Gary Vee Social Media Pubs: A New Approach

The Gary Vee Philosophy in Simple Terms

When most people think about marketing a pub or restaurant, they imagine glossy adverts, staged photos of food, or the occasional Facebook event page. Gary Vaynerchuk (better known as Gary Vee) flipped that idea on its head. His message has always been simple: stop pretending to be an advertiser and start acting like a storyteller.

I’ve run pubs and marketing agencies, and I can tell you: this is the exact shift hospitality owners need in 2025. Customers don’t want polished corporate ads. They want to see real life. They want to feel connected to your brand before they ever step through the door. And that’s where Gary’s philosophy comes in. Let’s break it down into five key ideas.

1. Document, Don’t Create

This is Gary’s most famous phrase. Instead of stressing about making “perfect content,” just show what’s already happening. In a pub or restaurant, content is everywhere:

A bartender pulling the first pint of the night.
A chef shouting “service!” as food goes to the pass.
A quizmaster setting up their microphone.
Customers laughing during karaoke.

None of these moments need expensive equipment or editing. All you need is your phone and 20 seconds of confidence.

Why does this work? Because people trust authenticity. They can spot stock photos from a mile away. A shaky iPhone video of a real customer cheering a goal will always outperform a staged advert with paid actors. Documenting daily life makes your venue relatable and human.

Think of it this way: every shift in your pub could generate 5–10 unique pieces of content without you trying. That’s 30–70 posts a week just by documenting what’s already happening.

2. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook

Gary uses boxing as a metaphor. The “jab” is giving value; the “right hook” is the ask. The mistake most pubs make is throwing nothing but right hooks: “Book now,” “Come tonight,” “Happy Hour 2-for-1.” After a while, people tune them out.

Instead, think of it like this:

Jab 1: Share a funny meme about football.
Jab 2: Post a behind-the-scenes clip of your staff setting up the bar.
Jab 3: Run a poll on Instagram stories: “Curry or Pizza Wednesday?”
Right Hook: Then — and only then — push: “This Friday, join us for live music from 8pm.”

When you give value and entertain three times, people are far more receptive to the fourth post that actually sells something. Why? Because you’ve built trust, and trust drives conversions.

3. Volume Over Perfection

Gary Vee is obsessed with quantity. In his words: “One piece of content is not enough. Fifty is barely enough.” That might sound impossible for a busy pub landlord, but it’s not when you think like a documenter.

Take one Friday night. Out of that single evening you could create:

3 TikTok videos (DJ setup, dance floor moment, cocktails being poured).
5 Instagram stories (staff selfie, crowd reaction, highlight clip, quick poll, thank-you post).
2 memes made from funny customer photos (with permission).
1 longer Facebook post recapping the night.

That’s 11 pieces of content from one event. Repeat it across the week, and suddenly you’ve got 30–40 posts without extra effort.

The point is, don’t waste hours polishing one “perfect” advert when you could flood people’s feeds with real, imperfect moments. In 2025, the algorithm rewards consistency, not polish.

4. Cultural Relevance

Gary Vee is ruthless about staying on top of trends. He believes attention flows where culture is, and brands must ride those waves. For pubs and restaurants, this means tying your content to what people are already talking about.

Examples:

During the Euros, every pint-pouring clip can be paired with football commentary audio.
If a new TikTok sound is trending, film your bar staff dancing to it.
On pancake day, show your chef flipping one behind the bar.
On Mother’s Day, post stories of families enjoying meals.

Cultural relevance makes your content shareable. It plugs your venue into conversations already happening in the community. And it’s free — all you’re doing is joining in.

5. Community = Currency

This is the most overlooked part of Gary’s philosophy. Content gets attention, but engagement builds loyalty. Gary often says he spent his first years on Twitter replying to thousands of people daily. That interaction built fans who later became lifelong customers.

For pubs and restaurants, this means:

Replying to every comment with personality.
Reposting customers’ stories on Instagram.
Asking followers for menu suggestions.
Running polls about what event they want next.

When people feel seen, they become loyal. That loyalty translates to repeat visits and word-of-mouth recommendations. Community engagement is literally money in the bank.

Why This Works in Hospitality

Gary’s model works for any industry, but it’s tailor-made for hospitality. Why? Because your product is experiences, and experiences are inherently shareable. A tech company might struggle to create 20 posts a day. A pub can make 20 before midnight.

Every pint, every plate, every cheer, every song — it’s all content. By documenting it, sharing it in volume, staying culturally relevant, and engaging with your community, you’re doing exactly what Gary Vee prescribes. And it works.

Part 2: Why Social Media is the New Pub Window

For centuries, pubs and restaurants relied on physical visibility. A chalkboard outside listed the specials. A poster in the window advertised next week’s band. If you wanted to reach locals, you handed out flyers or relied on word-of-mouth.

That world is gone. Today, the “pub window” is no longer at street level. It’s in the palm of every potential customer’s hand. Social media is now the place where people discover, judge, and choose where to spend their time and money. If you’re not active there, you’re invisible.

The Shift from Pavement to Phone

Let’s look at how customer behaviour has changed:

Smartphone dominance: More than 85% of UK adults own a smartphone, and 70% say they use it to choose places to eat or drink (Statista, 2024).
Social-first search: Younger audiences don’t even Google “pub near me” anymore. They search TikTok or Instagram for videos of the vibe.
Expectation of proof: Customers expect to “see” what a venue feels like before they commit. A dead feed suggests a dead pub.

Ten years ago, a chalkboard outside your pub might have been enough to bring in footfall. In 2025, your Facebook feed is your chalkboard, your TikTok clips are your posters, and your Instagram reels are your word-of-mouth.

TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook Dominate Hospitality

Each platform plays a role in hospitality marketing:

TikTok: Perfect for discovery. Quick clips of cocktails, pints, or live events can go viral in your town, putting you on the map with people who’ve never stepped inside.
Instagram: Your visual brand identity. Reels and stories show off food, drinks, and atmosphere. The feed becomes your digital menu and mood board.
Facebook: Still the king for events and community. Older demographics check Facebook daily for “what’s on tonight.” Event pages drive RSVPs better than any other platform.

Ignoring any one of these channels leaves money on the table. Together, they create a full “digital window” into your venue.

Social Proof is the New Word of Mouth

Word of mouth has always been the lifeblood of pubs. But in 2025, social proof is how that reputation spreads.

A tagged Instagram story from a customer is the modern equivalent of a friend recommending your pub.
A Facebook review is the new word-of-mouth endorsement.
A viral TikTok clip of a DJ night carries more weight than a newspaper ad ever could.

When your customers share content about your venue, they’re doing your marketing for free. The only way to trigger this effect is by being active yourself — engaging, reposting, and encouraging them to post.

Why Silence is Deadly

One of the biggest mistakes landlords and restaurateurs make is thinking silence is neutral. It isn’t. In a noisy digital world, silence is negative.

If you don’t post, people assume you’re quiet, outdated, or even closed.
If your last event post is from six months ago, people think you’re not worth visiting.
If competitors are posting daily, they own the attention you’ve abandoned.

It’s harsh but true: an inactive social feed drives customers away just as surely as a dirty toilet or flat pint would.

The Discovery Journey in 2025

Let’s map out how a typical customer decides where to go:

Awareness: They see your TikTok reel of customers cheering a late goal.
Interest: They click through to your Instagram, scroll your food photos, and watch your stories.
Consideration: They check your Facebook page to see if you’ve got an event tonight.
Decision: They tag their mates — “Fancy this place?”
Action: They walk in.

At no point did they rely on a poster in the window. The entire journey was digital. If you weren’t active, you were never in the running.

The Data is Clear

Consider these stats (sources: CGA Strategy, Statista, Forbes, 2024):

64% of Gen Z say TikTok is their top discovery tool for restaurants and bars.
Facebook remains the top driver of local event attendance across the UK.
Businesses with active Instagram profiles see 80% higher engagement from local customers.
Pubs with no social media activity lose an estimated 25% of potential footfall to competitors.

In short: the platforms may change, but the principle is timeless. Attention goes where people spend time. Right now, they’re on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. That’s where your marketing window must be.

Gary Vee’s Take on Attention

Gary Vee calls attention “the most valuable asset in business.” He’s right. The pub that captures attention online first captures wallets offline.

He often points out that brands waste millions chasing glossy ads when all they need to do is show up daily where customers already are. In pubs and restaurants, that means filming the ordinary and making it extraordinary.

Why This Matters for Hospitality Owners

Running pubs and agencies has shown me the same truth: the venues that thrive are the ones that treat social media like their front door. They update it daily, decorate it with great stories, and make people want to step inside.

Those that ignore it? They get left behind. In 2025, the pub with the best social media presence often wins before a single pint is poured.

Part 3: Turning Gary’s Tactics into Pub-Specific Strategies

Gary Vee has a way of simplifying marketing into rules anyone can apply. The challenge for pubs and restaurants isn’t whether these principles work — it’s how to map them into an industry where margins are tight, staff are stretched, and time is limited.

The good news? Hospitality is perfectly suited to Gary’s approach. You already have a content-rich environment full of people, food, drink, and events. What most venues lack is the mindset to turn those moments into shareable content. Let’s look at how to apply each principle in a practical, pub-friendly way.

1. Document, Don’t Create — Hospitality Edition

Gary’s “document, don’t create” mantra is gold for pubs. You don’t need a content team. You don’t need a film crew. You already have a stream of daily activity that customers want to see.

Here’s how it works in practice:

Behind the Bar: Film your staff pouring pints, polishing glasses, or laughing together. A 10-second clip of “first pint of the day” works wonders.
In the Kitchen: Capture chefs prepping, flipping, carving, or shouting “service.” Food content is always shareable.
In the Venue: Show customers singing during karaoke, cheering during a football match, or dancing on disco night (with their consent).
During Prep: Take a photo of the specials board going up or the tables being set.

None of this requires staging. You’re simply documenting life in your pub. And that’s exactly what customers want: a peek behind the curtain.

2. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook — How to Balance Content

Pubs often make the mistake of posting only when they want something: “Book now,” “Quiz tonight,” “Sunday roast special.” That’s all right hooks. Too many right hooks turn people off.

Instead, apply Gary’s balance: three jabs (give value, entertain, inform) for every hook (ask).

Example weekly flow:

Monday Jab: Meme about Monday blues with a pint cure.
Tuesday Jab: Instagram story with a sample quiz question.
Wednesday Jab: TikTok clip of free pool or curry night.
Thursday Hook: “Don’t miss Friday’s live band — book your table now.”

This rhythm keeps your feed entertaining. By the time you throw a hook, your audience is ready to act because you’ve built goodwill.

3. Volume Over Perfection — Flood the Feed

Gary is unapologetic: volume beats polish. In his words: “One piece of content is invisible. Fifty is barely enough.”

For pubs and restaurants, one event can generate a week of content. Take a Friday night DJ set:

3 TikTok videos of dancing and crowd shots.
5 Instagram stories (staff selfies, live clips, song polls).
2 memes from customer photos with funny captions.
1 Facebook live video at peak time.

