How Do I Get an Agent as a Social Media Influencer? | Influencers and Agents
What is the best way for a social media influencer to find an agent? At some point, as an influencer grows, it will make sense to hook up with a professional. It could be a manager, or an agent marketing agency. It’s all the same thing. It’s essentially someone who is going out on your behalf, looking for sponsorship or collaboration opportunities. They will bring you the deal, they will negotiate the terms of the compensation, and then also the terms of the relationship, how many posts you must do, how long does the spot if you’re doing a YouTube video have to be, the details of the situation. And they essentially act as a shield between the influencer and the sponsorship company.
Influencers Search for an Agent
Now, what’s the best way of going about looking for an agent if you’re so inclined? Well, as someone who has represented athletes in the past, I always find the absolute best way of finding an agent is through your friends. If you’re an influencer, it’s very likely you have relationships with other influencers and it is best to reach out to them to see who they’ve used, see who they may have used in the past but have terminated the relationship with. That’s the best way of doing it because you’ll have some firsthand knowledge of how the person operates. Obviously, this has to be someone you trust if they’re going to give you advice on who a potential agent is. You could Google around on the internet, there certainly are some larger agencies.
I mean, most individuals like smaller managers and agencies may not have a huge web presence. So, you’ll be missing out if you try to Google somebody. I don’t think that’s the best avenue. The one avenue that you absolutely should not take is utilizing a friend. Repeatedly, I find people who will say, oh, you know what? I’ve been really interested in getting into being an agent or manager. And then maybe one of your friends is like, oh yeah, I can do it. I think this is a bad idea for several reasons. One, having knowledge of the industry is extremely important for an agent. They need to know what the going rate for an Instagram story or a YouTube video, or a personal appearance. These are things you’re not going to know if you’ve never been through this before. That is also going to know when to push back, on how much is expected of the influencer, how many appearances they must make, what the industry norms are. Other topics of interest include:
Not to say it’s impossible for someone who’s never done it before, but it’s very, very difficult. And it’s very likely the influencer will be leaving money on the table if they go with somebody who’s never had experience doing it before. Plus, emotions can get, or a better way of saying it is, emotions can interfere when you have a friend also acting as a business partner. If the relationship sours in the business realm, it will spill over into the personal realm as well. And most people don’t want to lose a friend over something like this. So, if you’re going to find an agent, absolutely make sure it’s somebody who is a professional, who has experience doing it and then has a roster of clients that they can show you.
Many agents will start off in an agency and then get their feet wet and learn the business, and then may go off on their own. That’s probably the normal course of business. Now, does this agent have to be an attorney? No, they don’t. As an attorney myself, they certainly can bring probably more contract knowledge if they have experience with doing contracting, but an agent does not have to be an attorney. In fact, I would say, at least half of them are not. Now, how much do you have to pay this person? That’s always a big question. It’s based upon a percentage of the commission. Whatever deals this person brings to you and then negotiates the price of, they will get a percentage of that.
Influencer Marketing Agencies Advantages
Very, very rarely are you going to find any agent influencer relationship where it’s a flat fee. Most of the time, the percentage is around 20%. It could be less, it could be more, but the average is around 20%. That’s considered a reasonable amount. If someone is asking you for half or 40%, that is not a reasonable amount. You must do, I guess, a little math equation in your mind about, alright, is the value that this agent is going to bring me worth more than the 20% of all of my deals that I’m going to have to give to them? Because most of these agents are going to have what’s called an exclusive management agreement with the influencer, and that means the influencer cannot use anyone else for any deal-making. And not only that, if an influencer has a friend, family member, another agent, or another influencer they know, if they have anyone bring them deals independently of their current agent, but most of the contracts will also still have the influencer have to give whatever potential opportunity is to their agent.
And then that agent will then negotiate the deal and still get the 20% even if they had nothing to do with bringing it to you. The fear of most agents is that they will bring a great opportunity to an influencer, the influencer terminates the agreement, and then tries to get out of having to pay the agent. That’s why an influencer agency management contract is extremely important. And normally in that scenario, most influencer management contracts will have some provision that states that the influencer will owe their agent whatever state of percentage is, usually for a year after the agreement terminates for any of the deals that that agent negotiated on behalf of the influencer. Just to wrap up, talk to your friends, see who they’ve used and if you’re going to Google, I would go for news articles, see some of your favorite influencers, and there may be a mention of who represents them and then you can contact them that way.
Certainly, there will be a threshold. Some agencies just simply are not going to work with people that don’t have a certain amount of following. And that’s okay. But you should be able to find someone who is professional and reputable and then can assist you with your career no matter what level you are at.
Social Media Influencer Need for Agents
Does a social media influencer need an agent? What does an agent do for an influencer? They can do a lot. Now, can they do it well? I guess that’s an open question. The role of an agent is to do two things: one, find sponsorship opportunities for the influencer and bring them to them, and then two, negotiate the terms of the contract, the payment, the frequency, and how much the influencer must do. And then they act as a shield between the sponsors and the influencer. There are plenty of influencers who are more than capable of doing this on their own. However, I’m not necessarily sure that’s the smartest business strategy.
