Instagram quickly outgrew its first impression as a fun app for kids and has become a serious content marketing,selling, networking and audience building tool for individuals and brands. It's one of the most popular social networking sites on the planet, with over 200 million active monthly members sharing 60 million images and 1.6 billion likes per day.
Just how awesome is it? Engagement rates for brands on most social networks are less than 0.1%, but Instagram blows them all away. The average Instagram engagement rate for brands in a 2014 Forrester study was an epic 58 times higher than on Facebook.
You can't argue with numbers like that. But that's just average. And as I advocate across all manners of online marketing, you don't want to be average! It's not a dream or a goal.
Sure, 58 times greater engagement than Facebook sounds great, but you can do so much better than that on Instagram. Whether you're a big brand or maybe just wondering how to become Instagram famous, I don't want you to strive for average; I want you to reach for the stars and become an Instagram unicorn. A digital unicorn is that magical, rare creature that outperforms all others by orders of magnitude.
And you're going to accomplish this by working these eleven amazing Instagram hacks into your social strategy. Check out these attention-getting ideas for your Instagram captions, hashtags, profile, and more, and see what to post on Instagram to get more followers and way more visibility and engagement too.
1. Cross-promote your dedicated hashtag.
That's nice that you created a #joesgarage hashtag for your company, but who knows to use it to share content about you? Make sure it's in your profile, but take the game offline and have it printed on your receipts, in print ads, on signage in your store and at relevant events.
If you're on radio and TV, direct people to use your hashtag. Integrate online and offline campaigns by ensuring it's listed on your other social profiles, on your website, and in your email blasts. Don't just hope people will find it.
2. Get creative with hashtagging.
When it comes to Instagram caption ideas, you need to look beyond the one-word, obvious hashtags. Sure, you want to use those, too, but mix it up and use hashtags to tell part of your story. Be funny, ironic, or outrageous--just don't be BORING. Collaborative workspace company WeWork is great at this, and they include a fun mix of Instagram content, too.
3. Participate in massively popular conversations.
For every post, use a mix of topically relevant hashtags such as #woodworking for a carpentry company, for example, as well as trending, super-popular hashtags wherever you can.
The really specific hashtags are like long-tail keywords in that they show more intent and help you find the right people, but the universally trending hashtags like #instagood, #tbt, #photooftheday or even plain old #fun get you in front of more people in general. You need both to achieve growth on a network as big and noisy as Instagram.
4. Make the most of your bio URL.
It's prime real estate on your Instagram profile... do you really want your bio to only link to your website homepage, now and forever? Yawn. Change it up at least bi-weekly and use that clickable link in your bio to drive traffic to your newest or most popular content.
5. Get descriptive with your captions.
A picture is worth a thousand words, but you can't skip the words entirely. National Geographic is fantastic at using storytelling alongside their Instagram photos to generate engagement and sharing. While traditional media brands have dropped like flies, NatGeo has thrived across digital and become one of the top brands on Instagram, with over 50 million followers.
Like the other Instagram hacks I've included here, this is something you'll want to commit to working into your strategy over time, so don't worry if it feels weird at first. Your writing will improve as you find your brand's Instagram voice.
6. Go all in on influencer marketing.
Visit the profiles of each person you've identified as an influencer in your space (AKA a person who influences the people you want to get in front of) and "Turn On Post Notifications" to be notified every time they share new content. You can then interact with them regularly and become one of their favorite people or brands.
7. Remove unwanted tagged photos of you from your profile.
If you only want to feature the best user-generated content about you or your brand on your Instagram profile, you can. Now, you can't remove the tagged photos from the site entirely, by choosing "Edit Tags," selecting the ones you want to remove and choosing "Hide from Profile" (you may need to confirm). It does the trick.
8. Approve photo tags before the content shows on your profile.
Speaking of giving you greater control over which tagged photos appear on your profile, you can change your Instagram setting so tagged photos won't show unless you approve them first. You'll find this under "Options," "Photos of You," and "Add Manually."
