Inside NFL’s Strategy to Engage Football Fans Through Social Media and its Creator Program

The NFL is working towards establishing itself as the most youth-focused and community-driven sports league globally. In preparation for the upcoming NFL season, the league is designing its social media strategy to engage both its current fans and entice new ones.

One of the NFL’s initiatives is an extension of last year’s program, where the league allowed content creators to use its past footage for monetization opportunities as part of its creator program. Sam Friedman, NFL Senior Director of Content Partnerships, explained that the league also hosted these creators at major events throughout the season, from Kickoff to the Super Bowl, to provide behind-the-scenes access to NFL events for their fans. 

“We are excited to launch our creator programs in partnership with YouTube for the 2nd year starting at Kickoff,” said Friedman. “Last season, we launched our first creator program in partnership with a platform partner in YouTube called NFL Creator of the Week and YouTube Access Pass.”

Expanding Creator Initiatives After a Successful First Year

This program was very well received by the creators, as access to this footage was something they had been requesting. The NFL is excited to expand the program further, especially after seeing strong engagement in the first year of the Access Pass program, which involved 14 creators who generated over 82 million views for both at-home content and from key events.

For the “Creator of the Week” initiative, the NFL invited top content creators to weekly games across the country to highlight a fun and unique game day experience. Over the course of the season, the program ran for 23 weeks, collaborating with 27 creators to produce more than 200 shorts that garnered over 51 million views.

Friedman explained that, beyond the partnership with YouTube, the NFL continues to integrate creators into all key moments and priorities throughout the year. The league uses creators to expand the reach of NFL content, major events like this year’s NFL Draft, and various initiatives. This year, more than ever, NFL sponsors and broadcast partners are also including creators in their year-round activation plans.

Adapting Social Media Strategy to Engage Gen Z and Drive Global Expansion on TikTok and Beyond

In addition to connecting with diverse communities and fanbases, the NFL recognizes the importance of TikTok for sports brands to engage with younger audiences, such as Generation Z, on the platform. NFL fans have been able to engage with TikTok in a different way than they did on other platforms over the past few years, resulting in significant growth in video consumption, engagement, and followers. The NFL is eager to continue this momentum into the 2024-2025 NFL season, as success on TikTok is also influencing and shaping strategies on other platforms like Instagram, Snap, and X.

Bryce Gustafson, NFL Senior Director of Social Programming & Initiative Integration, stated that the NFL is adapting its social media strategy this year in response to the rapid changes on platforms like Instagram, X, and TikTok. He noted that these platforms are constantly evolving, saying, “We always say there’s something new to account for across the social platform ecosystem every six months or less.” 

To keep up with these changes, the NFL has a dedicated team that monitors platform updates and is prepared to adjust social strategies on a near-daily basis.

“Our goal is to make the NFL the most youth-focused, community-driven sports league in the world, so our social strategy is designed to appeal to our existing fans and bring in new ones to the NFL family,” said Gustafson.

As the 2024 NFL season begins this weekend, the NFL will continue to showcase a lot of highlights and spotlight the incredible work of players both on and off the field, while maximizing storytelling across all levels of the game. With the first-ever game in Brazil kicking off five international games this season, the NFL will heavily focus on expanding the game outside the U.S. On the platform side, the league will keep testing and exploring new and emerging platforms to better engage fans where they spend their time.

Last year, Taylor Swift attended multiple Kansas City Chiefs games, significantly amplifying the NFL’s appeal as a cultural phenomenon, according to Eddie Capobianco, NFL Vice President of Influencer Marketing. Capobianco emphasized that Swift’s presence highlighted the NFL’s pivotal role as an intersection of sports and entertainment, showcasing its cultural influence as interest in the NFL from the female demographic has been the most in years.

“Her visibility not only generated significant media buzz, but also enhanced the NFL’s allure for a new wave of high-profile celebrities and creators, particularly women, who are eager to immerse themselves in the electrifying atmosphere of our live games,” said Capobianco.