At The Digital Dept. we are incredibly proud of our team of talent managers who keep the influencer management division of our company going. But what does a talent manager actually do? It’s a question we get a lot! Whether you are a content creator who is interested in working with a talent manager or just curious about what the role entails, here’s a breakdown of the main responsibilities of an influencer talent manager:
The Responsibilities of an Influencer Talent Manager:
Manage inbound and outbound pitches:
The main responsibility of an influencer talent manager is to manage brand partnership opportunities on behalf of their talent. This means vetting inbound partnership pitches and sending outbound pitches to the brands that the talent wants to work with. With a manager, creators can spend less time sorting through and sending emails and more time creating content.
Negotiate rates and offers:
Once those brand partnership conversations get going, the talent manager is the one who negotiates rates, scope of work, and contracts on behalf of their talent. Having a talent manager advocate for you on your behalf is a huge benefit to working with a manager, as they know the industry standards for rates and what to look out for when it comes to contract negotiations.
Build brand relationships:
Influencer talent managers are constantly building out relationships with brand clients. Managers often have additional brand relationships that an influencer may not have on their own, so working with a manager can open the door to dream brand partnerships.
Provide social and growth strategy:
While it isn’t an influencer talent manager’s main job to provide day-to-day social media strategy (we’d recommend a social media manager or growth strategist for that), they are valuable partners to help creators optimize their social media content for brand partnerships and can provide insights on how to grow and increase engagement on your platforms.
Ideate the big picture:
At the end of the day, an influencer talent manager is a creator’s trusted partner who can help them plan out the bigger picture. Whether that be launching a podcast, developing a product line, getting into on-air hosting, writing a book, or something else, talent managers work with their creators to develop a long-term strategy for success and think big picture. Talent managers only take a percent commission from confirmed deals, so your success is our success! Our talent managers work with creators with the goal of helping them grow and take their influence to the next level.
What An Influencer Talent Manager Doesn’t Do:
With all that said, there are still some misconceptions about what an influencer talent manager does and doesn’t do. So let’s clear a few things up:
Talent managers don’t take on creators with 0 experience:
For the most part, influencer talent managers are not looking to sign creators with little to no following or experience with brand partnerships. Because managers work on commission, we tend to seek out creators who have built up a strong community and have started to partner with brands. If you are looking for someone to help grow your social media following, we recommend that you look at working with a social media strategist. And speaking of working on commission…
Talent managers don’t charge a retainer or upfront fee:
This is one of the biggest red flags to look out for when considering working with a talent manager. They should not be charging you a retainer or fee to join their roster. While some services like social media management, public relations, and affiliate marketing strategy charge retainers in exchange for services rendered, talent managers traditionally work on commission.
Now that you know what a talent manager does and doesn’t do, maybe you’re interested in seeking a talent manager to maximize your influence! If you’re wondering if you’re ready to take the plunge into management, we have a helpful guide HERE to help you decide if you’re ready for a talent manager.
