What Do You Say In An Email To A College Coach?
It’s often recommended that you email college coaches to get on their radar. But it can be intimidating to randomly reach out to a college coach that you’ve never talked to before. What should you say or not say when emailing a college coach?
**In an email to a college coach, your goal is to introduce yourself and your skills in a straightforward, respectful way.**You should title your email with basic information, such as your name, age, high school and class. In the introduction of the email, introduce yourself and tell the coach why you’re interested in their program. Then include some relevant specifics, such as your athletic and academic statistics. Close the email by giving the coach a next step, whether that’s a time when you’ll be following up or a date when you’ll be playing at a showcase.
This format can be useful as it puts the most important information at the beginning of the email. College coaches are very busy individuals and are used to receiving hundreds of these emails in their inbox every year. Your email will need to stand out from the others by having a catchy subject line and putting the most relevant information first. Be sure to add your contact information at the end of the email so that the coach can reach out to you if needed.
Your end goal is to end up on a college coach’s roster, but you have to start by developing a relationship with a coach. One of the most reliable ways to do this is by sending emails on a regular basis to coaches. Sending a quality introductory email following the format above can help you stand out in a crowd of other potential recruits.
Things To Consider When Emailing A College Coach
Writing a great introductory email to a college coach will take a bit more effort than following a format. It’s important to personalize the guidelines and add your personality and flair into an email to a college coach. Here’s a few more things to keep in mind when emailing a college coach:
Do Your Research: Before reaching out to any coaches, start by thinking about what you want your college experience to be like. What division do you want to play in? Do you want to go to school close to home or far away? What schools have your major or academic area of focus? What schools have high performing programs for your sport? Thinking about some of the things that are important to you about college will help you identify what your top schools are. After you know this, you can decide which college coaches you want to email.
Personalize: The best emails to college coaches are the most personalized ones. If you can comment on what you like about their coaching style or program, this shows the coach that you’ve done your research and are truly interested in the school. You can also make your emails to college coaches more personal by explaining why you think you’d be a good fit for the school, whether that’s because of your athletic skills or leadership qualities.
Follow Up: After sending an introductory email to a college coach, you’ll want to follow up with the coach on a regular basis. A good benchmark is to send one follow up email between a few days to one week after you send your introductory email. You should also follow up with a phone call if you don’t get a response to your emails.
Emailing a college coach can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Keeping these things in mind will help you make a good impression on the coach.
What Should You Do Before Emailing A College Coach?
Emailing a college coach is a good way to start building a relationship. To start off on the right foot, you should make sure you’re prepared for the coach to research you. There are a few things that you’ll want to get straightened away before you press send on that email.
Update Your Highlight Video: In an introductory email to a college coach, you should include a link to your highlight video for the coach. You’ll want to make sure you have an updated version posted so the coach has the best information to make a decision with. If you update your highlight video in the future after you contact a coach, you can email them again to let them know.
Clean Up Social Media: College coaches can Google you at any time, but they may be more likely to do their own research after you email them. Look over your social media profiles before sending an introductory email to make sure there isn’t any content that would reflect poorly on your character.
Check Your Tournament Schedule: It’s a good idea to let college coaches know when your upcoming tournaments and showcases are. That way, they can come see you play if they are interested in having you on their roster.
Talk To Your Current Coach: Before contacting college coaches, you may want to talk with your current high school or club coach about what your goals are for playing sports in college. They can help connect you with college coaches that they know or communicate with a coach for you.
Taking care of these things before emailing a college coach helps you make a good impression on the coach and present the best version of yourself. And of course, you always want to edit the email before you send it.
When Should You Email College Coaches?
The most important thing to remember about when to email college coaches is to reach out early and often. NCAA regulations may prevent coaches from responding if you send an email before June 15 or September 1 of your junior year depending on your sport and the division you’re targeting. But there are no penalties for student-athletes who contact college coaches, so feel free to email before those dates.
Reach Out Early: Coaches are always evaluating student-athletes to identify a list of potential recruits even when they’re underclassmen. Sending emails early puts you on the coach’s radar in the early stages of their recruiting. Even if the coach can’t respond directly, they can use indirect channels, such as your current coach to communicate information.
On A Regular Basis: Remember to keep following up on your emails and phone calls to get a coach to notice you. Some reasons you might reach out to a coach besides introducing yourself include updating coaches on academic achievements, athletic awards or highlight video. You can also reach out to congratulate a coach on their season or a big win. Emailing on a regular basis builds recognition of your name with the coach and keeps you top of mind.
Weekday Evenings: College coaches are very busy and juggle a lot of different priorities. They may not respond to your email right away. To have the best chance of a coach seeing your email, you should send it at less busy times in the day when coaches may be going through their inbox, such as the early morning (9 – 11 am) or evening (4 – 8 pm).
The general rule for emailing college coaches is the earlier, the better. Emailing a coach consistently will get yourself on their radar as you continue to develop and grow as an athlete. The key to reaching out on a regular basis is to send emails with real subject matter and not just fluff. Make sure your emails to a college coach are relevant to what they want to hear - either updates about your athletic progress or scheduling a time for them to meet or talk with you.
Things To Keep In Mind
Parents: Parents should let their student-athletes take the lead on sending emails to college coaches. Coaches want to see that student-athletes have time management skills and the confidence needed to play sports in college.
Be Yourself: Don’t be afraid to show off your personality a bit when emailing a college coach. They want to get to know you so they can determine if you would be a good fit for their program.
The Coach’s Perspective: Always be thinking about the coach’s perspective when communicating with college coaches. Considering what information might be helpful to them will help you communicate in a clear and concise way.