If you are a sports fan who also likes to write, it may be a good idea to create a blog covering your favorite teams or sports. However, you will need to make sure that you meet several criteria to make sure that your blog is competitive and can grow a passionate following. What do you need to do to make sure that your sports blog is competitive?
Have a Unique Angle
Whatever subject you decide to cover, you will need to have a distinct point of view. For instance, do you want to be a news source for your team or do you want to simply state your opinion of the team or the sport that you follow the most? This is crucial because writing opinion content is a lot different than writing strictly news content. Regardless of what you choose, you need to stick to that angle because it will become your brand and what makes you stand out from the dozens of other sports blogs out there.
Make Sure You Know Your Facts
Sports fans are extremely passionate about the teams and players that they follow. This means that they are likely to take any inaccurate report or any omission as a slight against that player or team. For instance, if Cam Newton went 15-30 in his last game, you would be wise not to say that he went 15-40 or 25-30.
Those who love Newton will blast you for saying he threw 40 passes when he only threw 30. Those who hate Newton will blast you for saying that he completed 25 passes when he only completed 15. As a general rule, not knowing basic stats will make you look unprofessional and someone who doesn’t know what he or she is talking about.
This Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Court Controversy
Part of the reason why people take sports so seriously is that it is a distraction from real life. For the most part, no one really cares whether or not Tom Brady deflated footballs. However, since it doesn’t really matter whether he did or not, fans are more likely to go all in with their respective opinions. Brady fans are going to support him no matter what while others don’t care if he gets suspended. This type of controversy can attract a lot of traffic to your site, so it may be a good idea to just let everyone have their say and sit back while your site gets more popular.
Don’t Forget to Share on Social Media
These days, you can’t help but be on social media. Make sure to have a Twitter account for posting links, a Facebook account for creating a fan page and a LinkedIn account to connect with other professionals in your field. You may also want to create a Tumblr or Flckr account to have an easy way to share pictures and short posts. While you may not like social media or be good at it, a few short posts or links to your work on social sites can drive traffic and increase awareness of what you do. The relationships that you build with other professionals and fans of your work will go a long way toward cementing your blog as a viable resource long into the future.
Try to Get Yourself Credentialed at Some Point
One way to prove that you are a true journalist or at least respected as someone who covers sports is to get yourself credentialed. What this means is that you are given the right to go into a locker room after a game, sit in a press conference after the game or generally get access that the average fan doesn’t get. This will make you seem to others like a respected journalist who has an opinion that is worth listening to. Also, it will be a lot of fun to talk to your favorite athletes or generally help shape the conversation surrounding your favorite team, player or sport.
If you are looking to create a blog that is going to get you the biggest audience, you need to set yourself apart. This can be done by becoming a credentialed member of the press, working hard to develop relationships on social media and having a clear brand. While you won’t develop a following overnight, hard work and good content can establish yourself as someone to follow over time.