How I Grew a Basketball Social Media Brand (in a tiny niche) from 0 to 100,000+ Followers

I started Hoops Companion, what I call a “basketball social media brand”, a few years ago when I had a small group of about 40 coaching contacts signed up for a weekly newsletter where I posted a few plays, drills, and ideas that I found effective.

I was just trying to help a few coaches out and “give back to the game” I loved.

It started to grow from there and soon my newsletter was buzzing. But it wasn’t until I took to the (previously) unchartered lands of social media that Hoops Companion started to take off.

I had been on Twitter/X for a while, posting basketball diagrams of plays and drills and getting a good amount of engagement. I even started selling a few playbooks of said plays and made a small amount of money on the side.

And then I signed up for something I vowed I would never use: TikTok.

I didn’t have a single clue what I was doing, but for some reason, the idea of drawing up a play “live” seemed like something I wanted to try and thought people would enjoy.

I described my plays with written text when I posted my standstill diagrams, but I thought adding my voice could add some flavor to the videos and offer a little more detailed explanation/insight.

So I did that — by hand. And people resonated with it.

That eventually turned into a TikTok account…

And that eventually turned to me using an actual clipboard instead of pen and paper.

Now, for a pretty small niche (most of my followers are basketball coaches or people who love the why behind the game — not casual fans), I’m up to around 110,000 followers/subscribers across platforms. And it’s just me (as in, I’m the only one) drawing things up when I have the time.

Why do I think it worked out so well for me and Hoops Companion?

I figured out what people liked, gravitated towards, and found useful.

• I wouldn’t have called it that then, but I did a lot of early experimentation on what people were drawn to within my niche/area of content. I also sent a few simple surveys to my subscribers (and still do from time to time) about what they wanted to see more of. Plays, drills, and diagrams always won, got the most clicks, and landed the most people in my newsletter funnel. Once I took a look at that information, I decided to double down on it.

I gave the people what they wanted…but I did it differently.

• The plays without any movement were doing fine. But I wanted to change things up with the “live” diagrams and add some personality. I wanted people to feel like they were in the huddle while I was explaining the intricacies and reasoning behind a certain play. I think folks enjoyed the mini deep-dive into the why behind the play.
• Nobody else was doing this (there are a few more accounts out there now that are similar to mine…I’d like to say I potentially “inspired” them). I threw in some lofi hip-hop beats in the background, tried to keep everything under a minute, and made my videos an enjoyable watch and simple to digest.
• As a caveat, let me say that there have been many plays I haven’t posted because…well…it’s too much for my audience. Sure, I could show off just how complex my understanding of the game was, but that’s not what my audience needs. Give them what they want and need.

I posted everywhere.

• There’s a Hoops Companion TikTok, Instagram, Twitter/X, Threads, Facebook, and YouTube page. I create the content once and try to hit all my different audiences with the same stuff. The bottom line is some people prefer different platforms. I didn’t want to miss out on them. And it wasn’t like reposting/repurposing this particular content was too difficult of a task.

BONUS: Aesthetics and Personality

• I kind of mentioned this before, but the vibe, aesthetics, and personality of the drawing on a clipboard seemed to draw people into the content. Hoops Companion is a faceless account, but these videos gave it more of a personal touch. Aesthetics and the way your audience feels while consuming content matters.

Is this a foolproof plan to grow your accounts? I’m not sure — but I think a lot of the truths that came from my experience can work for most people trying to build their accounts, increase engagement around their brand, and bring more traffic to their business.

Find what works for you, what your audience will consume and engage in, and, while working to always cater more directly to your people, double down on the things they want to see.

It’s about them, not you.

Happy content creation and keep the faith!

Want to connect with Brandon and/or see more?

• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Check out Hoops Companion
• EMail me (shieldswriting@gmail.com