The creator economy in running has never been more complex or more lucrative. Athletes and influencers are commanding six-figure deals, brands are investing heavily in partnerships, and the lines between athlete sponsorships and creator contracts continue to blur. But for every successful partnership, there are dozens that miss the mark, prioritizing metrics over meaning and reach over resonance.

Erin Bailey saw this gap and decided to fill it. As the founder of Momentum Management, she represents creators and athletes who want to make an impact beyond their content. Her approach is rooted in values first, helping talent navigate partnerships that align with who they are and what they stand for, not just what pays the most.

In this episode of Long Run Labs, Erin unpacks how brand partnerships actually work, what brands get wrong, and why authentic relationships beat transactional deals every time.

Erin's path to building Momentum was anything but linear. She grew up playing soccer and tennis, ran track in high school, and eventually found her way into group fitness as an instructor teaching boxing, running, and strength classes around Boston. It was a side hustle she loved, but marketing was always her full-time job.

Her professional background took her through health tech companies like Withings, CBD startups like Beam, and eventually ASICS where she helped build out Runkeeper's digital suite. Each role taught her something different about community marketing, influencer partnerships, and brand storytelling. At Withings, she was managing social media and gifting products to people with communities long before anyone called them influencers. At Beam, she learned how to tell brand stories through people because traditional advertising was not an option for CBD companies.

When COVID shut down gyms and group fitness classes, Erin stepped back from teaching to give space to full-time trainers who had lost their livelihoods. That's when running became her primary outlet. She had run Boston Marathon in 2017 and New York in 2019, but the pandemic turned her into a consistent runner, someone who latched onto the running community in a deeper way.

The decision to start Momentum came from two converging realizations. First, Erin was tired of being in corporate rooms where doing good felt like a checkbox exercise rather than a core value. She wanted to work with brands and people who genuinely cared about impact, not just optics.

Second, she watched the social justice movements of 2020 unfold and noticed how many public figures with large followings stayed silent. She had empathy for them because being a public person is hard, and every statement invites criticism. But she also had a hypothesis: these creators were operating as one-person shows, doing everything from content creation to invoicing to strategy. They did not have the support system to make brave calls or take thoughtful stances.

That's where Momentum came in. Erin wanted to build an agency that could be a holistic support system for creators who wanted to show up authentically. Not just securing deals, but helping talent think through what partnerships align with their values, how to respond to trolls, and whether speaking out on an issue makes sense for them. The goal was to elevate voices that need to take up more space in the world and give them the infrastructure to do it sustainably.

One of the biggest frustrations Erin sees is brands expecting creators to handle every stage of the marketing funnel. They want awareness, storytelling, nurturing, and conversion all in one post. That's unrealistic. A creator might excel at reaching new audiences or building trust with their community, but asking them to do both while also closing sales is setting everyone up for failure.

The other issue is myopic focus on conversion metrics. Erin gets it. Brands need to see return on investment. But when conversion is the only measure of success, brands miss the value creators bring in brand awareness, community trust, and long-term loyalty. Supplement brands are especially guilty of this, expecting one story to drive immediate link clicks and purchases. The reality is that authentic integration over time builds trust, and trust drives sales more effectively than one-off promotions.

Erin's approach is to work with brands to understand what success actually looks like. Is the goal awareness? Then focus on creators who make viral content and reach diverse audiences. Is it nurturing? Then work with creators who have deep trust with their communities and can tell longer-form stories. Trying to make one creator do everything is a recipe for disappointment on both sides.

One of Momentum's most successful offerings is brand trip curation. Instead of spreading budget across dozens of one-off campaigns, Erin encourages brands to invest in experiences that build real relationships with creators. A well-executed brand trip creates loyalty that no contract can replicate.

She has seen creators turn down competing brand trips because they felt invested in the relationship they built at another brand's event. That kind of loyalty does not come from transactional partnerships. It comes from brands showing up with intention, creating moments of genuine connection, and treating creators as partners rather than marketing tools.

The key to a successful brand trip is thoughtful curation. Who will get along? What experiences will create authentic content? How can the brand add value back to the creators? When done right, brand trips deliver long-term advocacy that far exceeds the ROI of traditional influencer campaigns.

One of the questions Erin gets most often is how to price creator partnerships. Her answer: start with the numbers, then factor in values. She builds baseline pricing based on follower count and engagement rate, with one-off posts being the most expensive option. From there, everything is negotiable based on campaign length, usage rights, and how much the creator wants to work with the brand.

If a creator's dream brand comes calling, Erin will find a way to make the budget work. But she also holds firm on valuation. Creators should not undervalue themselves just because they love a brand. Start with what you are worth, then adjust based on the relationship and opportunity.

Integrity is non-negotiable. Erin coaches her talent to think carefully about what partnerships say about them publicly. If a creator is considering a CBD brand but it feels like a stretch, they talk through what they are compromising. If Target is on a boycott list and a Downy partnership comes through Target, they discuss what that alignment means. The goal is always to help creators make informed decisions that align with their values, not just their bank accounts.

In an era where everything is political, creators face constant pressure to speak out or stay silent. Erin's advice is nuanced. She encourages talent to stand up for what they believe in, but only when it comes from a place of genuine conviction rather than reactionary impulse.

Some creators cannot speak publicly because of immigration status, employment restrictions, or other legitimate reasons. Erin pushes back against the culture of canceling people for silence because there is often more to the story than followers see. What matters is helping creators communicate in ways that feel authentic to them, not performative or pressured.

For brands, this creates tension. Partnering with a creator who takes public stances can align a brand with messages they may not control. Erin understands why brands pull back sometimes, even when they agree with the creator's stance. It is a delicate balance, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer.

The running community is growing fast, and non-endemic brands like Maybelline are starting to show up in big ways. Erin loves this. Cross-promotion between fitness and lifestyle brands brings fresh energy and expands what is possible in the space. She wishes more brands would think beyond their own silos and explore how different audiences intersect.

The thread across all of Momentum's talent is movement. That means they can work with running brands, lifestyle brands, wellness companies, and everything in between. The key is finding authentic fit rather than forcing partnerships that do not make sense.

Erin is focused on continuing to build relationships that go beyond transactions. Whether it is brand trips, long-term partnerships, or helping talent navigate difficult decisions, the goal is always the same: elevate voices that make the world better.

She is also pushing brands to think differently about influencer marketing. Stop treating creators like one-off ad placements. Invest in relationships. Build trust. Show up with intention. The brands that do this are the ones that will win in the long run.

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Jon is a runner, cyclist, and podcast host from Boston, MA, who now lives in Boulder, CO. For The Long Run is aimed at exploring the why behind what keeps runners running long, strong, and motivated.

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