According to a statistic conducted by Influencer Marketing Hub in March 2025, Cristiano Ronaldo is the athlete who earns the most money from social networks. With his reputation, influence and 660 million followers on Instagram, he earns more than 3.2 million USD/post from this platform. With 506 million followers on Instagram, Messi also earns nearly 2.6 million USD/post...
Footballer Quang Hai advertises for a mobile game
PHOTO: FBNV
In Vietnam, many athletes have been earning money from social networks. Fans are always curious about the daily lives of their idol athletes. Therefore, familiar video formats such as "A day of training of an athlete", "What do athletes do on their days off", "What do athletes bring when competing abroad?"... are very popular and bring athletes closer to their fans. From there, athletes create a certain number of followers, leading to being sought after by brands. Athletes can be "booked" to advertise for each post on their personal page or become brand ambassadors for brands.
According to a survey by Thanh Nien Newspaper, a freestyle athlete in Vietnam once earned a lot of money in an advertising campaign for a famous sandal brand. Some famous athletes pocket billions of dong each year when signing exclusive ambassador contracts. Many famous players are also the faces of many different brands (not in the same industry). For example, Quang Hai has contracts with car brands, lubricants, electronics, architectural plastics, etc. Van Hau is also sought after by brands even when he is not playing because he has not fully recovered from his injury.
In addition, athletes have many other ways to make money. The first is to attend events. Inviting famous athletes to attend and using their images for communication on social networks is an effective marketing method. For talkative and cheerful athletes, they can sell products directly, livestream or review products... They are paid a fixed fee for each appearance and paid an additional commission for each product sold. Many athletes have a good income when selling sports- related items such as clothes, shoes, supplements...
In many recent promotional campaigns, brands have also favored the "co-branding" model, where athletes participate in designing personalized products (training shirts, running shoes, etc.). These limited edition product lines are both exclusive and increase the connection between athletes and fans. For example, Kamito collaborated with tennis player Ly Hoang Nam to launch the Kamito Alpha pickleball racket line. Soon, this brand will do the same with another famous tennis player, Trinh Linh Giang, with a racket line called Gamma.
If they develop a YouTube channel, athletes can also make money from this platform alone. According to statistics site Socialblade, Hoang Duc Official channel is estimated to earn 2,500 USD per year. This number is quite modest because Hoang Duc has only "built the channel" since February 2025 and has more than 15,000 followers.
WHAT TO DO TO "DIGN FOR GOLD"?
Making money from social media for athletes is no longer a matter of luck or inspiration. Those who are serious about pursuing this path have a methodical strategy, from identifying their target audience to planning content, posting times, and personal style.
Some athletes like Le Duc Phat (badminton) or Tran Dang (athletics), although not competing in "hot" sports like football, still gain the love of the online community thanks to maintaining training and competition content, combined with sharing genuine everyday moments. Empathy and closeness are the keys for them to attract a large number of followers, thereby becoming the choice of many brands aiming for a healthy, sustainable and inspirational style.
In essence, brands do not just pay athletes to post, but to "buy" an image, a value that the athlete represents. For example, when striker Nguyen Tien Linh participates in promoting an electric vehicle brand, fans not only see a familiar face, but also feel the trust, closeness and environmentally friendly lifestyle that he is aiming for. Choosing an advertising face is now a communication problem, no longer simply choosing a celebrity. The electric vehicle company explained: "Tien Linh is known for his perseverance and desire to go far in sports, which is the reason we chose to become a symbol for smart mobility features."
Athletes are also becoming more conscious in choosing contracts to avoid affecting their image. Many shared that they have refused high-paying contracts that did not match their personal values or the message they were building. This shows the professionalism and long-term thinking of the new generation of athletes.
" CARE" FOR FANS
Behind the success of an athlete on social media, there is always the shadow of a loyal fan community. This is a force ready to interact, share and spread messages, directly contributing to advertising effectiveness. A post by Nguyen Thi Anh Vien, even though it is just a training moment, but with several hundred thousand followers, tens of thousands of likes and comments, the media value created is huge.
That is why many athletes invest very seriously in maintaining connections with fans: replying to comments, participating in minigames, organizing interactive forms in the form of Q&A (fans ask, athletes answer) or even recording their own vlogs to share their competition journey. Those seemingly small things are the "retention buttons" that help athletes create their own communities, which can become a big launching pad for commercial cooperation activities. (continued)
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vdv-viet-nam-kiem-tien-tu-thuong-hieu-ca-nhan-dao-vang-tu-mang-xa-hoi-185250714221718835.htm
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