Love the Product?

How Any Athlete Can Turn Favorite Products into NIL Partnerships

Many of the best NIL partnerships start with something simple: using and loving a product in your everyday life. If you’re wearing your favorite shoes all the time, or religiously downing your favorite recovery drink after practice, this may be your best option for an NIL deal.

Here’s how any athlete—at any level—can take their brand passion and turn it into a relationship with the company:

Pitch authentically—in contacting the company, detail the ways you love the product how you use it, and why you align with this brand.

Do your homework—Research the company’s past athlete partnerships—what’s worked, and perhaps what hasn’t—and look for ways you can fill their needs…and how you can take the brand to the next level. And know every detail about their current campaigns or product launches to make an effective presentation.

Build a simple marketing sheet—Send them a one-sheet “Student-Athlete Impact Sheet” that shows your key athletic accomplishments and your special qualities as person as well as social media analytics.

Create sample content—Draft a mockup Instagram Story or TikTok showing you using the product in action.

Tag and engage the brand organically—Before contacting the company, post a genuine review or “day-in-the-life” clip tagging the brand. Companies pay attention to posts like this, and and you’ll gain their attention.

Leverage your teammates and network—Encourage teammates to share your content about the product; collective reach can be more compelling.

Be professional and punctual—Treat every interaction—DMs, emails, Zoom calls—with the same respect you’d show a corporate recruiter. If you agree to deliver content by a certain date, stick to it or communicate early if something changes.

Negotiate thoughtfully—Have a clear sense of what you want—free product, stipend, affiliate commission, etc.—and why it’s fair given your reach and engagement.

Track and report your impact—After doing a post for the company, send them a onepage recap and include stats such as impressions, likes, link clicks, follower growth. Demonstrating ROI increases your chances of being invited back for future campaigns.