Are you interested in breaking into sports writing jobs? Today we bring you a guest post from someone who has done exactly that. Sports blogger and writer Matt Musico turned his personal blog into a successful sports writing career. He outlines how he did it in an ebook called Sportswriting 101: How to Make the Cut as a Beginner. Keep reading to discover how he used hashtags to create a following for his sports blog.
How to Use The Power of Hashtags to Your Advantage as a Sports Blogger
It happened suddenly, but hashtags have become a part of everyday conversation. While they’re most commonly used on various social media networks, you’ve probably seen them used just about everywhere else: direct messages, Facebook messages, text messages, emails, on the bathroom wall, and more.
They’ve quickly turned into a way for friends to converse with one another on a daily basis. We can’t even watch some of our favorite TV shows or major sporting events without seeing a branded hashtag in the corner of the screen. Seeing how prominent hashtags have become is clear, but why – as a sports blogger, a dedicated fan, or any other professional in the industry – should you use them?
There are two great benefits to using hashtags when it comes to growing your social media following on Twitter: getting maximum exposure for yourself and discovering other like-minded people.
As an example, let’s use the University of Alabama football team. This program has some of the most passionate fans in the country, and they continually eat up news and opinion from anybody willing to share. If you’re a sports blogger specializing in college football – and more specifically, the Crimson Tide – who is most likely to share or interact with you about an article you wrote?
Crimson Tide fans, of course!
Using a popular hashtag (like #RollTide) draws attention to your content and puts a spotlight on it where the likelihood of getting noticed skyrockets, especially during football season. Experiencing increased reach by using and monitoring relevant hashtags is no secret. On social media, this is the best – and the most cost-efficient – way to target users in any particular niche.
Even if your social media following isn’t nearly as big as other influencers within the industry, it’s not impossible to experience similar reach with specific posts, as long as appropriate hashtags are used strategically and consistently.
It’s not uncommon for passionate sports fans to spend most of their time on Twitter searching through their favorite hashtags instead of hanging out on their default timeline. Why? They want to discover others with similar interests, opinions, and passions. Searching in this manner helps accomplish that, which is why this is something you should also be doing.
Looking through hashtag timelines allows you to take the temperature of a fan base at that particular time, along with providing opportunities for you to interact with them, display your knowledge and build credibility. All of these things will lead to a spike in your following, which in turn helps to increase the maximum reach of your future posts.
See how everything is connected? All it takes is one article or social media post to get into the right hands of someone before going viral – give yourself every chance to make it possible. Want to grow your social media following and find success as a sports blogger? Learn from Matt – he’s been writing for five years and has been featured at Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, FanSided, and more. Get yourself a copy of Sportswriting 101: How to Make the Cut as a Beginner today!
