Introduction – Why Posting Alone Isn’t Enough
Most pubs think social media is about broadcasting: post a photo, shout about an event, hope people show up. The problem? Everyone’s doing the same thing. Your posts get buried.
Gary Vee’s $1.80 Strategy flips this. Instead of just posting, you join the conversation. You become part of local feeds where your potential customers already spend their time. For pubs, this is one of the fastest, cheapest ways to get noticed in 2025.
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Industry Context – Local Attention Is the Asset
- 76% of people say they check social media for local events before going out (Statista, 2024).
- Posts with active comment threads get 3× higher visibility than standalone posts (Forbes, 2024).
- Facebook groups and TikTok local hashtags are the most engaged digital “town squares” today (CGA Strategy, 2024).
The message is clear: pubs that only post on their own feeds are invisible. Pubs that join wider conversations dominate.
What the $1.80 Strategy Means
Gary Vee explains it simply:
- Leave your “two cents” (opinion or comment) on 90 posts a day.
- 90 × $0.02 = $1.80 worth of value daily.
It’s not about spamming. It’s about being visible in other people’s feeds with genuine, human interaction.
For pubs, that means commenting in:
- Local Facebook groups.
- TikTok posts tagged with your town.
- Instagram foodie accounts.
- Local football club pages.
Why It Works for Hospitality
- Hyper-local relevance — You don’t need the whole country, just your postcode.
- Visibility without ads — Comments show up in feeds for free.
- Personality beats polish — A witty reply is more powerful than a glossy flyer.
- Compounds over time — The more you show up, the more people remember your pub.
Practical Framework – How to Apply the $1.80 Strategy in a Pub
Step 1: Find the Right Feeds
- Join local Facebook groups (“What’s On in Sunderland”).
- Search TikTok for #[yourtown] + nightlife.
- Follow foodie Instagrams nearby.
- Track football/rugby club accounts.
Step 2: Comment Daily
- Spend 15 minutes morning, 15 minutes evening.
- Aim for 15–20 comments per session.
Step 3: Keep It Human
- On a football post: “First round’s on VAR tonight 🍻 (kidding, but pints are cold here).”
- On a foodie post: “That burger looks unreal — we’ve been testing new toppings too 👀.”
- On a local event post: “Need an afterparty spot? We’ve got late-night cocktails.”
Step 4: Track Mentions
- Note when customers say, “Saw you in the group!”
- Track extra footfall linked to local hype.
Case Study – Match Day Engagement
Sunderland AFC post: “Score predictions for Saturday?”
- Pub comment: “3–1 Sunderland… first pint’s on us if that happens 😉 big screens ready.”
Result:
- Dozens of likes on the comment.
- Fans tagging mates: “Fancy watching it here?”
- Increased match-day turnout.
One cheeky comment turned into 30+ paying customers.
Numbers That Prove It
- Comments generate 4× more visibility than posts alone (HubSpot, 2024).
- Even 20 daily comments = 600+ brand impressions per month.
- If just 5% of impressions convert into visits, that’s 30 new customers.
- At £18 average spend = £540 in extra revenue per month.
- Scale over a year = £6,000–£10,000 in turnover from commenting alone.
Advanced Tips – How to Systemise It
- Set a timer: 15 minutes, twice a day.
- Rotate staff: Bar manager one night, chef another.
- Stay playful: Keep tone cheeky, friendly, not corporate.
- Don’t oversell: Join the conversation, don’t hijack it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Being too salesy: “Come to our pub!” gets ignored.
- Inconsistency: Once a month won’t work — daily is key.
- Ignoring replies: If people respond and you don’t engage, you lose trust.
- Copy-paste spam: Every comment should be unique.
Linking Back to the Cornerstone
The $1.80 Strategy pairs perfectly with Gary’s other principles:
- Documenting daily life.
- Balancing jabs and hooks.
- Building a content pyramid.
See the full framework here:
👉 Gary Vee Social Media Marketing for Pubs: The Ultimate 2025 Playbook
Conclusion – Be the Loudest in the Local Feed
Most pubs post once a week and hope for the best. Gary’s $1.80 Strategy shows a better way: show up every day in the conversations locals already care about.
Be witty, be human, be present. Do that consistently, and your pub will become the first place people think of when making plans.
Attention → familiarity → footfall → profit. And it all starts with a few clever comments.
Used daily at Teal Farm Pub, Washington NE38
The Pub Command Centre handles everything in this article — without a spreadsheet.
Wet GP%, dry GP%, labour costs, beer line cleaning logs (12 lines), HACCP temperature checks, stock ordering, weekly P&L. All in one system. Used every shift at Teal Farm where labour runs at 15.1% against a UK pub average of 25-30%.
On a pub taking £900k a year, running labour at 15% instead of 25% is worth roughly £90,000. That is what tracking it daily — every shift, every week — actually looks like.
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See the Pub Command Centre — £97 →One-off payment. Works on any device. Used by a working licensee, not a software company that’s never pulled a pint.
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