There was a time when posting about your race on social media actually meant something.
You could share a few photos, write a quick caption, maybe tag a sponsor or two, and people would see it. Riders would register. Momentum would build.
That time is gone.
Not completely. But enough that it’s worth saying out loud.
Social media is no longer a reliable way to grow a race if that is your exclusive way to grow awareness.
And if you’re a race director still relying on it as your primary marketing tool, you’re not alone. But you are at a disadvantage.
This isn’t a critique. It’s just the reality of how the system works now.
If you've followed along for any length of time, you'll also know that I still love and utilize social media a lot.
Why Social Media Isn’t Built for Race Promotion Anymore
Every social media platform is optimizing for one thing.
Attention.
Not context. Not depth. Not your race.
Attention.
That means your post about registration opening is competing against:
Viral crash clips
Pro race highlights
Meme accounts
Influencers
Paid ads from major brands
And even if someone follows you, there’s a good chance they won’t see your post. No, it's not because your race isn’t rad (I know it is). It's simply because the algorithm decided something else would hold their attention longer (probably a cat video).
So what happens?
You post. You get a handful of likes. Maybe a few comments. And then it disappears.
Buried within hours.
The Shelf Life Problem
A social media post has a lifespan of maybe 24 hours. If it performs well, maybe a little longer.
After that, it’s gone.
No one is searching for it. No one is discovering it weeks later. No one is sharing it months down the line.
But your race? That exists on a much longer timeline.
You’re trying to:
Build awareness months in advance
Attract riders from outside your region
Show value to sponsors
Tell a story about place and community
A 24-hour content window doesn’t match that reality.
What Long-Form Storytelling Does Differently
This is where long-form content changes everything.
An article lives.
It can be:
Searched
Shared
Embedded
Referenced
Picked up by other media outlets
It builds over time instead of disappearing.
But more importantly, it gives your race something social media can’t.
Context.
Context Is What Makes a Race Matter
A race is never just a course and a date.
It’s:
The people behind it
The landscape it moves through
The town that hosts it
The reason it exists in the first place
Social media flattens all of that.
A single image ... a short caption ... a quick scroll past.
Long-form storytelling slows things down. It gives people a reason to care. And when someone cares, they register. They travel. They tell other people.
Fighting the Algorithm Without Playing Its Game
As I mentioned before, I actually really love social media.
The goal isn’t to abandon social media. I'm definitely not. The races I work with are not.
It’s to stop depending SOLELY on it. That last sentence is painful for me to write.
However, social media works best when it’s pointing somewhere deeper.
Instead of: “Registration is open.” You have: “A story worth reading.”
Instead of: “Check out this photo.” You have: “Here’s why this place matters.”
You’re building the story.
People land somewhere that holds them. That's why we have a million movie streaming platforms. We love stories.
How Races Can Actually Use This
This doesn’t have to be complicated.
A single strong piece of long-form content can do a lot of work.
Before your race, it can:
Tell the origin story
Introduce the course and landscape
Highlight the community
Give sponsors something meaningful to attach to
After your race, it can:
Capture what actually happened
Document the people who showed up
Extend the life of the event
And in both cases, it gives you something social media can keep pointing back to.
See what I did there? Long-form content pairs really well with social media.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
There are more races now. That means more content, more noise, and more competition for attention.
Unfortunately, being seen isn’t enough anymore. You have to be understood. You have to be remembered.
And that doesn’t happen in a quick social media post.
Where LOAM Fits In
LOAM exists to do exactly this.
To document the culture behind grassroots cycling events. To tell the stories that don’t fit into a post. To help races build something that lasts longer.
Final thoughts
Yes, social media still matters. I'm not giving up on it by any means. I'll continue to study and learn.
But it’s no longer the foundation.
Story is.
I am also mindful that if done well, a well-executed social media strategy can explode your reach and gain you more followers and fans. In many ways, there’s never been a better to be on social media.
What I am advocating for is simply a multi-faceted digital media approach that brings all of these pieces together.
Sean Benesh is a storyteller and strategist based in Portland, Oregon. He works with rural communities, trail organizations, and race organizers to help them tell their stories, grow their online reach, and build momentum through photography, writing, and social media. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of Trail Builder Magazine and serves as the communications director for the NW Trail Alliance.
