What does an influencer marketing agency do (and agency vs platform)?

What does an influencer marketing agency actually do?

An influencer marketing agency runs creator campaigns for a brand. It sets the strategy, finds and vets creators, negotiates fees and usage rights, manages briefs, approvals and posting, then reports on results. The same work is sold as 'influencer marketing services', and the firms selling it are often called influencer marketing companies or simply influencer companies.

Few brands hand over everything. Influencer Marketing Hub's latest benchmark survey found that creator discovery and vetting is the job brands most often outsource to agencies. Reporting and analytics is outsourced least, at 6.9% of selections. In other words, brands pay agencies for extra capacity but keep the performance numbers themselves. The cards below cover each service in the order a campaign runs.

Strategy and planning

The agency turns your goal into a plan. That goal might be launch awareness, sales or content for ads. The plan sets the platforms, creator tiers, number of creators, budget split and KPIs. Good agencies push back on vague goals and agree how success will be measured before any creator is contacted.

Creator sourcing and vetting

Agencies build a shortlist from their own network, search tools and creator applications. They then check where each creator's audience is, whether followers and comments are genuine, past sponsored work and brand-safety risks. Ask to see the vetting checklist. Brands outsource this step more than any other, so it should be the agency's strongest skill.

Negotiation and contracting

The agency agrees fees, deliverables, posting dates, exclusivity and usage rights, then issues contracts and pays creators. On a large roster, good negotiation can save more than the agency's fee. Check whether the agency is also paid by the creators it books, because that is a conflict of interest.

Campaign management

Day to day, the agency writes briefs, ships product, chases drafts, gathers your feedback, checks disclosure labels and makes sure posts go live on time. This is where most of the hours go. With dozens of creators, the coordination alone can outgrow a small in-house team.

Content and paid amplification

Many agencies also produce or edit content and secure the rights to reuse it in ads. Some run whitelisted ads or Spark Ads, which are paid ads posted from the creator's own account. If you plan to put paid budget behind creator videos, confirm the agency can buy media as well as book creators.

Reporting

At the end, the agency reports reach, engagement, clicks, code redemptions and sales against the agreed KPIs, with recommendations for the next round. Insist on raw data and access to tracking links, not just a slide deck. That way you can check the numbers yourself.

How do you build an influencer marketing strategy (step by step)

How do you choose the best influencer marketing agency?

The best influencer marketing agency for you is one with proven results in your category, a clear process for vetting creators and reports you can check yourself. A high spot on a ranked list is not evidence. Agencies and platforms write many 'top agencies' lists and rank themselves on them, so treat those lists as a longlist and judge each agency on what it can show you.

Match the evidence to your business. E-commerce and beauty brands should ask for case studies that report sales, cost per acquisition or discount-code redemptions, not just reach. Enterprise brands should check that the agency can work across several markets, monitors compliance and fits their procurement and data systems.

Check compliance too. The FTC's Disclosures 101 guidance says free or discounted products create a 'material connection' that creators must disclose. It also says relying on a platform's built-in disclosure tool is not enough on its own. A good agency briefs creators on this and monitors every post.

Case studies in your category

Ask for two or three campaigns for brands like yours, such as a UK skincare or supplement DTC launch. Each should show the brief, the creator list, the spend and the results. Vague claims of millions of impressions, with no spend or sales figures, tell you little about what the agency would do for you.

How they vet creators

Ask the agency to walk you through one creator it rejected and why. A credible answer covers fake-follower checks, where the audience lives, engagement quality, conflicts with past brands and content tone. If the answer is just follower count and engagement rate, expect weak matches.

Reporting you can check

Ask for a sample report before you sign. It should tie results to the KPIs you agreed and show cost per post or per sale. It should also hand over the underlying links, codes and platform screenshots, so the data stays yours if you change agency.

Team, fit and size

Find out who will run your account day to day and how many other clients they handle. A small agency focused on beauty or fashion creators may serve a DTC brand better than a global network where your budget is the smallest on the books.

Which type of influencer agency fits your brand?

The right type depends on what you need: a partner to run your campaigns, an agent to give you access to talent, or a specialist to fill one gap. 'Influencer agency' covers several business models, and the search terms overlap, so check which side of the deal an agency works for before you brief it.

Specialist agencies are winning more of this work. The WFA's Effective Influencer Marketing Report found that 79% of multinational brands that use outside partners now work with specialist influencer agencies. For most DTC brands, the choice is between a full-service agency and a micro-influencer specialist. Talent agencies only come into play when you book bigger names.

Full-service influencer marketing agency

Works for the brand and runs campaigns from start to finish, covering strategy, creator sourcing, contracts, content and reporting. This is what most people mean by 'influencer marketing agency' or 'influencer agency'. It suits brands that have budget but little time in-house.

