Strava secrets: How to get more kudos

After a little while using Strava, it’s all too easy to reach what we’re calling a ‘kudos plateau'. You establish a small clutch of die-hard fans that will smash the 'like' button every time you step outside the front door, but the rest of your followers are unmoved.

If that sounds familiar, read on.

We asked Strava for some data-led guidance to get more kudos, and they delivered. As well as linking us up with their data team, they put us in contact with Strava royalty Louis Hatchell, aka Beast on a Bike, who rakes in hundreds of kudos on every one of his posts.

With hard data and real-world experience on our side, we’ve collected six tips that are sure to see you break through the ‘kudos plateau’ and rake in more thumbs up than ever before.

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Part 1: Strava data

Every day, millions of people post bike rides, runs, swims, and more to Strava. That gives Strava a huge database to analyse, and when we asked what made the biggest difference to the amount of kudos a post received, there were three stand-out trends.

Posts with a description receive 41% more kudos on average

Most of us will have noticed that posting a custom title gets a bit more kudos than the default ‘Morning/Afternoon/Evening ride’, but did you know that adding a description is just as important? Strava says that activities containing a description get 41% more kudos than ones without, so for extra kudos, take a moment and fill in that second box!

Posts with a photo receive 64% more kudos on average

These days, it comes quite naturally to most of us to reach into the back pocket and snap a photo during a ride. But whether it’s a shot of the view, the half-way coffee, or you and your mates looking tired but triumphant atop the biggest climb, be sure to add it to your Strava post at the end of the day. The data shows that adding a photo can seriously increase the amount of kudos your post receives — on average, posts with photos get 64% more kudos!

Posts with a video receive 71% more kudos on average

Did you know that you can post videos as part of a Strava post? If not, then that might explain why your posts aren’t getting as much love as they deserve. Strava has supported videos with posts since June 2022, but hardly any Strava users make the most of it. A shame, given that posts with videos receive on average 71% more kudos than those without — this is the most effective single measure you can take to boost your kudos count.

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Part 2: Louis Hatchwell’s top tips

Louis Hatchwell, aka ‘Beast on a Bike’, pulls in hundreds of kudos on every post, whether it’s a six-hour blast around a Spanish island or an easy spin on Zwift. He has attracted over 6,000 followers on Strava, plus hundreds of thousands more on other platforms. If anyone knows how to increase that kudos count, it’s him. Here are his top three tips.

Consistency is king

“Much like training, consistently recording and uploading your activities is powerful. It will help you monitor your progress and structure your goals, but also enjoy more interaction with your community as a result of being more visible. So whatever activity you do, hit record, upload when you're done, and feed off all that inspiration.”

Capture your world

“Change your environment, move, explore, and experience as much as possible. Using Routes is a fantastic way of finding new places to ride and doing so will not only keep your training interesting, it will make it far more enjoyable and sustainable! But don't stop there. Documenting the process will add another level to the interactions and community you can build for yourself. It only takes a few seconds to snap a pic, or a short video, so make it a habit and add a creative layer to your training. Show us something new... even if it's just a humble duck...🦆”

Build your community

“Since the dawn of time, we have organised ourselves into communities and fortunately, there are thousands of these on Strava. Joining a Group and taking part in Challenges can be an amazing way of finding and connecting with 'your people', so get out there and find yours. Strava provides an amazing platform for building meaningful connections, remaining accountable and, let's be honest, the Kudos is always nice too!”

How can I get more kudos on Strava?

In summary, getting more kudos on Strava is far from a dark art. For the most part, it’s a case of adding some narrative around the statistics. Descriptions, photos and videos will help you ‘capture your world’, as Hatchwell puts it, and let people in on your ride.

Mix that in with some community building, a simple matter of joining some groups, events and challenges, and you’ll be well on your way to gaining more kudos for each of your rides!

Strava

Strava is an online app that allows users to track their activities and share them with others. It connects over 100 million athletes across a global online community.