Wimbledon’s Social Playbook: Why “Posted Is Better Than Perfect” Is Actually an Elite Content Strategy
With the US Open wrapped, this is the perfect moment to study the best-run content machine in sports: Wimbledon. Yes, aesthetics, yes tradition — but also because they’ve quietly built one of the most effective social operations anywhere in sports or media.
The results aren’t subtle:
5,844 posts during the six-week grass season (+9% YoY)
144M engagements (+26% YoY)
2.7B video views (+71% YoY)
2.3M new followers (+12% YoY)
That’s not “tennis content.” That’s top-tier audience development.
Rachel Karten’s conversation with Will Giles (Managing Editor, Digital Content) and Cameron Prentice (Content Manager) cracked open the philosophy behind it.
Check out her full interview on Substack here: https://www.milkkarten.net/p/posted-is-better-than-perfect-advice
In the meantime, takeaways:
Social as the “Front Door”
Wimbledon used to frame its digital channels as “the next best thing to being here.” That’s evolved. Today, social is their “front door.”
The mandate is dual:
Serve the core tennis audience.
Reach people who don’t follow tennis at all.
Most brands try to do both and end up doing neither. Wimbledon actually executes.
They do it with a small core team — two full-time internal employees year-round — scaled to a tournament-time newsroom of eight, powered by videographers, photographers, and the wider marketing org. High output, lean core. That’s a real operating model.
The Six-Week Window: A Smart Seasonal Funnel
Wimbledon doesn’t treat the tournament as a two-week sprint. They run a six-week season:
Three weeks of grass-court buildup
Two weeks of the tournament
One week after
Think of it as a structured awareness ramp. By Day One, the algorithm already recognizes the account as active and relevant. That’s not luck — that’s sequencing.
The Framework: Campfire, Bonfire, Firework
This is the part every sports or media operator should bookmark.
Wimbledon categorizes content into three tiers based on intended impact and resource allocation.
1. Campfire — High Frequency, Low Lift
The bulk of output: match clips, small moments, simple edits. This tier drives the numbers — consistent engagement, algorithmic health, and retention.
Example: A quick clip of Carlos Alcaraz casually catching a ball. Took minutes. Ranked #2 in IG impressions for the entire six-week window.
This is the backbone that creates permission for experimentation.
2. Bonfire — Elevated Storytelling
Lower volume. More intentional. Designed to reach beyond existing fans.
Think bespoke graphics, creator-led formats, hype pieces. The “Overheard” vibe, but not the Overheard process.
3. Firework — Big Bang Moments
Low frequency, high impact. Designed to break out of the tennis bubble and often push viewers to owned platforms.
Think the Wimbledon-themed Rube Goldberg opener this year. Resource-intensive, yes — but the earlier tiers earned the oxygen to let it run.
This structure is the opposite of “post when inspired.” It’s resource strategy tied to audience targets.
The Real Star: “Overheard at Wimbledon”
Everyone loves the series because it feels effortless. It isn’t.
The setup:
Producer spends nine hours roaming the grounds
Participants are approached and mic’d
Camera operator captures from afar
Next day: a full edit pass to craft a natural-feeling narrative
It’s deceptively simple — and entirely dependent on trust, environment, and taste. The Grounds lend themselves to it. The execution makes it sing.
And crucially: They do not record anyone secretly. The authenticity is real, not manufactured.
Operational Lessons: How They Move This Fast
This is where the model separates amateurs from pros. The philosophies Giles and Prentice repeat are telling:
1. “Posted is better than perfect.”
Perfect is slow. Slow loses.
They strip approvals to the minimum — especially for Campfire content. If the hook is right, publish. Learn. Move.
2. “Emotion over production.”
If you can capture a feeling, you don’t need polish. Production value becomes additive, not mandatory.
3. Operate like a newsroom.
They empower editors to react to storylines in real time. Example: Iga Świątek’s running joke about taking towels from the event for her collection. They turned it into a narrative arc — then surprised her with an embroidered towel when she won.
That’s story sense. It’s what social teams say they want to do, but rarely structure their workflows to enable.
4. Narrowed roles, clear lanes.
One person per platform. Dedicated highlight editors. No “everyone does everything.” Volume without dilution.
5. Anchor your “known unknowns.”
Plan for inevitable moments, even if you don’t know who will be involved. Think: first Centre Court match, upsets, debuts, weather moments.
6. Quality > Quantity, but Volume Still Matters
They posted ~6,000 times across channels last year — up 9% — which drove:
61% YoY impressions lift
26% engagement lift
This is volume used strategically, not thoughtlessly.
What Success Looks Like
The real KPI: behavior change.
Record attendance. People sharing Overheard clips in group chats. Social driving FOMO that translates into ticket demand.
It’s the holy grail for them, making content that moves culture and commerce.
The Takeaway for Anyone in Sports or Media
Wimbledon is a creative, operational, and systems success story.
The lesson:
Authentic
Speed
Small moments
Structure
Empowered teams
Human storytelling
Great case study for anyone starting up their own event-specific social strategy.
