How do I start an Influencer Talent Agency?
Embarking on the journey of starting an influencer management agency feels like stepping into a vibrant universe where creativity, collaboration, and connection take center stage. Imagine a blend of strategic thinking, a genuine passion for digital influence, and a sprinkle of entrepreneurial spirit. Wondering “How do I start an influencer Talent Agency?” I’ve got you covered.
As an award winning Influencer Talent Manager who has closed over $6M dollars worth of brand deals, partnering with some of the biggest global brands, believe me when I tell you I eat, sleep and breathe this work. Starting an influencer talent agency isn’t for the faint of heart—it takes strategy, hard work, and the ability to navigate an ever-evolving industry. Trust me, I know.
I’ve been an entrepreneur since 2011 and an Influencer Talent Manager since 2015. I’ve built my successful talent management agency from the ground up, working with influencers who have achieved incredible growth and visibility. Along the way, I’ve learned the ins and outs of what it really takes to thrive in this business—and I’m here to share that knowledge with you.
I’ve learned how to handle rejections from brands, from Influencers and from my own talent at times. I’ve learned how to turn an unpaid gifted brand collaboration into a 4 figure deal for my client. I’ve learned how to successfully pitch my clients for projects and myself for speaking engagements & podcasts.
Whether you’re just starting or you’re ready to take your agency to the next level, I’ve been there, faced the same challenges, and come out on top. In this article, I’m going to walk you through the key steps to launch and grow your own influencer talent agency, drawing from my own experience and the strategies that have helped me close millions of dollars in deals for my clients.
What is an influencer talent agency
An influencer talent agency is a company that represents social media influencers, helping them find & negotiate brand deals, monetize their platforms and build their online presence. Influencer talent agencies bring together influencers and brands for digital marketing purposes, acting as the intermediary between the talent and brands.
Brands are always looking to get in front of new customers to raise brand awareness or sell more products. Social media influencers have the captive audiences that those brands want to target and speak to. I’ve had my Influencer Talent Agency since 2017 when I signed my first client Lorraine C. Ladish.
I share more about my story and how I became an Influencer Talent Manager and built an agency in this article.
What does an Influencer Talent Manager do
An Influencer Talent manager does a few key things in our jobs. We negotiate deals between our clients aka the talent and the brands and agencies that want to work with them. This means determining how much the Influencer will get paid to do a certain set of deliverables. We read agreements and look out for our talent’s best interests. Once the agreement is signed, we manage the projects which means getting the creative briefs, ensuring the talent knows what to do and we answer any questions.
Other things an Influencer Talent Manager does is build relationships with people in the Influencer Industry. This helps to keep your talent top of mind with the people who source talent for future campaigns.
Here’s more on what does an Influencer Talent Manager do.
Influencer Talent Manager vs Talent Agency
An influencer Talent Manager is the person who manages and works closely with a roster of talent. The Talent Agency is the company that oversees all the talent and managers.
A talent agency is made up of Talent Agents and Managers but the Talent Manager is one singular person. If you are an Influencer Talent Manager with a roster of talent, essentially you have a Talent Agency as well.
How to know it’s time to start an Influencer Talent Agency
If you have really solid, established relationships with Influencers who have already done successful brand partnerships, it could be time to start an Influencer Talent Agency. When Influencers already trust you and are either coming to you for brand collaboration advice, insight into their rates or help with negotiating, that’s a great sign of your potential.
Perhaps you’ve worked on the other side of the industry, either brand or agency side casting the campaigns and are interested in bringing that experience to help Infuencers. If you have a lot of experience in the Influencer Marketing Industry that gives you a leg up on understanding trends, rates & how to be successful.
Or maybe you’re like me where people are asking you to represent and manage them. Please note this does NOT mean that the person asking is ready for a manager! But sometimes it takes other people recognizing something in us to push us in a certain direction.
Top Skills for an Influencer Talent Agent
I often say that being an Influencer Talent Agent isn’t rocket science but it does require a certain skill set. This skill set of negotiation, relationship building, communication and organization is crucial because it allows you the Talent Agent to experience a lot of success on behalf of your talent.
These skills are essential for an influencer talent manager because they ensure smooth operations, build strong relationships, and maximize the earning potential of influencers. Negotiation, communication, and relationship-building help secure fair deals and repeat partnerships, while organizational and problem-solving skills ensure campaigns run efficiently.
