4 things that might mean you are ready for an Influencer Talent manager?
Getting a manager as an Influencer can feel like an exciting milestone in your career as a Creator. There are a ton of benefits to having a manager, which I outline below, but like everything it comes at the price. This typical looks like 20% commission on all your earnings. For the most part having a manager far surpasses having to pay out commission as often managers will command much higher fees that what most Creators are charging themselves. Theres the added advantage of being actively pitched to brands and being privy to the deals that comes into the Talent Agency office.
Unfortunately the talent industry has become aware of how much Influencers can earn and have created digital talent divisions within their model/music/Tv agencies. From speaking to Influencers who have been managed by these companies I would alway recommend going with an agency who is digital first and built themselves on managing primarily Influencer talent, as they understand the industry much better and tend to much get better job briefs in.
First let’s talk about what a manager does exactly
Influencer talent manger is responsible for managing an influencer’s social campaigns end-to-end (including pitching, negotiating, contracts, sharing end of campaign results and invoicing) as well as helping and guiding the talent in the overall strategy of their digital career and personal brands.
So, let’s talk about the 4 main reasons you might need to consider taking on management.
1. When you are getting multiple paid brand deals coming into your inbox
It might be worth seeking out help of a manager to manage the workflow, help you choose what opportunities are best and help you maximise the amount you are earning for each job. Managers take a commission from the talent fee at a minimum of 20% (some taking up to 30%) so it’s important to have steady stream of opportunities coming in before you consider mgmt. This also works in reverse as a manager won’t want take you on if you haven’t already gained traction and authority in your niche and are making money.
2. When the amount of time you spend creating content, going to events or meetings or being online with your audience is taking a considerable hit.
And you find that you are spending more time in your inbox, reading contracts, invoicing and doing lots of general business admin you might want to consider management as this burden does become considerably eased with help of a team.
3. You need legal or negotiation help…
I feel like this is probably the main reason digital talent with seek out the help of a manager. Contracts full of legal jargon can be a bitch to navigate especially without experience and it can often be a worry for creators that they are signing away rights, locking themselves into stupidly long exclusivity periods and losing out on money.
Most talent managers are well versed in the ins and out so contract and some even have huge legal teams ready to fight your corner.
Lots of talent also enjoy not having to have frank conversations about money and prefer someone else to pitch and play hard ball on their behalf. Although many find it a lot less awkward having someone ask for the big bucks on their behalf I always encourage people to get familiar with talking about money and the fees they want to work for.
4. You want to diversify your income and you’re interested in exploring opportunities outside of your influencers platforms.
Many digital management agencies look after multidisciplines talent that not only run their social platforms but have other skills and careers off social media. If creators find opportunities like presenting, panel talks, acting or modelling or starting clothing or product Iines coming their way they may want to hire a manager to help them grow this area of their business.
5. You want some support
This doesn’t necessarily come as standard when you sign up for management. however, I pride myself on being able to support my talent 100% with their ambitions. I am always fighting their corner and look out for their best interests. I truly care about how much money they earn and that the partnerships they work on align perfectly with what they are doing.
As a manger myself, who is not managed, I must caveat that having management is not for everyone. If you have a knack for negotiation, feel confident navigating your contracts and are making money you are happy with -management might not be for you. Instead many Macro Creators opt for in-house help like a Generalist assistant. You can read my blog on hiring an assistant here.
So, is it time you started looking for mgmt? Comment below how many of these you ticked off.
