Am I the asshole for refusing to make a brand content
after they spoke horribly to me?
Story time. So back in April,
I had a message on Instagram off of this brand
asking to do a gifted collab.
They basically wanted to send me the products for free
and I do some content for them in return.
Now the product was like, I don’t usually show off on my socials,
but before I can link it to skincare,
so yeah, why not?
They weren’t like a massive brand either.
I think they have 2,000 followers.
And when they originally reached out,
they sounded super professional,
they signed off a name and everything
and yeah, I thought it was fine.
I then received the product and started using it.
Now, the product in question takes a few weeks to have any effect,
so obviously I wasn’t gonna be able to do content for them immediately,
but they kept pushing for the content anyway.
And I told them I’m not gonna make fake content.
Like,
I’m not gonna claim it does this if I haven’t tried it out properly.
And then towards the end of April,
I got really ill, like one of those
like flu type colds where you cannot stop coughing
and you just have no voice at all.
So obviously
I was in no position to make a video talking about product
when I sounded like ass. So I explained to the brand,
I said, look,
I apologise, I haven’t given you the content yet.
I’ve not been amazing. I will still take pictures for you.
And I still did them a video, just,
you know, showing off, like,
the products, and had, like,
a little caption at the top,
like a TikTok shop video.
And obviously told him once I was feeling better,
I do the full, in depth review about the product.
So the brand showed no sympathy.
They didn’t even thank me for the original content.
They didn’t say, oh,
like, I hope you’re feeling better,
any of that. Didn’t even, like,
address that. This is like text for text.
They literally put, can we expect a video for you in the upcoming week?
And then they put, actually,
the photos are fine, but the products looks incorrect.
I guess you are using your front camera then,
which they had made no specifications about,
and they could also just flip the photo.
So I apologize, said,
I take some more photos for them,
and I would do the full video for them.
Now,
I still don’t have a setup for my back camera and didn’t at the time,
so I filmed it on my front camera and said,
here it is.
I’ve also flipped it so the product looks the correct way around.
And then I haven’t got around to taking more photos,
but I would get it done for them.
And I got the most blunt responses back.
I’m just gonna, like,
kind of Like go for our conversation.
So I sent the video over
and they said can you share it with me here first before posting?
And I said I’ve sent them both over,
one with the original and one with the flipped version.
And they put first one is fine,
the one where the product is readable.
I said perfect, I’ll get it posted now then.
And they put Instagram post on here and tag us also.
I said that’s fine. I assumed you wanted it on TikTok
because I had the bigger following on there.
And they put can you post on both.
Highly appreciated. Like they were just so blunt.
And they were spelling mistakes.
Like there was no correct grammar in there at all.
They weren’t even fully formed sentences.
They’d also sent me this like article about the deal they had on.
They said put this in the caption
no please. Nothing.
So when I went to post it and it wouldn’t let me tag them
so I said hey I’m just trying to post it,
it won’t let me tag you. And I just put check now
and then they sent me a ton more
like reference photos for me to take more pictures for them.
And I said I’d get it done tomorrow for you.
And when I tell you
I wake up the next morning and they have messaged me.
And they just put dot dot dot
no like hi just checking in.
Did You have any updates for us?
Literally just dot dot dot.
How unprofessional as a brand is that?
And that was my final straw.
So I wrote back a very lengthy paragraph.
So I wrote back this. Hi,
I understand there have been delays on my side
for the liberals of our club.
However, your lack of professional towards me as a company is awful.
Throughout this period,
you’ve shown no appreciation towards any of the work I’ve done for you.
In brackets, which I have completed for free.
I know obviously it’s small brands,
I don’t expect payments, but when it is a gifted collab,
there are no legal requirements
unless you have a contract to actually do any content for them.
Obviously I always try my best to
because I feel super guilty if I don’t.
However, I’ve still done them two videos and photos
and redone the video for you.
So then I carried on. All I’ve had is a blunt attitude,
which is in no way how a brand should carry out a collaboration.
I said I have done story posts for you,
which I also forgot to mention I have done.
I’ve done story posts,
I’ve done you some photos which you could flip and use.
They are still usable.
I did you a short video and I did you a long video,
all because I truly believed in the brand and what they stood for.
I said putting dot dot
dot is no way You should be checking on an update for content.
I also again listed my reasons as to why.
Unfortunately,
I wasn’t able to deliver the content as quick as possible.
But when you’re ill, full time working,
and also, you’ve got to give the products a chance to actually work.
Obviously, I’m not gonna have that content for you in a week.
I said at the end of it all,
thank you so much for this opportunity,
but I am done with this club.
I have given you everything on my end
and I no longer wanna be involved with you.
Not if you’re gonna treat me like that.
And magically I got a professional response back.
But it was so backhanded. Let me read it to you.
They laid it out like an email. Like,
hi K, we appreciate your work
and our creators, whatever you did,
you did your best and that’s why we repost it on our feed.
If you didn’t like my content,
tell me. Professionally.
Just thought they put, apart from that,
we have a responsibility towards our creators
and that’s why we try and guide them
to make the best content they can.
They also said
they like to leave their creators freely to do the content,
but they try and align their efforts in the best way.
And then they just said thank you and then signed off from the brand.
So apart from that little backhanded dig at my content,
they managed To go back to being professional,
which is what I received when they first started talking to me.
It’s just not difficult, is it?
And so I have since removed my post on their products,
because why would I want to promote a company that treats me that way?
So what do you think? Was I in the right or was I in the wrong?
What would you have done in my situation?