Digital creator Toyosi Etim-Effiong has highlighted the importance of professional talent management in helping African content creators turn their audience and creativity into sustainable income.
In a post shared on Facebook, Toyosi used a hypothetical scenario to show how a creator could land a ₦1.5 million brand deal after a viral video, only to later discover that another creator with fewer followers secured a ₦15 million deal from the same brand.
According to her, the major difference could be the presence of a professional manager who understands how to negotiate the commercial value of a creator’s work.
“Your creativity got you the attention, well done. BUT there was no management in place to attribute the right value to it,” she wrote.
Toyosi’s example follows a creator whose skit records two million views overnight, attracting a brand offer of ₦1.5 million for what is initially described as “a few posts.”
Without a formal contract, the creator agrees to the deal through a DM conversation. The scope of work later expands to six reels, 10 stories and an appearance, while payment is delayed and deductions are made before the creator receives the money.
The creator subsequently discovers that another creator, despite having fewer followers, negotiated a ₦15 million six-month engagement with the same brand.
Toyosi argued that the difference is not always about follower count or viral reach.
“The other guy had a manager who negotiated on his behalf,” she said, stressing that professional representation can help creators negotiate contracts, usage rights, payment structures and the actual scope of a brand partnership.
She also pointed to the importance of securing favourable terms, noting that the hypothetical ₦15 million deal included 70 per cent upfront payment and defined usage rights.
For Toyosi, the situation reflects a wider challenge within Africa’s rapidly expanding creator economy, where talented creators can build significant audiences without necessarily having the business structures needed to monetise them effectively.
She said this is part of the motivation behind TGM Academy, which she described as an initiative focused on training and certifying talent managers who can help turn African creativity into commercial value.
“Until Talent Management is treated as a profession with training and standards, our creators will keep going viral with little to show for it monetarily,” Toyosi said.
Her message ultimately goes beyond how much a creator should charge for a post. It highlights the growing need for professional structures around Africa’s creator economy as influencers, digital creators and other creatives increasingly become commercial businesses.
For creators, going viral may open the door. But knowing how to negotiate what happens after the attention arrives could determine how much money they actually make.
