What Does a Social Media Marketing Manager Actually Do on Instagram?
You’ve got 8 hours a week.
No paid ads.
No established audience.
And you’re building a football content brand from scratch.
Welcome to the job.
That’s exactly what I signed up for as the Social Media Marketing Manager for GSPN’s Road to World Cup 2026 Instagram page.
Here’s what I did — and how I made it work.
Content Piece #1: “Why This Podcast Will Make You a World Cup Expert”
The process:
Picked a strong VO moment where the host promises “you are going to be the most knowledgeable person in your office”
Subtitled it for mobile, bolded emotional keywords
Paired it with subtle SFX and ambient music to boost retention
Added motion design to elevate the video
Tools: CapCut + Canva + audio mixing
Thumbnail strategy:
Used bright colour blocking.
Movement lines.
To imply motion and direction.
High contrast and bold typography for story placement.
Content Piece #2: “Everything's Changing for 2026 (Here’s What That Means)”
The process:
Built an animated timeline showing how the World Cup format is changing (48 teams, 3 hosts, 104 games, etc.)
Used native podcast lines — no new VO required
Designed the flow like a mini documentary:
text animations, stat flashes, infographics, shape transitions
Tools: CapCut + Canva + After Effects + Illustrator
Thumbnail strategy:
Clear.
Click-worthy title.
Earth background gives a sense of magnitude.
Strong visual storytelling tied to the episode’s core narrative.
Content Piece #3: “The 32-Team Problem”
The process:
Grabbed attention with the thumbnail headline “32 TEAMS. 30 SLOTS. WTF?” — designed to spark clicks and comments.
Used a clear visual hierarchy: podcast hosts, podcast length, and platform CTAs are all instantly readable.
Subtitled the video for mobile with bold, timed captions.
Added crowd ambience + background beats to mirror the intensity of World Cup hype.
Motion graphics punch up key moments and transitions for max retention.
Tools: CapCut + Canva + After Effects + Illustrator
Thumbnail strategy:
Made for vertical feeds.
Big text.
Emotional contrast (“WTF?”) to build curiosity.
Matched the show's colour scheme + icon for brand consistency.
Here’s What I Actually Did as a Social Media Marketing Manager on Instagram
Took raw podcast audio
→ Pulled narrative hooks and emotional triggers from unscripted convos
→ Built stories straight from transcripts — no extra footage required
Edited high-retention Reels
→ Used pacing, beat cuts, and subtitle psychology to hold attention
→ Prioritised scroll-stopping intros (first 3 seconds = everything)
Designed motion graphics that explain
→ Visualised abstract data: qualifying rounds, host countries, format shifts
→ Built dynamic maps, counters, and stat animations in After Effects
Wrote captions that convert
→ Balanced storytelling + SEO + engagement triggers
→ Structured for discovery, saves, and comments — not just likes
Built the brand from scratch
→ Created a full visual identity: fonts, colours, tone, templates
→ Developed a hashtag system + post structure for consistency
Optimised everything for growth
→ Studied analytics to adjust hook lines, pacing, and visuals
→ Treated every post like a test (not art for art’s sake)