Social media agency with an influencer arm

A social or digital agency that manages your channels and adds creator campaigns on top. Searches for 'social media influencer agency' often lead here. It can join up organic, paid and creator work, but check how deep its creator network really is before you rely on it.

Talent management agency

Represents creators, not brands. It negotiates for the creator and takes a commission on their deals. Brands usually meet talent managers when booking larger creators. A talent agency can get you exclusive talent, but remember its job is to win the creator the best possible fee.

Micro and nano influencer agency

Specialises in running many small creators at once, often through product seeding or affiliate deals. It suits DTC brands that want lots of genuine content and reviews rather than a few big names. Gifted posts still need disclosure: 'Ad' in the UK and '#ad' in the US.

Platform specialists

Some agencies focus on one channel, such as TikTok, Instagram or YouTube, and know its formats, ad tools and shop features in depth. Pick one if a single platform drives most of your sales. Otherwise, a multi-platform agency saves you from managing several partners.

What is a UGC agency and do you need one

How brands use influencer agencies

• 66.3% of marketers run influencer programmes entirely in-house, without an agency.
• 10.7% rely fully on a dedicated influencer marketing agency; the same share use a hybrid model.
• 35.4% name rising creator costs as their leading influencer marketing challenge.
• 56.5% of reported fraud and quality issues are fake or bot followers, which makes vetting essential.

Source: Influencer Marketing Hub, Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report, 2026

How much does an influencer marketing agency cost?

Most agencies charge in one of two ways. The first is a monthly retainer, typically £3,000-10,000 or $3,000-10,000 (industry range). The second is a management fee of typically 15-25% of creator spend (industry range). Creator fees are usually paid on top. Some agencies quote per project or add performance bonuses tied to sales.

Ask what the fee covers. Creator fees, paid ad budget, product and shipping, and longer usage rights are often billed separately. Compare proposals on the total cost per campaign, not the headline fee. A low retainer with a high mark-up on creator or media spend can cost more than a higher flat fee.

Monthly retainer

A fixed monthly fee, typically £3,000-10,000 or $3,000-10,000 (industry range), for an agreed scope. That scope might be strategy, a set number of creators and monthly reporting. Retainers suit always-on programmes. Check the minimum term and notice period before you sign, as they vary between agencies.

Percentage of spend

A management fee of typically 15-25% of creator spend (industry range), added to what creators are paid. The fee grows with the campaign, which suits short launch bursts. It also gives the agency a reason to recommend bigger budgets. Ask for creator fees to be shown separately and without a mark-up.

Project fee

A single price for a defined campaign, such as a product launch with a fixed number of creators and posts. It is easy to budget and easy to compare between agencies. Make sure the quote lists deliverables, usage rights and revision rounds, and what happens if a creator drops out.

Performance-linked fees

Part of the fee depends on results, such as sales through discount codes or affiliate links. This lines up the agency's interests with an e-commerce brand's, but it needs reliable tracking agreed upfront. Expect the performance element to sit on top of a base fee rather than replace it.

Should you use an agency or an influencer platform?

Use an agency if you lack the time or team to manage creators yourself. Use a platform or marketplace if someone in-house can brief, approve and pay creators. Either way, you are trading control and cost against hours saved.

Most brands now keep the work in-house. According to Influencer Marketing Hub's benchmark report, 66.33% of respondents run their influencer programmes entirely in-house, and 10.71% rely fully on an agency. Many of the rest outsource just one bottleneck.

Some brands want vetted creators without paying a retainer, for example UK and US beauty, skincare, supplement, fashion and food DTC brands. A managed marketplace such as #Collabz is built for them, with briefs, usage rights and payments handled in one place.

Agency: best when

You have budget but nobody in-house to manage creators, you need many creators across markets quickly, or you want strategy and content production as well as bookings. You pay for the hours saved and the agency's network. In return, you give up some control over creator relationships and data.

Self-serve platform: best when

You have a person or team who can search for, brief, approve and pay creators, and you want to own every relationship. A software subscription costs less than a retainer, but the hours move to your team. Budget that internal time honestly.

Managed marketplace: best when

You want vetted creators, with briefs, rights and payments handled in the platform, but no retainer, and you are happy to review applicants yourself. It sits between the other two options. It takes less work than software alone and gives you more control and lower fixed costs than an agency.

Hybrid: best when

You keep strategy, creator relationships and reporting in-house, and outsource one bottleneck to an agency or marketplace, such as creator vetting or content production. Many brands already work this way, and it keeps your performance data under your control.

What is a creator marketplace and how does it compare to an agency or an influencer platform

What should you ask an agency before you sign?

Ask questions that show how the agency finds creators, what you will own and how it proves results. Get the answers in writing, and compare two or three agencies on the same questions before you sign.

Ask how the agency handles disclosure. The ASA and CMA influencers' guide treats free products as payment. That means gifted posts still need a clear 'Ad' label upfront in the UK, and the creator and the brand are both responsible for getting it right. In the US, the creator's connection to the brand must be disclosed clearly, for example with '#ad'. Agencies working on your behalf share that duty, so their briefs and checks matter.

