Do You Really Need a Manager to Be a Successful Influencer?
If you’ve been in the creator space for even a minute, you’ve probably heard it: "You need a manager if you want to make real money as an influencer." And as someone who actually represents influencers, I’m here to tell you- that’s a myth.
Yes, I said it. You don’t NEED a manager to land brand deals.
In fact, many creators make the mistake of rushing into management before they even know how the business of influencing works.
The Misconception: Management = Success
There’s this growing misconception- especially among newer creators- that having a manager is the golden ticket to success.
But if you talk to the OGs? They did it themselves first. They learned the ropes, built their brands, and THEN brought on help.And honestly? That’s still the smartest path.
What You Actually Need: Education
Before you even think about hiring a manager or signing with an agency, you need to learn the business side of being a creator:
How to pitch yourself professionally
How to negotiate fair compensation
How to read and understand contracts
How to manage communication with brands
When you learn these skills first, you become empowered. You also become WAY pickier about who you allow to manage your brand, if and when the time comes.
Why Doing It Yourself First Matters
When creators jump into management too soon, they often don’t know what they don’t know. This can lead to:
Signing with the wrong agency
Giving up too much of their income (some agencies take 30-40%!)
Losing access to brand relationships and email contacts when the agency relationship ends.
(FYI: We always give our creators access to the email address they add to their bio for brand deals. But this isn’t the case with all reps. Some don’t give the creator direct access to the collab email and therefore they lose out on building the brand relationships as well as the contact info for the brands they’d worked with)
Feeling frustrated and stuck when the relationship ends.
I’ve seen creators leave agencies and have no idea how to pitch, negotiate, or even reach out to their former brand partners. That lack of foundational knowledge is what sets them back- not the lack of a manager.
My Honest Take (As a Manager!)
At Influence with Katie, we work with both micro and macro creators- but we do it intentionally. I want to see that you already have brand deal offers flowing in and are simply overwhelmed with the workload. That’s when management makes sense.
Think of it like this: yes, a manager takes a cut of your income. But our job is to grow the pie so that you barely notice that percentage. Still, management isn’t a quick fix. It should never replace your own knowledge.
How to Know If You're Ready
If you’re not sure whether you need a manager, ask yourself:
Am I consistently getting brand offers?
Am I overwhelmed by brand comms and follow-ups?
Do I have systems in place for pitching and tracking deals?
If the answer is "no," you don’t need a manager- you need strategy and education.
What We Teach Creators Instead
Inside my 1:1 Influencer Coaching Intensives, we teach creators how to:
Pitch using our proven batch pitching strategy
Send monthly "mini-newsletter" style updates to brands
Build relationships with brands (not just one-off deals)
Understand contracts and set up a deal tracker
Scale with clarity and confidence
You don’t have to do it alone- but you should know how to do it before outsourcing it.
Final Thoughts
Signing with a manager should be a strategic decision, not a default move. Learn the business. Build your foundation. And when you’re ready to scale, do it with the confidence of someone who knows exactly what they’re bringing to the table.
Need support? Want to know if coaching is right for you? Hit us up!! We will get back to you in a jiff: Support@influencewithkatie.com
Because when you know the business? You own your brand.
