How to Win Friends and Influence Strava Followers
Strava is an excellent cycling tool: It helps riders find new routes in their own backyards or while visiting new places, and is a great way to record rides and track progress. But it’s also a powerful form of social media. Riders give each other ‘kudos’ and comment on rides and routes, and getting a few kudos after a particularly long ride can feel really great.
So how do “normal folk” grow their Strava followings—and their potential to earn a few thousand virtual high fives? It might be hard to wrap your head around, but plenty of Strava users like following cyclists who aren’t yet household names. We asked three of Strava’s most-followed non-pro cyclists—all of whom have more than 5,000 fans—for their secrets to becoming famous on social media.
Related: 6 Signs You Need a Strava Intervention
Donny Perry
Industry pro Donny Perry of Specialized loves Strava as a social network all its own. He’s tried sharing his rides on Instagram, Twitter, and most other common social platforms, but he keeps coming back to Strava for its simplicity. “I got onto the platform pretty early,” he says. “I was one of the early adopters. I didn’t use it much then, but once I started playing around, I quickly became addicted."
Make the First Move: Follow others if you expect them to follow you. Give kudos if you want kudos. “I consider myself a ‘kudo bomber.’ I got yelled at once for giving a stranger kudos on a ride,” Perry says. “But most people really appreciate it.” If you want to have a large following, it takes time to grow, and you have to be active: Don’t just make cool posts and expect people to find you. You can also join groups or clubs, and do Strava Challenges to add to your following. “I just connect with all these people, and while some wonder who the heck I am, some of them come back and find something interesting on my page as well.
Related: Entertain Your Strava Followers with Awesome GPS Art
Use What You’ve Got: Perry opts to record his routes on a cell phone, that way, he doesn’t have to bother with other electronics, other than occasionally bringing along a GoPro. You don’t need to have fancy equipment to use Strava—the app works just fine on your phone, especially if you’re just getting into using it!
Add Ride Photos: A picture’s worth a thousand watts—or something like that. Perry loves adding a photo or two from the ride, even if that means pausing on a trail and losing a KOM. He’s not out to be the fastest guy on Strava, but he’s close to being the most-loved. “People follow pros because their info is legitimately interesting,” Perry says. “My activity is not interesting. My rides are very standard. So I tried to add titles to make people laugh and added photos."
Play the Name Game: Speaking of titles, Perry’s last and most effective trick is to give his rides completely random names—sometimes witty, sometimes goofy, but it’s always fun to see what he comes up with. “I keep a file of potential ride names,” he says, and he often thinks of great names when he’s out on the bike.
Find him on Strava, where he’s Athlete #169922.
Related: Cool Things We Learned from Tour de France Pros’ Strava Files
Josef Ajram
Between his Strava, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts, Josef Ajram has over half a million followers. That, naturally, gives the Spanish rider a leg up in follower collecting, since he shares his Strava files across networks.
Share Everything: "I like to share my trainings, so most of my followers are coming from my Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram,” he says. He didn’t try to build his Strava following, it just started to happen as he shared his feed across his other social networks. Even if you don’t have half a million Twitter followers, you can share your Strava files on social networks you already use to build your follower base.
Related: 107 Social Media Stars of Cycling
Focus on What You Love: Some people love posting photos, some people are into doing challenges. Ajram likes going fast. And it works for him! "I like to find segments and see how fast I can ride it,” he says. "For me, it is important to always compare with my own past rides, so I'm very happy when I get a new personal record."
Consistency is Key: You can’t jump in and out of being a Strava junkie and expect your followers to stick around. "I think the user should share the Strava training across all social media networks, and be very constant with posting,” Ajram says.
Find him on Strava, where he’s Athlete #1027245.
Antonio Sánchez
Content ID: 100719
Only 18 years old, cyclist Antonio Sánchez of Catalunya, Spain is one of the youngest popular riders on Strava. His generation prides itself on being super social media-savvy, and Sánchez is no exception. How does someone so young achieve Strava greatness? A good attitude, surprising routes, and a unique personality.
Content Is King: Not only does Sánchez believe in finding unique, exciting routes that people will search for when they want to explore cool new spots in Spain, he believes in adding value to his uploads with photos and solid commentary about rides.
Connect with Fans: Once you have followers, make sure you’re actively talking to them. "I've gotten many fans thanks to being a very active person in this sport social network,” Sánchez explains. "I talk to my fans. I’m only 18 years old—being so young, many are surprised by my routes and times!"
Do Crazy Routes: You can do badass routes—like the time he circled his city (200 kilometers) on a mountain bike, but you can also gain followers with crazy routes. " I walked the streets of my city and was drawing a very original Strava map—many people found it funny,” he says. He also adds that you shouldn’t stick to the same places. Don’t repeat your routes, and look for something interesting about your route: “If possible, make a large number of kilometers or lots of climbing; go up for a spectacular photo; interact with your followers; try to win a QOM; hang out with friends; and take pictures!"
Have Faith: The key to growing Strava followers is practicing patience. “It will not be easy to gain followers every day,” Sánchez says. “You have to be patient.” Unlike other social medias, on Strava, you can’t hashtag and hope for more followers; there are no Strava-bots out there. It’s all about real human connection, and in a way, that’s what makes it great.
Find him on Strava, where he’s Athlete #776685.
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