InstaFamous… Impact on the Fitness Industry.
By Big Lou Uridel
What started off as a seemingly harmless phenomenon has now transgressed into a pandemic across not only the Interwebs… but the fitness industry.
Selfie-famous. Never did I think the innocuous art of taking one's own picture in the bathroom mirror, gym, restaurant, car, etc. would lead to celebrity status. Not only celebrity status, but the ability to gain many clients for nutritional advice and contest preparation. This all based off of an Instagram account filled with selfies.
This phenomenon has been appropriately dubbed "The Selfie-coach". You see, the only real experience these blokes have is the ability to take pictures of their physique at critical angles to accentuate their shredded (harhar) physique. They also don't forget to add in a filter to greater emphasize their muscular definition and then use the hashtag #nofilter so people don't think they are using one.
They may have done three shows. They may have done one show. However, one thing is clearly apparent. They have volumes of alleged knowledge and they aren't afraid to parade it around as if they have reinvented the wheel.
What impact does this have on the fitness industry? I did a straw poll and determined that only 20% of all prep coaches out there are worth a hoot. That means 80% out there are basically just shooting from the hip or regurgitating something they purchased from 20% of the good prep coaches they previously had hired. There is no science in this equation. I merely looked online at 100 people claiming to be coaches and 80 of them were full of it. Call it BroScience…
Making this impact even more discerning is the fact that many of these Instafamous selfie-coaches aren't even famous!
I was looking at a IG account that had over 25K followers. I thought this guy must have at least 500-800 likes on his photos, maybe even 1000! I clicked on his photos and was flabbergasted to see he had around 60-90 likes on most photos. The highest "like" total was around 158.
Now, my account has around 4000 followers. I have some photos or videos in the 30-50 like range. Many of my photos fall in the 70-100 like range and some of my photos are in the high 100's and low 200's like range.
So, how does someone who has 7x the number of followers that I do have fewer likes per picture? They buy them.
It looks like the old adage everything has a price applies here. Fame is not immune to being bought out - at least not in the Instaworld of hashtags.
How do you spot these fakes? Take a look at their followers and then take a look at their pictures. If someone has 100k followers and 12000 likes a picture, they are probably legit. In fact, if they have 10k likes or more on their pictures… they are probably legit. If they have 20-50k (or more followers) and some of their pictures have under 100 likes… that's a phony!
Going back to the original train of thought… if someone buys followers to get famous on Instagram and then uses that alleged fame on Instagram to get clients for contest prep… who's zooming who?
So now, you don't even have to organically grow your social media accounts. You can simply buy the fame and get instant gratification and fans! To the novice eye, you look like a well seasoned vet and they will gladly pour their hard earned money into these selfie-coaches.
To make matters worse (as if they can be worse) there are supplement companies out there compelling athletes to PURCHASE IG FOLLOWERS in order to meet the minimum followers required by their brand. Let me rephrase this. A supplement company wants an athlete to purchase FAKE followers so they have the auspice of being famous and can help promote the companies supplements… to an entirely fake audience.
In the age of Instagram where it appears you can become famous with the flick of a hashtag (or credit card?) a consumer must be leery of a prep coach who's primary marketing is through a series of selfie portraits taken numerous times per day. Make sure your potential coach has a history of creditability and an established pedigree. Do research on them and find out who their past clients were and how they progressed. Ask questions and if you don't like the answers, move on!
It is my hope and desire that this industry thrive. That people can entrepreneur and reach levels of financial success and self-fulfillment to their hearts content. However, in our industry of technology the biggest issue is with all the information out there is- there is too much information. Too many people can don the hat of a prep coach without fully understanding everything it takes to BE a prep coach. My fear is that these selfie-coaches will cause a set back in the learning curve for many unsuspecting newbies to the sport. Each day my faith is renewed when I read about the good guys and their clients.
Please… do research into who you hire and bring on for your journey to the stage… don't get InstaF*cked by an InstaGuru.
