Plan on at least 30 athletes for a test, and closer to 100 if you want a clear answer. Only 70% to 80% of athletes who get product end up posting, so 10 athletes usually means about 6 videos, which isn't enough to tell what works. MarketPryce recommends starting around 100 athletes so you get 70+ videos, a real read on performance, and a shortlist of 2 to 3 videos worth running as ads.
Because it feels safe. On brand calls, we often hear a first suggestion of 10 or 20 athletes, "just to see what happens." That makes sense if you're used to traditional influencer deals, where every creator is a big, separate negotiation.
The problem is that a tiny test doesn't tell you much. One athlete has a great week and the whole test looks amazing. One athlete posts late and it looks like a flop. Either way, you're making a budget decision off a handful of videos.
Across our campaigns, 70% to 80% of athletes who receive product post about it. That's high for seeding, because athletes opt in to brands they like before anything ships. But it's never 100%. Here's what that looks like at different sizes:
Small batches swing more. With 10 athletes, a couple of no-shows can drop your post rate to 50% or 60%.
Our floor is 30 to 40 athletes. Below that, you're mostly testing whether athletes like the product, not whether the content works.
At 30, you'll get roughly 20 to 25 videos. That's enough to spot which angles land (taste test, routine, locker room, game day) and which athletes are great on camera. It's not quite enough to be confident about paid ads, but it's a real start if budget is tight.
Because 100 is where a test turns into a decision. Here's the funnel we see over and over:
That last step is the one most brands care about. Finding 2 or 3 videos that keep working in paid ads is hard. More shots on goal makes it a lot more likely you'll find them.
It also gives you a team for what comes next. The top 20% to 30% become your always-on group, the athletes you renew monthly and bring back for every launch.
Yes. Start with what you want out of the test:
For a first test, we usually seed in one batch. Everyone gets product in the same window, so you can compare videos fairly and finish in about 30 days.
After that, waves work well. Drink PHX built a four-tier program where new athletes try out with product, promising ones move to small paid deals, and the best earn monthly retainers. PHX is on pace for 1,000+ athlete posts and 10M+ impressions with this setup. Here's the full PHX funnel.
A bigger test doesn't have to mean less control. A few things keep it tight:
If you want the week-by-week timeline, our guide to how a 30-day college athlete pilot works walks through it.
We've run 50,000+ NIL deals for 350+ brands, including Nike, Dr. Squatch, DoorDash, Revlon and SoFi. Our network has 6,000+ vetted college athletes, so filling a 100-athlete test is quick, and we can scale to 200 or 300 if the first round works.
We handle recruiting, your approvals, shipping, briefs, reminders, tracking and payouts. At the end, you get the content, the numbers and a clear list of which athletes and videos earned a bigger role.
At least 30, and ideally around 100. With a 70% to 80% post rate, 100 athletes gives you 70 to 80 videos and a clear read on what works.
Usually not. Sending product to 10 athletes typically gets you about 6 posts, which tells you whether athletes like the product but not much about content performance.
Across MarketPryce campaigns, 70% to 80% of athletes who receive product post about it. Smaller batches can swing lower.
Plan on about 100. That usually produces 20 to 30 top performers and 2 to 3 videos strong enough to scale as paid ads.
Yes. MarketPryce can share a shortlist of athlete profiles and past content for your approval before any product ships.
Tell us your goal and we'll recommend the right number of athletes, then handle the rest. Start your campaign with MarketPryce.
