Social Content Opportunities for the Basketball Audience on TikTok in Q2 2023

Purpose of This Research

• ‍Identify white space content opportunities for TikTok ‍
• ‍Identify replicable production elements (formats, editing techniques, etc.) that contribute to those content opportunities‍
• ‍Identify content themes that are not performing well and may be avoided

‍In order to drive the most effective possible TikTok content strategy possible to resonate with the Basketball audience.

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Top TikTok content themes in the Basketball space.

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Good TikTok content themes in the Basketball space.

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Okay TikTok content themes in the Basketball space.

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Poor TikTok content themes in the Basketball space.

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Athlete Sportsmanship

Highlight athletes' caring nature.

Create compilation-style videos that showcase moments where athletes go above and beyond to save teammates from injury, offer support, and help each other get up after a fall.

Production Elements From Top Performing Posts

• ‍49 seconds in duration on average. 2-5 hashtags are used on top-performing videos.
• Evoke emotion by using sad or heartfelt music that helps emphasize an athlete's kindness to lend a helping hand during challenging times. 
• ‍Use subtitles to provide context and identify the athletes involved in a supportive moment.

Examples

Views 31M | Engagements 2M

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Views 19M | Engagements 1.5M

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Views 16M | Engagements 1.1M‍

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Athlete Skill Spotlight

Use creative edits to draw attention to the athletes’ unique abilities.

Showcase an athlete's exceptional skills and standout moments by incorporating special effects and creative edits into videos.

Production Elements From Top Performing Posts

• ‍28 seconds in duration on average. 6-8 hashtags are used on top-performing videos.
• Enhance an athlete's skillful techniques by utilizing a highlighted circle, slow-motion footage, or multiple replays of key moments. 
• Add an element of fun and engagement to your videos by incorporating creative editing such as a flash effect to draw attention to an athlete catching air or add a playful touch by placing a wizard hat on an athlete. 

Examples

Views 32M | Engagements 3.2M

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Views 22M | Engagements 1.3M

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Views 5.5M | Engagements 1.1M

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Funny Reactions & Moments

Create enjoyable and lighthearted content.

Provide funny content to viewers by creating compilations that feature athletes showcasing their humorous personalities and silly moments during games.

Production Elements From Top Performing Posts

• ‍59 seconds in duration on average. 0-8 hashtags are used on top-performing videos.
• Enhance the comedic effect of the video by incorporating funny sound effects.‍
• Capture the personality of a specific athlete by compiling their quirky actions & zooming in on their funny facial expressions both on and off the court.
• Attract viewers' attention by using the laughing (😂) or crying (😭) emoji in the title.
• Enhance the accessibility of your videos by providing narration and subtitles for the content.

Examples

Views 18M | Engagements 3.3M

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Views 14M | Engagements 1.6M

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Views 4.2M | Engagements 333K‍

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Hoop Dunk Challenge

Encourage viewers to partake in a dunk challenge. 

Showcase various levels of athleticism as participants try to execute dunks on a hoop.

Production Elements From Top Performing Posts

• ‍14 seconds in duration on average. 0-10 hashtags are used on top-performing videos.
• Rank dunk performances on a scale of 1-10 to determine the winner. 
• Amplify the excitement and energy of a dunk by capturing the reaction of a spectator in the video, like this video.
• Emphasize air time in slow-motion like in this video.

Examples

Views 30.5M | Engagements 2.8M

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Views 6.1M | Engagements 501K

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Views 5.1M | Engagements 147K

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Winning Game Play

Showcase the final moments of a game.

Put viewers at the edge of their seats by sharing moments where an athlete scores a point during the final seconds.

Production Elements From Top Performing Posts

• ‍35 seconds in duration on average. 2-5 hashtags are used on top-performing videos.
• Compile the most intense final moments that highlight the crucial plays and top moments from a game, like this video. 
• Pinpoint crucial moments where an athlete scores a point in the final seconds of the game, like this video.
• Capture the electrifying energy of fans going wild after a game-winning point is scored, like this video. 

Examples

Views 15M | Engagements 1M

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Views 11M | Engagements 863K

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Views 6.2M | Engagements 752K

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Viral Outliers

Viral Outlier posts exceed the average view and engagement benchmark for their content theme by 3x.

Hoop Dunks

This video contains moments on the court from famous basketball all-stars. An athlete performs an impressive dunk over Shaquille O'Neal while making a reference to Jordan's classic dunk.

Views 36M | Engagements 5.7M

Athlete Height Comparisons

A compilation-style video that shares clips of extremely tall players on the court, alongside their full name and height.

Views 39M | Engagements 1.5M

Funny Reactions & Moments

A compilation video capturing the funny reactions, dances, and lighthearted moments during basketball games, featuring a variety of athletes, teams, and referees.

Views 40M | Engagements 6M

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Content Theme Definitions

Athlete Sportsmanship: Showcase moments where athletes offer support to teammates during games.

Athlete Skill Spotlight: Utilize special editing effects to showcase an athlete's exceptional skills and standout moments.

Funny Reactions & Moments:  Feature athletes showcasing their humorous personalities.

Hoop Dunk Challenge: Organize a street dunk challenge and invite the public to participate to promote games.

Winning Game Play: Showcase the final moments of a game where an athlete scores a point during the final seconds.

Upcoming Talent: Highlight high school or middle school athletes that showcase exceptional basketball skills.

Athlete Height Comparisons: Highlight athletes’ heights by comparing them to other people or using a measuring tape as a visual reference.

Point Scoring Game Play: Showcase gameplay strategies employed by the players that resulted in a point being scored.

Editing Athletes into Memes: Create humorous edits using clips of athletes during a games and turn them into silly photos.

Relatable Basketball Skits: Connect with amateur basketball players by creating relatable and niche skits that capture common experiences.

Analyzing Game Play: Enhance viewers' understanding of the game by providing commentary and analysis that breaks down key gameplays.

Basketball Skill Improvement Tips: Educational videos that provide tips and tricks on how to improve one’s basketball skills. 

Celebration Moves: Showcasing an athlete’s unique celebration moves and dances that they perform after scoring a point.

Athlete Interview Snippets: Showcasing the most engaging snippets from an interview with an athlete.  

Repurposing Twitter Tweets: Overlaying a popular basketball Twitter tweet over a video background with music to repurpose as TikTok content. 

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TikTok Accounts Included in the Analysis

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*For videos in this content category. View + Engagement data collected via direct social media platform API.

*Measured by Average Views + Engagements