- You are not afraid to ask for help
- You’ve been selling and marketing others and yourself for decades
- You do well with the unknown & not knowing things
- YouI ask a lot of questions (if you know me, you know how true this rings!
- You are very comfortable talking about money
- You’re very organized.
- Your brain can see the big picture while never losing sight of the details and what actually has to happen day to day
- You’re quite communicative
- You give direction and feedback well
How to know if Influencer Marketing is right for you
This is a great question to ponder as you begin your journey of starting an Influencer Talent Management Agency. Assuming you don’t have any prior experience in this industry, either as a creator or on the brand/agency side, why on earth do you want to get into influencer marketing?!
I kid I kid – I do love it for so many reasons & it’s worth figuring out what elements appeal to you about this line of work.
Do you really, truly enjoy working with people? It can be really invigorating to play such an important role in the growth and success of people I care deeply about. It’s what I love most about this career. Simultaneously there’s a lot of personalities involved in running a successful campaign and you’ll have to deal with incompetent people you don’t like on occasion.
Do you enjoy having no control over your day? There’s no one typical day. Everyday is truly different. I could be on the phone all day working through inquiries from agencies, confirming concepts with the brand or talking through timing and logistics with my clients. Another day I could be on emails all day. And yet, another day doing podcast interviews, speaking at a conference or spending time with my clients. You have to be comfortable with going with the flow.
Genuinely, do you love negotiating? Are you comfortable asking for things? Truly. It’s so much fun & I get great pleasure out of it. I really enjoy the playfulness of negotiating and the “choose your own adventure” so to speak when finalizing a brand deal. Not to mention, being a good negotiator is a fantastic skill that serves me well in life.
If you’ve read anything about my story on how I became an Influencer Talent Manager and built an Agency, you know that I’m obsessed with my clients!
How do Influencer Agents make money
There’s a couple different ways that Influencer Agents make our money. Most common is via a commission structure. This means you earn a percentage of the brand deals that you close on behalf of your client. I earn 20% which is industry standard. I’ve seen everything from 10-30%, all depending on what it is the Influencer Talent Agent does for their clients.
Other ways we make money are via retainer, flat fee and a hybrid model of commission and retainer. I start off any new Influencer Talent on a hybrid model for the first 90 days. It’s a monthly retainer + 10% on any deals that we come in those first three months. Then starting month 4, I move to straight 20%. You can read more about my retainer and why I structure it this way on my FAQs page.
A number of boutique talent management agencies maintain a roster for the duration of their work with their talent. It’s not a model I’ve chosen but to each their own. It’s definitely worth figuring out which model you want to go with. With this retainer they will often provide regular monthly services such as social media management, strategy calls and more.
What you need to know before starting an Influencer Talent Agency
When you partner with someone to be their Influencer Talent Agent or Manager, they are putting a lot of trust into you. You are responsible for being their voice, their advocate and their biggest cheerleader in rooms and conversations they aren’t privy to. You are responsible making the case why a brand should partner with them.
The creators on your roster look to you for guidance, sage wisdom, strategic insight & perspective on a range of things. They expect you to negotiate well and to be a strong advocate for them for the best rates for a project. They expect insight on how to get over a creative slump. They expect you to have an email for the brand they want to work with or figure out a way to get it.
Your influencers will expect you to know exactly how to turn down a partnership but to keep the door open. They expect you to keep the brands at bay when they start pushing on boundaries & to play bad cop in a lot of scenarios.
You are reading & redlining agreements on their behalf, advising them when to sign and what to say no to. These are agreements that speak to whether a brand can use the influencer’s image and likeness in perpetuity, on billboards or digital ads for the rest of time. If you miss those details and your creator signs, that could have lasting, drastic consequences and financial implications to your client’s brand and your influencer talent management agency.
How to set up the agency as a business
When you start an Influencer Talent Management Agency, you are starting a proper business. This means you must follow all the federal, state and local guidelines about how to set up your business structure. There will be paperwork, registration fees and new taxes to pay.
Depending on where you live, what you have to do to establish your business will look different. Start by reaching out to your Secretary of State and State Government for guidance. Do not feel that you have to outsource this to a 3rd party agency and pay more. It does take patience, but you can do it yourself.
