Impact Creators Studio
Men Try FlowCorps Pilates: How a UNC Cheer Collaboration Drove 60× the Engagement of Typical Reels
A boutique fitness studio needed to convince scroll-fast college students that pilates is a serious workout. We sent UNC's men's cheerleading squad to their first reformer class — and let the women cheer them through it.
The Challenge
FlowCorps, a boutique fitness studio, had a challenge: reach college students in North Carolina and prove that pilates wasn't just an aesthetic trend — it was a serious workout.
The Big Idea
To reach a scroll-fast audience, we partnered with an iconic UNC campus institution: the Carolina Cheerleading squad. But not in the way anyone expected. We sent the men's cheerleading team to their very first pilates class.
The concept was equal parts brilliant and brutal: put some of the strongest athletes on campus onto pilates reformers — for the very first time — and have the female cheerleaders show up with pom poms to cheer them through every agonizing second.
The result was exactly as glorious as it sounds. Grown men who bench-press for breakfast were humbled by springs and straps while being enthusiastically cheered on from the sidelines.
Why It Worked
The creative choice did everything at once. It was genuinely funny — the kind of content you send to your group chat. It was visually arresting. And it made the point more powerfully than any polished ad ever could: if men who regularly toss full-grown women into the air are struggling through this class, pilates is a real workout.
The emotional truth of FlowCorps shone through: they may not always have cheerleaders at your class, but they are absolutely cheering for you. It's a supportive place to try a new workout, and everyone is welcome.
The Results
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Impressions | 34.5K |
| Reach | 8.8K |
| Engagements | 1,400+ |
| Engagement rate | 6.2% |
| Engagement vs. typical IG content | 60× higher |
| Impressions vs. recent organic Reels | 6× higher |
| Social ROI | 3.78× |
| Estimated earned media value | $4.8K |
The UNC Cheer collaboration generated more than 1,400 engagements with the target audience at a 6.2% engagement rate. Content reached 8.8K users and drove 34.5K impressions — about 6× higher than FlowCorps' recent organic Reels — and the engagement rate was over 60× higher than typical Instagram content. Total: an estimated $4.8K in earned media value and a 3.78× social ROI.
The right creator paired with the right concept extends reach and drives meaningful engagement well beyond owned channels — even if it costs the men's cheerleading team some very sore muscles the next day.
Words for the Wise
- The creator matters as much as the channel. Off-the-shelf influencer placements rarely outperform organic content. A creator concept built around the brand's real audience punches well above its weight.
- Lean into contrast. The visual contradiction — strongmen humbled by a workout, women cheering from the sidelines — did the persuasion work the brand could not say out loud about its own product.
- Give the audience something they want to share. A 60× engagement lift is not a media-buying result. It is a creative result.
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