When should creators seek talent management?
Many creators expect a manager or agency to secure sponsorship deals and all of the outreach and administrative work that comes with them. In reality, representation simply amplifies your efforts rather than replaces your efforts. Think of talent managers as coaches, mentors, and partners who provide coaching, expand your network, negotiate contracts, and identify new revenue streams, not as assistants or full time sales staff.
Before we dive into what creators should and should not expect from a manager, we should discuss the two primary models of representation available to content creators.
Agency Model
The first is the Agency model. Agencies often have larger networks, in-house PR, legal support, and even creative teams to help you brainstorm unique content. Larger agencies generally have broader rosters and greater internal capabilities to support creators. In some cases agencies may feel more impersonal to creators who want in-depth coaching, and your direct agent may not always have the ability to make certain decisions that an independent agent could.
Independent Managers
Independent Managers on the other hand are, well, independent. They’re typically solo individuals or very small teams. The important distinction here is that independent managers typically feel more personal to each creator they work with. Since they’re smaller firms, they may have less capacity or smaller networks than agencies, so you may be on your own for legal counsel and creative work. If you’re working with a less experienced manager, it could diminish the amount of access they can provide to certain brands. Much of this depends on your content niche and the types of businesses you want to work with, so find someone you trust to discuss which may be right for you.
Other Considerations
Fees for both Agencies and Independent Managers vary but the industry average fee for representation is between 10 and 25 percent of contract value. There are sometimes carve-outs that creators make for deals that were established prior to working with a manager, and those are handled on a case-by-case basis.
A potential conflict of interest that may impact smaller creators is that at times, managers may be more susceptible to prioritizing high-revenue clients and the largest creators. A 15% commission on a million dollar contract is quite different from a 15% commission on a $10,000 contract. It’s good practice to have that conversation up front with any manager you interview and be transparent about potential conflicts. Conflicts of interest aren’t necessarily a reason to not work with someone, but they should be transparently addressed.
With the two business models outlined, what should you expect from having representation?
What Good Talent Managers Do
A good manager should:
Help you craft and create your sponsorship strategy and supporting materials/metrics
Source brand partnerships that align with your niche and audience
Negotiate fair pay, ensure clear deliverables, and protect your IP/image
Set expectations between you and brands for smooth activations
Provide feedback for improvement and help you remain accountable
Identify additional revenue opportunities and other opportunities for your growth as a creator
What Managers Don’t Do
Managers do not create your content. They may help brainstorm interesting ideas, but execution is still up to you.
Agents and managers will not shoulder all of the outreach and admin work. You still need to pitch, follow up, and build rapport with brands.
Remember that you are still the CEO of your media and content business. It’s ultimately up to you to make things happen.
How do creators select representation?
Too often creators work with the first agency or manager they meet. Doing so can kick off a vicious cycle of firing and hiring managers every few months because the creator doesn’t feel as if the manager was providing the value they expected.
Let’s try to avoid that cycle. Here are a few tips and considerations during the interviewing process.
Do you like them?
Do you connect with them, and do they genuinely understand your goals, style of content, and the type of activations you’re interested in pursuing? As Darren Glover, SVP of Gaming at VaynerSports, said in a recent interview, “You have to like them. You have to trust them and you have to look at them as more of a business partner and an advisor to your career as well.”
What are their fees?
Industry average is 10–25 percent commission. Beware of retainers, travel markups, or hidden costs that may be taken out of deals or billed to you directly as a creator. There have been instances of creators signing contracts where the agency took well over 25% without additional services to support their fees. These agreements tend to be predatory, so make sure the fees the manager is charging are in line with the services, value, and work they provide.
Ask about their track record
Request case studies, typical deal sizes, and performance data. Ask for references and reach out to other creators about their experience. Is the talent manager used to working with very large creators only, or do they have experience across platforms and channel size? Have they worked with other content creators in your niche or at your stage of business growth? What may work for the largest creators may not work for the smallest.
Seek legal counsel
Best practice suggests that a third party review the contract, and to work with an attorney to ensure the contract aligns with expectations. Investing a few hundred bucks to potentially save you thousands of dollars and/or frustration later is worthwhile.
Your counsel will be able to guide the contract with clauses that allow you to exit the agreement if expectations aren’t be met, and ask to include verbiage that doesn’t lock you into exclusivity for too long should you no longer work with the manager. Using a “sunset clause” that defines if, and for how long, the manager earns commissions on deals initiated during the term after termination may be something to discuss with your legal counsel.
What is their communication style?
Does the manager only speak with each creator once or twice a year? If working with a manager is a new part of your business, a good recommendation is to find a manager who will meet with you frequently. There is a lot to learn and work to do when it comes to marketing your channel, reaching out to brands, and managing those relationships. The more mentorship and the better your relationship with your manager, the higher the likelihood of success.
Ask for feedback
In the interview with Darren Glover, he said something profound: Creators should ask their manager, “What can I do to help you make me more marketable to brands?”
Your manager can only work with what you’ve provided to them. If there are areas of improvement for your channel, content, pitch deck, metrics, etc. then addressing those will make it easier for your manager to source the type of deals that you ultimately want.
Feedback is a gift, so find a manager who is willing to tell you the truth even if it’s painful in the moment to hear. If you find someone you’re on the same page with, then it’s easier to accept feedback because you know their intention is to help, not to harm.
When should you hire a talent manager?
Hire when your workload or deal complexity exceeds your capacity to manage negotiations, legal review, and growth strategy. Many creators also hire managers when they are approached by many brands but struggle to close the deals. This is where a manager who has the desire to coach and mentor is very beneficial.
What to do after you’re working with a manager
Track metrics such as number of pitches delivered, brand responses, average deal size, total sponsorship revenue, and non-financial outcomes like PR mentions, new collaborations, etc. Review these metrics quarterly against goals you and your manager set together at the beginning of the relationship. If your agreed-upon expectations are consistently missed, have an open conversation. It could be that the strategy or creative approach needs adjustment, or market conditions have derailed progress.
Financial considerations
Model your financial plan to account for the manager’s commission. For example, if the talent manager’s commission is 20% of the gross fee, a $50,000 deal pays you $40,000 before taxes and expenses. While we’re on the topic, remember to set aside money for taxes, and to consider spreading the revenue over multiple months to account for cash flow needs in between the next deal.
Working with a talent manager as a creator can be wildly beneficial. Any time creators add to their teams it has the potential to grow the business beyond what they could do themselves. There are also pitfalls to avoid when seeking representation, which could be to the business’s detriment. At the end of the day, representation should magnify your capacity but it cannot replace discipline, creativity, or good processes.
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