Golden State Warriors Have a Historic Year on Instagram in 2022

Whether through vertical storytelling, quickly posted in-game highlights, personality content, high-end photography and graphics, or viral challenges, Warriors’ Instagram seeks to provide first-in-class content to a global audience.

This focus on diverse content has paid dividends for one of the world’s most well-renowned sports brands. Less than 1% of the Warriors’ Instagram followers will ever see the team play live, so social media accounts serve as the closest touchpoint they have to the franchise. Because of this, it’s imperative that the Warriors continue to program content daily that connects fans around the world to the franchise and players they love.

With historic engagement and growth on the platform in 2022, it’s clear that this strategy is working.

Objective

An emotional comeback by a beloved player. A record-breaking All-Star weekend. A season of redemption. A title. A parade. A trip to Japan. A ring ceremony. A hunt for more.

With over 27 million followers on Instagram through the end of 2022, 83% of which are based internationally, the Warriors’ account has become the natural hub for basketball’s biggest fan base and serves a global audience.

The Warriors 2022 calendar year included many iconic moments in franchise history, winning the team’s seventh NBA title, and subsequent parade, and more. Coverage of these moments offered the team a chance to reinvigorate the brand’s presence on Instagram ahead of the season, leaning into product updates and best practices en route to becoming the best basketball storytellers on social.

Strategy & Execution

After extensive research on the team’s fanbase, potential content offerings, and on the platform itself, the Warriors made pivotal strategy shifts to optimize their Instagram feed ahead of the 2022 calendar year.

• An emphasis on basketball storytelling.
• For every significant moment surrounding the team, Warriors social was the first account to tell the story.
• Diverse content offerings that catered to fans of all interests.
• Platform optimization, with a heavy focus on Reels content creation

Instagram was at the forefront of the Warriors’ social strategy in 2022. When considering content creation around big campaigns and historic moments, the team made sure that everything that was posted to Instagram was being created exclusively for the platform, with an intentional approach.