You can’t do everything as an influencer. If you are creating content, coming up with ideas, negotiating with the sponsors, going out and finding your own deals, you are not going to have enough time in the day to really do and focus on what you’re good at. An agent can take a huge burden away from an influencer by, as I said before, being that shield and then handling all the details of that relationship. Now, the downside of working with an agent, well, obviously you’re giving up a percentage of whatever you’re making from the sponsors. Any agent is going to get a percentage of your commission from the sponsor’s compensation. Normally, that’s around 20%. So, you’re giving up essentially 20% of your income to this agent. Now, you also must think on the other side of that, alright, well, this agent should be providing more than the 20% that you’re paying them in potential opportunities.
Every good agent, manager, marketing agency, whatever you want to call it, has established relationships with brands, and then their job is to push their people to those brands so that they see them as an asset and will use them in their influencer role. So, a good agent should be well worth the 20% by, one, bringing many more opportunities to the influencer than they would have if they would’ve been doing it on their own. And then two, negotiating the compensation. I find that many influencers are just starting out and maybe they’re building their brand and doing a great job of providing great content and gaining followers and that type of thing.
They just don’t know what their worth is. And so, if someone does reach out to them and they decide to do it on their own, they have no idea if they’re being paid fairly or well underpaid. Whereas a good agent is going to tell you, you are worth this exact amount based on your metrics. The average view duration on YouTube is important and the audience, the age of the audience, and how many people are watching that are subs versus not. There are a ton of metrics that go into what makes an influencer worth it to partner with the sponsor. And then all of the metrics, the sponsors are going to want to see, and the agent should be great at facilitating the correct compensation for the influencer.
Now, before you enter any relationship with an agent, a marketing agency, manager, or whatever you want to call it, you absolutely need a contract that dictates the terms of that relationship. I have found, especially influencers who are using like a friend who’s like, oh, I know how to do this. And they just go about it with a handshake which is a terrible way of doing business. As an influencer, and you are going to make money as an influencer, you are a professional, you need to act like a professional, meaning, you need to have contracts in place with all of the people that are working for you. And that contract needs to absolutely dictate the terms of the agreement such as how much you’re paying them, what they’re doing for you, exactly how long the contract lasts, how it can be terminated, what happens if there’s a dispute, all of those things need to go into the contract because if those things are not in a contract with an agent and they do pop up, that’s where litigation, legal disputes, whatever you want to call it, can happen.
So, does an influencer need an agent? No, not necessarily, however, if they’re good, they will be worth their weight in gold to the influencer. I can promise you that. Now, I find there are a lot of charlatans in this arena, meaning, people that hold themselves out as having all of this experience and have all these connections. So, you need to absolutely do your due diligence when finding an agency or an agent or a manager, who else have they represented in the past. Reach out to those people and just ask them, what was their relationship like? Are they still working together? Is there a reason why they ended their relationship? If somebody can’t provide you with anyone that they’ve worked with, or you’re the very first client, you need to think again about doing that.
I mean, think of it this way: I graduated from law school 20 years ago. And when someone talks to me about their contract, I can say, yes, I have 20 years of experience doing this. And these are all the things that I’ve done. Whereas, if someone is just out of law school and just passed the bar, would I want to use someone who’s been a lawyer for one week versus 20 years? Now, I’m not saying they have to have 20 years of experience, they absolutely do not. But putting your career in the hands of someone who has no experience is just a bad business strategy. So, anyway if you have any questions about a potential influencer management/agency contract, feel free to call my law firm.
What You Should Know About Influencer Marketing Agency Contracts
Influencer marketing has become one of the most lucrative marketing options brands use globally. It is usually an effective way of engaging with leads, driving traffic, and generating sales. Due to the hassles in creating campaigns, companies now opt to hire marketing agencies to represent them.
An influencer marketing agency connects social media influencers and brands to create, manage, tailor, and optimize influencer marketing campaigns. The agency is also responsible for matching a company’s target market to the right influencers. Statistics show that eight out of every ten customers have bought a product after seeing it recommended by an influencer.
If you are a social media influencer and want to develop a relationship with an agent or agency, you must sign an influencer agency management contract. It’s vital to be prepared with this document as it provides information about everything related to the agreement. But due to the proliferation of contracts, it’s best to get an Influencer Manager Contract Attorney to review the contract and ensure it meets all requirements.
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about influencer marketing agency contracts. We’ll cover:
- What is an influencer marketing agency contract?
- What Percentage Do Influencer Agencies Take?
- Do Influencers Have Agencies?
- How Do I Get an Agent as a Social Media Influencer?
- Does an Influencer Need an Agent?
- What Should an Influencer Agency Contract Include?
