A few weeks ago, a PR company asked me to collaborate on an uplifting reel for their client.
They wanted a story that celebrated resilience and thought my story of a life-changing accident to Paralympic long jumper to amputee figure skater was perfect.
I’m not an influencer and I don’t monetize my socials but it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t if it felt like a good fit. And resilience sits at the heart of my passion and expertise.
So I asked for the details:
Deliverables
Timings
And of course, budget
The number they came back with was shocking 👀 …and not in a good way!
““The important thing is not to stop questioning.””
The Problem: Why do I feel like I’m not allowed to push back?
The value assigned to my life story for this reel was £60 ($80).
At first I was embarrassed. These are the experts. They must know what they are talking about.
And then I was angry. This can’t be right. I’m no Billie Jean King or Allyson Felix, but surely my achievements are worth more than £60.
So do I ignore it out of embarrassment or yell at them in anger?
Or is there a better option?
The Solution: Get curious, and ask questions
Asking a question is far more productive than feeling angry or embarrassed:
Can you walk me through how you arrived at that figure?
What evidence are you using to support that conclusion?
What assumptions are you making?
Most of us have been taught that being agreeable is a good thing. And of course it’s nice to be nice. But you can be open to someone’s opinion without automatically deferring to it.
You can respect someone’s experience and still question their conclusion.
You can appreciate an opportunity and still reject the terms.
You can disagree without being disagreeable.
Coach Vicky Black, a.k.a Cinderella
The Application:
When I was done feeling embarrassed and angry, I replied to their email by asking for clarity on how they arrived at their offer. 👇
Thanks for getting back to me with some more details.
I’m genuinely curious about how you arrived at the offer of £60 for this Reel.
Based on the brief, I would need to ideate, film and edit a 25-second skating reel. I estimate that would take around four hours.
There would then be the feedback, edits and back-and-forth with your team. Another hour minimum.
I would also need to travel to and from the rink - another hour - plus approximately £10 in petrol.
Then there is the cost of actually accessing the location required to create the content: £9 rink entry and £8 parking.
So, at an absolute minimum, you're asking for:
Six hours of my time
£27 in direct expenses
Minimum wage is currently £12.71/hour. So even if we valued my time at minimum wage, six hours would cost £76.26.
Add the direct expenses and we're already at £103.26.
In other words, the £60 fee doesn't cover the basic cost of producing the Reel — before we assign any value whatsoever to what I am actually being asked to provide.
Because presumably you aren't approaching me simply because you need someone who can film 25 seconds of skating.
You're asking me to associate your client with a very personal story about finding my fighting spirit and purpose after a boating accident resulted in the amputation of my right foot at 15.
That story includes an 18-year professional athletics career, becoming a World Champion, competing at four Paralympic Games and breaking multiple world records.
It also includes building a career as an award-winning broadcaster with the BBC, Channel 4, TNT Sports and CBC, alongside a global keynote speaking business centred around adaptability and resilience.
And, unusually, it includes learning to figure skate with an artificial leg.
Then there is the audience. I have 51,000 followers on Instagram. My most recent uplifting skating Reel has reached more than 180,000 views.
So the £60 isn't simply paying for six hours of work. It's also paying for the creative concept, production, access to an established audience, association with my personal brand, my endorsement of your client’s product, and the commercial use of my personal story that has taken more than 25 years to build.
Which brings me back to my original question: how did you arrive at £60 as the appropriate value for all of that?
I would genuinely be interested to understand the calculation.
I was going for curiousity. I explained my position and invited them to expand on theirs. It is always okay to ask for clarity.
This Friday, ask a question you've been afraid to ask. Not to prove someone wrong. Not to start an argument. Simply because you're allowed to understand the reasoning behind a decision that affects you.
The company thanked me for my detailed response. But we won’t be collaborating on this project as their budget is very tight.
Even so, the hour I spent writing that email didn’t feel like a waste. While I didn’t get a better offer, and I certainly didn’t change the influencer marketing industry I did something better than indulge unproductive emotions.
I asked a question.
And sometimes that is enough.
Stay bold and curious, friends!
- Stef 💪
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