Zayna Meyer is a current UCLA volleyball athlete pursuing her master’s in education. Meyer recently graduated from Long Beach State with a degree in business marketing and has amassed a social media following of over 75,000 on Instagram and TikTok.
“I’ve learned how to build a brand on social media, and that has led to a lot of NIL opportunities by showing the person I am off the court,” Meyer said. “In doing that, I’ve built a large following on TikTok, and it’s opening doors to a lot of brand deals with companies that I really like.”
Tips for Student-Athletes to Build Their Following from Scratch
For athletes working to build a following from the ground up, Meyer offers several pieces of advice that helped her become a strong player in the NIL space.
- Determine what you want to be known for.
- Plan out how much you want to post — one video (or more) each day is a good goal.
- Vary the types of content you produce.
- Use trending audios for short-form videos and personal stories for long-form videos.
- Focus on building an audience rather than just reaching users’ For You Pages.
- Highlight your hobbies and interests outside of your sport.
- Don’t worry about being perfect — focus on authenticity!
Meyer’s Summer Internship Program
This summer, Meyer interned with Teamworks on the Influencer Product Success team, where she was able to combine her experiences with NIL, marketing, and education to work on student-athlete initiatives.
“Being a student-athlete who has used Influencer over the past few years definitely gave me a step up in this internship and working through the educational content,” Meyer said. “I know what an athlete might need to hear when they’re trying to build their own social media presence or start working with brands.”
Teamworks Influencer provides instructional resources to help both athletes and administrators navigate changes in the NIL era, as well as a content hub and marketplace exchange.
Follow Zayna Meyer on Instagram (@zaynameyer) and TikTok (@zm0neyy).
