INSPIRATION
How Jomboy Media, a Facebook page with less than one million followers, consistently drives six-figure revenue
Results
Six figures in revenue earned via in-stream ads in 2021
220M+ monetized 1-min Facebook video views in 2021
85%+ of total Facebook video views in 2021 came from non-followers of Jomboy Media’s page
Opportunity:
Sports digital media company Jomboy Media (JM) has developed a robust in-stream ads business with only 915K Facebook followers, earning six figures in net revenue over the past year. By developing an online community with a dedicated fanbase, JM displays how a media company can drive tremendous in-stream earnings with original content. JM’s early success can be attributed to:
Developing premium, owned IP
Identifying a content style that further enhances community among fans
Cultivating a roster of talent and creators
As media companies increasingly emphasize short-form video to meet booming demand, JM is aiming to develop a short-form video strategy that can ladder up to its larger revenue goals.
Strategy:
Jomboy Media was founded by creator and public figure Jimmy “Jomboy” O’Brien in 2017. The company originally focused on baseball content, recognizing that the sport wasn’t well-covered on social media in a youth-oriented way. By leveraging a unique voice and developing owned IP, Jomboy Media has cultivated a loyal fanbase that in turn drives viewership for its new, original content projects.
Through these original content franchises – and the returning audiences they drive – JM is widening its scope to generate strong Reels plays on Instagram, impressive in-stream ads revenue on Facebook, and a merchandise business that is poised to succeed via Instagram Checkout.
JM’s community-based social strategy centers on the following:
Develop premium, owned IP
JM invested in an original content studio, which the company has leveraged to create an original, owned-IP powerhouse. So far, JM has gone beyond baseball to develop creator-driven sports leagues around Blitzball, golf, hockey and cricket.
The company’s Blitzball league – and its main attraction, the Blitzball Battle for $10,000 – helps JM build its audience and its bottom line through its utilization of:
Branded content: JM secured a series-long partnership with DraftKings.
Original IP: JM converted a warehouse into a functional arena for Blitzball and other sports, which it uses to film games and short-form videos.
Creator partnerships: JM connected with relevant creators to join the league as players alongside JM’s own talent. The creators promote the content on their personal channels as well, further broadening the league’s reach.
Reels, Reels, Reels: JM repurposes the full games as short-form clips for social, distributed via their dedicated Instagram through Reels.
Product promotion: JM promotes the series through Instagram Collabs with the larger Jomboy Media channel to drive additional viewership.
Identify a content style that resonates with your audience
JM’s original series use similar thematic through-lines and a consistent tone, which helps the content resonate with fans who are in turn more likely to tune in across the JM content ecosystem. At scale, these videos thrive across Facebook and Instagram because they:
Capture attention: The opening 3 seconds always involve a direct, table-setting comment to stir emotion.
Inspire community: Comment sections and fan discussions around JM content develop a kinship among viewers, which prompts return viewership and a desire to dive deeper into the wider JM content web.
Promote virality: All content is filmed in near real-time to maximize cultural relevance.
One series, called “Breakdowns“, utilizes Jimmy’s unique approach to storytelling, combined with his original voice, insight and lip-reading commentary edited in an entertaining, informative style to break down the latest in sports and pop culture.
Cultivating community through talent & creators
Each creator in the JM talent network has their own set of dedicated fans. By unifying the content under the larger Jomboy Media banner, these individual fan communities form a larger, stronger community across the JM network.
JM has worked with these creators to build a network of O&O podcasts that were originally distributed as audio-only but are now optimized for video as well. Podcasts that have since become original video series include:
Most of these shows are recorded and distributed using Facebook and Instagram Live, with top clips repurposed as short-form video. This approach works well to increase audience engagement and rewatchability through:
Personality-driven content: A network of owned creators allows for individual audience development and subject-matter diversity.
Promotion of community: All JM content features calls-to-action for viewers to engage not just with the content, but with each other – promoting further discourse among Jomboy Media fans.
Creator-first focus: In the “age of creators,” JM is driving top-line, company-wide revenue through creator-built tools like Instagram Checkout and Collabs.
Consistent content themes: Through unified editing techniques, an adherence to timely / newsworthy content and a similar brand of humor, JM’s different creators foster content familiarity with audiences.
The future: Doubling down on short-form video
To continue diversifying its revenue and distribution models, JM has committed to a content strategy that favors short-form video for the long-term. By leveraging unconnected audiences across Facebook and Instagram, JM can then drive viewers into its long-form revenue funnel to more efficiently capture monetized content views.
