Congratulations, you’ve started doing NIL deals! If you want to build long-term success with sponsors, you must be careful with brand partnerships. The magic of NIL comes when trusted athletes promote brands to their loyal followers.
Here are a few quick tips for building trust on social media when you are posting branded content!
Follow the 70% original content rule when doing NIL deals
It’s up to you to strike a balance between your own content and sponsored content, but many influencers suggest at least 70% of your content should be owned by you, and the remaining 30% or less can be sponsored.
The more brand deals you want to do, the more original content you’re going to need to post. Turning into a walking advertisement is a surefire way to lose trust, as people are going to get tired of only seeing ads. Plus, your followers might start wondering if you really care about any of the brands.
Blend original and sponsored content styles
Your NIL deals will resonate with your audience much better when they blend in with the content your audience is used to seeing.
For example…
- If you create a lot of videos with inspirational voice overs, consider how your next NIL deal can follow this format.
- If most of your content involves your sport, think about how you can incorporate your athletic skills or athlete life into your sponsored post!
- If you post day-in-the-life videos on a regular basis, see how you can incorporate a sponsorship into this content series.
Sometimes, you don’t have a lot of creative freedom when participating in an NIL campaign. However, do your best to create content that feels natural to you and your feed.
Don’t be surprised if your sponsored content doesn’t perform as well as your original content. People just don’t like ads as much. Your goal should always be to create content that resonates with your audience AND the brand’s target market. This is why choosing partnerships that align with your brand is so important!
Choose collaborations carefully
Keep your audience’s trust by only promoting brands that resonate with you.
When you make money promoting a brand that conflicts with everything you normally stand by on social media, you destroy your own brand value, and viewers will never believe your ads.
The right sponsorships will come around when you have confidence in your own voice! It’s usually worth waiting for deals that align with your brand.
QUIZ: Should you say yes to the NIL Deal?
Avoid promoting competing brands
Even if you do not have an exclusive deal, be careful with promoting competitors within a short time frame. If you say one umbrella is “your favorite” and then you say another product “is the best umbrella you’ve ever used” just 2 weeks later, people are going to wonder what you really think and doubt your recommendations.
Disclose your Partnerships
Studies show that influencers who disclose their partnerships are more trusted by their followers. Plus, it’s not worth it to break FTC (Federal Trade Commission) guidelines. Use the built in paid partnership tag to label your sponsored posts and openly share your gratitude for the sponsorship!
Be honest in your reviews
Don’t say a product is the best thing ever if you don’t believe it. Show your excitement about participating in a campaign while naturally sharing your thoughts/perspective. Just do what feels natural!
Share unsponsored favorites
Unsponsored recommendations are more powerful than paid ads. Start highlighting your favorite products or services organically. This will teach your audience to trust and appreciate your recommendations, including those you’re paid for.
Simply show how you are enjoying your favorite brands and tag them! Some examples include:
- add shop/destination/restaurant location tags in your Instagram stories
- tag your apparel brand in cute photos
- create simple tutorials using your favorite products
Just be sure to strike a a balance! If there’s a brand you really want to work with, keep your unsponsored recommendations to just a few discrete shoutouts. Brands appreciate working with athletes who already loves their brand, but they’ll never pay you if you keep giving them a ton of free promotion!
Summary
Be mindful about the NIL deals you accept and how you promote brands to keep your audience’s trust. Follower trust is one of your biggest assets when it comes to building long-term NIL success! You got this.
Hoping to get more NIL deals? Check out these resources…