That’s 11 pieces of content from one event. Do the same for a quiz, match day, or steak night and suddenly you’re posting daily without trying.

The algorithm rewards consistency, not polish. Your customers want energy, not studio-quality ads.

4. Cultural Relevance — Ride the Waves

Gary Vee calls attention a game of “day trading culture.” In hospitality, this means attaching your pub’s story to whatever people are already talking about.

Examples:

Football: Post memes before a big game, or live reactions during.
TikTok Sounds: Pair trending audio with clips of drinks being poured.
National Days: Pancake Day, St Patrick’s, Valentine’s — perfect excuses for themed content.
Local Events: Tie in with markets, festivals, or concerts happening nearby.

When you piggyback on trends, you ride waves of attention that are already moving. Instead of begging for eyeballs, you tap into conversations people are having anyway.

5. Community = Currency — Engagement That Pays Off

Gary’s biggest secret weapon is engagement. Not posting, but replying. He built his reputation by leaving thousands of replies on Twitter. That effort turned strangers into loyal fans.

For pubs, community is everything. Every comment, every share, every review is a chance to build loyalty. Examples:

Reply to every Facebook comment with humour or warmth.
Share customer stories on Instagram — “Thanks to @john_doe for celebrating his birthday with us last night!”
Run polls: “Should we add curry or pizza to the Wednesday special?”
Encourage user-generated content with competitions: “Post your best photo of the night — winner gets a free pint.”

Engagement doesn’t just look good online. It creates real-world loyalty. People who feel seen online are far more likely to walk through the door.

Case Study: Applying All Five Principles in One Week

Imagine a week in your pub applying Gary’s tactics:

Monday: Post a meme about Mondays and beer (jab).
Tuesday: Instagram story with a trivia question (jab).
Wednesday: Short TikTok clip of pool night (jab).
Thursday: Facebook post: “Book now for Friday’s band!” (hook).
Friday: 10–12 posts throughout the night: TikToks, stories, memes, lives.
Saturday: Match day memes, crowd reactions, pint-pouring reels.
Sunday: Calm, family-focused Instagram carousel showing food and relaxed vibes.

That’s 30+ posts in one week — none of which required “creating” content. You just documented daily life and shared it with volume, balance, and engagement.

Why This Works

Running pubs and agencies has shown me that this isn’t theory — it’s practical. Customers respond to authenticity, consistency, and interaction. Competitors who stay silent or only post polished “adverts” quickly fade into the background.

Gary Vee’s model works because it makes you the noisy, visible, relatable brand in your area. And in hospitality, the noisy brand usually wins.

Part 4: The Content Pyramid for Pubs

Gary Vee’s “content pyramid” is one of his most practical ideas. The basic principle is this: create one big piece of content, then chop it into dozens of smaller pieces.

Most pubs and restaurants already generate “big content” without realising it. A Friday disco, a live band, a pub quiz, or even a big football match are all big content moments. The trick is to capture them, then repurpose them across platforms in different formats.

The Big Content Mindset

Think of every event in your venue as a content engine. A single Friday night could be:

One long video (the full DJ set or band performance).
A Facebook live stream of the first song.
Instagram reels of people dancing or singing along.
TikTok clips of funny moments.
Memes made from customer photos.
Short stories of staff behind the bar.

By shifting your mindset, you stop seeing an event as a “one-night thing” and start seeing it as a week-long content generator.

Step 1: Capture the Big Content

Start by filming or photographing the whole event in a raw format. Don’t worry about editing. Just capture:

Video of the band playing.
Crowd reactions during a football match.
Chef serving the special of the night.
A wide shot of the room when it’s packed.

This raw footage becomes your “pillar” content — the big chunk you’ll slice into pieces later.

Step 2: Chop Into Micro Content

Here’s where Gary’s pyramid comes alive. That single big video or photo set can generate dozens of posts.

Example: A Friday disco night.

TikTok: 3 short clips of dancing, one DJ shout-out, one funny customer moment.
Instagram Reels: Cocktail pouring, crowd singing, end-of-night cheers.
Instagram Stories: Polls (“Best tune tonight?”), staff selfies, quick room pans.
Facebook: Event recap post with thank-yous, 3–4 photos from the night.
Memes: Screenshot a funny dance move, add a caption, share midweek.

From one night, you now have 20+ posts to drip-feed over the week.

Step 3: Distribute Across Platforms

Each platform has its own “language.” Gary Vee stresses context matters more than content. Don’t just copy-paste. Adjust tone and format.

TikTok: Keep it fast, fun, raw. Trends, sounds, and humour rule here.
Instagram: Polished reels for vibe, stories for behind-the-scenes.
Facebook: Longer text posts, photo albums, and event promotion.

The same piece of content might be a meme on TikTok, a story on Instagram, and a recap post on Facebook.

Step 4: Resurface Evergreen Content

Here’s where pubs miss a huge opportunity. Content doesn’t have to vanish after 24 hours. A great clip can be resurfaced weeks later.

Post a TikTok highlight from last month’s band to hype up their return.
Reuse a meme from a past match night on the next game day.
Repost a story as a “throwback Thursday” memory.

Gary calls this “content arbitrage.” If something worked once, recycle it until it stops delivering.

Why This Works for Pubs

Efficiency: You don’t need to constantly create new content. Just capture once and repurpose.
Consistency: Algorithms reward daily activity. This approach ensures you never run out.
Engagement: Customers see themselves featured and share the posts — free reach.
Longevity: One event fuels your feed for a whole week.

