College athletes can now make money using their name, image, and likenesses. Are you interested in starting your path to fame using your personal brand as an athlete? If so, it all really boils down to a couple of simple steps. 

Essentially, the two main unofficial requirements of securing an NIL deal are 1.) being a college athlete and 2.) having a social media platform. Here's how you can make that happen for yourself and start cashing in.

Related: NIL Opportunities for Athletes with Smaller Platforms

Get Social

When looking for potential athletes to partner with, brands are looking for people who will efficiently and effectively promote their product and raise awareness. Their main goal is to increase revenue, and they want to do that through you. One of the easiest and most effective ways to do that is using social media because this kind of promotion allows brands to customize to their liking how they're going to push their product out to an audience. Creating graphics, posting stories, the possibilities to market a product are endless via social media platforms. If you haven't already, learn how to navigate your way through most of the main social media platforms which include Instagram, Tikok, Snapchat and more. 

Build an Audience

Once you're familiar with social media, you need to have a pretty significant following on at least one platform, preferably Instagram, if you want to secure a NIL deal. And the more followers the better because brands want people to see their product because from a company's perspective, increasing the amount of exposure they get will also increase their chances of gaining new customers. An unofficial minimum amount of followers to get a decent deal would probably be 1000. You can easily gain followers by following everyone and anyone you may interact with as well as their mutuals. Anyone you have a connection with in some way, you should follow.

Related: Managing your Money as a Student-Athlete with NIL Contracts

Find Your Match!

Unless you are a D1 power 5 conference athlete with thousands and thousands of followers, brands probably won't be reaching out to you as much so most athletes  have to make an effort to reach out to brands to get deals. It's your job to put yourself out there first so be efficient! Start building and promoting your personal brand while reaching out to potential companies.

Apply Yourself

Some companies like OpenSponsorship and 98 Strong help athletes get deals by pairing them with brands. Some provide applications to fill out for student athletes looking for a brand deal, which gives them the chance to learn more about you and your social media image. Then, the company can determine if they think you would be a good fit and reach out to you. Fill out several applications for various companies to increase your chance of getting a deal. You can also reach out directly to companies that provide NIL deals via email or social media, and express your interest in working with their brand. Click here to learn about more helpful companies.

Check Out Campus Resources

Schools also may help college athletes who are trying to get an NIL deal. Talk to your college's compliance department and see if they provide any resources or have any tips/suggestions to secure a deal. For example, my alma mater, the University of South Carolina, has a program through GamecockCentral.com that allows athletes who are interested in getting NIL deals to list their name on a directory where brands can reach out to them directly. And schools like mine want to help–through services like this they can earn commissions as well. See if your school has a similar opportunity. There are also external websites, like NIL Network, not affiliated with universities that help athletes using similar methods.

So as you can see, securing an NIL deal is probably a lot easier than you think. Many companies are eager to partner with talented college  athletes and provide benefits such as free merch. Start researching potential brands ASAP!

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* Originally published on July 13, 2022, by Sammie Grant