15 Questions to Ask a Talent Manager Before You Sign

A first call with a talent manager tends to feel like a pitch. These questions turn it into an interview, and the answers show how a manager works once money, approvals and exits are on the table.

Each question below comes with why it matters, what a good answer sounds like and the red flag to listen for, and there's a scorecard at the end for comparing managers side by side. If you're still deciding whether you need a manager at all, start with what a talent manager does.

Will this manager fit your career?

Fit comes down to who does the work, whether they know your niche and what they'd change first. Start here, since every later answer depends on the person doing the job.

1. Who manages me day to day, and how many creators does that person handle?

You'll sign with a company and work with a person. Ask who that is, how many creators they handle and who covers when they're away. Molly Tracy, who runs a talent management agency, puts the talent-to-manager ratio on her list of questions for prospective managers (2025) for the same reason.

A good answer names a person and a number. A red flag is a vague "the team" with no single person accountable.

2. Which creators like me do you manage, and can I talk to 2 of them?

Experience with your size and niche counts for more than a famous roster. A manager who works with athletes knows sponsor conflicts, and a manager who works with YouTubers knows integrations.

Ask for 2 creators you can call, ideally including someone who joined from another manager, and ask what share of creators stay. We publish ours on our homepage: 98% talent retention. A red flag is a list of names with no way to reach any of them.

3. What would you change in my first 90 days?

This shows whether they've studied your account. A good answer is specific: rates they'd raise, categories worth pursuing or the platform that needs work.

Ask which services they'd bring in beyond deals, too. We list our 10 services publicly, and any manager should be able to tell you what's included in the commission. A red flag is a promise of income with no plan behind it.

How will they handle your brand deals?

These questions show how much control you keep over your own deals. You want to see every offer and keep the final say on the terms that shape your income.

4. Where do your deals come from, and how much outreach do you do?

Some managers mostly handle inbound offers, and others pitch brands actively. Tracy's list asks how much of a manager's partnership work comes from proactive outreach, and it's worth asking which brands in your category they've closed deals with.

A red flag is a manager who can't explain where their deals come from.

5. Will I see every offer, including the ones you turn down?

A manager who filters offers without telling you is making career decisions on your behalf. A good answer is shared access to the brand inbox (Tracy's list asks about this as well) or a regular log of every inquiry.

A red flag is "we only bring you the good ones."

6. Do I keep final approval on brands, rates, usage rights and exclusivity?

Usage rights and exclusivity often decide what a deal costs you later, so approval over them matters as much as approval over the fee. A good answer is yes, in writing, with a fast process for urgent approvals.

A red flag is a contract that lets the manager sign deals for you without asking.

How does the manager get paid?

The money questions carry the most weight, because small wording changes move a lot of income. Get the answers in writing, then check that the draft agreement says the same thing.

7. What's your commission, and which income does it cover?

Rates vary. Pfeiffer Law, an entertainment law firm, put the norm at 15% to 20% in 2023, and our own commission runs 10% to 30%.

The rate tells you half the story. Ask which income it applies to: brand deals, platform payouts, affiliate codes, products, licensing and any deals you brought in before signing. We go through the math in how much influencer managers take. A red flag is "everything you earn, forever."

8. Is it calculated on gross or net, and which expenses come out first?

On a $10,000 deal with $2,000 of production costs, 20% of gross is $2,000 and 20% of net is $1,600. Pfeiffer Law notes that commission on gross revenue is the industry standard, so ask which costs come out first and who approves expenses the manager bills back to you.

A red flag is an expense clause with no cap and no approval step.

9. Do you take any fee or margin from brands on my deals?

Ask whether the manager or their company earns anything from the brand side of your deals, such as a production fee or a markup, on top of your commission. A good answer is a clear no, or full disclosure of any brand-side fee in writing.

A red flag is hesitation, or an answer that changes when you ask a second time.

10. Who invoices brands, and how many days after the brand pays do I get paid?

Payout timing is your cash flow. Tracy writes that her agency pays creators weekly, and that agencies paying out once a month can leave you waiting around 60 days.

Late brand payments are common, too: a 2024 Lumanu post cites an estimate from Station Entertainment, a talent management company, that 50% of all payments are late. Ask who chases late payments and whether your money is held separately from the company's own funds.

How do you get out of the contract if it isn't working?

Management relationships end, and the exit terms decide what that costs you. Read these clauses before anything else in the agreement.

11. How long is the term, and how can either of us end it?

Look for a defined term, a notice period and a way out if the manager misses agreed targets or stops responding. A red flag is a multi-year term that renews automatically with no exit for you.

12. What's your sunset clause, and does it cover renewals?

A sunset clause (also called a post-term clause) pays the manager a share of deals they worked on for a period after you part ways. Ask how long it runs, whether the percentage steps down over time and whether it covers renewals of deals signed during the term.

Tracy also warns against terms that block you, for 2 years after you leave, from working with brands you worked with during the contract. A red flag is a sunset with no end date.

13. What happens if my manager leaves the company?

If you're signing because of 1 person, a key person clause lets you leave when that person goes. Ask whether the contract has one, and who'd take over your account if it doesn't.

A red flag is a contract that ties you to the company whoever ends up managing you.

Who owns your accounts, and how will you stay informed?

The last 2 questions protect the accounts and content you've built, and make sure you always know where your business stands.

14. Who owns my accounts, content and brand relationships if we split?

You should own your handles, logins, content and audience data outright. A good answer is that the manager gets delegated access you can revoke at any time.

A red flag is a manager who keeps your passwords or registers accounts in their own name.

15. What reporting will I get, and how often will we review it?

You should know where every deal stands without chasing anyone. A good answer names the rhythm (a weekly or monthly check-in), what the report shows (offers in progress, signed deals, income by source and payments still owed) and who sends it.

A red flag is a manager who can't show you a sample report, or who only gets in touch when there's a contract to sign.

How do you compare 2 managers' answers?

Score each area from 1 to 3 as you go, then compare totals. A manager who scores low on money or ownership should lose, whatever their roster looks like.

If you'd like to put us through the same 15 questions, you can apply for representation with 1DS.