Case Example: Quiz Night as Content Pyramid

A weekly pub quiz might not feel like “big content,” but it is. Here’s how to pyramid it:

Big Content: Film the quizmaster announcing winners.
Micro Content:
- Instagram story: “Sample question — can you answer it?”
- TikTok: Funny wrong answer clip.
- Facebook: Photo of the winning team holding cash.
- Meme: Screenshot of quiz banter with caption.
- Instagram reel: Staff handing out shots for a tiebreaker.

That one quiz has now generated 8–10 posts. Drip them across the week, and suddenly Tuesday isn’t just “quiz night” — it’s a marketing driver all week long.

The Pyramid in Numbers

Let’s put numbers to it:

1 event → 1 big piece of content.
1 big piece → 15–20 micro pieces.
3–4 events a week → 60+ posts.

That’s 250+ posts a month without ever running out of ideas. For a pub or restaurant, that’s the difference between being invisible online and being unmissable.

Gary Vee’s Twist: Document the Documentation

Gary often goes one step further. He says to document the process of documenting. In practice:

Film your staff filming the event.
Post a photo of your bartender editing a clip.
Show customers watching your TikTok on their phone in the pub.

This meta-content reinforces the fact you’re active and modern, which builds even more engagement.

Why Competitors Can’t Keep Up

Most pubs don’t do this because they see social media as a burden. They might post once a week, maybe a photo of Sunday lunch. By the time they realise they’re being outpaced, the louder pub has already captured the attention of the town.

The content pyramid works because it makes you impossible to ignore. Competitors posting once a week can’t compete with 60+ pieces of content flooding local feeds.

Bringing It All Together

The pyramid proves that social media marketing for pubs doesn’t require endless creativity. You’re not a film studio. You’re a venue full of moments. The trick is capturing those moments, slicing them into pieces, and spreading them across platforms.

Gary’s philosophy is simple: if you’re not documenting, you don’t exist. For pubs and restaurants, that means every event, every pint, and every laugh has the potential to bring in more business.

Part 5: The $1.80 Strategy in Hospitality

Gary Vee’s $1.80 Strategy is one of his simplest but most powerful tactics. The idea comes from “leaving your two cents” on 90 posts a day. Ninety comments × $0.02 = $1.80 worth of opinions daily.

It’s not about spamming. It’s about joining conversations, adding value, and being visible in places where your potential customers already hang out. For pubs and restaurants, this approach is rocket fuel for local awareness.

What the $1.80 Strategy Really Means

Gary built his personal brand by commenting relentlessly on other people’s content. He didn’t just post his own. He showed up everywhere. He added thoughts, jokes, encouragement, and advice in other people’s feeds until people couldn’t ignore him.

For pubs and restaurants, this translates directly. Every town, city, or neighbourhood already has active online communities:

Local Facebook groups.
Instagram foodie accounts.
TikTok clips about nights out.
Football club pages.
Event pages.

Instead of waiting for people to stumble on your posts, you insert yourself into their conversations. You become the loud, friendly neighbour everyone notices.

Why This Works for Hospitality

Pubs and restaurants are hyper-local businesses. Unlike an e-commerce store, you don’t need to reach the whole country. You only need to dominate attention within a few miles.

The $1.80 Strategy works perfectly because:

Local pages have highly engaged audiences. People follow them because they’re relevant.
Comments stand out. When someone posts “Best curry in town?” and you comment, you become part of the decision.
Engagement builds familiarity. Even if someone doesn’t visit today, they’ll remember you tomorrow.

It’s free advertising disguised as participation.

How to Apply It as a Pub or Restaurant

Here’s how to use Gary’s tactic in your daily routine:

Find Local Groups and Pages
- Join community Facebook groups (e.g., “What’s On in Sunderland” or “Washington Mums Network”).
- Follow local football clubs and sports teams.
- Track foodie hashtags (#newcastlefoodie, #pubtok, etc.).
Engage Every Day
Spend 15–20 minutes a day commenting on 15–20 posts. Don’t sell. Just join in. Examples:
- On a football post: “First pint’s on us if you win tonight 🍻.”
- On a foodie account: “That burger looks amazing — we’ve been trying out new toppings too.”
- On a community post: “We’ve got space for quiz night if anyone’s looking for a midweek laugh.”
Be Human, Not Salesy
Your tone matters. Keep it warm, cheeky, and human. Comments like “Come to our pub!” will get ignored. Comments that make people smile will get remembered.
Encourage Staff to Join In
Staff can be brand voices too. A bartender commenting on local TikToks adds authenticity. The more voices, the more visibility.

Case Example: Match Day Conversations

Imagine Sunderland AFC post a pre-match update. The comments fill with fans debating the score. As a pub, you jump in with:

“First goal = first round’s on us (just kidding… but wouldn’t that be class?).”
“Big screens, cold pints, and VAR arguments — who’s joining us later?”

Suddenly, thousands of local fans see your name while engaging with their club. You’ve positioned your venue as the place for the match without paying for ads.

The Compounding Effect

The $1.80 Strategy doesn’t create overnight wins. But when done consistently, it compounds.

Day 1: A handful of likes on a cheeky comment.
Week 2: People start tagging friends — “Shall we go here tonight?”
Month 3: Your pub name is everywhere in local feeds. You’re not just a venue anymore; you’re a voice in the community.

Over time, this builds a reputation that competitors can’t match.

Numbers That Prove It

According to HubSpot (2024), comments generate 4× higher visibility than posts alone because they insert your name into someone else’s feed. For small businesses, that’s gold.

In practice, this means:

20 daily comments = 600 extra brand impressions per month.
Even if only 5% translate into visits, that’s 30 new customers.
With an average £18 spend per head, that’s £540 in extra revenue — from commenting alone.

Scale it across a year, and you’re looking at an extra £6,000–£10,000 turnover without spending a penny.

