How to Build Student-Athlete Buy-In

Many NIL Programs Have Low Engagement

Getting student-athletes to engage with any type of NIL support is challenging. Student-Athletes are busy, faced with information overload, and often don’t see how NIL programs directly benefit them.

Here are practical strategies for breaking through these barriers and building sustainable engagement with student-athletes.

1. Meet Them Where They Are

Most student-athletes won’t respond to long-winded emails or complex platforms. "Fish where the fish are" and engage them in places and formats they’re already using:

  • Social Media: Platforms like Instagram and TikTok work well. Share short, relatable videos or tips. For universities, consider developing and using a small group of "NIL Influencers" (team captains or well-known athletes) to promote your NIL programming on their personal accounts. A client of mine - North Carolina A&T - is excellent at providing NIL resources first to their "Aggie Influencers" and then utilizing that group to maximimze student-athlete wide buy-in.

  • Text Messages: Texts get higher response rates than emails. Keep messages concise, with a clear call-to-action like “Check out our new NIL course!” or “Click here for our NIL workshop details!”

  • Athlete-Only Events: Host exclusive sessions or workshops to foster face-to-face engagement. Bring in alumni or professional athletes to talk about NIL. When athletes hear success stories directly, they see the potential impact on their own lives. 

2. Show, Don’t Tell, the Immediate Benefits

Many athletes view NIL as abstract until they experience tangible results. Bridge this gap by showing them how NIL can work for them in practical ways.

  • Use Real Case Studies: Share stories from athletes who’ve successfully used NIL resources to earn income or build their brand. Highlight how specific actions, like attending a workshop or setting up their social media profile professionally, led to real results.

  • Provide Clear, Simple Steps: Don’t overwhelm them with all they could do. Instead, break it down. For example:

    • Step 1: Define what you want your brand to represent.

    • Step 2: Post on social media weekly with tips about your sport or life.

    • Step 3: Approach local businesses and show them your engaged following.

  • Offer Quick Wins: If there is one thing I've learned from my work over the last 4 years with student-athletes it's that they are not a patient group 🙄. They need tools they can use right away. They want immediate wins that lead to larger gains over time. That has been the entire basis of my NIL Quickstart program.

3. Engage In-Person and Build Relationships

I have found that I can double engagement of digital, on-demand NIL courses by doing one thing: kicking things off with a live workshop. Student-Athletes are simply more likely to participate in NIL when they feel a personal connection to the people offering it.

  • One-on-One Meetings: Offer quick, 15-minute check-ins to answer questions. Instead of expecting athletes to come to you, go to their practices. Show up, introduce yourself, and make it clear that you’re available to help.

  • Peer Ambassadors: Again, identify NIL-engaged student-athletes to serve as ambassadors. Athletes are more likely to listen to their peers who’ve already navigated NIL than a department representative or a service provider.

  • Incorporate Coaches and Team Staff: This is not a criticism, but a fact: the vast majority of coaches still don't know very much about NIL. It's not their fault, because they can't spend all day reading about NIL transactions with small businesses, Collectives, or the impact of revenue sharing. But because they already have strong relationships with athletes, we need to better educate coaches - at least with the bare minimum of info that will help them recruit and retain players.

4. Create a “Why” That Resonates

Student-athletes are driven, but can feel disconnected from NIL. To engage them, tie NIL to their personal goals, not just financial success.

  • Career and Personal Branding: Emphasize that NIL isn’t just about money. It’s also about learning to market oneself, a valuable skill in any career. Show how NIL education helps athletes to develop a strong online presence, to refine their communication skills, or even to understand contract basics —skills that are valuable for a lifetime.

  • Immediate Academic and Athletic Relevance: NIL education can contribute directly to their academic growth. For instance, a business major interested in sports marketing could explore NIL as a practical, real-world application of classroom theory. Help them connect the dots between NIL knowledge and their academic pursuits. (I spoke with a business major-DI lacrosse player yesterday who just did his 3rd NIL partnership - none of them pays him cash, just product. But he is pursuing NIL as a type of real-world business internship.)

  • Future Opportunities: Frame NIL as a means to gain professional exposure and connections. Building a brand now establishes a foundation for future opportunities.

5. Offer Practical, Simplified Resources

Many student-athletes struggle to understand NIL guidelines and best practices, because the material is complex and intimidating. Simplify the message.

  • Visual Guides and Checklists: Create simple, visual resources on topics like “How to Negotiate a Contract” or “Building Your Personal Brand.” Break down each concept into digestible steps.

  • Templates and Sample Documents: Provide templates they can fill in, like sample media release forms, basic contracts, or even sample social media posts. When they see what a good NIL strategy looks like, they’re more likely to replicate it. (Here's a pro tip from a guy who gets paid to this stuff: don't hire me or anyone else if they don't promise to deliver templates to your student-athletes. It's the #1 "hack" in getting student-athletes started.)

  • Weekly “Tip of the Week” Emails or Videos: Short, actionable NIL tips delivered consistently can help athletes get into a rhythm with their personal brand and NIL engagement.

6. Make NIL Support a Team Effort

Build a team-based NIL program that encourages athletes to engage and help each other.

  • Team Contests or Challenges: Run a contest for the best social media post, or who can come up with the best local partnership idea. Offer small rewards for engagement, like school gear or a feature on the athletic department’s social media.

  • Goals: Some athletes may feel overwhelmed by NIL, so work with teams to set goals, like increasing followers by 10% or creating one local partnership. This team-based approach relieves pressure while encouraging collaboration.

  • Team Workshops: Host workshops with specific teams to address the unique needs of each sport. NIL for football is obviously different than NIL for tennis, so adapt the material to make it relevant.

7. Track Engagement and Adapt

Monitoring engagement helps you see what works and what doesn’t. It’s essential to adapt to what athletes find helpful.

  • Surveys and Feedback: Regularly ask athletes what NIL topics interest them, which sessions they liked, and which resources they found helpful. Use their feedback to adjust your program and make it more relevant.

  • Data on Athlete Participation: Track who attends events, uses resources, or reaches out for help. Identify patterns and common barriers. Are athletes missing workshops due to time conflicts? Adjust your schedule. Do they prefer video content over reading material? Lean into that.

  • Iterative Content: Keep your content fresh. The NIL landscape is evolving, and athletes want timely insights. By consistently updating your content to reflect changes in NIL, you keep athletes engaged.

8. Lead with Empathy and Listen

Athletes often face pressure from academics, sports, and their social lives. Understand the challenges they’re juggling and empathize with their experience.

  • Show Patience: Not every athlete will jump into NIL enthusiastically. Be patient with their progress and offer encouragement rather than judgment.

  • Personalized Support: When possible, tailor your approach. Some athletes will be more inclined toward social media; others might need help understanding finances. Recognize their unique goals and adapt your support accordingly.

  • Encourage a Growth Mindset: Remind athletes that learning about NIL is a gradual process. They don’t need to get it all at once—just taking the first step is progress.

Engage, Inspire, and Motivate

Student-athletes need guidance to see the relevance of NIL resources to their lives. By building programs that resonate with their goals, offering actionable and immediate tools, and creating a supportive, team-oriented environment, you’ll help athletes get “unstuck” and motivated to explore NIL opportunities.

About Bill Carter

Bill has advised brands on Name, Image, Likeness for 25 years—first in pro sports, now at the college level. He was the Co-Founder of the Gen Z sports agency Fuse, which he sold in 2019. In 2020, he founded Student-Athlete Insights and consults on NIL strategy with Fortune 500 companies and 30+ DI universities. Read more about Student-Athlete Insights.

Bill Carter