From a marketing perspective, Instagram has proven to be one of the most effective social platforms due to its visual nature. Video, images, and illustration are critical components when building a personal brand. This is a core factor that makes the crossover sports scene a very entertaining and exciting trend in the entire sports industry.
Across the digital space, there is an ongoing debate as to what is more important, followers or engagement. Both are important when it comes to building a brand; however, engagement rates are key because they indicate how engaged your audience is with your content. Engagement rate is usually defined by metrics, including likes, comments, shares, etc.
In the influencer-led sports space, it’s crucial that crossover athletes have engaged with communities to ensure they invest enough in their brands to want to see them compete, which can turn into ticket sales. Therefore, keeping in mind the importance of Instagram and engagement, I have identified the 10 most engaged athletes on Instagram in the crossover combat sports scene; Let’s see what makes them stand out.
Number 10: Jay Swingler
Jay is a YouTuber by trade, but has recently become a multitasking entrepreneur through his new project, Childish Energy. Childish Energy is a sugar-free energy drink brand that is aimed at gym-goers and the like.
On Instagram (IG), most of Jay’s content consists of fight promotion, boxing training clips, short-form content exported from his YouTube channel, promotion of his business ventures such as merchandise and e-commerce, and giveaways. along with many uploads promoting her appetite for retro-style clothing.
Jay’s upload schedule is relatively inconsistent; As he gets more involved in the YouTube boxing scene, he will tend to upload more to his IG account during the promotion. But having said that, it worked out well for him, considering he remains one of the most committed personalities in the crossover boxing community.
Number 9: KSI
The man who needs no introduction, KSI! Considering how busy this man’s content schedule is, it’s no surprise to see him in the top 10. KSI IG’s set of content consists of the following: Boxing Training, Fight Promotion, Sponsorship Endorsements, Sidemen Partner Efforts, and Festival/Concert Clips.
Usually KSI will upload content to their IG channel 2-3 times a month. Although this doesn’t sound like much, we’ve all heard the phrase ‘quality over quantity’; Plus, it gives your audience more appetite when you upload because they’re curious to hear from you more often.
Broadly speaking, KSI’s IG stats consist of: 282+ media uploads, 12M+ followers, 577 account following, 5.76% engagement rate, 730k+ average likes , average comments over 3k.
What can we learn from KSI’s GI strategy? Well, to build a successful brand on Instagram, when it comes to uploads, prioritize quality over quantity.
Number 8: DTG
DTG has a number of endeavors under his belt, from being a music artist, a Twitch gamer, to breaking into the influential boxing scene.
DTG’s IG content portfolio is all about highlighting your achievements, being endorsed by other celebrities in industries similar to yours, and being photographed at sporting events.
Collectively, DTG has 92 media uploads, 100,000+ followers, follows 3,000+ accounts, 5.83% engagement rate, 5.7k average number, and 140 comments per post.
DTG uploads at least once a month to his IG channel. Whether you’re a creator or representing a brand, what you can learn from DTG’s IG strategy is to make sure your content illustrates the achievements you’ve made so you can establish your credibility online.
Number 7: Austin McBroom
Austin McBroom, one of the innovators in the crossover boxing space. He was the former founder of the Social Gloves promotion, but even though the initiative no longer exists, he remains a pivotal figure in the digital community.
Most of McBroom’s content includes fight promos, memories with his wife and kids, and training videos.
Austin gets 598 media uploads, 6.2M+ followers, 7.66% engagement rate, 474K+ likes per post, 2.1k+ comments per post.
Typically, the Ace family member tends to upload 5 pieces of media per day. But what can we learn about how Austin manages his account? Ultimately, each piece of content on his IG grid represents his personality and interests, a critical factor in building a personal brand.
Number 6: Deji
Deji, also known as a comedian, tends to gear his IG content game around achievements throughout his boxing journey, training footage, and behind-the-scenes content at the events he fights at.
KSI’s little brother has 312 media uploads, 3.1M+ followers, follows 360 accounts, 11.82% engagement rate, 374,000 likes per post along with 2,2,000 comments on average per post.
Deji aims to upload to his IG channel once a month. Like other creators, they follow the quality over quantity approach. The reason this works is because your fans become more curious about what’s going on with your brand, which increases the chances of gaining more traction.
Number 5: Tommy’s Fury
Tommy’s IG content predominantly consists of personal life updates, training pictures, fight promotions, and general modeling photos.
Tommy has 870+ media uploads, 5.1M+ followers, 725+ accounts followed, 12.01% engagement rate, 612K+ likes, and 3,500+ comments per post.
Fury’s charging schedule is updated once every few days. With Tommy’s content, the steeper learning curve related to his #5 ranking in engagement is likely due to the personal life updates he shares, as his online community will naturally become more involved in the brand of content. he.
Number 4: Landon McBroom
Landon McBroom, the brother of Austin McBroom, regularly uploads family updates and general model photos promoting the lavish lifestyle the YouTuber claims to live.
Landon has 23 media uploads, 1M+ followers, follows 34 accounts, 12.31% engagement rate, 121,000+ comments per post, and 2,700+ comments.
McBroom tends to upload content quite inconsistently, there’s no clear pattern, but based on his results, it doesn’t appear to be necessary.
Number 3: Faith Ordway
Faith made her influencer boxing debut in January of this year against Elle Brooke. Her IG content includes fight promotion, herself trying new experiences, exercise clips, and modeling-style photos.
Ordway has 96 media uploads, 1M+ followers, follows 846 accounts, 12.35% engagement rate, 132,000+ likes per post, and 376,000 comments per post.
With Faith’s content, the lesson to be learned includes making the most of your figure and also looking to repurpose your content, which is something Faith does on occasion. For example, reuploading your TikToks as Reels.
Number 2: King Kenny
Kenny’s content on IG includes fight announcements, fight clips, other featured pages along with nostalgic themed content including body transformations, old photos, and more.
Beta squad member has 68 media uploads, 393k+ followers, 420 followers, 14.34% engagement rate, 55k+ likes per post, 486 comments per post.
It’s clear that Kenny has become heavily involved in the crossover boxing landscape, for this reason, he only tends to regularly upload videos around the time of fight promotions. One lesson to be learned from Kenny includes building a like-minded network, like the one he has with Beta Squad. A group of friends who do a lot of crazy things. But it’s not just that, it allows you to cross audiences and become a more adult personality in the digital space.
Number 1: AnesonGib
None other than AnesonGib claims the number one spot in the cross boxing community. AnesonGib’s IG content is oriented around fight content such as announcements, highlights, training images, and clips.
Gib has 109 media uploads, 956k+ followers, 129 followers, 16.98% engagement rate, 161k+ likes, and 1k+ comments per post.
It’s fair to say that AnesonGib has undergone the biggest transformation in the crossover boxing community. For example, in the preparation for the Austin McBroom, in the face-to-face, the London boy openly admitted that he could not do push-ups until he was 21 years old. This is one of the main reasons why Gib is one of the most engaged personalities in the space and it also comes down to his creative flair around his announcement, a good example involving his announcement to enter the Kingpyn tournament.
There are several factors that contribute to high engagement on GI. But in the context of crossover boxing, he likes consistency, but that works the other way too, for example, if you don’t upload videos as often, this will keep your audience curious if executed on the right timelines. Also, be as open as possible with your audience, this helps you build authentic connections with your demographic who will invest in your brand (eg, they are likely to buy tickets, merchandise, advocate for you, etc.)
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