Exploring the determinants of women football players’ Instagram popularity
A summary of the research:
This study examines the factors that influence the Instagram popularity of women’s football players, focusing on how team branding, media recognition, and market size impact follower count and engagement. Using data from 1,386 professional women’s football players across five major European leagues, researchers found that account verification and a large team audience positively influenced a player's social media following and engagement. However, joint branding—where men’s and women’s teams share a social media account—had a negative impact on women players' engagement, likely due to an imbalance in how clubs promote male versus female athletes. A follow-up analysis confirmed that shared accounts post significantly less content featuring women’s players, leading to lower visibility and interaction.
The findings highlight a gender disparity in social media branding, showing that even in clubs that field both men’s and women’s teams, male players receive more digital promotion. Since social media engagement is critical for athletes’ personal branding and sponsorship opportunities, these results suggest that clubs need to rethink their social media strategies to provide equitable visibility for women’s football players. The study emphasizes that while media and market factors play a role, club branding choices directly affect the digital reach of women athletes.
Key Takeaways:
Women’s Teams Should Have Their Own Social Media Accounts – Joint branding with men’s teams negatively impacts engagement for women players. Clubs should maintain separate social media accounts for their women’s teams to increase visibility and fan interaction.
Encourage Verified Status for Players – Verified accounts attract significantly more engagement. Clubs and federations should support female players in obtaining verification to enhance their digital presence and sponsorship value.
Ensure Equal Social Media Promotion – Since men’s teams receive more exposure on shared accounts, clubs should implement policies to ensure equal posting frequency and promotional efforts for women’s players, helping to build their individual brands and commercial appeal.
Authors: Nataliya Bredikhina, Thilo Kunkel, Heather Kennedy & Francesca Fumagalli
You can read the entire article here.
