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Perhaps one of your new year’s resolutions for 2018 was to be represented as a blogger. But…is this a necessary step? Blogger representation is one of those things that many think shows that you have “made it” as a blogger but there are reasons both for and against having an agent working for you.
Pros
- You could get more work and receive higher payments
Having someone to negotiate for you could be really beneficial if that’s something that you feel like you fall down on. Another benefit of having an agency looking for collaborations for you is that they should already have a decent network to reach out to for potential work. - It allows you to concentrate on content creation
If you’re the sort of blogger that feels like they get bogged down with the business side of things and you’d rather just get on with creating amazing content, then an agency may be more useful for you as they can go out and find the work for you. - You could expand who you work with
Collaborative posts between bloggers are popular and having an agency working for you could lead to more collaborations, as they can pair up their talent. - They’re a fresh pair of eyes
It can always be useful to have someone to look over your work before you publish it. A good agency won’t just tell you what you want to hear, they’ll tell you what can be improved to make sure you’re creating the best content possible.
Cons
- You keep control of your business
One of the downsides to employing an agency to take care of collaborations is that you will have to give them a percentage of the amount of money you earn. It is a good way to learn how to run a business as well, which could be beneficial for your CV. - A virtual assistant may be more useful for you
A VA can reply to emails for you amongst other tasks – if this is the area that you feel that you need help with then a VA may be more useful and cost-effective. - You may not need an agent yet
As James Nord said in a recent “A Drink With James”, you might not be at the level of followers and influence that a bigger agency would be approaching you yet. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s something to consider. Of course, agencies may say to contact them to see if you can work together (because it’s totally possible that they don’t know you yet!) but if they decline, then it’s not a negative thing. - The wrong management could hurt you
You’re trusting someone to represent you but unfortunately, this might not work out for you – if you have the wrong manager working for you then if they’re rude to brands/agencies/other influencers, those people could assume you’re rude!
Agencies that offer blogger agent services include The Blogger Agency, Influencer, Sway, Collectively, Storm, Red Hare, Gleam, StyleHaul and Digital Brand Architects.
