/week, TikTok 4-7x/week during build season, lighter in the off-season).
• Plan around the season rhythm: kickoff (early January), build updates, robot reveal, each competition, awards, off-season.
• Use a scheduler like Later , Buffer , or Meta Business Suite to batch-create and auto-post.

Content pillars (what to post)

Rotate through recurring themes so you never run out of ideas:

1. Build progress - timelapses, CAD renders, “part of the day.”
2. Team culture - member spotlights, behind-the-scenes, bloopers.
3. Competition - countdowns, live results, win celebrations, awards.
4. Sponsors & outreach - thank-you posts (sponsors love being tagged), demo days, community events.
5. Education - quick “how does X work” explainers that show your expertise.

Tactics that grow engagement

• Hook fast: the first 2 seconds of a Reel decide whether people keep watching.
• Captions on video: most people watch muted.
• Hashtags: mix broad (#FIRSTRobotics, #omgrobots, #FRC) with the season tag (e.g., #REBUILT and #FIRSTAGE for 2026) and your team tag.
• Engage back: reply to comments and DMs, and shout out other teams - this embodies Gracious Professionalism and builds goodwill.
• Tag sponsors and FIRST so they reshare you.

Stay on-brand and safe

• Use your brand colors, fonts, and templates in every graphic.
• Maintain a consistent voice from your brand guide.
• Follow your school’s and FIRST’s media/consent policies, especially for minors. Have a mentor co-own accounts and retain login access so accounts survive graduation.
• Keep a measured tone; everything you post represents the whole team and FIRST.

Measure and adjust

Check built-in analytics monthly. Note which posts get saves, shares, and watch time (not just likes), and make more of what works.

Key takeaways

• Choose 2-3 platforms you can sustain and drive everything from a content calendar
• Rotate content pillars (build, culture, competition, sponsors/outreach, education) so you never run dry
• Stay on-brand and on-policy; tag sponsors and FIRST, engage back, and track saves/shares/watch time, not just likes

This lesson was adapted from learnfrc.com.