How can athletes create and monetize their own content platforms or channels?

Fans easily detect inauthenticity. Athletes should choose platforms that feel natural to them. In the era of user-generated content (UGC) on social video, a simple phone camera is all you need to share your life story.

Athletes can create and monetize their content platforms by leveraging personal websites, social media, podcasts, and exclusive content channels. Diversified income streams, including merchandise sales, sponsorships, and subscription models, offer financial opportunities. Building a strong connection with the audience through consistent content, interactions, and collaborations is essential for long-term success. Embracing creativity and adapting to evolving trends allows athletes to not only generate income but also cultivate lasting connections with their fan base.

Alright, so for athletes diving into the content game, it's all about picking the right spot to shine and make some bucks. Start by knowing your fans—figure out where they hang out online. Then, think about what kind of content clicks with them—whether it's vlogs, tutorials, or behind-the-scenes stuff. Keep the engagement flowing, be there for your fans regularly. Now, check out how these platforms pay up—sponsorships, merch, the whole shebang. Lastly, don't put all your eggs in one basket; spread it out a bit. And, of course, stay true to yourself, chat with your fans like you're having a regular chat. Easy peasy, right?

Social media is nothing new, but it continues to evolve. It's crucial for athletes who are looking to connect with their fans (or brands) to become more comfortable and familiar with creating content, delivering messages, and understanding platform dynamics and formats. It's important to experiment and be yourself, no matter how uncomfortable it is at first!

The content-platform fit is the key! Instagram, ideal for visual content, and TikTok, perfect for engaging videos, are great choices for showcasing training, achievements, and personal life. For promoting own business and launching own products, LinkedIn is a must-have. Athletes can follow the example of Kevin Trapp, German goalkeeper and founder of Moelk GmbH, by utilizing LinkedIn for professional networking and promoting business ventures. Selecting the appropriate platform ensures maximum audience engagement and effective monetization opportunities.

While creators and influencers rely on marketing instincts and strategies to build valuable audiences, athletes often have an audience built-in which is their fans. Their niche can be a sub-section of their current fan base. For example an athlete might be an avid gamer after training or matchday. This part of their lifestyle might reflect their passion to gamers within sport. And it's just as important for athletes to check in with their fan base and see what they’re posting about. Then look to replicate that content in their own unique way.

For athletes venturing into content creation, defining a niche and a value proposition is key. The niche is the specific focus of the content. For example, a soccer player might focus on soccer techniques, game analysis, or interviews with soccer figures. The value proposition is what unique benefit they offer, like improving soccer skills or sharing expert insights. Establishing a niche and value proposition helps athletes stand out, attracting and retaining a specific audience. This step is crucial for athletes aiming to make an impact in the content market.

An easy mistake for any professional to make is thinking that the topics they address on social media need to be related to what they do. It doesn't. You can also try talking about what you are passionate about, what you love, because that passion will come through and will bring new opportunities and new fans!

When defining their niche and value proposition, athletes can take inspiration from JJ Redick, a former NBA player who successfully launched his podcast, "The Old Man and the Three." Specializing in basketball, Redick's niche is his in-depth knowledge and firsthand experiences in the sport. He offers unique insights, engaging interviews with basketball figures, and expert analysis of NBA events. His value proposition is providing an insider's view of professional basketball, appealing to fans and aspiring players who seek a deeper understanding of the game. This approach demonstrates how athletes can leverage their personal expertise and experiences to create compelling, specialized content that resonates with a specific audience.

In addition to previous strategies, athletes or their mentors should adopt the Blue Ocean marketing approach to distinguish themselves from competitors. Replicating services similar to rivals can lead to excessive competition. Therefore, they should apply a critical thinking process in content creation to innovate and stand out in the market. This approach enables them to explore untapped areas, offering unique value and reducing direct competition.

It's crucial for athletes to collaborate with a diverse range of individuals within their niche. A great example of this approach is Peter Crouch, a former England footballer, who hosts "That Peter Crouch Podcast." On his podcast, Crouch invites various footballers who have played for different clubs. This strategy allows him to reach a broad spectrum of football fans, including supporters of the various clubs these players have represented. By engaging with guests from different backgrounds and experiences within the football world, Crouch not only enriches his podcast content but also expands his audience reach.

Athletes can create and monetize content platforms by prioritizing audience growth and engagement. While SEO, email marketing, and paid advertising are effective, they come with costs in terms of time, money, and resources. In the early stages, focus on building authenticity through audience interaction and word of mouth. Encourage comments, shares, likes, and subscriptions by actively engaging with your audience. Utilize social media, collaborations, and grassroots promotion to establish a genuine connection. As authenticity grows, so does your audience, setting the foundation for effective monetization through sponsorships, partnerships, and loyal fan support.

Growing and engaging your audience is essential for turning a platform into a thriving community. Haley and Hanna Cavinder exemplify this brilliantly. By creating daily vlogs on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic, they not only provided consistent content but also leveraged the platform’s features to interact with their audience effectively. Their strategy included using hashtags for wider reach, engaging with comments to build a rapport, and collaborating with other creators to tap into new audience segments. This proactive approach to audience engagement helped them amass a substantial following, leading to a groundbreaking NIL deal.

