Preparing for kick off: how you can win big this season with Meta
In this article, brought to you by Meta, the tech company shares how real money gaming advertisers can utilise a variety of its products and solutions to turn attention into action as the new football season gets underway.
The Premier League is back on August 15 – and so is your biggest chance to win with fans before a ball is kicked.
As players take to the pitch, fans are taking to their second screens. With 3.48 billion people1 scrolling, swiping and streaming across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Thread and Meta AI. Meta isn’t just watching the game – it is the game.
This is where fandom meets firepower. Where conversations spark conversions. Fans are ready. Meta is ready. The only question is: are you ready to convert attention into action?
“We’re excited for the 25/26 season because Meta is the UK’s biggest digital stadium for football fans – with 45.7 million sports followers and direct access to 7.9 million football bettors, 76% of whom engage with our platforms daily. This Premier League season, no other platform offers real money gaming advertisers a greater opportunity to turn attention into action,” says Kaan Camgoz, head of industry, EMEA, for RMG, Meta.
The home of football fans in the UK
Wembley Stadium may be the biggest in the UK, but Meta platforms are the largest digital stadium, with millions of fans engaging across its channels every day.
The key numbers
45.7 million sports followers across Meta platforms in the UK2.
7.9 million football bettors in the UK, with 76% of them engaging with Meta platforms daily3.
The shift from traditional TV viewership to digital channels, particularly across Meta platforms, is undeniable. In fact, posts related to the Premier League have increased by three times in recent years, according to our data4.
10.6 billion global views of the top 1000 most-viewed Premier League posts on Meta platforms5.
84% of Premier League fans in the UK are active on Meta platforms monthly – a reach that far surpasses any other platform6.
Multi-screening is the new normal
The days of fans simply watching matches on TV are over. While they enjoy the game live, they’re also interacting with clubs, creators and friends on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads. This multi-screen behaviour fuels cross-platform engagement, helping you build real-time communities that drive both awareness and conversion.
Meta is the main platform for Gen Z football fans in the UK. When fans are watching matches, a staggering 98% of them go online and 75% of them engage with social media7.
Football clubs and fan communities are thriving on Meta, generating high engagement rates and offering advertisers an opportunity to reach a highly motivated, conversion-ready audience.
Source: 1. Global Web Index (Q1-Q4 2024) includes social media and messaging apps. 2. Facebook IQ; Meta internal data
Four key user acquisition tactics to win this season
Meta offers real money gaming advertisers a variety of products and solutions to turn attention into action. Here’s are some key tactics to allow your business to maximize your impact during the football season:
1) Enhance performance with data and signal integration
Great data isn’t just an analytics tool, it’s a performance powerhouse. Meta’s Conversions API (CAPI) enables advertisers to send reliable, real-time data directly to Meta, improving event-tracking accuracy. With a high-quality event score (above 8.5), advertisers can see:
33% more incremental purchase events8.
82% more subscriber events ran9.
Other benefits which you can expect following CAPI implementation include: Enhanced ad targeting.Accurate measurement across customer journeys.More control over data.
Futureproofing against additional privacy changes.
This data-centric approach unlocks significant growth opportunities for RMG advertisers.
2) Leverage a full-funnel strategy for maximum impact
A successful marketing strategy engages users at every stage of the journey – from awareness to consideration to conversion. By focusing solely on conversion campaigns, you risk exhausting your audience. A balanced, full-funnel approach keeps the pipeline full, helps you build brand trust and drives sustainable long-term success.
Dibz, a sports betting advertiser from the UK, used brand awareness campaigns ahead of a major European football tournament, resulting in a 17-point lift in ad recall and a 3.1-point increase in brand awareness10.
3) Create attention-grabbing content with Reels
With 50% of Instagram users’ time spent watching Reels and over 4.5 billion Reels shared daily11, this format is perfect for driving engagement. Integrating Reels into your full-funnel strategy enhances ad effectiveness and drives sustained growth.
Key creative best practices which you should remember when you are creating Reels include the following:
Use native 9:16 video with sound.
Add hooks, human presence, and overlays.
Collaborate with creators for authenticity.
Leverage AI tools to convert old assets into Reels-ready content.
Reels built with these principles drive stronger conversion, lower CPA and higher engagement.
Partnership Ads let advertisers run campaigns including Reels from a creator or partner’s handle, showing both identities in the ad header. RMG advertisers can now use this effective format in their authorized ad accounts. Indian operator Dream11, the world’s biggest fantasy sports company, cut acquisition costs by 20% using this strategy12.
Additional information on Reels and creative best practices for real money gaming advertisers can be seen here.
4) Measure what matters for real business impact
Tracking key metrics like incrementality, conversions, and ROAS is essential for making data-driven decisions. Meta’s advanced measurement tools, such as conversion lift studies, search lift, and A/B testing, provide the insights needed to optimize performance and drive meaningful business results.
Huel, a health food brand, achieved a 500% increase in marginal returns and reached 11.8 million incremental people by combining Meta’s brand lift and conversion lift studies to optimise upper and lower funnel campaigns13.
Make this season your most successful yet
This season, your audience is already on Meta platforms. Now it’s time to activate, convert, and win with Meta.
For more information on how Meta can support you to maximise the opportunity presented by the new football season, check out our ‘Preparing for Kick Off’ webinar session here.
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