If I started a tennis club’s social media tomorrow, here’s exactly what I’d do.
No strategy documents. Just the actual first moves, in order.
If someone handed me a blank slate tomorrow, a tennis club with no social media history, no existing following, nothing, here’s honestly what I’d do first. Not a 90 day strategy document with content pillars and brand frameworks, none of that’s needed here. The goal is simple: show up consistently, and show what makes our club special.
Day one: decide who it’s actually for
Before posting anything, I’d get clear on who I’m talking to. A performance focused club competing in division one or nationally needs a different tone to a community club whose whole identity is “everyone’s welcome, come and have a knock about.” Neither is wrong, and there’s loads of variation in between, but trying to speak to both, or everyone, at once ends up speaking to no one. I’d pick, and let that decision quietly shape every post that follows. I’d almost write it on a Post-it note and stick it on my desk: our club’s values are XYZ.
Week one: build an image bank, before worrying about captions
This is the bit most clubs skip, and it’s the bit that matters most. I wouldn’t touch scheduling tools or content calendars in week one. I’d spend that time simply capturing real moments: coaching sessions, junior tennis, adult socials, matches, volunteers, the clubhouse actually being used.
Modern phones take genuinely excellent photos, and I’ll stick my neck out here, there’s a 100% chance someone at your club has a smartphone. You don’t need a professional camera, though if you’ve got access to one, happy days.
I’d write down what’s happening that week and think about where I could actually get a photo, not just a photo taken from six miles away at the back of the court that ends up being 60% sky, 30% floor and 10% people. We want emotion. As an example: if team practice happens Tuesday evenings, I’d walk right up to the net and take some photos, landscape and portrait, of players spinning for ends, or shaking hands afterwards. Close enough that you can actually see their smiles. Easy and effective. Nobody’s expecting a Getty Images shot of a mudslide backhand winner, but at the very least, we want to try and capture the emotion. People respond to emotion.
We worked with a club that genuinely had a brilliant, buzzing social tennis scene, but every photo on their page was of an empty court, taken from the car park. Technically fine images, just nothing that matched who they actually were. Once they started capturing real people mid-session, getting in the mix, laughing, high-fiving after a good point, engagement spiked. Nothing else changed. Just what was actually in the photo.
Week two: write down every area of the club, then list content ideas under each one
This is where it gets genuinely practical. Grab a notebook, or a notes app, and list out every distinct part of club life. Then, under each one, jot down four or five simple content ideas you could realistically capture. Here’s what that might look like:
Coaching sessions
A coach demonstrating a drill, close up
Kids celebrating after nailing a shot
A quick “here’s one tip” video, filmed on a phone, thirty seconds max
A group huddle or team talk moment
A simple before-and-after of a player’s progress over a term
Social tennis
People queuing up with a coffee, waiting for a court
A mixed doubles action shot mid-rally
A high five after a good point
A group photo at the end of the session
Someone showing a newcomer the ropes for the first time
Team practice
Players spinning for ends
Warm-up drills in action
Handshakes at the net
The captain giving a pre-match team talk
A bit of banter during a water break
Sunday matches
The pre-match huddle
A scoreboard or result photo
The post-match handshake line
A celebratory team photo after a win
A close-up shot of real concentration mid-point
The clubhouse
Volunteers behind the bar
The cake table on finals day
The notice board, full of results and photos
People chatting over tea or coffee after a match
Decorations up for a themed club night
Social events
BBQ smoke and food shots
Quiz night team photos
Trophy shots from an awards evening
Kids’ races at a summer sports day
The raffle prize draw moment
Once that list exists, you’re never starting from a blank page. You’ve got a genuine bank of ideas to pull from every single week, built entirely from things that are already happening at your club anyway.
Ongoing: pick a frequency I can actually sustain, and stick to it
I wouldn’t commit to daily posting from a standing start. I’d pick something realistic, once or twice a week, and protect that consistency fiercely. A club posting reliably twice a week looks far more alive and trustworthy than one that posts eight times in a burst of enthusiasm and then goes quiet for two months. People notice the gaps more than they notice the frequency.
None of this needs a marketing background, a budget, or hours a week. It needs someone willing to take their phone out at the next session, and a small amount of discipline to keep showing up. That’s genuinely the whole starting point. Everything more sophisticated can come later, once the habit is actually built.