How Are You Reaching Your Teenage Prospects on YouTube?

The reason I ask is because YouTube rarely gets mentioned as a priority for coaches in their social media strategy. But that may need to change...

Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and a host of other social media platforms are always at the top of conversations we have with our clients on a regular basis. All of you know it’s a big part of marketing yourself to the next class of recruits, and you pay attention to it. Rightly so.

But what about YouTube?

It’s always on the periphery of your radar, if you’re a typical college coach, but never a priority. That’s also true when it comes to work that many of you do with Preseason, our partner company that focuses on branding and marketing strategies (you should check out what they’re doing with a lot of programs, and see what they might be able to solve for you).

The reason that might need to change is tied to some new research on teenage social media use (and yes, for the sake of this discussion, we’re including YouTube in that category). Here’s what you need to know:

YouTube is the platform most commonly used by teens, with 95% of those ages 13 to 17 saying they have ever used it, according to the survey. Two-thirds of teens report using TikTok, followed by roughly six-in-ten who say they use Instagram (62%) and Snapchat (59%). 

Much smaller shares of teens say they have ever used Twitter (23%), Twitch (20%), WhatsApp (17%), Reddit (14%) and Tumblr (5%).

Facebook use among teens dropped from 71% in 2014-15 to 32% in 2022. Twitter and Tumblr also experienced declines in teen users during that span, but Instagram and Snapchat saw notable increases.