If you’re wondering how to get NIL deals on Instagram, you’re in the right place! This post will help you maximize your Instagram to attract NIL deals.
Brands look at the following elements when offering athletes NIL deals for Instagram…
- Number of social media followers: the more, the better (usually)
- Engagement rate: you get a lot of likes, comments, and shares
- Content quality: you can make (or appear in) great advertisements
- Lifestyle marketability: the deal is a good fit and would resonate with your audience
- Sports awesomeness & name recognition
We can’t help you with your sports performance. However, this post has lots of practical tips for boosting your followers, engagement rate, and content quality.
The 4 key steps: How to get NIL deals on Instagram
- Build your Instagram community
- Optimize your Instagram for NIL deals
- Start engaging with brands on Instagram
- Pitch away!
Before we dive into Instagram sponsorships, remember that repurposing your content to other platforms (including TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter) can create even more NIL opportunities. Regardless, mastering Instagram is a smart move!
How to build your brand on Instagram
Focus on Reels
Post a mixture of content, with a focus on short-form video (Instagram Reels). Sharing Reels with trending audio provides great potential to go viral and attract an interested audience. Learn more about going viral here.
Work up to sharing at least one Reel per week, if not more. However, it’s better to post less often than totally burn out. Simply document your life as a student-athlete. People ARE interested, I promise.
Reels are currently the easiest way to grow on Instagram, but social media platforms are always evolving. Keep an eye out for new features, and don’t forget about Instagram photos and stories!
More Instagram features to build your brand…
Instagram story stickers
Add a poll, question sticker, quiz, slider, countdown, or another interactive button to your Instagram Stories whenever it makes sense. These stickers make it easy for your followers to start interacting with you. Stickers start a dialog between you and your fans, and this is key for building a vibrant community on Instagram.
Collaboration posts
When you invite a collaborator, the content gets shared on both accounts. This is a quick way to leverage other brands and increase your reach. If your team account posts something of you, ask them to invite you as a collaborator!
Pinned Content
Choose your top 3 brand-boosting posts and pin them to the top of your page. Pin…
- content that boosts your credibility
- content people have loved (such as your most viral content)
- content that gives a good sense of what your feed is all about
Instagram Live
Talk about unfiltered! Instagram live is a great way to authentically connect with your audience. Have fun.
Keep Captions Engaging
Just like your videos and photos, your captions give followers a glimpse of your personality. Use your voice intentionally.
Captions are a great place to share meaningful aspects of your journey as a student-athlete. The more emotionally powerful your content is, the more comments you’ll probably receive. This is why big life events get the most attention on social media.
Captions are also a great place to start interactions with your audience. Find opportunities to ask questions and invite comments. The easier it is to respond to your question, the more likely they’ll comment. This is why asking your audience to vote on something gets a ton of people to comment. Everyone can think of a quick opinion on simple polls!
Look for patterns
When you have a video that goes viral or gets a ton of comments, use the positive reaction as fuel to share more similar content. You can even make a series! Creating a content series is a powerful way to get people invested in your journey. They’ll want to keep following along and will remember the story.
Here are a few social media series examples that went viral…
- @emilycole – The big hair mess
- @leahclapper – Gym vs dive series
- @sav.fs – The tic-tac-toe mystery
- @Chloe Mitchell – The $900 cat debacle
Showcase your style
You’ll want to show brands you have what it takes to make great sponsored content. Commit to improving your photography and videography skills, and you’ll probably get more NIL deals!
Just like in sports, practice makes progress. You’ll get better as you post more! Ask for help or find some “coaches.” Here are a few of our favorite Instagram creators with video editing tips…
- @sambgreen (content creation tips for athletes)
- @thereelcoach
- @jerabean
If you really don’t like making content, find people to help you. As a student-athlete, be sure to leverage your school’s media team. Most camerapeople at sports events are delighted to share their content as long as you credit them.
Sporadically share your favorite recommendations, so brands can see how well you authentically promote products and services. You can even put these recommendations into a “brands I love” Instagram story highlight.
Find what works for you
Social media is HIGHLY individualized, and there are a ton of ways to become successful on social media. Check out our social media personality quiz for custom recommendations!
Typically, it’s reasonable start receiving paid sponsorship offers once you surpass 5,000+ followers and have a decent engagement rate. However, if your page has a strong niche following, you can most definitely do paid sponsorships with even less than 1000 followers! I did my first sponsorship on an account with 700 followers.
2. Optimize your profile for NIL deals
You’ll also want to craft your profile page to get NIL deals by…
- using your real name
- adding your email address to your bio
- choosing a quality profile picture (with your face)
- adding an Instagram highlight that shows branded content
- writing a strong bio including big accomplishments & your sports team
Learn more about optimizing your Instagram profile for NIL deals.
3. Find brands you’d like to work with
Once you have a strong following, you can start listing brands that you would like to work with.
First, do an audit of your favorite brands. Make a list of the brands you love across the categories that fit your lifestyle. The easiest way to do this is to walk around your home for brands and then keep brainstorming. For example, list your favorite…
- snack foods
- recovery tools
- athletic accessories
- local restaurants
- clothing brands
- shoe companies
- retail stores
- beauty/hygiene products
- apps/software
- electronics
Second, choose a mixture of small, medium, and large brands you would love to do an NIL deal with. Add related brands that may be attainable partnerships as well.
When you are researching brands, be sure to consider the following factors:
- Does the brand align with your values?
- Is the brand a good fit for your target audience?
- Does the brand seem to engage in influencer marketing?
Third, engage with your favorite brands on social media. Start following them and commenting on their posts/stories. If you post something including the brand, be sure to tag the brand’s account. Brands love to work with people who already support them.
Start Pitching!
After a few weeks of engagement, reach out about working together! You can message the brand on Instagram or find an appropriate email address to message. Read more about what to include in your pitch here.
When you are pitching brands, be sure to include the following information:
- A brief overview of who you are
- Your target audience
- The type of content you would create for the brand
- Why it would be an awesome fit
Once you get in contact with a brand, be prepared to negotiate the terms of your deal. This includes things like the amount of money you will be paid, the type of content you will create, and the length of the deal.
Summary
It may take some time to land your first brand sponsorship. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t hear back from most brands you reach out to. Just keep creating great content, engaging with your audience, and communicating with brands. Eventually, you will start to see results.