Do your due diligence to establish yourself as a business so you can accept & spend funds, run payroll and pay appropriate taxes. I also recommend you speak with an accredited Tax person & accountant who is familiar with your industry, online businesses and your geographic area.
It will cost you money to start a business. To file paperwork registering your business, to set your business structure for tax purposes and to get an Employee Identification Number aka EIN will take time and money.
Business structure
This is where you determine for tax purposes what your business structure is. Are you operating as a sole proprietorship? Or an LLC? An LLC filing as an S-Corp? I’m not here to give you any advice in this arena. Remember, I’m an Influencer Talent Manager, not a tax advisor.
Getting your EIN
I highly recommend you get an EIN, which stands for Employer Identification Number. It’s what you’ll use on your business tax fillings in lieu of your social security number. It’s your Federal tax number. Think of it like a SSN for your business.
Learn more and determine your EIN eligibility here on the IRS website.
How much money do you need to start an Influencer Talent Agency
When starting your Influencer Talent Agency I recommend having a savings that will cover 6 months of your salary and business expenses. You’ll need to have a decent sized nest egg to dip into while you’re building your roster and relationships.
If you’re lucky enough to partner with talent who has a lot of inbound requests and you’re able to close deals for them quickly, that’s the best case scenario. But even with closing deals quickly, the way the cadence of content and invoicing works is that you won’t see any money until 30-60 days after an invoice is sent. Oftentimes, invoices can’t be sent until the campaign is done.
For example, let’s say you close a deal in January for $5,000. The first wave of content goes live at the end of February and another wave is posted mid-March. The creator’s analytics (their metrics and measurement on the engagement etc of their content) gets turned in a week later.
This signals that the creator’s obligations are now fulfilled and an invoice can be sent. It’s now the end of March and the project is net 30 (hopefully). This means you and your creator won’t be paid, assuming it’s not late (FYI 90% of the time, payment is late) until the end of April….for a project you closed in February.
Influencer Talent Manager Salary
Established, successful Influencer Talent Managers can expect to make over 6 figures for your salary. I have made over $125k for years. Keep in mind that we earn our money off of the backs of the brand deals we close.
Typically, us influencer agents charge a percentage of the deals or contracts we secure for our clients, with commissions ranging from 10% to 20%. Industry standard is 20%. The specific percentage may vary based on the agent’s experience, the scope of services offered, and the influencers they represent. The higher the deals, the more we earn.
Invoicing as an Influencer Talent Manager
There are two ways to invoice brands as an Influencer Talent Manager.
The first way is that you, the Influencer Talent Management Agency, does all the invoicing on behalf of all your talent. You, the Management Agency sends the invoice to the brand collaboration partner for the full amount of the project. Once you the Talent Management Agency receives payment on that invoice, you then payout the creator their percentage of the project.
The other way to invoice a brand is to have the invoice come from your talent’s accounting team direct to the specific brand collaboration partner. In this scenario once the Influencer sends the invoice to the brand agency, the Influencer Talent Manager sends your invoice for your services to the Influencer. In this scenario, the Influencer Talent Manager isn’t paid until the Talent has been paid by the brand.
How to attract clients to an Influencer Management Agency
Ever heard of the question, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. It’s the same here. Find your first client. From there, find your next. You will learn from each of them who is and isn’t a great fit for you.
Like-minded individuals tend to gravitate towards each other. Your energy draws in those who resonate with your essence. People find me all the time because of how I show up in this space. Because of what I say on podcasts, on conference stages, on webinars and in my blog posts. They appreciate that I’m very transparent, open and up front. Creators appreciate that I focus on creators of color and advocate for mine and others in the industry.
I’m consistent, persistent and transparent. I’m very intentional about who I partner with and as a result of sharing about my clients, people are attracted to how I publicly showcase and praise them, how I show how connected we all are and how we are genuinely having a good time doing this work together.
Figure out who you want your first client to be, either by their exact name or their profile. Then get out there into the wilds of the internet and search for them. Don’t be afraid when you find profiles of influencers you like, to ask if they have management or are open to a conversation with you.
Read more on the 8 Questions to ask when building a roster for your Influencer Talent Agency.
