Published in Talent Management

Image credit by Brett Jordan

Steven Lewis

Steven Lewis

Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, Foam

January 18, 2025

🚀 The Biggest Mistakes Talent Managers Make (And How to Avoid Them)

Avoid these common pitfalls to manage influencers more effectively.

Because Losing Deals, Wasting Time, and Frustrating Creators Isn’t a Business Strategy

Managing talent looks easy from the outside. Sign Creators, land brand deals, take a cut—simple, right?

Except it’s not.

A lot of talent managers get this business completely wrong, and they don’t even realize it until their best Creators leave, brands stop answering emails, and their roster turns into a revolving door of missed opportunities.

The best managers don’t just avoid mistakes—they build systems that make those mistakes impossible to repeat.

One of the biggest misconceptions? Thinking signing more Creators automatically means more money. Some managers operate like a collector—stacking their roster with as many names as possible, assuming volume equals power. It doesn’t. A bloated roster of underperforming or misaligned Creators doesn’t make you stronger. It makes you inefficient. More talent means more admin, more chaos, and more work without necessarily increasing revenue.

The smartest managers stay selective. They sign Creators based on potential, engagement quality, and business value—not just follower count. They focus on roster balance, ensuring they have a mix of established names, rising stars, and niche experts. They prioritize scalable talent—Creators who take direction well, show consistency, and understand brand partnerships.

Another mistake? Underpricing Creators and accepting bad brand deals. If you’re still letting brands set the price, you’re leaving money on the table and making it harder for your talent to earn what they’re worth. Too many managers take lowball offers just to close deals quickly, fail to charge for usage rights, exclusivity, and additional deliverables, and treat one-off deals as part of the process instead of negotiating for long-term partnerships.

A brand’s first offer is rarely their best offer. Strong managers always negotiate up, charge for every deliverable, and position their Creators as long-term partners rather than disposable ad space. If you’re not pushing for better deals, someone else will—and they’ll take your Creators with them.

Talent management isn’t about saying yes to everything. It’s about making the right decisions for your Creators, even when they don’t see the full picture. Some managers become so afraid of losing talent that they act as personal assistants rather than business leaders. The result? Creators ignore strategic advice, overcommit, miss deadlines, and damage brand relationships—then expect their manager to clean up the mess.

A strong manager sets expectations early. Your job isn’t to be a middleman—it’s to guide talent toward a sustainable, profitable career. That means controlling brand communication, ensuring Creators don’t undercut their own deals, and sometimes walking away from talent who won’t take advice. Some people aren’t ready for real management. Don’t waste time on Creators who won’t listen.

If you’re still running your business manually, you’re already behind. Chasing brands for invoices, tracking performance in spreadsheets, and sorting through endless email threads to find contracts is a waste of time. The best managers automate everything they can so they can focus on strategy, growth, and closing bigger deals.

AI-powered reporting tools eliminate the need for manual performance tracking. Contract templates and automated invoicing systems keep every deal structured and efficient. A proper CRM centralizes brand communications, payments, and deliverables. The more you automate, the more time you have to scale your business.

Long-term thinking separates average managers from great ones. Chasing short-term wins—signing any deal that comes in, prioritizing quick cash over brand alignment, and burning relationships for short-term profit—is a fast way to lose credibility.

The best managers push for multi-campaign brand deals rather than one-offs. They think about where their Creators need to be in a year, not just what pays today. They make decisions that build careers, not just bank accounts.

Mistakes happen. But the managers who keep making the same ones? They don’t stay managers for long.

🔗 Work Smarter—Manage Talent with FOAM

Because Losing Deals, Wasting Time, and Frustrating Creators Isn’t a Business Strategy

Managing talent looks easy from the outside. Sign Creators, land brand deals, take a cut—simple, right?

Except it’s not.

A lot of talent managers get this business completely wrong, and they don’t even realize it until their best Creators leave, brands stop answering emails, and their roster turns into a revolving door of missed opportunities.

The best managers don’t just avoid mistakes—they build systems that make those mistakes impossible to repeat.

One of the biggest misconceptions? Thinking signing more Creators automatically means more money. Some managers operate like a collector—stacking their roster with as many names as possible, assuming volume equals power. It doesn’t. A bloated roster of underperforming or misaligned Creators doesn’t make you stronger. It makes you inefficient. More talent means more admin, more chaos, and more work without necessarily increasing revenue.

The smartest managers stay selective. They sign Creators based on potential, engagement quality, and business value—not just follower count. They focus on roster balance, ensuring they have a mix of established names, rising stars, and niche experts. They prioritize scalable talent—Creators who take direction well, show consistency, and understand brand partnerships.

Another mistake? Underpricing Creators and accepting bad brand deals. If you’re still letting brands set the price, you’re leaving money on the table and making it harder for your talent to earn what they’re worth. Too many managers take lowball offers just to close deals quickly, fail to charge for usage rights, exclusivity, and additional deliverables, and treat one-off deals as part of the process instead of negotiating for long-term partnerships.

A brand’s first offer is rarely their best offer. Strong managers always negotiate up, charge for every deliverable, and position their Creators as long-term partners rather than disposable ad space. If you’re not pushing for better deals, someone else will—and they’ll take your Creators with them.

Talent management isn’t about saying yes to everything. It’s about making the right decisions for your Creators, even when they don’t see the full picture. Some managers become so afraid of losing talent that they act as personal assistants rather than business leaders. The result? Creators ignore strategic advice, overcommit, miss deadlines, and damage brand relationships—then expect their manager to clean up the mess.

A strong manager sets expectations early. Your job isn’t to be a middleman—it’s to guide talent toward a sustainable, profitable career. That means controlling brand communication, ensuring Creators don’t undercut their own deals, and sometimes walking away from talent who won’t take advice. Some people aren’t ready for real management. Don’t waste time on Creators who won’t listen.

If you’re still running your business manually, you’re already behind. Chasing brands for invoices, tracking performance in spreadsheets, and sorting through endless email threads to find contracts is a waste of time. The best managers automate everything they can so they can focus on strategy, growth, and closing bigger deals.

AI-powered reporting tools eliminate the need for manual performance tracking. Contract templates and automated invoicing systems keep every deal structured and efficient. A proper CRM centralizes brand communications, payments, and deliverables. The more you automate, the more time you have to scale your business.

Long-term thinking separates average managers from great ones. Chasing short-term wins—signing any deal that comes in, prioritizing quick cash over brand alignment, and burning relationships for short-term profit—is a fast way to lose credibility.

The best managers push for multi-campaign brand deals rather than one-offs. They think about where their Creators need to be in a year, not just what pays today. They make decisions that build careers, not just bank accounts.

Mistakes happen. But the managers who keep making the same ones? They don’t stay managers for long.

🔗 Work Smarter—Manage Talent with FOAM