3 Police Recruiting Social Media Mistakes to Fix Now!

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If you’re posting on social media but you’re not getting enough high-quality Police Officer applicants, I need you to hear this...it’s not the platform, it’s not the algorithm, and it’s not your budget...it’s your approach. 😳

Here's the good news though...you can easily start fixing it today. 🛠️

Let me show you the three social media mistakes that are killing your police recruiting...keep reading! 👀

Hey everyone, it’s Tom Sye your Police Marketing FTO, and this week, let’s talk about something I see every single day while I’m scrolling…agencies posting on social media…but not actually recruiting on social media.  Trust me, there is a gigantic difference. 🫷 🫸

Listen, I’ve said it a thousand times and I’m going to say it a thousand times more…social media is the recruiting table of 2026 and well beyond.  💪

But if you’re treating your social media page like a digital billboard instead of a place to attract, connect with, and convert applicants into awesome employees quite frankly, you’re just wasting your time and falling further behind.  Let’s fix that. 👍

Here are the three biggest social media mistakes you should be fixing right now…

MISTAKE #1: Posting for Attention…Not Applicant Needs

I’m leading off with this one because it is a huge error that agencies make every day with their social media strategy. 😞 

Most agencies continue to be caught up with trends, viral stunts, and whatever TikTok thinks is ‘cool’ this week.  Sure, viral posts have a way of piling up the likes and shares…but likes and shares don’t fill vacancies.  Connections do. 🤗   

So, if you want to start attracting applicants, and I mean really start attracting them…show people exactly what it’s like to work for your agency.  Show them the benefits and satisfaction they will get when they work for you.  And most importantly, help them understand and guide them through your process before they ever step foot into it and watch how fast things change.  💨

MISTAKE #2: Not Showing That People Like Them Work for You

This is a pillar of recruiting like it is 2026 and it’s a pillar for a reason…this one element will absolutely make or break your police recruiting on social media. 💯

You see, most agencies only show the flashy, “popular” stuff…the SWAT team moving in slow motion through a smoke-filled room, drone footage of police cars with lights and sirens flying all of the place, and people decked out in the latest and greatest tactical gear with a heavy metal or rock music beat laid down behind it. 🤘

Look, all of that stuff is great at attracting people who have always wanted to be cops…but it doesn’t make the average person, who’s never really thought about it but would actually turn out to be a great Police Officer, feel like they can do this job. 🤨

Many potential applicants will look at posts like these and think to themselves…“that’s not really me”.  “I’m not tactical”, and “I really don’t see myself fitting in there”. 🤷‍♂️

If you want to overcome this…start showing normal people doing normal police work...

Show officers in briefing, having regular conversations with one another.  Show a quick report-writing moment, a field training check-in, real stories from officers…someone explaining why they love the job and how they helped their community today.  And whatever you do…make sure the people you are showing…are smiling so it actually looks like they enjoy what they’re doing.  That’s the stuff that converts social media followers into applicants. 🏆

MISTAKE #3: Not Giving a Clear Next Step for Applicants to Follow

If I’m being honest, this mistake quietly kills more of your recruiting efforts on social media than anything else.  Even if you do everything right in your posts…if you end them abruptly meaning no link for applicants to apply, no direction for them to take, or no instructions for them to follow…guess what…they won’t.  That’s just how it works. 🫡

You need to give potential applicants the next step to take in the form of a call to action. 📣

CTA’s as they’re referred to are short, simple and very direct sentences towards the end of your caption that tell the reader what to do next.  “Apply now at whatever website you use”, “share this post with someone who may be interested”, “ask questions below in the comment section” or “save this post for later” are all great examples of these. 😎

Include a call to action in every single post you make, and you’ll start seeing more applications in your inbox and people doing what you want them to do. 📈

OK…if you just felt that ‘oh my god, this makes so much sense’ moment with this video…imagine what I’ll teach you in a whole class. 🤯

This feeling is exactly what happens inside my Road to Better Police Recruiting online super course! 

One light bulb teaching moment after another leaving you feeling confident in what you’re doing and ready to tackle those vacancies of yours. If you’re done guessing and ready to start recruiting with purpose, this is where you belong next. 👋

Check it out right now by visiting forcopstraining.com/rtbr and take control of your police recruiting. 🚀

Have a friend in recruiting who really needs to see these tips?  Share this newsletter with them so they can learn too.  They’ll be stoked that you did and I’d appreciate it too. 🤝

Have more questions about police recruiting, marketing, or anything else you're struggling with? Don't hesitate to reach out...I’m always here to help. 🙏

Until next week my Police Marketing Squad, happy recruiting! 😃

Tom

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👋 I’m Tom Sye, your Police Marketing FTO. I founded ‘For Cops’ Training to teach Police Departments how to attract more qualified candidates through the same tried and tested methods I’ve used for the past ten years at my own department to keep up with turnover and stay ahead of vacancies.

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