You are Unique. Your emails should be too!

When Chris Norris, Justin Chezem, and I discussed making initial contact with a coach, it became clear that a big no-no is making errors in your email. They receive hundreds if not thousands of emails per year. They’re looking for reasons to hit delete in order to save time. When composing your email, take your time and do your research. The email should be personalized. If you are trying to reach a number of coaches with a generic message by 'BCC' or 'CC'ing a group of coaches you’ll most likely get hit with the delete button. An unfortunate example they shared was the countless times they've received emails that weren't addressed to them! Below are 4 steps to follow to ensure you're making the best impression.

Step 1: Personalize your email to each individual coach.

Demonstrate that you’ve done research about the school, the team and the coach. Look into the team's results and upcoming games. Make mentions of what you have learned in your email to demonstrate you care about their games, players and program.This shows the coach knows you’re truly interested in THEIR team and college.

Step 2: Highlight specific information about you that will match you to the university, the team and athletic program.

Provide a brief bio that includes your GPA, test scores, recent playing resume, your physical stats (height and weight), which foot you favor, and any particular awards or accolades. This is your opportunity to stand out from the others with your unique academic and athletic attributes.

Step 3: Share your player capabilities and personality on video. KEEP IT BRIEF!

Provide a link to a video clips that highlight you in matches. Show off your goals, tackles, big saves, magical passes and interplay with your team. Moments of leadership, tactical understanding, and being a good teammate are excellent to exhibit as well. Make sure they don’t exceed a minute or two and that you are prominent in the video. Use video editing tools to ensure you are easily spotted for the viewer. If the video quality is poor, don’t send it. Vet these with your friends and family first to make sure they see you clearly.

Step 4: Share your upcoming playing schedule to make it easy for the coach to find and watch you play.

Include a headshot of yourself in the body of the email. Also include the next few weeks of your schedule including location (complex, field #, etc.), time, opposing team, your jersey number and any other relevant information that will get the coach to right place at the right time and easily be able to spot you.

In summary, your emails should be personal and intentionally packed with useful, personal, unique information about you and well-researched information about the program that shows the coach you've invested time in the correspondence.

See you on the Trail! SC