Emily Payne is an author, storyteller and creator whose work offers an honest perspective on the realities of sex work.
Having written her book, Sex Is Hard Work, Emily had a powerful story and a distinctive point of view, but had struggled for several years to gain the attention the project deserved.
She approached Harvey & Hugo to professionalise her profile, build awareness of the book and establish a stronger platform from which she could share her experiences, reach new audiences and create future commercial opportunities.
Emily already had the foundations of a compelling personal brand: an original story, engaging content and a subject that challenged perceptions.
However, her activity lacked the consistent positioning, visual identity and strategic direction needed to build credibility and turn attention into meaningful outcomes.
There was an opportunity to:
For Emily, profile building was not simply about generating publicity for the book. It was about creating a professional identity and connected media presence that could support her longer-term ambitions.
Harvey & Hugo developed a multimedia profile-building strategy centred on:
Every element was designed to build Emily’s authority, grow her audience and create a clearer journey from discovering her content to purchasing the book.
Harvey & Hugo worked with Emily to develop a new brand that would professionalise her image while retaining the directness, personality and honesty that made her story distinctive.
The refreshed visual identity provided a more cohesive look and feel across her social channels.
This helped Emily present herself consistently as an author, creator and commentator rather than relying on disconnected content or one-off promotional activity.
A targeted media relations campaign was developed to introduce Emily’s story, experience and book to relevant journalists and broadcasters.
This included:
The campaign secured national coverage in The Sun and led to opportunities with the BBC, significantly increasing the reach and credibility of Emily’s profile.
These opportunities moved Emily beyond self-promotion by introducing her story through established third-party platforms.
To support sales of Sex Is Hard Work, Harvey & Hugo launched Amazon ads designed to increase the book’s visibility among relevant readers.
Emily’s Amazon presence was also reviewed to identify opportunities to improve discoverability, strengthen the book listing and create clearer conversion routes.
Recommendations included:
This ensured that increased awareness generated through PR and social media was supported by a clearer route to purchase.
Emily’s The Honest Fake O channels already demonstrated the potential to attract an engaged audience through candid storytelling, humour and commentary.
However, the channels needed a clearer purpose, stronger branding and more consistent structure.
Harvey & Hugo reviewed Emily’s content across YouTube, Instagram and other short-form platforms, recommending a connected content ecosystem built around:
The strategy positioned YouTube as the home of Emily’s longer-form stories, with shorter content distributed across Instagram and other platforms to expand reach and direct audiences back towards her book and main channel.
Alongside the recommendations, Harvey & Hugo provided practical social media training so Emily could confidently manage and amplify her own content.
This gave her the knowledge to understand which stories were resonating, improve how content was presented and create a solid foundation for future monetisation.
The campaign delivered a significant increase in Emily’s visibility, professionalism and audience reach.
National media exposure
The press campaign secured national coverage in The Sun and created opportunities with the BBC.
This introduced Emily and Sex Is Hard Work to much larger audiences while adding valuable third-party credibility to her profile.
A stronger professional brand
Emily gained a clear and cohesive identity that brought together her work as an author, storyteller and creator.
The new brand helped her communicate with greater confidence and ensured that her media presence, social channels and book promotion all felt connected.
Rapid social media growth
Following the introduction of a clearer content strategy and practical training, Emily’s social media channels grew exponentially.
By improving the consistency, presentation and purpose of her content, Emily was able to attract more viewers and turn individual stories into an increasingly recognisable platform.
Greater authority and recognition
Press coverage and broadcast opportunities helped establish Emily as more than an author promoting a single book.
She became positioned as a credible and engaging voice capable of contributing to wider conversations around sex work, identity, personal experience and public perception.
A platform for future monetisation
The campaign gave The Honest Fake O a stronger foundation, generating over 700,000 video views.
With a growing audience, clearer content pillars and improved conversion routes, Emily was better placed to explore future monetisation through content, collaborations, speaking opportunities and continued book sales.
“I hired Harvey & Hugo to further a professional project I had struggled to get attention for, for years.
“They certainly did that, as well as giving me training and guidance on my social media profiles, and in a straightforward and professional way.
“They were easy to communicate with and responsive too.”
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