I am currently working on my Medium article about NIL and its changing landscape, and I’ve been thinking strategically about the best ways to promote it. Since social media is one of the primary ways people consume content today, I decided to create platform-specific posts for LinkedIn, Instagram, and X. Each one is designed to reach a slightly different audience and encourage readers to click through to the full article.
When designing my Instagram graphic, I wanted it to be simple but eye-catching. I chose a clean image with a slightly blurred background so the subject and headline would stand out right away. I created the graphic in Photoshop and used a bold font to quickly grab attention. Since Instagram is such a fast-scrolling platform, I knew I couldn’t overload it with text. The goal was to make the message clear within seconds.
The audience I had in mind was college sports fans, student-athletes, and younger users who are interested in NIL and college athletics. On Instagram, people want content that’s easy to digest and visually appealing. The caption supports the image by briefly introducing the topic and creating curiosity without overwhelming the reader.
X (Twitter)
X was honestly the hardest platform to design for because content moves so fast. People scroll within seconds, so I had to think about how to make someone stop. I chose a graphic featuring two of the highest-paid college football coaches and top athletes. Including well-known names immediately signals that the topic is relevant and important in college sports.
The audience on X includes sports fans, journalists, and people who actively follow college football conversations. Because of that, the caption had to be short and direct but still strong enough to hook readers. I previewed key ideas from my Medium article without giving everything away. The goal was to interrupt scrolling and pique people’s curiosity enough to click.
For LinkedIn, I took a different approach. The tone needed to be more professional and informative since users are there to learn and engage in industry conversations. The caption is longer and more analytical compared to Instagram and X.
My target audience here includes sports industry professionals, marketers, and administrators who care about the financial and business side of college athletics. The clean cover image supports that professional feel. On LinkedIn, substance matters more, so I focused on insight and broader industry relevance to encourage discussion rather than just clicks.