Who owns the creator relationships?

Ask whether you can contact creators directly, keep working with them if you leave the agency, and see what they are actually paid. Some agencies tie creators to their own contracts, which makes switching agencies costly. Agree this in the contract before the first campaign.

What exactly is in the fee?

Get a line-by-line breakdown covering the management fee, creator fees, product and shipping, paid ad budget, content editing and extensions to usage rights. Ask whether creator fees are passed on at cost or marked up, and whether the agency also takes commission from creators.

Who owns the content and usage rights?

Confirm how long you can reuse creator content, on which channels, and whether paid ads are included. Ask who holds the licence, you or the agency, and what an extension costs once the original term ends.

How will you report, and how often?

Agree the KPIs, how often you get reports and what they look like before launch. Ask for live access to tracking links, discount codes and raw platform data. That way your numbers survive a change of agency and can be checked against your own analytics.

What happens if a creator underdelivers?

Ask what the agency does when a post misses its date, ignores the brief or performs far below expectations. Options include replacement posts, reduced fees or swapping in another creator. A clear answer shows the agency has handled problems before rather than leaving you to absorb the cost.

How do you handle disclosure and compliance?

Ask how the agency briefs creators on ad labels, checks every post before and after it goes live, and fixes mistakes. Supplement and skincare brands need extra care, because any claim about the product must be backed by evidence as well as labelled as an ad.

Sources and further reading

• ASA and CMA, Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads — Advertising Standards Authority
• Disclosures 101: New FTC resources for social media influencers — Federal Trade Commission
• Recommendations for how to do better influencer marketing — World Federation of Advertisers
• Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2026 — Influencer Marketing Hub
• Influencer Marketing Hub, 35 Influencer Marketing Statistics on Budgets, ROI, AI, and Platforms, 2026
• Spherical Insights, reprint of the Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2026
• ASA and CMA, Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads, 2023

Frequently asked questions

What are influencer services?

Influencer services are the tasks an agency or freelancer handles to run creator partnerships for a brand. They cover strategy, finding and vetting creators, negotiation, contracts, campaign management, content rights and reporting. Agencies sell them as a full package or one at a time, such as vetting only.

Do you need a TikTok influencer marketing agency?

Only if TikTok drives most of your sales and nobody in-house knows its formats, Spark Ads and TikTok Shop affiliate tools. A TikTok specialist moves faster on trends. A multi-platform agency is simpler if you also run Instagram and YouTube creators.

What does an Instagram influencer agency do differently?

An Instagram-focused agency knows Reels, Stories, collab posts and the Paid partnership label. It can also run creator content as ads from the creator's own account. Choose one if Instagram is your main channel, and ask for Instagram case studies with sales or code data, not just likes.

When is a YouTube influencer marketing agency worth it?

It is worth it when you sell a product people research before buying, such as skincare devices, supplements or tech, which benefits from long demos and reviews. YouTube videos take longer to make and cost more per creator. A specialist who knows typical sponsorship deals and prices on YouTube can save you time and budget.

What is a creator agency?

A creator agency, or content creator agency, usually means one of two things. It is either a talent agency that represents creators, or an agency that supplies creators to make content for brands. Check which before you brief them. If you mainly need ad-ready videos rather than posts, a UGC agency may fit better.

What does an influencer management agency do for brands?

An influencer management agency usually represents creators and negotiates their brand deals. For brands, it controls access to its roster rather than giving neutral advice. Its value to a brand comes from that access: it can secure exclusive or hard-to-reach talent quickly, but its fees reflect its job of getting the creator the highest rate.

How do you choose a B2B influencer marketing agency?

Look for experience with LinkedIn, YouTube and podcast creators, industry experts and long sales cycles. Ask for case studies measured in leads or sales pipeline rather than reach. Consumer-focused agencies rarely have the right creator networks for B2B buyers.

What software do influencer marketing agencies use?

Most agencies use SaaS influencer marketing platforms for finding creators, checking audience quality, outreach, contracts, payments and reporting, sometimes alongside affiliate tracking software. Ask which tools an agency uses and whether you get access to the data. Brands can often buy the same software directly.

How do you start an influencer marketing agency?

Pick a niche, such as beauty or supplements, and build a network of vetted creators. Run two or three low-cost campaigns to create case studies with real results. Then set clear pricing (retainer, project fee or percentage of spend), use standard contracts covering usage rights and disclosure, and invest in reporting, because good reporting is what keeps clients.

Can an agency manage athlete partnerships and takeovers?

Yes. Sports-focused agencies and talent managers broker athlete endorsements, awareness campaigns and social media takeovers. They handle contracts, image rights and any restrictions set by teams or leagues. Endorsements are paid relationships, so posts still need clear disclosure, and takeovers need agreed rules on account access and approvals.