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🏅 Interview with Jack & Corey from Out2win Sports
Hey there,
This week, we're diving deep into the world of athlete-brand partnerships with an exclusive interview featuring Jack Adler and Corey Bruno of Out2Win Sports. As pioneers in the NIL space, Out2Win has been at the forefront of connecting brands with college athletes since 2021, and they're now expanding their reach to include pro athletes, high school stars, and content creators.
In this edition, Jack and Corey share invaluable insights on:
The evolution of NIL partnerships and future industry trends.
Out2Win's proprietary AI-powered algorithms for athlete-brand matching.
Advice for college athletes balancing NIL opportunities with academics.
The impact of their platform expansion on sports influencer marketing.
The launch of their new weekly newsletter, Out2Win Weekly Report.
Let's jump right in!
— Cole, Justin and Collin
How has Out2Win's approach to athlete-brand partnerships evolved since the inception of NIL policies, and what trends do you foresee shaping the industry in the coming years?
We launched Out2Win in 2021 to help brands connect with college athletes at a time when the NIL landscape was still in its infancy. Initially, many brands were hesitant to engage in athlete partnerships due to uncertainty around the new regulations. However, as the benefits of these collaborations became evident, we've seen a significant shift—brands now increasingly recognize the value of aligning with athletes to reach highly engaged audiences.
As we look ahead, I foresee high school athletes playing a larger role in the NIL space, with major brand deals becoming more common for younger athletes, as we've seen with AJ Dybantsa's partnership with Red Bull and Nate Ament’s deal with Reebok. Another key trend will be the shift towards long-term, strategic partnerships between athletes and brands, rather than short-term, one-off deals.
Can you walk us through Out2Win's proprietary AI-powered algorithms, such as the Out2Win score and brand affinity score? How do these tools help match athletes with the right brand opportunities?
Our AI-powered algorithms analyze a wide range of social media data points, including engagement rates, follower growth, content quality, and posting frequency. These metrics are weighted and combined to generate the Out2Win Score, a marketability rating out of 100 that helps brands identify athletes who excel on social media and resonate with their audiences. This score gives brands a clear snapshot of which athletes are most likely to drive meaningful engagement and deliver a strong ROI on their campaigns.
For brand affinity, our tools allow brands to filter athletes based on key factors like location, audience demographics (age, gender, etc.), and interests. By analyzing how closely an athlete’s personal brand aligns with a brand’s identity, we ensure that brands partner with athletes who can effectively reach their target audience. This enables brands to form more strategic, impactful partnerships that go beyond basic follower counts, leading to deeper connections and more successful collaborations.
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What advice would you give to college athletes looking to build their personal brand and maximize their NIL potential while balancing their athletic and academic commitments?
The key to maximizing NIL potential is authenticity. Athletes should focus on building a personal brand that truly reflects who they are—both on and off the field. This means being selective about the partnerships you pursue and ensuring they align with your values and passions. Quality over quantity is crucial.
Balancing athletic and academic commitments is always a challenge, but organization and time management are critical. Athletes should leverage social media platforms efficiently, creating content during breaks or in off-seasons, and being consistent with their messaging. Finding a support system, whether it’s through family, a mentor, or the athletics department, can also help navigate the complexities of NIL deals while keeping their main priorities intact.
Out2Win plans to expand its platform to include pro athletes, high school athletes, and athlete content creators. How do you anticipate this expansion will impact the influencer marketing landscape in sports?
Expanding Out2Win to include pro athletes, high school athletes, and athlete content creators will significantly broaden the scope of the sports influencer landscape. Pro athletes bring broader visibility and larger fanbases, which appeal to global brands, while high school athletes represent an emerging category, especially for brands targeting Gen Z consumers.
Including general athlete content creators opens up new possibilities, as these influencers are noften skilled in storytelling and have built loyal, engaged audiences. This expansion will create more diverse opportunities for brands to tap into various segments, allowing for more creative collaborations. Ultimately, it will shift the focus from just elite athletes to a more inclusive and multifaceted influencer ecosystem.
Out2Win just started a weekly newsletter called Out2Win Weekly Report. Talk to us about the value your newsletter brings to its subscribers and what they can expect.
Our newsletter is designed to keep our subscribers at the forefront of athlete marketing trends. Each weekly edition covers the latest NIL developments, case studies of successful athlete-brand partnerships, and actionable insights on how to navigate the evolving influencer marketing landscape in sports.
Subscribers can expect curated, data-driven content that helps them make more informed decisions about athlete partnerships. We also spotlight emerging athletes and highlight new features on the Out2Win platform to keep brands, agencies, and athletes aware of fresh opportunities. It’s a must-read for anyone looking to stay competitive in the athlete marketing space.
