Authenticity Over Obligation: Fixing Social Media in Sponsorship Deals

Social media can be a platform for brands and athletes to generate value, but sponsors should give athletes more tools for success

Imagine you’re an unsponsored ultrarunner who just earned a Golden Ticket to Western States. A major trail running brand notices your potential, sees the marketing opportunity in your Western States debut, and offers you a paid contract to join their elite team. You’re stoked. Without much thought about negotiation or industry standards, you sign the contract, feeling lucky to have that this brand is “taking a chance on you.”

This is a dream scenario for many athletes breaking into the sport. But often, these newly signed athletes have limited experience with sponsorships and even less understanding of their value to the brand. With only a few hundred followers on social media and little marketing experience, their contributions may be limited to a few race results each year and whatever opportunities their sponsor offers (product testing, photoshoots, community activations, etc.), which are often outside the athlete’s control.

While these partnerships can seem like a huge opportunity, they can also unintentionally stunt an athlete’s growth. From my own experience talking to potential sponsors, because of my lack of social media following and interest in frequently posting, I’ve felt the need to address that in contract negotiations and make sure that contracts don’t include any requirements I’m uncomfortable with. Many brands require athletes to post about their products on social media as part of their contracts. Athletes with large, engaged audiences can amplify a brand’s reach and create meaningful connections with consumers. But for athletes new to marketing who don’t have any guidance, these posts often feel forced and inauthentic, reaching only their small immediate circle of followers. They might struggle to grow their audience in a meaningful way, limiting their future value to both themselves and potential sponsors.

For example, say the contract contains a clause requiring monthly posts about their products. For an athlete with limited experience, these posts often come across as generic and disconnected from their personality. As an experienced scroller of Instagram, I can immediately tell when a post feels like an obligation rather than an honest endorsement. It’s hard to relate to these posts, and even harder to feel inspired to buy the product.

On the other hand, when athletes naturally integrate products into posts that reflect their personality and lifestyle, the result is far more engaging. Posts that show an athlete genuinely using and appreciating a product feel real. These are the kinds of posts that catch my attention, make me want to read to the end, and even click on the brand tag to learn more.

I recently came across a post from Rod that I felt embodied this concept. As a fan of Rod’s, I know how hard he worked last year to dial in his nutrition and it paid off majorly in a couple of big performances. The first sentence, “if 2024 was all about fuel, 2025 is all about FIRE” got my adrenaline going. I know that when he dedicates himself to mastering something, he goes all in. Even though this post is clearly a sponsored ad, I could also hear his voice in it. There’s a well-made video to go along with it, and I can’t speak for him but if a company made a video like this featuring me I wouldn’t just consent to sharing it, I’d be excited. It really does make me want to check out the product he’s endorsing because I also want to prioritize heat training this year.

rod.farvard

A post shared by @rod.farvard

Brands that trust their athletes to represent products authentically, without micromanaging or enforcing posting schedules, and give them the tools to put out quality content ultimately come across as more credible to consumers. Athletes feel more freedom to post in ways that resonate with them, which results in better content for everyone.

Here’s where I think brands can make a huge difference— instead of simply handing athletes a contract and expecting them to perform on both trails and social media, they could offer social media training or guidance as part of an onboarding process.

Imagine this—a newly signed athlete is introduced to a social media marketer or branding specialist during their first few weeks with the brand. This expert could:

• Help them develop a strategy for growing their audience.

• Review posts to ensure they feel authentic and aligned with both the athlete’s and the brand’s image.

• Provide tips on storytelling, photography, and tagging to maximize engagement.

• Connect them with a local photographer or videographer and provide a budget for them to capture compelling, high-quality content that the athlete is excited to share.

For some athletes, this might mean a one-time consultation. For others, it could involve creating a multi-year growth plan with scheduled check-ins. The result would benefit both parties: athletes gain tools to build their personal brand and increase their value for future contracts, while brands expand their reach through more authentic, engaging content.

For 2024 WSER, I stayed in the Precision F&H house and they were subtly capturing content over the days leading up to the race. They took on most of the effort around posting it to social media and let me focus on myself.

Athletes with larger audiences have more leverage when negotiating contracts, which can mean better financial support, less pressure on individual race results for compensation, and, ultimately, a more sustainable career. For brands, investing in their athletes' growth is a win-win. On a relatively new ultrarunner they might already be spending anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 per athlete per year—so why not get the most out of their investments?

I admire brands that focus on helping athletes perform at their highest level, without pressuring them to become marketing machines. But the reality is that an athlete’s value often goes beyond race results. Building an audience is one of the simplest ways for athletes to increase their influence, and brands have the power to help them do it effectively.

When sponsorships are built on mutual respect and authentic representation, everyone benefits. Athletes feel empowered to be themselves while promoting products they genuinely believe in, and brands earn the trust of consumers who see those products in action. If brands want to support the future of the sport, they should invest in their athletes as people, not just as performers.

This is a topic that’s been on mind my lately as I’ve seen announcements of athletes parting ways with some sponsors and joining others, sometimes amicably and sometimes with public frustration. I’m still new to this world of working with brands and have been lucky to find good parters to work with who understand me, but it seems like there’s clear room for improvement in general. What examples come to mind where this is currently being done well? Are there better examples of brands doing this in other sports? Any other suggestions for how brands and athletes can better work together to increase the ability of athletes to make a living from this sport?