Don't Outsource the "Business Stuff" to a Manager, Agent, or Broker; Learn It Yourself

One of the most common questions I get from those who want more sponsorships is:

"Can I hire someone to do this for me and just give them a cut? I'm too busy to do this myself."

Here are the four reasons why you should not hire representation like a manager, agent, or broker:

1. The financial incentives are misaligned.

If the only way your rep eats is if they get a 20% cut of your sponsorships, there will almost certainly be deals they'll tell you to take that may not be in your best interest.

2. You're growing their contact list, not yours.

Imagine you hire a rep and start getting some sponsorships. Awesome!

But you're creative so you don't want to handle any "business stuff," and you especially don't want to be CCed on those emails (that's why you hired the rep, right?).

You do a few sponsorships. You get paid. All is well.

But then you get into a tricky situation with your rep where you disagree.

They want you to take a sponsorship you don't think is a good fit.

They get mad. You're annoyed, but you brush it off.

Then, over the next few weeks and months, you start hearing from your rep less and less.

They start sending you fewer deals. You still get some occasionally, but there's a noticeable decline.

You start getting even more annoyed.

You tell your rep they're not pulling their weight.

They get even angrier and tell you, "Maybe we shouldn't work together anymore."

"FINE!" you say...

"FINE!" they say back.

And then there you are, "rep-less" with no connections to those ten brands you worked with over the last year.

Not ideal.

3. You don't know how you're being represented in the market.

When I ran my influencer marketing agency, I worked with managers, agents, and brokers quite a bit, and the reality is that some have a bizarre "gatekeeper" complex.

When we needed time-sensitive revisions or insights from the people they represented, it would sometimes take days to get a response.

I've even had reps cuss me out!

By the way, what happens in those scenarios?

Do you think brands want to work with those reps' creators anymore?

The creators may be charming people, but because their reps are nightmares, that creator gets put on a "DO NOT HIRE" list.

These lists exist (I've seen them).

You want to avoid finding yourself on one of them.

Sadly, many creators have no idea their reps are insane.

I've even been tempted to reach out to several creators and say, "Do you know how your rep is making you look? They're causing you to lose business."

My rule of thumb: Preserve your reputation by forgoing representation.

4. You're robbing yourself of an education.

If you want to make more money from sponsorships, your #1 priority should be understanding how the advertising puzzle pieces fit together in your niche or industry (genius move buying this book by the way. It'll help a lot).

When you start interacting with brands & partners, it's critical you learn what things they find most valuable about you.

In my experience, when you work with a rep, their priority is deal volume, which often means you become just another commoditized "talent" on their roster.

But when you have a direct connection with your brand partners, you'll start to realize there are many things you can do for them that may not conform to a standard sponsorship.

Maybe it's helping them think through their social media strategy.

Maybe you can connect them with your friends who would also be a great fit for a partnership.

Maybe it's offering a value-add post that wasn't required in the contract.

It's paramount to get an "in-the-trenches" education about how your business model will work and be sustainable.

Let me drill this into your head one more time.

If you're still thinking: "I just want to focus on the creative stuff and let someone else handle all the other business details..."

Then this will always be just a hobby for you.

On the other hand, if you want to have a long-term career, it's time to take true ownership of this incredible asset you're creating.

To recap, here are the nine most common mistakes that will prevent you from landing consistent, well-paying sponsorships (and what to do instead):

1. Don't aimlessly create; define your Surprising Transformative Promise.

2. Don't pitch random brands; ask your audience.

3. Don't target giant brands; be realistic.

4. Don't envy others' deals; pitch that brand next.

5. Don't work with toxic brands; find ones that respect you.

6. Don't let your ego control you; be objective.

7. Don't bad-mouth brands; be diplomatic.

8. Don't ignore the changing world around you; plan for the future.

9. Don't outsource the "business stuff" to a manager, agent, or broker; learn it yourself.

So, here's the deal. There are actually ten mistakes but I saved the worst for…well, the bottom.

10. Don't pull a sponsorship strategy out of your butt; create a system.