Do you need a manager? What they do, what they cost, and when it is worth it

What a manager does

• Answers the brand. Replies to inbound, asks the scoping questions, keeps the thread moving. This is most of the job.
• Knows your number. Prices each deal on scope, pushes back on lowballs, holds the rate.
• Reads the contract. Catches perpetual usage, unpaid exclusivity, Net 90, and sends the changes.
• Chases the money. Invoices, follows up, escalates.
• Sometimes, brings deals in. Good managers have brand relationships. Many do not, and only work your inbound.

What it costs

15 to 20% of every deal, usually including deals you brought in yourself, for the length of the contract and often for a tail period after. On $60,000 a year of brand work that is $9,000 to $12,000. Some also charge on affiliate income and on deals from brands they never spoke to. Read that clause.

When it is worth it

• You are turning down or ignoring deals because you cannot get to them. Lost deals cost more than 20%.
• You are doing over roughly $100,000 a year in brand work and the negotiation gains outweigh the cut.
• The manager brings deals you would not have seen. Ask for names of brands they have placed creators with in your category.
• You want the buffer. Some creators are better at the work when someone else says the number.

Until then: be your own manager

The three things a manager does are systems, not talent. A reply template for each kind of brand email. A rate formula you trust, with add-ons priced. A contract checklist you read against every time. Two calendar dates per deal (usage end, exclusivity end). One invoice template and a follow-up schedule.

Set those up once and you have a manager that does not take 20%. That is what Creator OS is: those five systems, built around your numbers, in one place, with the emails already written.

Keep reading

• How to reply to a brand email (three templates that get a number)
• The brand deal contract checklist: 14 clauses to read before you sign
• Getting paid: Net 30, invoices, late fees and the nudge that works