AFL Instagram ladder: Find out which players have the biggest social media followings

Which AFL players are cashing in big off the field? See the massive names and surprise faces who have the biggest social media followings.

He is a long way off being known as the game’s best player, but Western Bulldogs wonderkid Bailey Smith is the AFL’s undisputed king of social media.

With his movie star looks, trademark mullet, rock-solid abs and growing presence on the field, Smith’s profile exploded in 2021 to the point where he’s now the most followed AFL player on Instagram with more than 355,000 devotees.

It may surprise some, particularly when learning he usurped Richmond superstar Dustin Martin as the AFL’s Instagram top dog.

So how did the young gun do it?

“Bailey has come on to the scene and really just given it a fresh approach,” sports marketing and technology professional Jonno Simpson says.

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Bailey Smith is the AFL’s social media king. Picture: Michael Klein

Smith has more than 350,000 followers on Instagram. Picture: Michael Klein

“A lot of athletes in Australia don’t necessarily feel comfortable showing their personality, being themselves and actually putting out content regularly.

“Bailey has started to do that.

“He has a great personality, he has a lot of fun on the platform.

“He’s happy to put shirtless photos of himself out there, which would certainly attract a sort of younger demographic.

“He just gets it.”

Smith’s manager Paul Connors told the Herald Sun last September that his phone had been running hot with many wanting a piece of his highly marketable client.

“There is a strong commercial demand for Bailey and we’re being very selective with who we partner with,” Connors says.

“He has an insatiable appetite to be the best footballer he can be. But at the same time he is also extremely humble, he’s polite, he’s respectful — and that goes a long way.”

Smith’s appeal, which has transcended the football field to reach fashion houses and boardrooms, went to another level in 2021.

An athlete’s number of Instagram followers is not necessarily the best measure of his or her popularity, but it certainly means they are cutting through.

When Smith eclipsed the immensely popular Martin last year, it certainly raised some eyebrows.

Bailey Smith on Instagram. Source: Instagram

“It surprised me a little, not that he overtook Dusty but maybe that it was Bailey who did it,” Simpson says.

“When you compare the two of them, Dusty’s account is very much commercially driven and most of his posts are around commercial deals.

“There’s no kind of personality, there’s no authenticity there and that’s fine if that’s what he’s decided to use it for.

“But I think that would stunt his growth opportunities.

“If you compare him and Dusty, I do feel like Bailey’s coming through the system with a much younger audience and is connecting with that audience with his personality and what he’s willing to share.

“He’s quite prolific on Instagram stories, so he’s making sure he’s putting content out there and he knows his audience really well.”

Here’s what makes the rest of the AFL’s top five so popular.

So who were other social media movers and shakers.

Bailey Smith at Western Bulldogs training. Picture: Kelsey Reid

#2 DUSTY INC – @DUSTINLMARTIN

HE may have slipped to No. 2, but there is no disputing Dustin Martin’s continued appeal.

There are various reasons why certain players attract a huge fan base, and in his case it is largely because he is a superstar playing at a big Melbourne club.

Although, another key factor for him is the intrigue factor, and that he always leaves people wanting more.

“If you look at who he is as a personality, he’s not being anything different on social than he is with traditional media,” Simpson says.

“He doesn’t do a great amount of stuff anyway, so that’s who he is.

“And he understands, or his management team understands, the power of that social audience to drive commercial value.”

#3 BUDDY’S STAYING POWER – @BUDDY_FRANKLIN23

LANCE Franklin has been a flat-out superstar for well over a decade.

Although, Buddy then made two key moves that widened his appeal even further.

Firstly, he moved to Sydney and found a new market and fan base.

Secondly, he settled down with a former Miss Universe Australia and now influencer in Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell).

“You can see his brand has shifted from moving to Sydney, and I think that is also the influence of his wife and the type of managers he’s gone through over the last couple of years,” Simpson says.

“That’s just focused his attention away from purely being football.

“And also if you look at the brands he’s starting to work with, they’re not your traditional football brands, so that opens himself up to a new audience.

“So I think he’s done really well in broadening, and not just because he has moved to Sydney, but I think his interests are somewhat unique for a footballer.

“I think his relationship with his wife and the influence she has had in that space has probably helped him there as well.”

Lance Franklin is still an AFL social media force. Picture: Phil Hillyard

#4 THE DANGER ZONE – @PATRICKDANGERFIELD

PATRICK Dangerfield is a superstar on the field and off it.

When it comes to pushing strong and unique content on social media, Simpson says the Geelong gun is on the podium in this country.

“I think Dangerfield is one of the best athletes on social media in Australia and it helps he’s continued to be successful on the field,” Simpson says.

“He understands how the system works, he’s got the points in the bank that back him up.

“I think what we’re seeing now is some athletes really showing both their clubs, their coaches, the league, the media that you can show your personality.

“You can be prolific and put interesting content out on your socials and still be successful on the field, and Dangerfield is proof of that.”

#5 THE FYFE FACTOR – @NATFYFE

It is no surprise that Nat Fyfe is popular.

Fyfe is a two-time Brownlow medallist, a superstar of the game and easy on the eyes to many.

And on his socials Simpson says he displays a “balance of success and personality” to attract the eyeballs.

“He’s a unique character,” he says.

“He’s a different type of footballer that you wouldn’t necessarily expect, so he goes against the grain. All of those things add up.

“Being successful is important because that is where you get your name out there across mainstream media and you’re seen across all those media channels.

“Winning a Brownlow helps, being in finals helps, winning games helps, being lauded as one of the best players in the game helps.

“It’s then about what else they do on top of that to attract a bigger audience, and it feels like Nat has slowly started to come out of a bit of a shell.

“I’d almost put him as similar to Dusty in that he’s done a fair bit of commercial stuff on there and he’s not someone who necessarily always wants to give a lot of himself and show too much personality.

“But I think particularly in the off-season he does quite a good job of that with his surfing and he flies helicopters, so he has unique interests that he’s starting to share and that connects with people.”

Nat Fyfe doesn’t mind getting out in the water.

HOW PLAYERS GROW THEIR BRAND

When presenting to AFL players about their use of social media, which Simpson has done in the past, there are three key tips he leaves them with.

“Firstly, I always say they need to post more,” he says.

“The athletes who post the most are the ones who are going to get the most engagement and the biggest following because they’re actually adding value to people who are following them.

“I’ve presented to pretty much every AFL player in the past five years and I said to them that they need to be posting at least three times a week, and their heads just kind of fall off when they hear that.

“They also need to talk outside of football to widen the audience they can attract and engage with, and then the most important thing, ultimately, is that authenticity and to be yourself.

“Bailey is posting more often, he’s being authentic, he’s having fun on the platform and he gets it.”

Originally published as AFL Instagram ladder: Find out which players have the biggest social media followings