In the context of content monetization for athletes, product placement of a sponsor's items during YouTube videos is an excellent idea. Ideally, these products should be directly related to the athlete's sport, enhancing the 'sponsorship fit' and credibility of both the product and the athlete. For example, a runner promoting dietary supplements or running shoes in their videos not only strengthens the authenticity of the promotion but also resonates more naturally with the audience. This method is effective as it appears more genuine to viewers. Additionally, athletes can benefit from YouTube's advertising revenue, providing another stream of monetization for their content.

Agents and marketing firms play a crucial role in negotiating sponsorship deals, handling advertisements, and exploring various revenue streams. Their responsibility is not just promoting the content but actively contributing to business growth. Negotiations with sponsors, advertisers, and handling payment platforms become part of their role. A thriving off-field presence benefits all parties involved, creating opportunities for post-career ventures. Athletes should collaborate with marketing firms to maximize their content's value, ensuring quality, relevance, and alignment with the chosen monetization method for sustained success.

Are you an advertising-based personality or a user-funded personality? It's worth thinking about which way to go, because many content creators struggle if they try to do both. Both can work and have pluses and minuses, but think about which approach you want to take and build to that. You can re-evaluate later, but it's good to have a starting point.

Personal branding and strategic development are essential to changing the narrative on amateur athletic compensation, especially in the era of NIL legislation (Kunkel et al., 2021; Lush, 2022). Sponsorships need to be authentic to enhance trust & loyalty. So integrating products that align naturally with the athlete's previously stated personal values & athletic identity will be more effective than generic endorsements. Utilizing data analytics to understand audience preferences can help athletes tailor their content for maximum impact, leading to higher merchandise sales or content subscriptions (Wakefield & Bennett, 2018). With these strategies in place athletes can be better equipped to negotiate compensation methodologies with sponsors.

Monetizing your content effectively involves strategic alignment with your brand and audience. Cristiano Ronaldo provides a prime example. With his massive social media following, he successfully engages in sponsorships with major brands like Nike and Herbalife, while also promoting his own 'CR7' lifestyle brand. By integrating sponsored posts that resonate with his personal image and directly selling products like fragrances and clothing, Ronaldo not only maximizes revenue but also maintains content relevance and quality. This approach demonstrates the importance of selecting monetization methods that align closely with your personal brand and audience interests, whether through sponsorships, direct sales, or exclusive content.

You don't need to be a data scientist to see what works and what doesn't. It will all be very clear from early on ... Once you start getting traction with content, look at what content is performing and try and understand why. What is the difference between the ones that work and those that don't? How much better does video perform than photos? Than text? Is there a difference in the amount of engagement you get when you publish on a Tuesday vs. say, a game day? The day after a big game or during?

Learning from the "best" doesn't necessarily mean the biggest. That's because if you try to copy Ronaldo, it probably won't work. Because you're probably not Ronaldo. You could re-define the 'best' to mean those who've built big followings starting from a less advantageous position. Rex Chapman on Twitter might be an example. Or even outside of sports, someone like George Takei. They both leveraged modest fame to build big platforms. Learn what they did to get there, and it might be more helpful. Copying Lebron James doesn't make sense unless you're Lebron James.

Athletes are the latest frontier in direct-to-fan relationship models. With the advent of disintermediated platforms (social) and the growth of third party platforms (gaming etc...), athletes are the new best candidate to hole that one-to-one relationship with fans. Another element is the athlete-celebrity phenomenon, as sport is not anymore in a silos and users consume content from multiple-verticals in a feed experience. So athlete as a human and a storyteller inside and beyond sport.

Athletes can monetize their brand by taking cues from someone like, say, Stephen Curry, and his playbook. Identify your unique selling point. Select platforms that align with your content and audience, like YouTube for storytelling or Instagram for daily updates, and maintain a stream of engaging and high-quality posts. Explore offering exclusive content on platforms like Patreon, selling bespoke merchandise, or organizing paid workshops and events. Stephen Curry has expanded his reach beyond basketball with a production company and a social media presence, demonstrating the power of strategic outreach. Emulate this by forming the right partnerships to turn your brand into a thriving business.

The truth is, athletes are not all cut from the same cloth, and some of them won't make a successful transition into this space. Athletes can create and monetize their own content platforms by prioritizing authenticity. Genuine connections with fans are key - you cannot fake it here. Develop a content strategy reflecting your personality and values, engage with your audience, and diversify content formats. Branded content, merchandise sales, ad revenue, and all of that will come if you have a successful podcast or social media channel that fans relate to, but again, it must be authentic. Stay true to yourself, and success will follow.

Athletes can cash in on their own channels. Start by picking where you fit best, like a blog or videos. Nail down what you're all about and what you offer that nobody else does. Build a fan base by shouting out your stuff on social media and getting people to tune in. Keep them coming back by making your space interactive. Make money by finding brands that want to team up, getting fans to subscribe for special content, or raffling off your own gear. Keep an eye on what's bringing in the cash and what's not, then tweak as you go. Watch what the top players are doing and learn from their wins.

Athletes can utilise third-party companies to create products that encourage the next generation to train like them, taking brand deals that align with their values is essential to cultivate their identity.