Creators make it look like cranking out content is a breeze with slick posts for social media. But the reality is that creating content requires expensive high-end equipment like cameras and a significant amount of time editing and brainstorming new ideas. And creators are hungry for brand deals that offset some of the costs.
In order to get these deals, creators are increasingly relying on a new type of talent manager who can negotiate brand deals and help steer creators’ careers in new directions. While securing brand deals doesn’t require a talent manager, a talent manager’s primary role is to ensure that creators are well-positioned to capitalize on their content.
TikTok star Charli D’Amelio pioneered this approach back in 2020. She consistently posted about Dunkin’ iced coffee before inking a big deal that included creating her own drink with the coffee chain. More recently, Love Island USA’s Kordell Beckham partnered with Cheez-It after mentioning his love of the brand on the show.
ADWEEK spoke with three talent agents and three creators about how they land brand deals.
Finding a niche
Talent agencies have established relationships with media companies and brands and know what marketers are looking for in a creator. They are increasingly pitching themselves as key ways to get creators in front of brands while also helping creators’ careers grow.
For example, lifestyle creator and disability activist Paula Carozzo said that when she signed with an agency, it was more important for the agency to first understand what she stood for and her overall vision for content before finding brands to work with. “For a long time, I was just a community influencer, but I wasn’t necessarily creating content where I was making myself sellable to these brands,” Carozzo said.
Carozzo picked the agency Influence With Impact because the agency identified her connection with fashion and astrology, something previous agencies couldn’t pinpoint. The agency also helped her develop content that resonated with her audience instead of chasing trends. For example, she recently posted a video discussing Libra season while trying on Skims products.
Reza Izad, cofounder and partner of the talent management company Underscore Talent, said this is an approach the agency uses with creators across different verticals. His team has agents focused on niches like food and beauty to tailor strategies to specific creators.