Brands shouldn't pick between macro and micro influencers. The best programs use both: one or two macro creators give a brand instant reach and credibility, and dozens or hundreds of micro creators give it the volume of content it needs to find what actually works. Drink PHX launched with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy as its macro voice and built its content engine on close to 400 college athletes through MarketPryce, producing 1,000+ posts and about 7 million impressions.
Last updated November 4, 2026
It mostly comes down to audience size, and what that size buys you.
Most college athletes sit in the micro and nano range. In our network, the average athlete has 5,000 to 7,000 followers, mostly teammates, classmates and people from their hometown. That's why a post from them reads like a friend's recommendation instead of an ad.
Because they solve two different problems.
Macro creators solve "has anyone heard of you?" One post from a big name puts a brand in front of millions of people overnight. It also signals to retailers, distributors and investors that the brand is serious.
Micro creators solve "what content actually works?" No brand knows in advance which video the algorithm will pick up. The only reliable way to find out is to put a lot of content out there and watch what rises. PHX's head of marketing, McKinley Stephens, put it this way on a recent call with us:
"You want as many lines in the water as possible. And then when you get a nibble, that's when you want to react and scale."
The math behind that is simple. One big, polished bet can miss. A hundred smaller bets almost never all miss.
Put the two together and they make each other better. The macro creator builds awareness, so when someone sees an athlete's video later, the brand already feels familiar. The micro creators keep the brand in people's feeds every week, long after the big launch post has scrolled away.
PHX, a hydration energy drink from One 11 Brands, launched on July 14, 2025, with Dave Portnoy as a marketing partner. That gave the brand a famous face and Barstool-sized reach from day one.
The same week, PHX did something most beverage launches don't: it flooded social with college athletes. The brand had no content library yet, so athletes got product and real creative freedom instead of a script. Here's how it played out:
The results so far: close to 400 athletes, 1,000+ posts and about 7 million impressions. Maggie Durnien, PHX's digital brand manager, summed up how the athlete content stacks up: "Among all of our partners, NIL content has been such a North Star for us, even compared to Barstool and production companies. The athlete content is outperforming, because it's real and relatable."
That isn't a knock on the macro side. Portnoy gave PHX a name people recognized. The athletes gave it a steady flow of content that kept performing.
We ran PHX's athlete content through Archive, a social listening tool that tracks every tagged post. Across 1,028 PHX posts, a few patterns stood out:
The PHX team sees the same thing from the brand side. "Put us in your world and what Phoenix does for you," Maggie told us. The goal is content that teaches or entertains, with the product fitting into a real part of an athlete's day.
Two reasons: who they are and who they're talking to.
College athletes are aspirational. People want to train like them, eat like them and live like them. And their audience is largely college students, who are at the point in life where they're most open to trying new brands. As McKinley put it, "College is the license to experiment." A habit someone forms in college can stick for years.
Peer voices also land in a way brands can't fake. "Gabby talking to other people on campus who look up to Gabby because she's awesome on campus is very different than me and Maggie coming onto your campus trying to sell you some bubbly liquid," McKinley said.
That same content also works in paid media. When PHX boosts or whitelists an athlete's post, the ad comes from the athlete's account, not the brand's. That reads as a real endorsement. Here's how that works in Meta partnership ads.
There's no single right ratio, but here's the playbook we see work:
We've run 50,000+ NIL deals for 350+ brands, with 6,000+ vetted college athletes ready to post. We help brands run the micro side at scale: you approve the athletes, and we handle product seeding, briefs, coaching, deadlines, view tracking, rights and payouts. We also help you find and manage bigger All-Star athletes, so your macro and micro creators work from the same plan.
If you already have a macro creator or celebrity partner, college athletes are the fastest way to turn that awareness into a steady stream of content you can actually use.
Neither on its own. Macro influencers are better for fast awareness and credibility, while micro influencers are better for affordable content volume, engagement and finding which videos perform. The strongest programs use both.
A micro influencer usually has about 10,000 to 100,000 followers, and nano influencers have under 10,000. Most college athletes fall in the micro and nano range, with an engaged audience of teammates, classmates and hometown followers.
PHX launched in July 2025 with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy as a marketing partner and close to 400 college athletes through MarketPryce. The athletes have produced 1,000+ posts and about 7 million impressions.
MarketPryce recommends at least 30 college athletes for a real test and about 100 when budget allows. More creators means more chances to find content the algorithm picks up.
Yes. With usage rights in place, brands can boost or whitelist athlete posts, or run them as Meta partnership ads. Ads that come from the athlete's own account read like a real endorsement.
Whether you have a big-name partner or you're starting from zero, we'll help you build a college athlete program that keeps producing content that works. Start your campaign with MarketPryce.
