Texting your subscribers directly before and during games provides real-time commentary and messaging that enables an exchange of opinions and reactions.
As a host you’re given the opportunity to engage in light banter and share insightful takeaways, predications, and opinions that are uniquely yours through a personal communication platform. Here are some best practices for covering game day:
1. Provide insider analysis:The main value you add to your subscribers’ game day experience is analysis. Feel free to leave the game lines and mid-contest miscellany to other platforms, while focusing more on providing fans insightful statistics or takeaways that they wouldn’t be able to get from anyone else.
2. Pump up your audience with pre-game insightsAs a reporter with insider access, let your readers know what calculations the team, staff or coaches have made in the weeks preceding the game.
3. Check in halfway through the eventFans are accustomed to hearing analysis during halftime reports, so they’ll be looking to their text inbox to see something from you between the second and third quarters. This is a great time to give some basic facts, such as the score of the game and outputs from key players.
4. Let the pace of the event inform your texting cadenceRead the room. Save your messages for natural breaks, such as a transition into overtime or a weather delay. Be sure to consider other factors too: If a game runs late into the night or starts very early in the day, try to text sparingly. If there is a somber moment on the field, such as an injury or a moment of silence make sure your tone of text matches the mood.
5. Send a summary, and then later a recapShortly after the game ends, make sure to send a text with the score and a few key takeaways.
6. End with plugs, and offer opportunities for continued engagement
Following your recap, let subscribers know where you might be speaking or writing during the week, whether it’s on podcasts, radio shows or on any non-regular columns. Of course, make sure to send links to newly published material.
**Helpful Tip**: Resist over communicating. Most sports fans will likely be watching the game, if not also following along on other platforms. So, aim to send only a handful of insightful texts before, during and after the game.
Below are some example texts from HawkCentral's texts. You can read more about their use of Subtext for game day here.
