Knockout (Gaslight spin-off)

13| Instagram official

The next morning, I channel my inner Alexa and wake up early, make some breakfast, and sit at the table with my phone in hand as I work on creating an Instagram page. Creating the handle is easy (GymCon), and so is selecting a profile picture, but after that, I'm stumped.

After contemplating, I type Box Inc into the search bar and scroll through their feed for inspo. Even though it kills me to admit it, they've got their media down to fine art. Each post is purposeful, drawing people to comment with carefully picked questions.

I click on one picture of a girl wearing gloves, the caption reading: Monday motivation. Who else likes to train at the start of the week? Hundreds of comments have already replied with their favorite time to train, and thousands of others have liked it. Somehow, I am going to have to compete with that.

"Morning, honey." My head snaps up as Mom swans over in her satin pajamas and takes a seat opposite. "You're up early." She leans closer, peering at the familiar app still inhabiting my screen, and grins. "You made an Instagram?"

"Not exactly," I say. "I made one for the gym, but I'm kind of stuck on what to do."

She rubs her hands like an evil villain and scoots beside me. "I can help if you like."

I'll admit, despite knowing she's probably the best person to ask, the thought of enlisting her help makes me queasy. It's not that I don't think she'll do a good job; it's more that our ideas might not necessarily align, and that's when the claws come out. "It's okay. I'll probably just–"

"Oh, come on, Cassie," she says, "I know what I'm doing regarding marketing. How do you think I got my business to where it is today? Don't underestimate the power of a good Instagram page." 

I sigh and hand over my phone. "That's the Instagram of Box Inc, the gym across the street. I'd like ours to look something like that."

She briefly scrolls down before shaking her head. "That's not going to work."

I frown. "Why not?"

"It just isn't," she says. "The trick isn't to create a new image but to lean into what you already are. This Box Inc place is professional and sleek. That's their image, and that's what they're playing up to: luxury. Your gym doesn't have that. It's rough around the edges, local, and it's made for everyone. That's what you lean into – community. Something accessible and real. A place for anyone serious about training, not just people with money."

My eyebrows fly up. I hadn't thought about different marketing styles, but what she's saying makes sense. It makes me realize that what she's doing with her business is far more complex than I've given her credit for. "So, what now?" I ask. "What's the first step?"

"Upload a few photos or videos of the gym so people can get a feel of it. Ask a question to garner engagement whenever you post something, and remember to use hashtags."

I'm writing it down in the back of my journal, a journal I've reserved for my mother's indiscretions but now holds our marketing ideas – the world is weird is like that.

"Here," she says, pointing to a post on the Box Inc account promoting one of their boxers, a female lightweight looking for her first fight. Who's ready to fight? Calling all amateur lightweight boxers. If you're interested, ask your coach to get in contact. There are tons of comments beneath it, with people saying they're looking forward to seeing who's fighting. "It's already got thousands of likes and reposts. You can latch onto their popularity by signing someone from your gym up to that. They've already done the hard part of garnering engagement. All you've got to do is show up."

The first person that comes to mind is Maddie. Not only is she an amazing fighter, but she's got that energy that, naturally, you can't look away from. The only problem is that with her being at college, she's rarely around, except for weekends, which means if I want to catch her before she goes back, it will have to be today.