I'm trying to think of a reason why any company would NOT want to do this... Nope. I've got nothing. You should absolutely set this up to avoid potentially embarrassing situations.
9. Develop your own Instagram style.
It's human nature to want to fit in, but on Instagram, you want to stand out. Indian beverage brand Frooti has developed such a unique visual content style, it's instantly recognizable every time a user sees a Frooti post in their newsfeed. Check it out:
10. Get local.
See what's going on in a specific area (say, your neighborhood, a city you're targeting in ads, or even an event in a certain location) by going to the search page and choosing the Places tab. Then, type in the name of the place to see all geotagged posts for that location.
Check out more big trends in local social marketing here.
11. Remember your calls to action!
Instagram, like other social networks, is a conversation, not a broadcasting platform. What action do you want people to take on your post? If you don't know that, start over and figure it out. Staples is great at generating engagement by letting people know exactly what they expect them to do with their posts (bonus points if you make it sound fun). Often, that call to action cleverly gets people to share or virally spread Staples' content.
How to Get More Followers on Instagram [Summary]
To get more followers on Instagram do the following things:
Promote your dedicated hashtag on your other social profiles, on your website, and your email blast.
Get creative with your hashtags. Be funny, ironic, or outrageous – but never boring!
Watch topically relevant and trending hashtags. Join these conversations to get in front of more people.
Use your bio link to drive traffic to your newest or most popular content.
Write descriptive captions. Storytelling will help generate engagement and sharing.
Interact with top influencers in your space and try to become one of their favorite people or brands.
Don't want a tagged photo of you or your brand on your profile? Edit Tags to hide images from your profile.
Adjust your settings so any potentially embarrassing tagged photos won't show without your approval.
Develop your own unique, recognizable visual style. Figure out how you want to stand out and make it so!
Visit the Places tab to see what's happening locally - your neighborhood, a city you're targeting in ads, or an event in a certain location.
Use a call to action to tell people what you want them to do with your posts. Find clever ways to get people to share your content.
Are you marketing your business on Instagram? Do you have a favorite Instagram hack or trick to share? Leave yours in the comments below!
The first intake of students started at the academy in September
It's 5am and an alarm clock goes off in Milton Keynes. Fraser Holden has to get up and out in time to catch the 05:53 to London Euston.
From there he takes the tube to Southgate, north London, and is down to work by 7.30am. He might not leave until five in the afternoon.
Unlike the other commuters, Fraser travels kitted out in sportswear. He's 16 and is going to college to learn how to play American football. Today. the aspiring linebacker will meet Jerry Rice, one of the greatest players of all time.
Yet this is not a one-off, it's a regular day at the NFL Academy. Backed by the NFL, Nike and some superstar mentors, the programme is the first of its kind in Britain.
The aim? To transform the perception of American football in the UK and Europe.
The NFL said nothing until a surprise social media campaign announced the details last May. Within two weeks, over 1,500 had applied for the 90 places on offer.
In September, the first intake started at Barnet & Southgate College. Here, 16-to-18-year-olds study for regular qualifications alongside elite American football training.
Fraser was one of those who applied. He grew up playing rugby but had started playing small-sided American football games too. He was lured by the 'We Can, We Do' campaign, aimed at British youngsters dreaming of following Efe Obada and Jay Ajayi into the NFL.
The first try-outs were held in June. Cleveland Browns' wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr was there - as well as BBC pundits Osi Umenyiora and Jason Bell.
From the outset, the message was clear. Academy hopefuls would be judged on their attitude and character as much as their athletic ability. And the programme would be very demanding.
Fraser Holden grew up playing rugby but switched over to American Football
"It's dedication, it's commitment," says Will Bryce, NFL UK's head of player development. "It's prioritising studying, managing your time, getting to bed early, getting off social media when you don't need to be on it. It gives the kids structure, they're part of a team, plus there are some pretty cool opportunities too."
Selfies with OBJ was just the start. After the try-outs, 150 hopefuls were called back to a stadium showcase in the first NFL event at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in July. There they met Obada himself and did drills with Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Juju Smith-Schuster.
