Something I think we all understand, especially in pro sports is this: if you want to get paid well you have to perform well. This is accepted by all. Pro athletes today get paid well because they perform well at their sport. Although we all understand and accept this basic concept, it’s astounding how many of those same athletes expect to get paid well outside the sport, without performing well outside of the sport. As it relates to athlete branding and social media — performance matters if you ever expect to get paid.
Let me give you an example of an all too familiar dialogue with an athlete…
Me: What are your goals for your brand?
Athlete: Well, I don’t really look at myself as a brand. I guess…make money? Can you find me deals?
Me: Maybe, are you willing to post more than a game photo every 3 months? Are you willing to do extra, more than your teammates, more than your competition, to stand out. Are you willing to share your story?
Athlete: I’m not sure. Nobody cares about my story. I have 40,000 followers, I don’t really know what else to post. I’m not really a brand. Can you get me a deal or two?
Me: WRONG, you’re already a brand, you just have no idea how to scale and monetize it. You are also scared to do more than dip your toes in.
I like to call these athletes the POOL DIPPERS. We all know these people. It’s 90 degrees outside. A bunch of people are jumping in. But the Pool Dippers all stand around the edge of the pool, dipping their toes in, wanting to jump, but they start to overthink and worry.
The pool is digital & social media. Chances are you have Instagram, Twitter, Snap Chat, Tik Tok, Facebook, LinkedIn or any combination. This means you already want to be in the pool. You know the pool is full of opportunities. But you’re scared and uncertain.
To all of those athletes out there that think because they have 30,000, 60,000, 80,000 followers that they deserve to be paid well by brands or presented with opportunities but do nothing on their social channels for weeks or months at a time need a reality check. Brands don’t care about your follower count. Brands care about your story: the person, the character, the charisma. Far too many athletes (hockey players especially) haven’t posted a single piece of original content on their Twitter in over six months.
Brands don’t care about your follower count. Brands care about your story: the person, the character, the charisma.
You look at their Instagram page and it’s 14 professional hockey pictures and maybe one picture of them with their dog. No Story. No charisma. Poor performance. NEWS FLASH – You’re not performing well on social media which is why you are not paid well via social media.
There is plenty of opportunity for professional athletes to use their platform to be paid very well. But that is reserved for those athletes that understand “to be paid well outside of my sport I must perform well outside of my sport.” Therefore, I must be consistent, I must be authentic, and I must engage with the people that follow me.
The POOL is fun. I know the deep end looks scary. I know there are unknowns. Remember just because you jump in the pool doesn’t mean you have to swim the same laps as everyone else. Once you’re in the pool, you’ll become more familiar overtime. Know this: nothing great happens from standing on the pool deck. Jump in!
-Matt Fornataro
Founder, K39 | Former Pro-Hockey Center