Vertical video and habit building were key to capturing an Olympics audience for Nine metros the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

In an INMA digital strategies blog, growth content editor Sophia Phan tells how the Australian publisher approached the Olympics with a dual focus – to increase brand awareness and traffic, while also cultivating a strong sense of fandom around the event.

“Drawing from the experience of covering the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, we crafted our content with the clear goal of deepening audience engagement, tailoring our approach to suit the unique strengths of each social platform,” she says. “Despite some limitations, we had a strong understanding of how to leverage each channel, and we leaned into our advantage of holding broadcast rights (through Nine Entertainment) for the event.”

Prior to the Games starting, readers were polled on WhatsApp to satisfy the expectations of the Herald, Age and Brisbane Times audiences. How much content and what content did they want? The insights also helped inform curation on other platforms.

“It proved to be a success as we collectively amassed more than 50 million video views and 20,000 followers,” she says.

Vertical video had gained significant traction during Tokyo 2020, however, in the four years since, its popularity has skyrocketed. Paris 2024 was also free of pandemic restrictions, naturally providing more colour.

“Our vertical video strategy for Paris 2024 was structured around two main pillars: live events and shoulder content. While key race moments, athlete reactions, and press conferences were top priorities during live coverage, we transitioned to other content types as the day progressed.

“To add depth and context, we produced interviews, explainers, and behind-the-scenes footage, offering a more comprehensive storytelling experience. This approach not only kept audiences engaged but also extended the relevance of Olympic content well beyond the live events through commentary and analysis.”

Phan says platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram Stories, and TikTok played a crucial role in delivering daily recaps. “These were used to provide users with quick, digestible updates on medal tallies, event highlights, and key moments from the Games. These bite-sized updates ensured consistent user engagement and encouraged repeat visits throughout the event.

“Although the volume of video content varied depending on the day’s events, we maintained a steady flow of ‘always-on’ posts for each platform to ensure continuous coverage.

“To enhance both emphasis and consistency, we introduced new content templates, which helped distinguish our Olympics coverage from regular news content and increased the shareability of posts, allowing for broader audience reach and engagement,” she says.

“While our primary focus remained on the performance of Australian athletes, the team ensured all major moments from Paris 2024 were covered in one way or another.

“For key events, we provided immediate news updates, followed by deeper analysis. For instance, after Noah Lyles’ 100-metre final win, we posted both the race results and a detailed breakdown of his performance. This also served to reflect and create a deeper connection with our on-platform coverage.”

Phan says another standout moment was that surrounding breakdancer Raygun “This was a perfect example of preparation meeting opportunity. As her breaking routine took place in the second half of the Games, our team was ready to pivot quickly and capture the excitement.

Raygun had already been featured by the publications, so picking up on the breaking story was an obvious move. “Prior to Paris, our video team had already produced a video detailing Raygun’s journey to the Olympics, allowing us to cut multiple versions of her story and release content tailored to audience engagement.

“Search-driven content also played a pivotal role throughout the event. Our team closely monitored trending athletes, sports, and discussions, enabling us to quickly adapt and deliver relevant content that resonated with fast-moving social media audiences.”