Brands and agencies sift through social media profiles to find athlete influencers to work with. Based on a 10-second peek at your profile, viewers will decide what to do next. Want to get more NIL brand deals? Start with a profile edit.

Besides your follower count, your handle, profile photo, bio, and feed are all data points that pique an onlooker’s interest or quickly convince them to move on.

Make your profile a one-stop shop that persuades brands that align with your lifestyle to work with you. This article will cover several ways you can upgrade your social media profile to get more NIL brand deals!

Note: This article is based heavily on current Instagram features. The general formula can be applied to other social media platforms as well.

Your name matters

If possible, use your real name in your handle and username for maximum searchability and brand consistency.

Using your actual name (or the nickname most people know you by)…

• avoids confusing everyone
• makes it easier for people to find your profile
• allows brands to easily research you when they know your real name

There are some exceptions to using your real name for your handle, such as when you’re trying to build a brand around a catchy name (ex: @sportsbizmiss). Regardless, you should almost always include your real first and last name in the name section.

You can add even add keywords to help with profile discovery and share what your page is about. For example…

• Blissi Bay | Basketball Player and Fashionista
• Sasha Stingray | Travel Tips

Anonymous profiles don’t get brand deals.

Choose your profile photo wisely

Pick a photo from the shoulders up, so people can put a FACE to your name. Choose one that matches your brand and clearly shows your features.

For example, if you most of your posts revolve around student-athlete life, consider using a media day headshot (instead of that random far-away photo from 2 years ago).

You can use the same picture across platforms for extra consistency and recognizability.

Maximize your bio to get more NIL deals

Your feed content speaks volumes about your brand, but the bio is the first thing viewers see. Use the few lines in your bio wisely!

In your bio, simply share…

• who you are
• what you do
• why people may be interested in following or working with you (hint at it)

Be sure to…

• Use nice spacing
• Make it readable with simple phrases
• Add teams you’re a part of + big accomplishments to boost credibility!

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A few examples:

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Add an email address to your bio

Place the email you’d like brands to contact at the bottom of your bio, so they can easily contact you.

Brand representatives often surf profiles via a computer instead of a mobile device. On Instagram, the direct “email” button doesn’t show up on the web.

I would recommend setting up a separate email account for business inquiries, so you don’t share your personal email for the world to see.

If you have an NIL agent, you can use their contact information.

Keep tabs on your feed

Your feed is a selling point for your page, and it should accurately preview what people will see when they follow you!

No, your feed doesn’t need to be the prettiest thing ever. People just want to understand who you are and the types of content you tend to share on social media!

Instagram: Add a highlight for branded content and NIL deals

Brands want to see that you can effectively promote products and services in an authentic way. If you’ve done multiple NIL deals already, consolidate the story-versions of your posts into a highlight.

If you’re interested in doing brand deals but haven’t started yet (check out our free NIL pitch templates!), you’ll want your audience to trust and appreciate your recommendations. Start by sharing non-sponsored stories that highlight your favorite products or services organically. You even can add them to a “brands I love” highlight on your page.

Simply show how you are enjoying your favorite brands and tag them! Some examples include things like tagging your clothing brand in photos, taking aesthetic photos at a tagged restaurant, or creating simple tutorials using a favorite product.

Note: you can also leverage highlight bubbles to build your brand identity too!

Stop focusing too much your follower count

Yes, your follower count is often the first thing a brand checks when choosing whether to pitch working with you.

Regardless, having an engaged community of followers is key to getting great NIL deals. Plus, you can easily control many other aspects of your profile that may appeal to brand representatives.

Thanks to social proof, gaining followers gets easier as your account grows. Stay consistent with sharing your journey, stick to your values, and trust the process.

Most importantly, JUST SHOW UP AS YOU! The people who are interested will follow along, and the brands who are interested will reach out.