PR in Sports: Growing a Fan Base
Now more than ever, social media has given sports fans easy access to their favorite teams. Whether you root for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Jets or the Red Bull Formula 1racing team, chances are your favorite team has a social media page. Because of this, PR departments in the sports industry are hard at work finding ways to cater to their target audience while simultaneously growing their fan base in the process.
No matter what sport, each team has factors that differentiate them from the rest, and PR professionals take these into consideration when managing their team’s public image. Let’s take the Los Angeles Rams for example. One main factor the Rams’ PR team takes into consideration when growing their fan base is the fact that they’re from LA. Not only do they have a large demographic to work with, but many possibilities in media relations as well.
While the Rams PR team caters to their fans by posting game plays, scores, and players, they also have an Instagram dedicated to the LA community. Most recently, they posted pictures of their cheer team at the More Than Pink Walk for breast cancer awareness, as well as various posts about the East LA classic. This allows them to grow their fan base through LA-based events.
Another team that utilizes PR tactics to grow its audience is the Savannah Bananas. Based in Georgia, the Bananas are a baseball team that pulls the crowd’s attention before every game. Think of the Harlem Globetrotters, but baseball. Between dancing and doing skits, the Bananas PR team embraces their goofy image and creates perfect material for TikTok. This allows them to grow their fan base using current trends and trusting the algorithm to attract their target audience.
The Savannah Bananas dancing to New Romantics by Taylor Swift. Photo from @thesavbananas on TikTok.
Overall, good PR work can go a long way when growing a fan base. Whether it’s through pop culture references or an important cause in the community, there are plenty of ways to grow and engage a team’s audience with the help of PR professionals behind the scenes.
Carly Pellot
Carly Pellot is a senior at California State University, Northridge pursuing a degree in public relations. Pellot has experience working in the nonprofit sector of public relations where she has written several articles and press releases. Surrounded by sports at an early age, Pellot hopes to take what she’s learned about PR to the sports industry. Her goal is to work in community relations for a professional team.