Sports Bloggers Train for Success

Bloggers with a focus on athletics can expand their platform with willu

The couch surfer was voted “Most Likely to Fall Down While Bowling” in his high school yearbook.

Now the joke is on Clay Travis’s former classmates. That’s because Travis is one of the top sport bloggers in the country. By 2014 he told the Tennessean he was a multimillionaire.

Travis started his blog after law school, a stint in politics, and writing for CBS Sports. The blog sprung to the national scene after securing a contract with Fox Sports. Today Out Kick the Coverage has expanded into entertainment commentary and podcasts, too.

Building a Fan Base

As a sports blogger you know the thrill of combining two passions. Few other jobs offer an entrepreneurial pursuit that combines writing and sports. It’s a sweet place to be because room for growth is limited only by the creativity applied building your audience base. You’re focused because you know that’s how you build a platform.

To this end you’ve probably already invested time and energy beyond your blog. Expanding your reach outside of your blog is both necessary and expected. Many bloggers look to social media and broadcasting sites, like YouTube.

However, the best bloggers, like star athletes, must do more.

What if you could interact with your readers in real time, on a distraction-free platform you control? You could send updates to all of your followers in real-time and have private conversations, too. This would be perfect when covering live sporting events.

Score Points with willu

Bring conversations from your blog comments section into an environment that is private, secure, and real-time. Share updates with all of your followers or one-on-one.

willu is a hashtag messaging service. To start, register a willu hashtag. Keep it brief. It could be the name of your blog, such as #TennisTalk. Or you could register your name if fans know you that way. Here are more ideas to choose a your willu hashtag.

Then, instruct all interested parties to text the hashtag to 94558 (willu).

Followers subscribe to your willu hashtag and can reply to any broadcast message, either publicly or privately. They can come and go from your hashtag without hassle. The best part is that followers can join the conversation without sharing their phone number or contact information — and they won’t have access to yours, either.

From here, it’s up to you. Will you share updates every time you post? What about sharing real-time coverage of a particular sports event? What if you shared exclusive training tips? How about using the willu hashtag to coordinate a real-world meetup at the next game? It’s up to you.

So, don’t wait. Register your willu hashtag now. What will you do with it?