Fraser was among the 90 eventually accepted. He admits the first few weeks of the programme were "a big shake-up - especially after going to school five minutes away". Now he is proud to wear his NFL-branded kit, to be one of those who stands out on campus.
In pride of place is the academy gym, which was converted from the college's theatre and now features NFL branding inside and out. Jerry Rice came for the official opening.
The 57-year-old, who won three Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers, tells students that at their age he was a "diamond in the rough", that he never thought he would play professional football, that he wasn't the greatest athlete and didn't have the best skills but refused to let anybody "out-work him".
The legendary receiver speaks with the 'inspiration wall' as backdrop. It features quotes from NFL players, each one almost always featuring the same word - work. Three more are prominent too: Responsibility, integrity, respect.
The students are often here lifting weights at 7.30am. For linebacker Fraser and defensive end Tyrese Peters-Tovey, 19, the strength and conditioning work has been the toughest part. But the shared experience quickly saw the group bond.
"You kind of have to when you're running 110-yard sprints together and running into each other for three hours a day!" Fraser says.
Each week they have three field sessions, four classroom sessions and four weightlifting sessions. On Wednesdays, the focus is on character development. Staff and external speakers talk about life skills, wellbeing, and issues such as social media safety and domestic violence.
They have 10 hours of classes in their chosen subjects - the same as all the college's students - plus 15 hours of training on top. And if anybody wants extra video footage to review in their own time - an essential part of life in the NFL - staff are happy to oblige.
"If they're willing to put the work in, we'll match it and then some," says Bryce. "It's going to produce a type of American football player which this country has not produced before. They're going to be much better prepared to compete in the NFL, mentally and physically."
Only 90 could be accepted for the academy's first intake in September
Head coach is Tony Allen - the long-serving London Warriors coach. He and his staff have had to tailor sessions to accommodate a range of skillsets.
Some signed up having already broken into Great Britain's Under-19s, some had never played a snap. Many have come across from rugby, others have switched from sports like athletics, tennis, judo and swimming. In total, 32 of the 90 students are considered 'crossover athletes'.
While American youngsters grow up with the game, British players like Umenyiora and Obada have proved you can pick it up late and still succeed.
Umenyiora was born in London and hadn't even heard of American football until he moved to Alabama at the age of 14. He went on to win two Super Bowls. Obada didn't play until he was 22 and, five years on, has just signed for a third year with the Carolina Panthers.
"We always said that if we're going to help develop European talent we need to get them earlier and here we are working with 16-year-olds," says Allen.
Students come from very different backgrounds, too. Three are involved with the Big Kid Foundation which seeks to help "young people at risk of social exclusion and youth violence". Another is a former pupil at Charterhouse boarding school in Surrey.
Thirty-five have left home to be here - 30 from further afield in the UK, five from Europe. Because they're under 18 they aren't permitted to live on their own, so the college has partnered with a homestay programme to place them with local families, with extra pastoral and welfare staff on hand to support them.
The dream for many is to earn a scholarship and join the American collegiate system, from which NFL players are drafted. The academy has therefore had to find centres in London where they can sit the SAT test, for college admissions in the US.
That's true of George Reynolds. He wants to be the NFL's first British quarterback and has just been out in Florida. He was one of eight from the academy, selected by fellow students, to take part in a High School skills showdown before Sunday's Pro Bowl all-star game in Orlando.
Fraser has recently joined George in the British U19 squad, and although he also hopes to play in the US too, he feels his academic choices could help him pursue an alternative career in politics.
Tyrese chose to put off university for a year, moving from Hackney to his dad's in Enfield so he could be closer to campus. While his parents backed the decision, he initially faced opposition from his grandparents, who are lawyers and dentists in Trinidad.
"They made it sound like I wasn't being productive," Tyrese says. "But I'm not just getting better at football, I have a chance to get a qualification and get something in life.
"Whatever happens after this, I'll be a better player and a better person. I think I made the right choice."
Jerry Rice is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver in NFL history
With the NFL's regular season already over, British players Christian Scotland-Williamson and Jamie Gillan recently dropped by. Obada is also set to pay another visit.
