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Start building your brand early

And why there is value in doing so

When is a good time for a student-athlete to begin building their personal brand?

Besides right now, the earlier a student-athlete begins this process, the better.

Can a student-athlete begin building their brand TOO early?

Yes.

Most social media platforms require users to be at least 13 years old (although we see people younger than this using social media).

Additionally, in most cases, building a brand this young might not be sustainable due to changing interests, leaving or switching sports, burnout, etc.

So, when is a good time to begin?

Student-athletes should begin building their brand in high school.

Why?

• Focus

  • These individuals most likely are focused on one sport, with some of them having intentions to play at the collegiate level.

  • Building your brand at this stage will be relatable to you and your sport in the future

• Catalog of content

  • Posting minimally but continually (ie., once per month) might not seem like a lot. However, this amount of content is not only manageable for the athlete, but creates a large database of content over the course of several years as the high school becomes a college athlete.

• Good testing ground

  • Brand building in high school is a good way to test content.

  • See what resonates with your audience and post more of that content. Additionally, see what content does not land well with your followers and decrease or eliminate those types of posts.

Tips

• Work with a professional

  • It’s important to work with a person who specializes in building personal brands for athletes. (Shameless plug: Contact me at [[email protected]] and let’s begin building your brand today.)

• Start slow

  • As mentioned, starting slow and building up your presence is more valuable than overposting and burning out - causing you to abandon building your brand altogether.

• Future proof your brand

  • Will you look back at content you posted five years ago and ask yourself: Is this still relevant today?

  • Additionally, ensure your content does not contain foul language, music with said inappropriate language, unwelcoming gestures, or anything your parents and your future self would not approve of.

Thank You for reading today’s newsletter

^{I discuss insights and news related to NIL and personal branding for athletes every Wednesday at 12p ET/9a PT.}

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