Mistakes to Avoid

Gary warns that the $1.80 Strategy only works if you’re genuine. Pubs and restaurants need to avoid:

Being too salesy: Comments that look like ads will backfire.
Inconsistency: Doing it once a month won’t move the needle. Daily effort is key.
Ignoring replies: If someone responds to your comment and you don’t engage back, you lose credibility.

How to Systemise It

Landlords are busy. You don’t always have time to leave 90 comments a day. But you can systemise it:

Set a timer: Spend 15 minutes morning and evening engaging with local posts.
Use staff: Rotate the responsibility — one night the bar manager, another the chef.
Track wins: Keep note of when a customer says, “I saw your comment on Facebook.”

If you commit to this like you commit to opening the bar on time, it becomes a habit that pays dividends.

Why Competitors Won’t Copy You

The beauty of the $1.80 Strategy is that most competitors won’t bother. They’ll dismiss it as “too much effort.” That laziness is your advantage. By being the only pub or restaurant consistently active in community conversations, you stand out as the default choice.

Gary Vee’s Core Lesson

Gary always says: “Attention is the asset. Everything else is secondary.” The $1.80 Strategy is proof of that. For pubs and restaurants, attention isn’t about billboards or expensive ads. It’s about showing up daily in the places your customers already spend their time online.

Do that long enough, and you’ll own the local conversation. Own the conversation, and you’ll own the customers.

Part 6: Influencers & Ambassadors

Gary Vee often says: “It’s not about the biggest audience. It’s about the right audience.” In the influencer world, that means micro is often more powerful than macro.

A pub or restaurant doesn’t need to pay £5,000 for a celebrity Instagram shout-out. What you need is 5–10 locals with 500–2,000 engaged followers each. These are your micro-influencers. When they post, their audience listens — and crucially, their audience is nearby.

Why Micro-Influencers Matter

The logic is simple:

Local reach > global reach. A TikToker in London with 1 million followers won’t fill your bar in Sunderland. But a Sunderland foodie with 2,000 followers can.
Higher trust. Followers believe local influencers because they know them or see them in the community.
Lower cost. Many micro-influencers will trade a free meal, drinks, or event entry for content.

Gary Vee pushes “depth over width.” You don’t need to impress the whole internet. You just need to dominate your postcode.

How to Work With Micro-Influencers

Find Them
- Search Instagram hashtags like #pubtok, #newcastlefoodie, or #[yourtown]nightsout.
- Look on TikTok for people reviewing restaurants or posting about nightlife in your area.
- Check Facebook groups for food bloggers and local reviewers.
Approach Them
- Send a friendly DM: “Love your content. Fancy coming down for dinner on us? We’d love to be featured in your feed.”
- Be clear you don’t want a staged ad. You want their genuine experience.
Make It Easy
- Give them your best food and drinks.
- Set them up with a great seat for photos.
- Encourage them to capture staff personality, not just plates.
Amplify Their Content
- Repost their videos to your feed (with credit).
- Thank them publicly.
- Encourage your customers to follow them too.

Ambassadors: Your Secret Weapon

Gary Vee’s other big play is community building. For pubs and restaurants, this means turning loyal regulars into ambassadors.

These aren’t influencers by profession. They’re your everyday customers who love your venue. You give them a small perk in exchange for consistent posting.

Examples:

A free pint if they tag your pub once a week.
A discount card for posting about your quiz or disco nights.
VIP treatment at events for sharing content.

Ambassadors often have smaller followings, but they’re embedded in your local community. When they post, their friends listen. That influence is more valuable than a big-name shout-out.

Case Example: Burger Night with Local TikToker

Let’s say you run a burger special on Wednesdays. You invite a local TikTok foodie with 3,000 followers. Cost to you: one free meal.

They post a 30-second video of the burger being delivered, cut open, and eaten. It gets 12,000 views in your town. Suddenly, you’ve got queues for burgers the next week.

ROI: £12 in food cost → hundreds of pounds in new sales.

This is Gary’s philosophy in action: attention first, monetisation second.

How to Build an Ambassador Program

Identify Your Regulars
- Who always takes photos of their food?
- Who tags you on Instagram stories without being asked?
- Who brings friends every week?
Offer a Small Perk
- Free drink every Friday.
- “Ambassador card” for 10% off.
- Early invites to ticketed events.
Set a Gentle Expectation
- Ask for one post or story a week.
- Encourage creativity — don’t script them.
- Make it fun, not corporate.
Reward Loyalty Publicly
- Share their posts on your socials.
- Give them shout-outs.
- Make them feel like part of the team.

Numbers That Show It Works

Influencer Marketing Hub (2024) reports:

Micro-influencers deliver 60% higher engagement rates than big accounts.
82% of people say they’re more likely to try a venue recommended by someone they follow locally.

For pubs and restaurants, this means:

5 local influencers each posting once a month could reach 10,000+ real people in your town.
If even 1% convert, that’s 100 new customers.
At £18 average spend each, that’s £1,800 from just a few free meals or drinks.

Mistakes to Avoid

Buying fake followers: Always check engagement. If someone has 10,000 followers but only 20 likes per post, avoid them.
Being controlling: Don’t script influencers. Let them post authentically in their style.
One-off deals: Long-term relationships work better. One post is easily forgotten. A six-month ambassador deal builds loyalty.

How to Blend Influencers with the Content Pyramid

This is where Gary’s methods overlap. Remember the content pyramid from Part 4? Influencer content fits right in.

Example:

An influencer posts a TikTok of your cocktail night.
You repost it as a reel.
You take screenshots and turn them into memes.
You add it to a Facebook recap album.