He and Scotland-Williamson are products of the International Player Pathway, which started in 2017. And the success of that programme, for over-20s, gave Alistair Kirkwood the inspiration to revisit an idea he first presented early in his 20-year tenure as NFL UK's managing director.
Back then, things were focused solely on producing more elite, international players. But after helping bring regular season games to London, Kirkwood realised an academy could do much more.
"We wanted something from a community perspective in north London that was more year-round and impactful than just playing the London Games," he says.
"Now education is as important in the academy as the athletic side, if not more so. An elite few will go to the States but success for us is 100% of kids having some form of defined success, be it going on to further education, becoming more employable or being role models who can influence younger kids.
"We've had lots of little landmarks where we've confounded ourselves and gone on to greater things but of all of these, I'd say the academy has the potential to be truly transformational. It could be something we look back on and say it changed the shape of the sport."
As the students watch Super Bowl 54 this Sunday, it will be with a clear path of how one day they could get there too. Realistically, few will make it. Only 1.6% of US college players were drafted in 2018.
But even if they don't, the experience will last a lifetime, wherever their future lies.
Pele was later joined by Franz Beckenbauer (fourth in line), with striker Giorgio Chinaglia (number nine) also crucial to success
Clive Toye eventually got his man in a motel outside Brussels airport.
After a four-year pursuit, Pele put pen to a sheet of hotel notepaper to become the highest-paid athlete on the planet.
When the world's greatest footballer touched down in New York in 1975, the team he joined was a rabble of students and semi-professionals playing on dirt fields littered with shards of glass.
By the time the New York Cosmos won the 1977 Soccer Bowl - in Brazil forward Pele's last competitive game - they boasted World Cup winners and record crowds, partied with celebrities and lunched with presidents.
Backed by media mogul Steve Ross' Warner Communications, owners of Warner Bros and Atlantic Records, the Galacticos in the Big Apple were treated like rock stars and behaved like them too.
It was a champagne era that saw the franchise, like American soccer, go from boom to bust within a decade.
The Cosmos, as one former PR guru put it, were one huge aphrodisiac. Now, a new chapter in their story is about to begin.
It was always going to take something special to bring the North American Soccer League (NASL) into the spotlight. Viewing figures were so bad after its debut 1967 season that CBS cancelled its TV deal. The Cosmos, founded in 1970, were far from a household name. Their most significant media exposure was when goalkeeper Shep Messing posed naked in Viva magazine.
"The state of soccer in the US in the 1960s and 70s was quite pathetic," Toye, former general manager at the Cosmos, told the BBC World Service in 2015.
"No-one was interested and no-one knew what soccer was. The only player in the entire universe average Americans had heard of was the fella in Brazil."
Witness: Pele joins New York Cosmos
Toye, the New York Cosmos and the NASL all needed Pele.
A former Daily Express sports writer, Toye had first met the Santos forward in 1971, fresh from his third World Cup win with Brazil the previous summer. Three years later, and with Pele having hung up his boots, he sensed an opportunity.
Juventus and Real Madrid were attempting to lure the superstar out of retirement, but the Englishman's unique sales pitch piqued Pele's interest.
"I said 'OK, if you go there you can win a championship. If you come with us you can win a country'," he recalled.
Toye chased Pele via Jamaica, Frankfurt, Brussels and Rome. They lunched in Guaruja and held more meetings in Rio and Sao Paulo. Finally the 34-year-old football legend passed a medical and signed up to a three-year package that included marketing, PR rights and a music contract worth a reported total of $4m (roughly $20m in today's terms).
The deal was nudged over the line by US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who sent a telegram saying the striker's arrival would "substantially contribute to closer ties between Brazil and the United States in the field of sports", with a similar call coming from Brazil's foreign minister.
On 10 June 1975, Pele was unveiled as a Cosmos player at Manhattan's iconic 21 Club.
Football, or soccer, barely got a mention in the media at the time. The Cosmos' first title in 1972 had hardly made a splash. Now there were hundreds of reporters bundled into the news conference for a glimpse of a star.