Building a website for your agency
Important as it is to have a website for your agency, don’t let it get in the way of you starting your Influencer Talent Management Agency. A lot of managers I know, myself included, built their roster and agency without having a website.
Eventually you will have to have one and promise me when I tell you it’s a huge asset to your agency’s success. I host mine, what you’re reading right now, on WordPress. I started out on Squarespace which was great to get me going. Because I write a lot of these articles, they are better hosted on WordPress. I did hire a designer and copy writer to help with how it will present and read. I also hired a tech person to build it out for me on WordPress.
If you’re overwhelmed don’t be. You just have to know who to hire and what to ask them to do. I’ve even sketched things out on a piece of paper because that was the best way to convey what I wanted my site to look like.
For the domain, which is the URL, I’m a big fan of having it be your name vs something catchy. If people meet you out and about, they may not remember the name of your business but they will more than likely remember your name, or enough to google you.
You can always buy multiple URLs (which I recommend) and then have your website site on a particular one. The other URLs can point towards it. This is good to know if you change business names. Again, why I’m a big fan of the URL as my personal name. That won’t change.
Having a website is great because it helps recruit for me both for prospective talent to add to my roster. Anyone who is interested, gets pointed to my Johanna Voss Influencer Management FAQs page which explains all about how I work.
I also have a webpage for my 8 week Influencer Talent Manager Coaching & Mentorship Program, complete with all the information for people to apply. Yes, any up and coming Influencer Talent Manager who is interested in coaching with me gets pointed to that page.
And then the other page I highly recommend you having on your website is your roster. Here is my Influencer Talent Roster page. From that page, each of my talent has their own bio page with their media kit, information on them, links to all their platforms and past projects. I can’t tell you how much time it saves me to point anyone who is interested in my roster to those talent bio pages like this one for Yvette Marquez or Ismail Mpiana.
How to differentiate your Influencer Management Agency from competitors
To distinguish your Influencer Management Agency from competitors, it is imperative to develop a unique value proposition that sets you apart in the dynamic landscape of influencer marketing.
Start by honing in on a specialized niche or industry, allowing you to become experts in a specific domain. Craft a tailored and personalized approach to influencer partnerships, prioritizing authentic connections and meaningful collaborations over sheer numbers.
Implement innovative and data-driven strategies that demonstrate a deep understanding of both your influencers and clients, ensuring that your agency delivers measurable and impactful results.
Invest in building a strong network of influencers with diverse backgrounds and expertise, enabling your agency to offer a comprehensive range of influencers who resonate with various audiences. Additionally, focus on cultivating transparent and genuine relationships with clients, providing unparalleled customer service and fostering a reputation for reliability and professionalism. Ultimately, by carving out a distinct identity and consistently delivering exceptional value, your Influencer Management Agency can rise above the competition in this ever-evolving industry.
If you’re an Influencer Talent Manager who just started your own Talent Management Agency and want to get coaching and mentorship from an award winning Influencer Talent, click HERE to learn about my 8 week Influencer Talent Manager Coaching Program.
As we conclude this extensive exploration into the intricacies of launching your own influencer talent management agency, it is evident that the path to success in this dynamic field requires careful consideration, strategic planning, and a commitment to fostering genuine connections.
I trust that the information shared throughout this comprehensive article has equipped you with valuable insights and practical guidance to navigate the multifaceted landscape of influencer marketing.
Starting an influencer talent management agency is a rewarding yet challenging endeavor, and I genuinely hope that the knowledge imparted here addresses your queries and helps set you on a path to success.
As you embark on this exciting journey, remember to stay adaptable, embrace innovation, and above all, cultivate authentic relationships with both influencers and clients. Wishing you the very best as you venture into the world of influencer talent management and carve your niche in this ever-evolving industry! Welcome to the dark side, lol!
PSST! Are you an Influencer Talent Manager & just started your own Talent Management Agency? Do you want to learn the ins and outs of the industry? Do you need help pricing your talent’s rates, recruiting Influencers to build your roster & getting insight on where to find brand collabs?
Click HERE to learn about my 8 week Influencer Talent Manager Coaching Mentorship Program, taught by me, Johanna Voss, an award winning Influencer Talent Manager who has closed over $6M worth of brand deals.