What Is an Influencer Marketing Agency Contract?
A socialmedia influencer contract is a written legal document that defines the working terms of the relationship between a marketing agency and a brand influencer. The legal agreement contains all the essential information about the campaign between the parties.
The agreement document sets out all duties and expectations of a brand and its influencer concerning the content creation process like video, audio, text, and images. It also ensures that the business and influencer abide by the contract. As an influencer, this contract protects your interest and helps you to decide the best thing the company can achieve based on your pay. This document helps reduce misunderstandings or confusion about a campaign and helps smoothen the process.
What Percentage Do Influencer Agencies Take?
Influencer agencies help negotiate rates with brands and set up payment plans for the company. The standard percentage of commission agencies take from a social media influencer is about 20%. Although it can be more or less, the average is 20%.
It may be your dream to get an influencer agency to represent you, handle your business, and help you get more pay. Hence it’s essential to know that they take a commission based on every paid work they get. If someone asks you for 40% or 30%, it’s not a reasonable amount. You also need to know that most influencer management agreements are exclusive, implying that the influencer cannot have other managers. For example, you cannot have four managers search for deals and bring them to you, only for you to choose which one to accept.
Since it’s an exclusive relationship, only the manager can look for opportunities for the brand influencer. Even if your family member, friend, another company, or influencer reaches out to you without your present agent having an idea about it, the agreement will state that your agent will be the person to negotiate the deal. You will also have to give them a percentage of commission regardless of their non-involvement in finding you the deal.
Do Influencers Have Agencies?
Many influencers have agencies that work with them on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat and act as talent agencies for them. Talent agencies are responsible for representing and securing endorsements for influencers.
A point may come in any influencer’s career where they need representation and assistance to boost their career. One way to make this happen would be to look for an agency to assign you an agent that will:
- Speak on your behalf
- Get you deals
- Negotiate pay
- Assess the contract language
- Help grow your career
- Find you opportunities
Top influencers usually have many potential opportunities and may not be interested in all of them. It’s an agent’s responsibility to say, “no, we don’t need it” or “we can’t discuss this.” Although influencers can manage their career based on the content they create and what’s in it, agents make a significant difference. They can help bring you great deals, negotiate a fair price, and ensure the contract contains the appropriate language.
Does an Influencer Need a Marketing Agency?
And indeed, if an influencer is big enough, they will have tons of potential opportunities. However, if they would have no interest in many of those opportunities, the agent acts as your shield to say, no, we’re not going to discuss this. We’re not interested.
Now, there are also, I guess, other ways for influencers to be represented. You can have a manager, you can have an agent, you can be with agencies who will then assign you an agent, or maybe it could be a collaborative thing where the agency goes out and finds deals, and then you may not have one specific agent. But sometimes, there is also a distinction between a manager and an agent. Some people look at a manager as someone who deals with the day-to-day tasks of the influencers, managing their career. They’re not necessarily negotiating or finding them deals.
And then the agent would be the one that would do that. I find those terms are used interchangeably. You may hear someone say ‘manager.’ You may hear someone say an ‘agent.’ It’s usually the same thing. Now, if you’re going to enter a relationship with agencies, there needs to be an influencer agency management contract. And usually, that’s called an exclusive management agreement or an exclusive agency contract, something like that.
Does an Influencer Need an Agent? | Influencers and Agencies
Does a social media influencer need an agent? What does an agent do for an influencer? They can do a lot. Now, can they do it well? I guess that’s an open question. The role of an agent is to do two things: one, find sponsorship opportunities for the influencer and bring them to them, and then two, negotiate the terms of the marketing agency contract, the payment, the frequency, and how much the influencer must do. And then they act as a shield between the sponsors and the influencer. There are plenty of influencers who are more than capable of doing this on their own. However, I’m not necessarily sure that’s the smartest business strategy.
Influencer Agents Are Not Inexpensive
You can’t do everything as an influencer. If you are creating content, coming up with ideas, negotiating with the sponsors, going out and finding your own deals, you are not going to have enough time in the day to really do and focus on what you’re good at. An agent can take a huge burden away from an influencer by, as I said before, being that shield and then handling all the details of that relationship. Now, the downside of working with an agent, well, obviously you’re giving up a percentage of whatever you’re making from the sponsors. Any agent is going to get a percentage of your commission from the sponsor’s compensation. Normally, that’s around 20%. So, you’re giving up essentially 20% of your income to this agent. Now, you also must think on the other side of that, alright, well, this agent should be providing more than the 20% that you’re paying them in potential opportunities.
Get Help from Chelle Law Attorneys
Our influencer manager contract attorney would love to help you throughout your contract process. They will ensure your contract follows federal trade commission guidelines, your contract language favors you, and you understand all clauses.
Contact us today, and we can assess the vital elements that constitute your contract.
Influencer Management Contract Questions?
Contract Review, Termination Issues, and more!
