I started as the lead of the ESPN TikTok account in mid-July 2019, and grew those 87K followers into 10M+ in less than a year.
The Challenge
- Is there a way to grow ESPN’s younger audience through TikTok?
- Does ESPN even belong on TikTok?
- At this point, the app was very new and many saw it as only a place for dance trends. Traditional sports highlights that were doing well on other platforms weren’t performing well here.
My Strategy
- Note: Today’s TikTok users are totally different, but this strategy is how I approached a new platform.
- Really dive deep and learn what type of content active users were engaging with — and give the people what they want!
- Think about the content and resources ESPN owned, and how I could use that to generate maximum engagement, given that there was no real budget or resources initially invested in this project.
The Results
- Grew the account from 87K followers to more than 2 million followers in less than 6 months, then 10M+ in less than a year.
- Second most-followed sports media accounts in North America.
- Additionally, I provided TikTok consulting to others at ESPN and Disney, including for ESPN Deportes, First Take, Stephen A. Smith’s account and Disney Parks.
Examples of Top Posts I Produced
- Guys throwing eggs in the air – 3.2M likes, 47M views, 46.8K shares
- College football trick play – 3.5M likes, 28.7M views, 228.6K shares
- Grandpa trick shot – 2.9M likes, 17M views, 139.4K shares
- 6-year-old who beat cancer – 2.5M likes, 11.1M views
- LeBron traveling – 708.8K likes, 32M views, 19K shares
- Serena Williams playing against fans – this one is still being reposted on the account by the current team working
Alysha Tsuji 