500 MGMT, a newly launched global creator agency, is focused on helping creators become long-term partners with businesses, says Johan Kristensson, the company’s Managing Director. “The agency was born from a desire to make creators long-term partners of businesses and offer a lot more services and help them grow over time,” Kristensson explains. 

With a decade of experience in influencer marketing, most recently leading the creator success and relations teams for Europe at RewardStyle (now LTK), Kristensson sees long-term viability in agency-creator relationships as “the most effective and fun way to work together.” He emphasizes that the relationship should provide creators with “a lot of help, support, but also growth and fair monetization across current channels, but also across all the multiple new channels that exist today.”

The “500” in the agency’s name reflects their commitment, with Kristensson noting “We want to make it tangible. We don’t want to have someone come in and then not knowing how long we’re going to invest or keep the relationship going. So for us, it’s a minimum of 500 days commitment to a creator’s success – unique in the industry.”

In addition to offering creators 12 different monetization channels, 500 MGMT provides each creator with a dedicated team, including a creator manager, a creative strategist, and a PR manager “to really help growth and help their brand presence in a very real way,” says Kristensson. 500 MGMT aims to have a “symbiotic relationship with creators, meaning there’s no hidden agenda.The more we can help the creator become successful, the more successful we will be.”

500 MGMT Customizes Growth and helps Creators find ways to generate more revenue. 

When it comes to helping creators grow their businesses and revenue, 500 MGMT doesn’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach, “We really customize a plan for each creator,” says Kristensson. “Depending on your accent makeup as a creator, the format you’re using, the channels you’re using, we tailor a way to help fuel growth, help fuel monetization based on that,” he explains. For example, the agency might challenge a video creator active on TikTok to expand to YouTube, providing guidance on optimizing content, writing effective headlines and descriptions, and using affiliate links to drive monetization from day one. “We help you get set up and we help you with the basics of how to optimize your content from day one in terms of growth,” says Kristensson.

PR services are another key offering, but Kristensson emphasizes that the agency focuses on quality over quantity. “It’s not just coverage on different sites or media outlets. Our PR ensures that those articles are strategically optimized to drive traffic and interest,” he notes. 

The agency’s commitment to each creator is reflected in its unique 500-day success plan, which starts with establishing a baseline of the creator’s current audience, engagement, and revenue, then setting growth and income targets. “We want to know what’s your revenue target like, how much money would you want to be making after 500 days. What other aspirations do you have?” Kristensson says. The agency then builds a customized plan to help the creator reach those goals, with regular check-ins to monitor progress and make adjustments as needed.

Ultimately, Kristensson says the agency aims to ensure creators are fairly compensated for the value they deliver to brands and businesses. “A lot of times creators are pulling massive number of sales and traffic and signups and just in general value to businesses, but not getting rewarded for it”, he explains. “So we want to make sure that our creators become aware of how this relationship works and get fairly rewarded for that traffic they produce.” To support this, 500 MGMT offers creators 12 monetization channels, customized to each individual’s comfort level and content. “We’ll never push someone to do something they don’t feel comfortable doing,” Kristensson emphasizes. “And I think that’s because we as a business, recognize that the most important aspect and value a creator has is their ability to build relationships with an audience. You should never touch that.”

How 500 MGMT Helps Creators Thrive in a Dynamic Industry

“All I know is that you have to stay on top of things, it’s always changing,” says Kristensson, “If someone ever tells you I’m an expert in influencer marketing, that really doesn’t mean anything, because that just means that you’re humble enough to understand that it’s always changing.” To keep up with the latest trends and platform updates, 500 MGMT has a dedicated strategist whose “entire job is to think about how are things today? How are things going to evolve? What kind of formats are going to come out? How do we optimize the existing content to shape that format?” he explains.

His advice for creators looking to grow their audiences? Embrace the newest features and formats rolled out by established social platforms. “I know people have been obsessed with trying to game the Instagram algorithm, for instance. But the truth is, if Instagram just launched stories, that’s where they’re going to put growth. If Instagram just launched reels, that’s where I’m going to put growth,” he says. Kristensson acknowledges that pivoting to new formats can be daunting for creators, especially those with large, established audiences on a particular platform. “It’s scary when you have an established channel and someone else pushes you or you try to go out and try something new and start from almost like scratch,” he says. “But I think it’s really rewarding over time.”

Ultimately, Kristensson believes 500 MGMT’s strength lies in the diversity of its creator roster, which spans a wide range of verticals from fashion and beauty to astrology and pet accounts. “We see that as a strength to be able to capture a wide range of value from various verticals and brand partners and maybe even promoting creators to brand partners to widen the perspective of our brand partners to work with different kinds of creators,” he says. 

Building a Creator-Centric Ecosystem: Kristensson’s Hopes and Guidance

Looking ahead, Kristensson would like to see the development of a platform that helps creators be more fairly compensated for their work. “In my opinion, there are many creators that don’t know what to do, how to handle conversations with brands, how to handle things like negotiations, or understand the value and the impact. But they’re doing the hard work”, he begins. 

Kristensson envisions a site where creators could input data about their audience and engagement and receive guidance on what they should be earning and which brands to work with. “I wish there was like a site you could plug into where you would get an instant number. ‘Here’s how you should be fairly rewarded and here are some brands you could work with’”, he explains.

In the meantime, his advice for aspiring creators looking to expand their reach and revenue is to seek out agencies that grant them full creative freedom, invest time in the relationship from the very first interaction, and proactively help them diversify their businesses. “Look at how much time and care an agency spends initially to bring you on board,” Kristensson suggests. “We will have multiple touch points with creators even before they join. We believe that any sort of relationship will start with the first touchpoint and evolve from there.” He also advises creators to look for an agency ready to “lock arms with you to challenge you into expanding your business,” whether that means exploring new monetization channels, optimizing their presence on various platforms, or launching new ventures like a podcast.

Above all, Kristensson wants creators to know their worth and not be afraid to seek out opportunities to grow their income. “You deserve it,” he says. “And don’t be afraid to make money.”