The fact that some partner agencies offer guarantee contracts and others do not, has to do with risk appetite, business model, and predictability. A guarantee contract usually means that you, as a model or influencer, are assured of a certain performance – for example, a minimum number of jobs, a fixed income, or specific earnings within a certain timeframe. For you, that sounds like security, but for the agency, it is a clear economic obligation.

Agencies that offer such guarantees usually have a very stable network of customers and recurring orders. They often work in a structured way in sales, have fixed partnerships with brands and can relatively well estimate how often they can convey a certain profile. This allows them to take a calculated risk. At the same time, some agencies also use guarantee contracts strategically to bind talent more strongly to them and work more planfully with them. Such models are often associated with clear framework conditions, such as a certain exclusivity, fixed availability or specific performance requirements on the part of the model. Guarantee contracts are often offered during the main season and usually only to models who have already been on location and with whom the agency has had good experience.

Other agencies deliberately do not offer guarantee contracts because the industry as a whole is highly volatile and many factors – such as customer budgets, campaign planning, seasonal competition from similarly looking models or market trends – are not fully predictable. These agencies work classically as intermediaries – they bring models and customers together, but do not take on any financial guarantee for the utilization. This gives them more flexibility and reduces the economic risk, but for you as a model, it also means less planning security.

It is noticeable that warranty contracts are regionally different in the international model market. Such models are potentially more common in cities like Seoul and Shanghai. This is due, among other things, to the fact that these markets are very dynamic, campaign-driven, and partly more influenced by commercial productions, where models are intensively scheduled over a certain period of time. Agencies can often better calculate how to utilize a model and are more willing to provide guarantees.

It is important to understand that a warranty contract is not automatically “better”. Although it can provide security, it often comes with more obligations and less freedom. Conversely, an agency without a guarantee can give you more independence, but also requires more initiative on your part and offers a certain degree of uncertainty. Ultimately, it depends on what fits better to your situation and goals: maximum security with clear framework conditions or more flexibility with your own scope of design.