The NIL Blueprint for Olympic/non-revenue Student-Athletes

Meet Michelle Thao

Michelle Thao…

  • Is a good volleyball player, appearing in all 23 matches for the UNC Asheville Bulldogs last season.

  • Is a good student, earning Academic All-District®.

  • Has a good social media following with about 4,000 followers on Instagram and another 12,000 on TikTok.

Michelle is the quintessential Olympic sport student-athlete. Like 160,000 other DI athletes like her - the non-football/basketball athletes - she won’t receive a dime from revenue sharing or Collectives. Instead, she is in pursuit of authentic NIL partnerships.

On March 5th - the day after the first of my three NIL Workshops with UNC Asheville - Michelle emailed this to me: “I wanted to let you know that I just reached a huge NIL deal right after the Zoom meeting and I am so excited for more, hope you can continue to help!”

I am excited for Michelle of course. She deserves this kind of success 100 times over. But am I surprised? Absolutely not.

We know the NIL blueprint that works for Olympic/non-revenue student-athletes to secure authentic NIL deals.

The Data Behind the Blueprint

It’s not just four years of trial and error.

In the Spring of 2024, I surveyed over 700 DI student-athletes, selected based on whether they had received NIL education from their school or a third party.

Then isolating student-athletes who had secured at least one NIL deal, I surveyed them about the content of the NIL education they’d received (financial literacy, Collectives, regulations, and 10+ other areas of focus.)

Based on that data, I identified the content that had a positive correlation to landing a first/next partnership or had a negative/no correlation to pursuing NIL or securing an NIL partnership.

The data supports that there are three elements of NIL education lead to a student-athlete’s success:

  • Building a personal brand for NIL

  • Establishing an NIL-centric social media presence

  • Learning to market themselves

Read below for detail on the blueprint.

[Curriculum that includes elements like financial literacy, regulations, and life skills has value - and in other workshops and courses, I teach that too. But that curriculum lacks relevance and the tangible steps toward helping student-athletes secure their first and next authentic NIL deal.]

Part 1: Building a Personal Brand for NIL

In our 2024 NIL Research Poll, student-athletes who featured personal characteristics in addition to their sport were 12x more likely to land their first NIL deal.

So how do student-athletes build a personal NIL brand?

Step 1: Taking a Personal Inventory

Student-Athletes should start with three areas:

  • Strengths: What do teammates, coaches, or friends say the student-athlete is good at?

  • Values: These are the beliefs that guide the student-athlete’s choices.

  • Interests: These are where the student-athlete’s passions live. Sharing their interests attracts like-minded communities and brands.

When athletes highlight only their sport, they blend in. When they bring in their personality and passions, they stand out.

Step 2: Knowing an Audience

The next step is understanding who the student-athlete is trying to reach—fans, brands, teammates, or potential collaborators.

Student-Athletes should ask themselves:

  • Who follows me now?

  • What content gets the most engagement?

  • What are some of my audiences interests?

Once a student-athletes knows this, they can build content and messaging that connects.

Step 3: Crafting a Core Message

This is the one simple statement that defines the student-athlete’s brand.

Here are three proven elements to include:

  • Who you are

  • What you stand for

  • What people can expect from you

Example: “As a college gymnast, I strive for balance on and off the mat, championing mental wellness alongside physical excellence.”

Be clear. Be authentic. And be consistent.

This isn’t about manufacturing an identity. It’s about revealing who you are, why it matters, and how that story connects to your audience and potential brand partners.

Part 2: Establishing an NIL-Centric Social Media Presence

Social media is where 85% of authentic NIL happens. But it’s not just about follower count.

Our NIL Research Poll found that student-athletes with fewer than 10,000 followers—those in the micro-influencer range—are the most in-demand by brands. Why? Trust and engagement. Not just reach.

Here’s how to build a social media presence that attracts partnerships:

Step 1: Learn the Rules of the Road

Before anything else, student-athletes should make sure they:

  • Review their school’s NIL and social media policies

  • Check their state’s NIL disclosure laws

  • Follow FTC endorsement guidelines

Brands want partners who understand the rules.

Step 2: Choose the Right Platforms

TikTok and Instagram dominate for authentic NIL. They win on:

  • Engagement

  • Visual storytelling

  • Brand activity

  • Analytics and reach

Student-Athletes should choose one to focus on, but ideally be active on both.

Step 3: Optimize Your Profile

Student-Athletes should think of their social profile like their business card.

Make sure it includes:

  • A clean, clear profile pic and header

  • A short bio that says what they’re about

  • Contact info for brands

Step 4: Post with Purpose

Create content in four key themes:

  • Athletic success: game clips, highlights, performance

  • Behind-the-scenes: practices, workouts, team travel

  • Personal interests: hobbies, causes, life off the field

  • Community: volunteer work, mentoring, social impact

This variety tells the athlete’s full story. That’s what attracts brands.

Step 5: Engage with Brands

NIL doesn’t just fall into the laps of most student-athletes. They need to be strategic:

  • Identify brands that align with their values and audience

  • Follow brands that interest them on social media

  • Comment and share their posts

  • Mirror their tone and content style in their own posts

This builds familiarity—and increases a student-athlete’s odds when they reach out for a deal.

Finally, student-athletes need to grow their following by focusing on:

  • Hooks: grab attention in the first few seconds

  • Reels & Stories: short-form content performs best

  • Consistency: post regularly with a similar look and feel

If they're consistent, aligned, and strategic, their social media becomes their NIL storefront.

Subscribe to NIL/edu for $5 per month to unlock the rest of this newsletter, including:

  • Create Sales Materials

  • Research and Identify the Right Brands

  • Personalize Your Pitch

  • Follow Up Like a Pro

You’ll get access to this edition, 4 newsletters per month, and all past subscriber-only content.

Part 3: Learning to Market Themselves

Most first-time NIL deals happen because student-athletes initiate them.

According to our 2024 NIL Research Poll, 8 out of 10 student-athletes who landed an NIL deal did so through direct outreach.

Here’s how a student-athlete can take control of their NIL marketing:

Step 1: Create Sales Materials

Every athlete should have these three tools:

  • Message Templates: Short intro messages for DMs, emails, and LinkedIn

  • Social Media Kit: A one-page overview of who they are, their social reach, audience demographics, and interests

  • Pitch Deck: A 10-slide deck including their story, value proposition, social stats, partnership proposal, and contact info

These materials signal professionalism. And they make it easy for brands to say yes.

What do brands care about?

  • Engagement rate: Brands want interaction, not just followers

  • Conversions: They want sales, traffic, or inquiries

  • Brand alignment: They want authentic voices, not generic influencers

Athletes average 5.5% engagement—nearly triple that of traditional influencers. That stat alone can land a deal if you know how to present it.

Step 2: Research and Identify the Right Brands

Use tools like:

  • Google and Yelp for local businesses

  • LinkedIn to find marketing or partnership leads

  • Chamber of Commerce directory for small business contacts

Student-Athletes should choose brands that:

  • Share their values

  • Speak to their audience

  • Have a social presence they can complement

Step 3: Personalize Your Pitch

Student-Athletes should not send the same message to every brand. Customize:

  • The intro

  • How their audience matches theirs

  • What specific posts or content they will create

  • What the deliverables would be (stories, posts, videos)

Step 4: Follow Up Like a Pro

Most deals don’t happen after one message.

Use these tips:

  • Be persistent: Send a second and third follow-up

  • Add value: Share a new content idea or stat

  • Show enthusiasm: Let your passion shine through

Professional follow-up separates a student-athlete from other athletes who don’t know how to close.

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