Now one influencer post has become 5–6 new pieces of content in your pyramid.

Why Competitors Don’t Do This

Many landlords assume influencer marketing is “too expensive” or “not for pubs.” They picture celebrities and brand deals. In reality, micro-influencers and ambassadors are cheap, authentic, and incredibly effective.

Your competitors probably won’t bother. That’s your advantage.

Gary Vee’s Core Lesson

Gary Vee’s stance is clear: “Stop chasing numbers. Chase attention where it matters.” For pubs and restaurants, attention that matters comes from locals. Influencers and ambassadors are the bridge between your venue and your community.

Build those relationships, and you’ll have a stream of authentic content, loyal advocates, and new customers walking through your door every week.

Part 7: Profit Breakdown – How Attention Becomes Sales

Hospitality owners often hear Gary Vee talk about “attention” and think: That’s nice, but how does it pay the bills? It’s a fair question. Pubs and restaurants can’t survive on likes and comments alone. Rent, wages, and stock don’t get paid in engagement.

The answer lies in conversion. Gary’s model works because it funnels attention into trust, and trust into sales. Let’s break down exactly how pubs and restaurants can turn social media engagement into profit.

Step 1: Attention → Awareness

You can’t convert customers who don’t know you exist. That’s the first win of Gary’s approach: consistent posting and engagement make you visible.

Think of your local area like a high street. The pub that posts daily is the one with bright lights and open doors. The pub that posts once a month looks dark and shut.

Social attention means:

More people know your venue exists.
More people think of you first when planning a night out.
You become the default choice over silent competitors.

Awareness doesn’t generate profit immediately, but it sets the stage. Without awareness, nothing else happens.

Step 2: Awareness → Interest

Once people know you exist, the next step is sparking interest. This is where Gary’s “jab, jab, jab” strategy shines. By entertaining, informing, and giving value through memes, clips, and polls, you make people curious about your vibe.

Example:

A TikTok of staff laughing behind the bar = “That place looks fun.”
A reel of a live band = “We should go there next Friday.”
A Facebook poll on food specials = “They actually listen to customers.”

Interest is profit in the making. Customers are already picturing themselves in your venue.

Step 3: Interest → Footfall

Here’s where the money starts. When interest tips into action, people walk through the door.

Let’s run some conservative numbers:

Your social content generates 15 new customers per day.
Average spend = £18 per head.
That’s £270 per day.
Over a week = £1,890.
Over a year = £98,280.

Even if only half of that sticks, you’ve generated ~£50k in extra turnover just by showing up daily online.

Step 4: Footfall → Retention

The real profit comes not from one-off visits but from turning newcomers into regulars. Social media plays a key role here.

Customers who feel engaged online are more likely to return.
Seeing your posts keeps you top of mind week after week.
Engagement builds emotional loyalty, not just transactional loyalty.

If one new customer becomes a weekly regular:

2 visits per week × £18 average spend = £36/week.
Across a year = ~£1,800.
If 20 new regulars stick = £36,000 per year.

This is the compounding effect of Gary’s model. Attention creates not just traffic spikes but ongoing revenue streams.

Step 5: Retention → Word of Mouth

Happy, engaged customers become your ambassadors. They share your posts, tag your venue, and bring friends. That multiplier effect is powerful.

If 10 customers each bring 3 friends, that’s 30 more people introduced.
If even 10% become regulars, you’ve gained 3 new loyal customers.
Repeat this cycle monthly, and your customer base snowballs.

This is social proof in action. Your venue doesn’t just market itself; your customers do the heavy lifting.

Step 6: Events → Big Profit Nights

Gary’s pyramid and $1.80 strategy are perfect for event marketing. Consistent hype fills rooms.

Example: Friday disco night.

50 extra people attend because of social buzz.
Average spend = £20.
That’s £1,000 in additional revenue for one night.
Weekly = £52,000 annually.

Live music, quiz nights, match days — all follow the same pattern. Small bursts of attention create huge spikes in sales.

Step 7: Upselling via Content

Social media isn’t just about bringing people in. It’s also about influencing what they buy once they’re there.

Examples:

Post a reel of cocktails being shaken = more cocktail sales that night.
Share a TikTok of a sizzling steak = spike in steak orders.
Run a story poll (“Pizza or Curry?”) and push the winner in venue.

Upselling increases average spend per head. A £3 uplift across 100 customers is £300 in one night. Multiply across a year, and you’re adding tens of thousands in incremental profit.

Step 8: Community Loyalty = Reduced Marketing Costs

Traditional marketing — flyers, posters, newspaper ads — costs money. Gary’s approach is sweat equity. Once you’ve built an active community online, your marketing spend drops.

Customer engagement drives organic reach.
User-generated content becomes free advertising.
Micro-influencers post in exchange for food or drink, not cash.

The money saved on ads goes straight back into profit margins.

The Compounding Numbers

Let’s add this up for a mid-sized pub or restaurant applying Gary’s model consistently:

Extra daily customers: +15 → £98,280 annual uplift.
Retention of 20 new regulars: £36,000 annual uplift.
Events fully promoted: £52,000 annual uplift.
Upselling average spend by £3/head: ~£15,000 annual uplift.
Reduced ad spend: £5,000 saved annually.

Total potential impact = £200,000+ additional revenue per year.

Even if you only capture 25% of that, you’re still looking at £50k in real growth.

Why Competitors Miss This

Most pubs and restaurants aren’t applying these principles. They may post occasionally, but they don’t document consistently, engage deeply, or repurpose content effectively.

Gary’s model works because it rewards the venue willing to put in the effort. In most towns, that means you’ll face little competition online. By the time others catch on, you’ll already own the attention.