"You can spread the news around the world that soccer arrived finally in the USA," proclaimed 'the King', two hours late for his own unveiling.
Pele's two years with the Cosmos first brought the football legend to New York's modest Downing Stadium
Pele scored on his debut, a 2-2 draw in a friendly against Dallas Tornado on 15 June 1975. A capacity crowd of 21,000 fans watched at Downing Stadium, the Cosmos' home ground on Randall's Island, where the threadbare pitch was spray painted green for the television cameras.
Five days later, Pele and the Cosmos went to Boston. Almost double Nickerson Field's 12,000-capacity crammed into the college stadium. Spectators huddled along the touchline and behind the goals to witness the Brazilian face Portugal great Eusebio, who had signed for Boston on loan.
With 11 minutes remaining, fans rushed on to the artificial pitch to mob Pele. "They swarmed him, burying him for several minutes," wrote John Powers of the Boston Globe.
The Cosmos star had to be rescued by his personal bodyguard and taken away on a stretcher. Soccer mania had landed in the United States.
The 1977 Soccer Bowl was Pele's final competitive appearance
New York was dubbed 'Cosmos Country', and although Pele's arrival was not enough to help the franchise reach the 1975 play-offs, record crowds would turn out to watch him play in different cities.
For Warner chief Ross, it was a marketing dream. Pele was pictured having a kickabout at the White House with President Gerald Ford, the globe-trotting Cosmos went on two exhibition tours in seven months and the players were treated to five-star travel, all expenses paid.
The knock-on effect was the arrival of stars at other franchises - George Best joined the LA Aztecs, part-owned by Elton John, Geoff Hurst moved to the Seattle Sounders and Rodney Marsh was snapped up by the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
When introduced as 'the white Pele', Marsh jokingly responded: "No, Pele is known as the black Rodney Marsh." It earned him a kick from the Brazilian during their first meeting.
Flamboyant Englishman Marsh and his Tampa team-mates had another trick up their sleeve to keep Pele and strike partner Giorgio Chinaglia quiet when they met again in the 1976 Conference semi-finals.
"We had a limo that met them off the plane with two girls in and two bottles of Chivas Regal," he told the documentary 'Once in a Lifetime: The Incredible Story of the New York Cosmos'.
"Twenty-four hours later they both came on to the pitch looking very much worse for wear."
Tampa won 3-1. But that first taste of real success wasn't far away.
The offer came out of the blue. Steve Hunt walked into training at Aston Villa in November 1976 and was told the club had accepted a bid for him.
Hunt, then aged 20, had never even heard of the Cosmos. When he found out he'd be doing pre-season training with Pele in Bermuda, he took all of 10 seconds to agree.
"It sounds a bit of a fairytale now," Hunt tells BBC Sport. "I was probably going to play against Preston reserves that weekend and I ended up flying to Bermuda."
The winger, who'd only got married a month earlier, next faced away games in Hawaii and Las Vegas. As the homesickness wore off he settled in New Jersey, away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, mixing more with the Cosmos' other British and American players.
"I was surprised by the standard," he says. "I came to understand the brand of the Cosmos and how global it was."
The franchise, playing in shirts designed by Ralph Lauren, moved into the 80,000-seat, newly opened Giants Stadium for the 1977 season. It was a fully Americanised experience - Bugs Bunny as mascot, half-time bands and the Cosmos Girls cheerleading squad.
Warner supremo Ross would host an endless list of celebrities: Barbara Streisand, Robert Redford and Steven Spielberg were all there. Cosmos games became a paparazzi dream.
Steve Hunt and Mick Jagger, pictured in the Cosmos dressing room
"I've always likened it to being a rock 'n' roll football team," says Hunt, whose highlights include being introduced to Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger and witnessing the iconic meeting of Pele and Muhammad Ali.
"The doors would open in the changing rooms 10 minutes after a game and all of a sudden an entourage would come in and you never knew who you were going to see.
"I heard someone shout: 'Where's the Englishman?' I looked round and could see this guy in a hat. Jagger. He'd asked to speak to me, it was immense - he congratulated me on the game and all I wanted to talk about was rock 'n' roll!"
