5 Most Impactful Types of Social Media Content in Sports
No doubt about it, there’s one goal that every social media producer in sports all share and are eager to reach: Grow the fanbase!
Engaging audience can be a challenging task for sports social media producers, because of this major factor: Sports have COMPLEX rules. Those who understand little about sports won’t see why an incredible record (mostly about numbers) or an elite play are such a big deal, not to mention turning them into followers.
From my prior experience in managing the social media accounts for MLB Asia region, there are certain impactful content that can help you attract casual fans efficiently!
I narrow the juicy content down to five types, which I think are the best-performed sports (specifically for baseball) content among social media users, no matter they are simply causal or hardcore sports fans.
(1) Funny & Hilarious (2) Adorable (3) Educational (4) Emotional & Inspiring (5) Aggression-related
We can never have too much laughter, even in the serious competitive sports world! Without fully knowing what the rules are about, THESE videos will make everyone laughs uncontrollably.
On-field scenes, mostly about players:
Most hilarious moments of 2020 MLB, Brent Suter recovers after tumbling on mound
We’ll also find fans interacting with the players:
Off-field scenes, mostly about mascots:
Braves mascot tries to steal $300 million from Manny Machado
Ichiro pillow fight with the mascot
Sometimes it’s the staff that steals the spotlight:
Entertaining content like the above add a different flavor to sports and help send an important message: Join our world to open the door for having a fun and chill time!
I mean, can you really find someone who is immune to cute baby/animal content on the earth? When these adorable creatures appear on the sports field/court, they just got 100 times cuter for no reason!
Dogs watching ball game from the stands melt our heart: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=215446299770575
This could be the cutest photo of the year:
Click to see how this single pic performs on MLB Taiwan FB page: https://www.facebook.com/TAIWAN.MLB/posts/3558030517617495
If you hope to grab attention on social media platforms, go find similar content which is related to the sports you are promoting. They resonate best with social media users!
On the other hand, it’s also difficult to find cute content in a sports game, as on-field animals and babies content cannot be created, but can only be captured by chance. ( Holding event like Pet Day or Baby Race will increase the odds to obtain this content, but under the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s not plausible to hold any kinds of events in current situation.).
One simple reason we fall for a sport is just because the athlete is capable of doing something amazing that ordinary civilian fail to achieve. It’s hard not to wonder “what makes them great”, right?
In baseball, pitchers demonstrating baseball pitching grips (Liam Hendriks displays his spiked knuckle curve), fielders sharing their pre-game routine (How Gleyber Torres gets ready for the game), or hitters giving batting lessons ( Albert Pujols’ batting tips ), are fans favorites.
Try to find content that is simple to operate at home, which help attract fans of all ages. Sometimes, it doesn’t have to be directly linked to upgrading skills, but can be something more general or entertaining. For example, some DIY projects (Mariano Rivera shows how to make a glove out of cardboard) help engage the whole family to enjoy the content!
When an icon of a generation calls it a career, it’s obvious to see hardcore fans filled with mixed emotions and pay tribute to the player. At the same time, casual sports fans on social media may not share the same feeling towards the farewell, but they won’t miss out on the opportunity to take advantage on trending topic and will try to post related content to bond with the athlete.
You don’t have to be a sports fan to be Ichiro’s admirer!
How MLB Japan fans reacts to Ichiro’s final game on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MLBJapan/status/1108854798948818944
Besides emotional farewell, motivational post about player’s story also serves as powerful content to inspire people to share it! When there were no live MLB games this year, we make use of Jose Bautista’s story to encourage fans to stay positive.
The curated clip is posted on MLB Japan TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@mlbjapan/video/6831066794577513730?lang=zh_Hant
The Japanese description is about how Bautista turns his initial struggle in the big league into momentum to become an influential player that delivered historic shot in the playoff.
While sports is cruel (all about winning an losing), you cannot find more inspiring stories anywhere but here!
If you’re a sports fan, this type of content must be expected: Conflict in sports. Bench-clearing brawl, controversial calls that stir up drama and finally the ejection can spark conversations and engagements effortlessly.
Check out the lively discussion on MLB Korea FB page about the tempers flared in the Pirates-Reds game in 2019: https://www.facebook.com/korea.mlb/posts/2936563496360955
The aggression-related content, though, is a double-edged sword. Is it worth posting content that create an uproar for your brand? What will be the right tone for this post? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
The above-mentioned contents are what I’ve found appealing to social media users, and are more likely to go viral on social media platforms. At the same time, however, we’ve got to learn the fact that sometimes, it’s not worth creating viral content that includes violence or hatred, which may help generate brand awareness only on the negative side.
Instead, try to connect with people. Create content that can become part of everyone’s life, be the inspiration for the world, put a smile on viewers’ faces, become the common topic in small talks… etc. As you connect two, three, ten people and imagine if that number doubles fifty times… how much positivity have we brought to this world?
