Rachel Ankomah Highlights the Power of Social Media in Building Athletes’ Personal Brands

Sports development professional, coach and media entrepreneur Rachel Ankomah has highlighted the growing importance of social media in shaping athletes’ personal brands, creating opportunities and expanding their visibility beyond the field of play.

She shared these insights during a TikTok LIVE discussion held on 30 October 2026, under the theme “The Power of Social Media in Sports: Building Your Personal Brand as an Athlete.” The engagement featured Georgina Amponsah and brought together conversations around the importance of digital presence in modern sports.

During the discussion, Ankomah emphasised that social media should be viewed as more than a platform for entertainment and casual interactions. For athletes, it presents an opportunity to tell their stories, connect with supporters, build professional identities and attract potential sponsors, partnerships and other career opportunities.

She encouraged athletes to become intentional about how they use their social media platforms, stressing that building a personal brand should not begin only after achieving major sporting success.

“Don’t wait until you become a champion to build your brand. Start building it while you’re on the journey,” was one of the key messages from the discussion.

The conversation explored several practical areas, including personal branding, strategic platform selection, content creation, storytelling, fan engagement and the importance of maintaining professionalism online.

Ankomah also addressed how athletes can create quality content even with limited resources, noting that a smartphone and a deliberate approach to documenting their sporting journeys can go a long way in building visibility.

Other areas discussed included managing criticism and negative comments, protecting one’s reputation, avoiding common social media mistakes and understanding how to build an audience even without a large following.

She further encouraged athletes to recognise that their online presence is part of their professional identity and that how they communicate, interact and present themselves online can influence how they are perceived by fans, organisations, sponsors and potential partners.

The discussion reinforced the need for athletes to take ownership of their stories and recognise the opportunities that come with using digital platforms strategically.

As social media continues to influence the sports industry, developing a strong and authentic personal brand is increasingly becoming an important part of an athlete’s professional journey.