If you’re running paid social in 2026, you already know the truth:

Your “ad performance” is really a creative volume problem.

You can have the best media buyer in the world, but if you’re feeding Meta the same assets on repeat, performance stalls. CPAs creep. Creative fatigue hits. Everyone gets grumpy.

So you do what every brand does next:

• You try to source more UGC.
• You DM creators.
• You brief them.
• You chase them.
• You negotiate back and forth.
• You overpay for videos that are fine, not great.
• You still don’t have a real system.

That’s the exact trap most growth teams are stuck in.

PHX was too.

So instead of running “just another influencer campaign,” we built a 4-tier athlete funnel that turns athletes into a predictable content and paid-social engine.

PHX is now on pace for:

• 1,000+ athlete posts on Instagram
• 10M+ impressions
• A repeatable system for turning winning posts into ads

And they did it without adding internal headcount or building a giant in-house creator team.

PHX's 4-Tier Athlete Funnel

Most brands don’t need more creators.

They need a system that keeps producing creative, finds winners, and scales winners.

Tier 1: All-Stars

These are macro athletes who can consistently create great content and deliver reach at scale.

Who they are: 100,000+ followers, consistent six-figure impressions
How they get paid: retainers in the thousands
Why it exists: big distribution, big credibility

This tier isn’t about volume. It’s about a few creators who can move the needle by themselves.

Tier 2: Starters

This is the tier most brands actually want.

Who they are: 5k-50k followers, reliable, great on camera, consistent output
How they get paid: retainers in the hundreds
Why it exists: fresh and consistent high-quality creative

These athletes become your “always-on” pipeline.

They’re the ones following briefs and feeding Meta every week.

Tier 3: Bench (Performance-Based)

This is how you scale without gambling.

Who they are: athletes who look like Tier 1 or Tier 2 potential, but they’re unproven
How they get paid: mix of small flat fee plus pay-per-view to incentivize better performance (think $10 per 1,000 views)
Why brands love it: it’s as close to risk-free as you're gonna get with influencer marketing

If the video performs, the athlete earns more and the brand’s happy to pay more.
If it flops, the brand isn’t stuck overpaying for a dud.

This is the real unlock. It lets you test a lot of talent fast and upgrade top performers into higher tiers.

Tier 4: Tryouts (Product only)

This is the widest part of the funnel.

Who they are: anyone you think might be a fit
How they get paid: free product only
Why it exists: risk-free discovery

Some seeded athletes will surprise you. A few will earn their way into paid tiers.

Why This Works (and Why PHX Doubled Down)

PHX didn’t just like the content.

They built around it.

"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.”
— Maggie Durnien, Digital Brand Manager, Drink PHX

That’s the key.

Athlete content feels native. It doesn’t feel like an ad. And when it wins organically, it wins even harder as a Partnership Ad.

Instead of guessing which creators will work, PHX lets volume create signal, then scales what performs.

“As a new brand trying to establish ourselves in this competitive market, Jason didn't just hand us a cookie-cutter approach—he actually took the time to educate us on the NIL landscape, walked us through proven strategies, and developed a customized plan that aligned perfectly with our budget and objectives. The guy absolutely delivered—he connected us with athletes who were authentic brand matches, and the content they produced exceeded our expectations.”
— Maggie Durnien, Digital Brand Manager, Drink PHX

The Goal Isn’t Another Influencer Campaign

The goal is to build a machine that produces:

• A steady stream of fresh creative
• A clear way to promote winners and cut losers
• A repeatable workflow for rights and Partnership Ads
• Less wasted spend on content that doesn’t hit

Start wide.
Protect downside.
Scale what’s working.

“Working with MarketPryce has been a game changer for PHX. Jason is the ultimate team player—he jumped right in and helped us create a flood of new content to support our launch. He’s creative, passionate, and goes above and beyond to make sure athletes not only earn money through NIL deals but also learn the business side of building their personal brands. You can tell he genuinely cares about the people he works with. We’d highly recommend giving Jason a call.” —McKinley Stephens, Head of Marketing at PHX

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If you’re reading this and thinking, “This is exactly what we need,” let’s map this to your brand.

Book a call here:
https://calendly.com/marketpryce/

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