Insights · For artists · Social media
When does an agency sign you? The criteria in 2026
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At easy artists the threshold sits at roughly 20,000 followers; below that we look only in exceptional cases. Engagement, reliability and a recognisable voice of your own matter more than the number. You pay nothing until we earn: 20 % commission on the gross fee, no signing or set-card charges. Anyone asking for money up front is not working like a serious agency.
How many followers do you need for a talent agency?
With us: around 20,000 across your platforms. That is a guide value, not a turnstile, and it is published on our signing page so you can save yourself a hopeless application. Other agencies draw the line elsewhere; most name no line at all. We think that is a mistake — a threshold nobody knows produces rejections nobody understands.
What does an agency check before signing you?
Five things, and follower count is only the first. Second, engagement rate: are real people replying, or are bots applauding? Third, your voice — after three posts, is it clear what you stand for? Fourth, reliability: deadlines, response times, frequency. Fifth, your existing partnerships, because every brand in your feed is either a reference or a conflict for the next one.
Why is reach alone not enough?
Because brands do not buy reach, they buy effect — and reach is the one thing that can be faked. Purchased followers disqualify you with us immediately, without a second conversation. That sounds harsh; it protects everyone else on the roster. An agency that places an inflated profile burns the trust every one of its artists lives on.
What does an agency cost you?
If it is a serious one: nothing until it delivers. With us it is 20 % commission on the gross fee of a collaboration we place — if you earn nothing, we earn nothing (source: signing and terms, as of 08/2026). There are no signing fees, no set-card packages, no paid mandatory shoots. Such line items are typical of providers that earn from signing you rather than from placing you.
How do you recognise a dubious agency?
By the moment money changes hands — before or after the work. The table sets the patterns side by side as we meet them in first conversations. Again and again someone is sitting across from us who has already paid another operator for a “signing” or a set card, without a single placed collaboration to show for it.
| Question | A sound agency | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| When does money move? | only on a placed, paid collaboration | signing fee, set card, “administration flat rate” up front |
| What is promised? | an assessment and the work — no guarantees | “guaranteed jobs”, “guaranteed growth” |
| How transparent is the commission? | a fixed rate, in the contract and on the website | “depends on the project”, never quantified |
| How long does the contract tie you? | a clear term with notice period | long lock-in without ordinary termination |
| Who owns your content? | you — rights are settled per project | blanket assignment of rights to the agency |
What belongs in a management contract?
At a minimum: what the agency does, the commission rate, the term including notice period, the question of exclusivity, and a rule for the period after the contract ends — what happens to collaborations initiated during the relationship? If one of those is missing, ask before you sign. And have the contract reviewed; that costs less than a bad year.
What do you do with fewer than 20,000 followers?
Build rather than apply — and build substance, not a number. A clear niche, a consistent rhythm and a few small, properly disclosed collaborations move you closer to being signed than any bought spike. What an agency will want to see later is what you are collecting now: results. When you are ready, the route is our application page; before that, read what we do.
Not legal advice: This article sets out practical experience and general information — including where it cites German legislation. It does not replace legal or tax advice on an individual case.