Race directors, I have a question for you.

How much money are you spending on advertising your race?

Facebook and Instagram ads. Google Ads. Sponsored posts. Cycling media. Maybe a boosted post here and there when registration numbers need a little help.

Now for the harder question: Is it actually driving registrations?

One of the biggest misconceptions about tourism marketing is that creating better social media content requires a bigger budget.

More cameras. More software. More staff. More equipment. All of the goods.

For small towns and rural tourism organizations, that can make content creation feel out of reach before it even begins. Also, we assume we need all of that to stand out online.

But there's good news. Some of the most useful tools for building visibility today are relatively inexpensive. Heck, some are even free. Others are probably already sitting in your pocket.

Your latest social media post could be thoughtful, beautifully produced, and genuinely useful.

It could also disappear from your followers’ feeds before most of them ever knew it existed.

Social media is a lot of fun for me. Over time, I have trained my algorithms to show me content I am interested in. My feeds are filled with bikes, trails, outdoor recreation, photography, small towns, rural tourism, and content marketing. All fun stuff.

But when it comes to creating and publishing social media content, there is a reality we cannot ignore.

My DMs on Instagram are buzzing daily, with conversations with race directors not only across the country but also overseas. There's something unifying about the stress of lower-than-expected registration numbers as race day looms...

If you've been following along for any length of time, you'll realize there's about a 20% overlap in content in my articles from week to week. Not only am I trying to build bridges from one article to the next, but we also need weekly reminders of many of the same things (I know, I do).

I received a DM from a race director who was sharing, "We just need to push harder on social this month." I don't think there's a race director anywhere on planet Earth who doesn't think and feel the same.

I could sense his panic. Registration had stalled. The race was eight weeks out.

When it comes to social media and creating more awareness for your race ... what would you do? Or maybe more accurately, what DO you do?

“We just need better content,” a race director told me recently.

He said it the way most people do ... frustrated, slightly overwhelmed, convinced the algorithm had turned against him. (Who doesn’t feel that way???)

When I asked what kind of content he meant, he paused.

“More reels, probably. Maybe more drone shots. Something that pops.”

That’s when I realized the real issue wasn’t really about creativity ... it was more about clarity.

“We don’t really have a brand. We just put on a good event,” a gravel race director friend told me.

He said it casually. Almost proudly.

And in one sense, he was right. His course was solid, and the race was a blast. The volunteers showed up. The aid stations were stocked. Riders finished tired and smiling.

However, if you put on a race, you have a brand.

The only question is whether it’s intentional.

The race directors that I know do not want to sell harder.

They already feel the weight of promotion. The pressure to post. The anxiety around registration numbers. The sense that every piece of social media or email newsletter content needs to perform immediately.

That pressure often leads to urgency. Louder messaging. More reminders. A harder push.

Urgency rarely builds trust. But storytelling works differently. It does not ask people to act right away. It helps them understand first.

This article reframes storytelling as something sustainable for race directors. Not a campaign. Not a tactic. But a long-term way of helping people get familiar with your race before they ever decide to register.

Pretty much all of the race directors I work with and talk to already believe content matters. You see, the problem is not belief. It's really about expectation.

Content marketing has been tied to the idea of virality ... BIG reach ... FAST growth ... a post that suddenly BLOWS UP. That expectation actually undermines good work. Why? How?

When content does not spike or blow up, it feels like failure. When nothing takes off, people assume they are doing it wrong. So they change formats, chase hacky trends, or stop altogether. Many feel deeply discouraged (it happens to me, too).

In practice, content that works rarely looks exciting while it is happening. It looks consistent ... yawn.

After registration opens and before race day arrives, many races go quiet.

There is nothing new to announce. No deadlines to push. No obvious reason to post. So content pauses. Or disappears. Or slows waaaaaayyyy down ...

This stretch, the months between announcements, is the longest part of a race’s story. It is also the most underused. Not because race directors do not care, but because they are unsure what belongs there.

The assumption is simple. If there is nothing new to say, there is nothing to share. I’d contend that assumption is wrong.

Most race content shows up too late.

A registration announcement. A reminder post. A last-minute push when numbers feel soft. By then, content is being asked to do a job it cannot do alone.

No one registers for a race they do not understand. No one commits to an experience they cannot picture. And no one travels to an unfamiliar place based on logistics alone.