Spotlight on:

Social Media Community Manager

Alternative title

Average salary

Starter

Experienced

Usual hours

38–40 hours a week, some evenings and weekends

Meet Demitri, a social media community manager. He spoke to us about figuring out life after uni, breaking into his industry and the perks of his job.

The headlines

Alternative title

Starter

Experienced

Working hours

Usual hours

38–40 hours a week, some evenings and weekends

Topics

Tech

Health

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What does a social media community manager do?

I manage Eurosport and TNT Sports’ social media output across channels like Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

That work can range from clipping content from the broadcast streams to creating ideas that end up becoming videos or graphics that we publish on our social channels. It also includes strategy planning around (and during) major events, how we want our output to look throughout the year, and analysing how to optimise our content.

There’s also the opportunity to work on-site at major sporting events — like football’s UEFA Champions League, cycling’s Tour de France and basketball’s NBA. That involves showing followers what it’s like to be behind-the-scenes at major sporting events and creating fun social videos with big names in sport.

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How did you get into this career?

I finished university and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but had a keen interest in sport, particularly football.

I interned at a sport betting social media company and learned what a social media role in the industry looked like.

In 2016, I started freelancing at Eurosport working on their Instagram channel, then joined their digital team full-time. Since then, I've moved up from an entry-level producer to a social media community manager across both Eurosport, TNT Sports and WBD Sport events.

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What sort of qualifications does someone need to be a social media community manager?

There aren’t any qualifications that are necessary, but it can help to have a background in sport. I didn’t have any specific qualifications, but used my experience and passion for sport to help work my way into the role.

Other than qualifications, what do you need to do this job?

You need to be hugely passionate about sport as you’ll be working with it every single day. Originally, I only really followed football closely. But now, because of my job, I follow a range of sports — from cycling to tennis and snooker.

It also helps to have a keen eye for detail, to be organised and to be flexible with working hours, as sport does take place on weekends and evenings.

What’s the most rewarding thing about your job?

Seeing people enjoy the things you create. You can have an idea that starts in your head, then becomes content that’s consumed on social media or broadcast.

There’s also personal perks: it doesn’t always feel like work because I actually enjoy my job, which isn’t a given for a lot of people. And you can travel to major sporting events which feels surreal when you take a step back and reflect on it.

What’s the most challenging thing about your job?

I find it tough to switch off because sport and news isn’t something that switches off. You need to keep up to date with sporting news — even when you’re off or on holiday.

What do you wish you’d known when you were starting out?

I wish I knew about the career opportunities further down the line in the social media industry. It’s a relatively new industry, so a lot of companies have made it more of a priority in recent years.

There have been a lot of changes in my own team since I joined and now we have quite a big social media team compared to previous years. There are also plenty of opportunities to climb the ladder and I view it as more of a career than a job — compared to when I first started back in 2016.

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Social Media Community Manager

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Social Media Community Manager

Got any questions?Head to our Discord and join the conversation.

Follow us

Don't know what you want to do? We'll help you find a career you can care about.

Got any questions?
Head to our Discord and join the conversation.