The growth in popularity of blogs and social media platforms has opened up a wave of new careers in digital marketing. Though the bulk of those professions lie somewhere in the advertising and public relations realms, blogger or influencer management has surfaced and started to come into its own. If you’ve been taking content creation seriously (or had an unexpected spike in followers), you may have already been approached by a company or an individual looking to represent you in some way.
It’s a big decision to allow another party to be involved in your work. In some cases, having an agent or manager is ideal and/or necessary to an influencer’s success. In others, it is pointless and/or hindering. Of course, success is subjective to everyone, as is the time and effort you wish to put into your blog. We’ve put together a list of the pros and cons of being managed as a blogger or social media personality; keep these in mind before signing with an agent or agency!
Pros
They know the business… and the people in it
Typically, managers have tons of experience on both the talent and corporate side of digital marketing. Plus, they’ll have connections in networks relevant to you that are pretty much at your disposal as soon as you sign with them.
They have constructive criticism
Building off the previous point, agents with experience also know – for the most part – what works and what doesn’t. They are able to offer you helpful tips, best practices, and constructive criticism for your blog and social media platforms.
You only have to think about creating content
As an influencer, you are inherently creative. Whether or not that’s coupled with business management skills is unique to you. Having a company or person represent you eliminates your workload in terms of negotiating with clients so that you can focus on what you do best: content creation. No more building pitch decks, calculating numbers, or hounding people for payments… that’s all up to your manager.
Cons
You take a pay cut
Most bloggers’ biggest concern with talent management is the pay cut that comes with it. Typically, they will take 15-25% of every campaign they land for you. They may even take a portion of the projects you land without them. Many agencies also charge companies 5-15% on top of your rate.
You have less control of your image
Although managers have no final say in the content you create and the way you conduct your business, they are the ones representing you to important contacts like PR persons. Once you hand off your potential clients to deal with your manager, you hardly see let alone handle those conversations.
Do you have experience being represented by an agent or agency as an influencer? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!
