The email templates an HBCU student-athlete who’s landed 86 NIL deals has used to pitch brands

• Rayquan Smith has signed 86 NIL deals and amassed 112,000 followers on TikTok.
• To start his NIL journey, he cold-pitched 100 brands in 2021.
• Read the two email templates Smith has used to reach out to brands for partnerships.

Rayquan Smith cold-emailed 100 companies he hoped to work with the night before new NIL rules in 2021 began allowing college athletes to use their own name, image, and likeness in marketing.

The Norfolk State football and track and field athlete received three responses, one of which was from the beverage company Smart Cups, which offered him his first NIL contract.

The collaboration got things started. Smith soon signed with an agent, who was contacted by former apparel company Eastbay for a sponsored Instagram post with Smith in late summer 2021. Smith gained a larger audience as a result of the Eastbay deal, which led to collaborations with companies such as Coach, Heydude, Boost Mobile, and Hardee’s.

Smith has signed 86 deals worth a total of five figures in the last two years. With the documentation he provided, Insider confirmed these transactions and income. Many of his brand partnerships have resulted from cold outreach to companies, though other brands, such as Eastbay, have approached him directly as well.

“My life was never really the same after that,” Smith said of the Eastbay transaction. “The way I had to carry myself as an adult and as a man had changed.”

Smith has over 112,000 TikTok followers, 20,000 Instagram followers, and 4,500 Twitter followers. Smith’s success isn’t limited to the internet: his Norfolk State team won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference indoor and outdoor track and field championships this year.

He mixes in get-ready-with-me and workout videos, as well as posts about football, track, comedy, and his NIL deals. He’s pushed movies, mobile games, chicken tenders, Crocs, and other products. He’ll usually tease a new NIL partnership in an Instagram story before announcing it in a post, which he’s discovered can help boost engagement.

Smith finds time to plan and post his content in between morning practice and evening class.

“People say they want NIL deals,” Smith explained, “but they don’t post on social media… To get NIL deals, you must first post. That is the simplest thing.”

Smith, who is now pursuing a graduate degree at Virginia State University, has spoken to a number of student-athletes about maximizing their NIL potential. He also discussed NIL at the Black Sports Business Symposium. He received the Hustle Award at the inaugural NIL Summit in 2022.

“Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t get NIL deals at a smaller school,” Smith advises other student-athletes. “You could sit out and still get deals.” It all comes down to how you market yourself outside of sports.”

According to Smith, HBCU athletes typically do not have the same opportunities as other college athletes.

He claims he hasn’t seen a concerted effort from HBCU schools to educate their athletes about the industry, and he hasn’t worked with NIL collectives, several of which are geared toward HBCUs.

“I haven’t seen it,” Smith said of NIL resources for HBCU student-athletes, adding that he’s been a resource for players and parents with NIL questions.

He said he’s cofounding a new NIL marketplace that he hopes to launch this fall, with the goal of connecting HBCU athletes with brand deals.

While many companies come to Smith with deals these days, he says he still reaches out first, as he used to.

He shared the email template he used for those 100 emails in the summer of 2021, as well as the one he now uses when pitching himself to brands, with Insider:

In 2021, Smith used the following email template:

My name is _________(name), and I play _______(position) at (College)! I was wondering if you wanted to collaborate or sponsor me. I would be an excellent sponsor for you. Let’s Get This Party Started!!! My contact or agent’s phone number or email address is ______ (number) or ______ (email).

And here’s the new pitching template he’s using:

What’s going on? My name is Rayquan Smith, and I’m known as The King of NIL. I’d like to express my enthusiasm for your company/product. I am a running back and track sprinter at Virginia State University, and I have over 136,000 Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok followers. I’m a fantastic content creator who wants to help the next generation.