The squad's main hangout was world-famous celebrity haunt Studio 54, but life was just as manic on the road. Club secretary Steve Marshall likened Cosmos away trips to touring with the Stones, while PR guru James Trecker claimed some of the travelling party enjoyed a culture of sex, drugs and alcohol.
"It was a team that knew how to party, knew where to party and knew with whom to party," he told 'Once in a Lifetime'. "There were groupies at the hotel, groupies in the lobby, groupies in the stadium."
It's a tale disputed by some ex-players in the book 'Rock 'n' Roll Soccer'. Bob Iarusci called the film nonsense, while Charlie Mitchell says he was unaware "we could apparently walk into any nightclub in New York" like the Jets, Giants or Yankees.
After a stuttering start to the 1977 season, the stars aligned for the Cosmos, who invested in a pair of World Cup winners - Brazil captain Carlos Alberto and Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer.
"Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberto just took us to another level," remembers Hunt.
"It wasn't just the football side of it, it was how they conducted themselves and had time for people. I enjoyed their company as much as I enjoyed playing with them.
"Beckenbauer had this elegance about him, very smooth moving and that's how he is off the pitch, just a nice guy, one of the team."
But it was a fiery, larger-than-life former Italy international who grew up in Cardiff that made the Cosmos tick.
Chinaglia, who started his career at Swansea, died in April 2012 at the age of 65
Giorgio Chinaglia was as prolific as he was problematic. He scored 193 goals in 213 games for the Cosmos, making him the NASL's all-time leading scorer. He got into almost as many scuffles with his team-mates.
"I had a fight with him within a month," laughs Hunt. "I called him lazy so he smacked me one and we had a go at it.
"You're playing with these people so you have to put it right - we had a chat and it was decided I was there to provide him with chances to score. I obliged, so we got on fine."
There was a notorious changing-room bust up with Pele, with Chinaglia reportedly bringing him to tears after insisting the Brazilian pass more often.
"Giorgio is a brilliant player," Beckenbauer told the New York Times. "But he has no career as a diplomat."
Hunt says Chinaglia "spoke his mind and didn't mind upsetting people", adding: "But he was the best goalscorer I ever played with by far. His ratio of shots to goals was ridiculous. He was exceptionally good."
While Pele was chased around the world, Chinaglia's signing was almost the exact opposite.
Chinaglia, pictured in 1977 at the Giants Stadium. He played for the Cosmos until 1985
Born in Tuscany, Chinaglia moved to Cardiff with his family when he was a boy and he began his career at Swansea, before returning to Italy for military service and eventually signing for Lazio.
By the time he stormed into Clive Toye's office while on holiday in the States in 1975, Chinaglia had fired Lazio to the Serie A title as the division's leading goalscorer and won 14 international caps.
According to Toye, the Italian, whose wife Connie was American, said he wanted to sign for the Cosmos or would simply buy his own franchise.
He quickly left his mark. He was adored by Cosmos owner Ross, accompanying him to Frank Sinatra's birthday party, but not boss Gordon Bradley, who was sacked during the '77 season with Chinaglia influential in appointing his successor. Toye, another to clash with the brash striker, also departed.
"Sometimes I wasn't liked, but I don't care about that. If you don't have egos in life, especially in sport, you're not going to go very far," said Chinaglia, who commissioned two portraits of himself by American impressionist LeRoy Neiman as if to emphasise that point. In one he is putting on a silk dressing gown in the Cosmos changing room.
In the 1977 regular season, Chinaglia scored 15 times to help the Cosmos reach the play-offs.
He scored another, and Pele two, in a 3-0 win over Tampa Bay, before putting a hat-trick past Gordon Banks in an 8-3 win over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in front of a NASL-record 77,691 fans at Giants Stadium.
His total of nine goals in the play-offs, alongside five for Pele and four for Hunt, saw the Cosmos reach the Soccer Bowl, where they would face the Seattle Sounders in Portland in what would be Pele's final professional match, on 28 August 1977.