Gary Vee’s Core Lesson

Gary’s famous line sums it up: “Attention is the asset. Sales are the result.”

For pubs and restaurants, attention isn’t fluff — it’s footfall, retention, event turnout, upselling, and long-term loyalty. Every like, comment, and share has a pound sign behind it. The venues that understand this will not just survive but thrive in 2025 and beyond.

Part 8: Mapping Gary’s Playbook into Hospitality

By now, we’ve explored Gary Vee’s main principles — documenting, jabbing before hooking, creating volume, riding trends, engaging communities, and working with micro-influencers. But how do you bring all these moving parts together into a system that works for a busy pub or restaurant?

Running a venue means spinning multiple plates at once: staffing, stock control, compliance, events, customer service. Social media can feel like just another plate. The trick is turning Gary’s playbook into a repeatable process — one that creates maximum attention with minimal stress.

Step 1: Capture

The foundation of Gary’s method is documentation. That starts with capturing raw content every day.

In the bar: Film short clips of pints being poured, staff setting up, or funny moments during service.
In the kitchen: Snap shots of daily specials, food prep, or plating.
In the venue: Get quick videos of customers laughing, cheering, or enjoying events (with their permission).
In prep: Even empty rooms being set up or chalkboards being written count as content.

The key is volume of capture. Don’t worry about perfection. Worry about collecting enough moments to fuel your feed.

Tip: Make it part of the rota. Assign one staff member per shift to take 3–5 clips. Suddenly, you’ve got 20+ pieces of content per week without extra effort.

Step 2: Chop

Once you’ve captured big chunks of content, chop them into smaller pieces. This is the content pyramid in action.

A Friday night disco can become 20 micro posts.
A pub quiz can become 10 clips, memes, and stories.
A chef’s special can be shown as a reel, a TikTok, and a Facebook carousel.

The more angles you chop, the more consistent your posting.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to reuse content. A clip that worked on TikTok can be reposted on Instagram a week later.

Step 3: Distribute

Each platform has its own style, and Gary stresses context is king.

TikTok: Fast, funny, trending. Keep clips under 30 seconds. Use music and humour.
Instagram: Polished reels for highlights, stories for behind-the-scenes. Think “vibe setting.”
Facebook: Longer posts, event pages, photo albums, live streams. Still the strongest driver for local attendance.

By distributing contextually, you maximise the chance of being seen by different audiences.

Tip: Use scheduling tools to spread posts across the week so you’re not posting everything in one night.

Step 4: Engage

Gary always says: “Don’t post and ghost.” Engagement is where the magic happens.

Reply to every comment.
Repost customer stories and tag them back.
Run polls and Q&As.
Comment on local pages using the $1.80 strategy.

This turns your social feed from a billboard into a conversation. And conversations drive loyalty.

Tip: Have fun with replies. Humour and personality work better than corporate responses.

Step 5: Amplify

Don’t just rely on your own voice. Amplify through influencers, ambassadors, and customers.

Invite local foodies to try your menu.
Give regulars perks in exchange for weekly posts.
Encourage user-generated content with competitions.

Amplification multiplies your reach without multiplying your workload.

Tip: Always reshare influencer and customer content — it proves you’re listening.

Step 6: Analyse

Gary Vee isn’t about mindless posting. He’s about testing and adjusting. In hospitality, you should track:

Which posts get the most engagement?
Which events fill up fastest after social pushes?
Which specials sell more when you post about them?

Data tells you what your audience actually cares about. Double down on winners, drop what doesn’t work.

Tip: Use tools (like SmartPubTools) to track engagement and simplify the process.

Step 7: Repeat

Consistency is everything. Gary often says brands lose because they quit too early. The first 3 months might feel like shouting into the void. But stick with it, and compounding kicks in.

Hospitality is seasonal. January may feel dead, but the content you post then builds loyalty that pays off in summer. Your posts today are deposits in a long-term bank of attention.

Tip: Build a content calendar so you never fall silent. Even in quiet months, post throwbacks, staff highlights, or planning updates.

The Hospitality Content Machine

Let’s see what this looks like in practice for a typical week:

Monday: Meme about Monday blues (jab).
Tuesday: Quiz story question + winner photo (jab).
Wednesday: TikTok of free pool and curry deal (jab).
Thursday: Reel teasing Friday’s disco (jab).
Friday: Flood of clips from DJ night (hook).
Saturday: Match-day memes + live crowd reactions (hook).
Sunday: Chill carousel of family meals and relaxed vibes (jab).

That’s 25+ posts, spread across platforms. By repeating the cycle weekly, you build a self-sustaining machine that keeps your pub or restaurant top of mind.

Why This Framework Beats Traditional Marketing

Traditional hospitality marketing:

Posters in the window.
Flyers handed out.
Occasional newspaper ads.

Problems: expensive, limited reach, one-off impact.

Gary’s framework:

Continuous, daily visibility.
Free distribution through platforms people already use.
Community engagement that builds trust.
Content that lives on long after it’s posted.

This is why social-first pubs often outperform quieter rivals, even when they have smaller budgets.

The Competitive Advantage

Here’s the kicker: most of your competitors won’t bother. They’ll still post once a week about Sunday lunch or once a month about an event. They’ll see social media as a chore.

That’s why this framework works so well. If you adopt it consistently, you’ll stand out by default. The loudest voice gets the attention. And the venue with attention gets the customers.

Gary Vee’s Core Lesson

Gary always reminds businesses: “We’re in the greatest era of communication. The platforms are free. The only cost is effort.”