Pele, pictured with Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes and Elton John in Los Angeles, before a fixture with the LA Aztecs in July 1977
"That season was all about Pele," says Hunt. "I had to prove myself because I was just a new kid from Birmingham, England and they didn't know me. I had a task on my hands to establish myself over there.
"We wanted to do well and when we got to the final that was the motivation - for Pele to go out on a high."
That new boy from Birmingham certainly played his part in a performance that earned him the Soccer Bowl's Most Valuable Player award.
The long-haired winger nabbed the ball from Seattle goalkeeper Tony Chursky to poke into an empty net for the opener and was hoisted into the air by Pele and Chinaglia in celebration.
English forward Tommy Ord levelled soon after but, in the 81st minute, Hunt received a pass from Pele on the left, whipped in a cross and the ruthless Chinaglia headed the winner.
"Give credit for the game to Steve Hunt," Chinaglia told the press afterwards. "That ball he gave me was beautiful. I just jumped up and headed it in."
As the champagne flowed in the dressing room, Pele was sought out by reporters.
Without Pele, the Cosmos would go on to claim another three Soccer Bowl titles
"After three World Cups, now this," he said. "I can stop now, as a champion, I can die now. I have everything I wanted from my life in soccer."
One month later, following a two-week tour of Japan and China, Pele played his final game, a testimonial broadcast around the world against the only other club he'd ever represented, Santos.
He played one half for each team as the rain fell over Giants Stadium, leading a Brazilian newspaper to report: "Even the sky was crying."
This time, football's most iconic figure had retired for good. He was about to turn 37.
Time would soon be up for the NASL too, despite its tender years.
Without Pele, the Cosmos returned to win the Soccer Bowl the next season in 1978. They won it again in 1980 and then once more in 1982 to make it four championships from six seasons.
"It was an adventure," Beckenbauer told 'Once in a Lifetime'. "It was like an explosion. It was like a family, it was fantastic, an experience I will never forget."
Hunt joined Coventry City after the '78 success - not before playing alongside Johan Cruyff when the Netherlands great joined the Cosmos for an exhibition game - but returned on loan for the 1982 season.
"I was disappointed," says Hunt. "Franchises had folded, new ones were starting up and hanging on."
The Cosmos still boasted stars in Chinaglia and Dutch legend Johan Neeskens but attendances had begun to dwindle. The NASL was in sharp decline.
Over-expansion, mismanagement and teams spending lavish sums in an effort to keep up with the Cosmos began to bite. Most franchises were haemorrhaging cash.
The Cosmos had always been a vanity project for Ross and in 1984, after Warner's finances were hit by the crash of Atari, a video games console company they had invested in, he handed majority ownership to Chinaglia.
That year, the league collapsed. The Cosmos continued to play in the Major Indoor Soccer League but withdrew in February 1985. By June, the dream was officially over.
Having survived a second NASL collapse, the Cosmos are back in business in 2020
However, fast forward 35 years and, after several false dawns - including a legal battle with Eric Cantona - the New York Cosmos have been revived.
A long way from the glamour of their predecessors, the club are scheduled to play in the US third-tier equivalent National Independent Soccer Association in August.
It is a decade since Pele first announced the Cosmos would return and harboured ambitions to play in Major League Soccer (MLS). The club never ceased to exist entirely, lingering away from the spotlight with their series of youth camps.
They eventually made a successful return to the professional game in the reformed second-tier North American Soccer League in 2013, luring former Spain star Raul, winning three league titles and hiring Cantona as the club's director of soccer - though the Frenchman was sacked after punching a photographer in 2014 and sued the club over unpaid wages.
Various obstacles meant a move to the MLS never happened, and it was a case of deja vu for the NASL.
The league disbanded following the 2017 season, leaving the Cosmos 'on hiatus'. That is until now, having joined the NISA for the competition's 2020 Fall Season.
It will be modest re-beginnings for a club once idolised around the globe and the prospect of competing in the MLS remains distant, with the organisation reluctant to add a third New York franchise - after New York Red Bulls and New York City FC - to their roster.