For pubs and restaurants, that effort is worth it. Capture, chop, distribute, engage, amplify, analyse, repeat. Do it daily, and you’ll own your local attention market — and with it, the profit.

Part 9: SmartPubTools – Gary Vee Without the Grind

At this point, you might be thinking: This all sounds great, but how on earth do I actually keep up with it? Running a pub or restaurant is already full-on. Between staffing, stock, compliance, and events, who realistically has time to film 20 clips a week, reply to comments, chop content, and stay on top of TikTok trends?

This is the sticking point for most hospitality owners. They see Gary Vee’s model, nod along, and then drop it because the workload feels impossible. That’s where tools come in. You don’t need to do it all manually. You need systems that make it manageable.

That’s exactly why SmartPubTools was created: to bring Gary Vee’s social media playbook into hospitality in a way that’s practical for busy landlords and managers.

The Problem: Attention Without Time

Gary Vee is clear: the currency is attention. But the cost is effort. For pubs and restaurants, the effort can feel overwhelming.

Here’s why most landlords fail to keep up with social media:

Time: Shifts are long, and social often comes last.
Ideas: After the 10th “Happy Friday!” post, creativity runs dry.
Consistency: Posting daily is easy for a week, then slips during busy periods.
Engagement: Replying to every comment feels like another full-time job.
Trends: TikTok moves so fast it’s hard to know what’s relevant.

The result? Inconsistent feeds, missed opportunities, and competitors owning the conversation.

The Solution: Automating the Gary Vee Framework

SmartPubTools was designed to take Gary’s principles — document, chop, distribute, engage — and make them achievable with minimal effort.

Here’s how it bridges the gap:

Daily Post Generation
- No more staring at a blank screen. SmartPubTools creates fresh captions, memes, and post ideas tailored to pubs/restaurants every day.
- You get a bank of content ready to go, matched to seasons, events, and trending moments.
Visual Content Support
- Built-in AI image prompts help you generate realistic photos, flyers, or event graphics instantly.
- No design team required — you get professional visuals at a click.
Event Promotion Automation
- Create Facebook or Instagram event promos with copy, images, and schedules pre-done.
- Push out 10 posts from one event automatically, turning it into pyramid-style content.
Engagement Tracking
- See what posts actually drive likes, comments, and clicks.
- Double down on winners, drop underperformers.
- Save time guessing — focus on what works.
Staff Support
- Rota-based prompts remind staff to capture photos or clips.
- Everyone contributes without extra stress.

In short: it does the heavy lifting so landlords can focus on running their venues.

How SmartPubTools Mirrors Gary’s Principles

Let’s map it back to Gary Vee’s playbook:

Document, Don’t Create: Staff upload simple clips, SmartPubTools formats them into posts.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: Automated content calendar balances fun/engagement with subtle selling.
Volume Over Perfection: One event becomes 20+ pieces of scheduled content.
Cultural Relevance: Trending hashtags and themes are pulled in automatically.
Community = Currency: Reply templates and engagement prompts make responding easier.

Gary’s ideas aren’t watered down. They’re just made workable for real-world hospitality.

Why This Matters Financially

Let’s return to the numbers from Part 7. Gary’s model can drive:

+£50,000 from new daily footfall.
+£36,000 from retained regulars.
+£52,000 from fuller events.
+£15,000 from upselling.

Total: ~£150k–200k annual uplift.

The question is: can landlords realistically execute Gary’s model alone? Most can’t. That’s why a tool like SmartPubTools is more than “nice to have.” It’s the difference between leaving six figures on the table or capturing it.

Example Use Case

Imagine you’ve got a live music night coming up. Traditionally, you’d post once or twice: “Band on Friday at 8pm.”

With SmartPubTools, that one event becomes:

A TikTok reel of the band’s teaser clip.
5 memes with witty captions tied to the event.
Instagram stories counting down to the night.
A Facebook event page auto-filled with copy and artwork.
A recap post after the gig with highlights.

That’s 10–15 posts, automatically structured around Gary’s content pyramid. And you barely lifted a finger.

Competitive Advantage

Most pubs won’t bother. They’ll keep posting once a week, usually something generic like “Happy Sunday everyone.” That silence is your opening.

By using SmartPubTools to keep up the Gary Vee rhythm, you become the loudest, most visible, most engaging venue in your town. Competitors can’t catch up because you’re flooding feeds with content that feels authentic and fun.

Attention compounds. Once locals are used to seeing you every day, you own their default choice.

The Hybrid Model: Human + AI

Gary Vee preaches human connection. SmartPubTools doesn’t replace that — it amplifies it. The best model is hybrid:

AI for structure: Content ideas, captions, event promos, scheduling.
Human for flavour: Staff faces, customer laughs, personal replies.

Together, this creates an unstoppable flow of content that feels authentic while still being efficient.

Gary Vee’s Core Lesson Revisited

Gary always says: “The game is attention. Whoever has it, wins.”

For pubs and restaurants, SmartPubTools is the way to actually play that game. Without it, you risk falling behind, stuck in the old model of posters and word-of-mouth. With it, you’re executing Gary’s playbook daily, effortlessly, profitably.

Final Thought

The hospitality venues that will thrive in 2025 are the ones that embrace this model. Gary Vee’s principles aren’t abstract. They’re practical, proven, and perfectly suited to pubs and restaurants. The only barrier is execution.

SmartPubTools removes that barrier. It makes Gary’s high-energy, high-volume approach achievable for everyday landlords. And when you put it into practice, the results aren’t just likes or follows. They’re full venues, loyal customers, and stronger profit margins.

👉 Start today with SmartPubTools. Build your own attention machine. Make Gary Vee’s playbook your competitive edge.

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