Influencer marketing agencies, compared
An influencer marketing agency plans, negotiates, runs and measures paid partnerships between brands and creators. This directory covers 16 of them, plus 2 software platforms — what each is actually good at, where it is based, and who it has worked for. No agency pays to be here.
- Agencies profiled
- 16
- Brand campaigns documented
- 12
- Listings removed in the audit
- 8
16 influencer marketing agencies
Every entry was checked against the agency's own site in July 2026. Eight listings that appeared on the previous version of this page had been acquired, renamed, repositioned or shut down — those are listed with what happened to them.
| Agency | Best for | Based in | Founded | Notable clients |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HireInfluence | Full-service campaigns for large consumer brands | Austin, TX | 2011 | Walmart, Target and McDonald's |
| Viral Nation | Talent representation plus brand-side campaigns | Toronto, Canada | 2014 | — |
| The Influencer Marketing Factory | Short-form video: TikTok, Reels, Shorts | Miami, FL | 2018 | — |
|
IMA Network-owned |
Fashion, beauty and lifestyle across Europe | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 2015 | Diesel, NIVEA and Tommy Hilfiger |
|
Brainlabs Network-owned |
Influencer inside a full media agency | London, UK | — | Netflix, Hilton and AT&T |
| Carusele | Guaranteed-delivery campaigns for retail and CPG | Cary, NC | — | Revlon, Jared and Tyson |
|
Obviously Network-owned |
Always-on ambassador programmes at scale | New York, NY | — | Google, Amazon and Ulta |
| Open Influence | Data-led discovery and in-house production | Los Angeles, CA | 2013 | Uber, Amazon and Mercedes-Benz |
| Linqia | Performance-based campaigns for CPG and grocery | San Francisco, CA | 2012 | Albertsons, Danone and Bayer |
| Ignite Social Media | Social media management with influencer attached | Cary, NC | 2007 | Dell, IKEA and Gillette |
| August United | Audience-first programmes for retail and grocery | Tempe, AZ | — | Kroger, Circle K and Microsoft |
| Amra & Elma | Influencer plus PR and media buying | New York, NY | — | Procter & Gamble, Wells Fargo and Netflix |
| Runway Influence | Luxury, hospitality and lifestyle | Los Angeles, CA | — | McLaren, Adidas and Urban Outfitters |
| VAMPPED | Travel, wellness and experiential | Los Angeles, CA | — | — |
| INF Agency | Boutique talent management | Los Angeles, CA | — | DoorDash, Mejuri and KitchenAid |
| NoGood | Growth marketing, influencer as one channel | New York, NY | 2017 | Nike, TikTok and Intuit |
Platforms, not agencies
These sell software rather than people. They belong in the same decision — plenty of brands run creator programmes in-house on a platform instead of hiring out — but comparing them against agencies on price is comparing a tool to a team.
What an influencer marketing agency actually does
An influencer marketing agency sits between a brand and the creators it wants to work with. The work divides into five jobs, and the reason agencies exist is that the middle three are slow, unglamorous and easy to get legally wrong.
- Strategy — deciding which platforms, which creator tiers and which campaign format fit the objective. A product that needs demonstrating wants long-form video; one that needs to look desirable wants stills.
- Sourcing and vetting — finding creators whose audience is real, whose engagement is not purchased, and whose back catalogue will not embarrass you in eighteen months.
- Negotiation and contracting — rates, exclusivity, usage rights, approval rights, disclosure obligations, and what happens when a creator misses a deadline.
- Production — briefing, reviewing and sometimes shooting the content.
- Measurement — attributing what happened to what was spent.
Most agencies claim all five. The differences that matter are which ones they are genuinely good at, whether they represent the creators they recommend, and whether they will contract on outcomes or only on delivery.
Bigger audiences engage less. That is the whole trade-off.
Creators are grouped into tiers by audience size, and the single most useful thing to know about those tiers is that the two bars below run in opposite directions. As reach goes up, the share of that audience who actually respond goes down.
A person with a real-life following — a local trainer, a hobbyist, a parent with an engaged group of friends. Comments read like conversations between people who know each other. Watch for: You need a lot of them to reach any scale, and managing fifty relationships is a job.
A specialist with a defined subject — cast-iron cooking, marathon training, a specific console. The best balance on this ladder: enough reach to matter, enough trust to convert. Watch for: Quality varies wildly. This is the tier where vetting earns its keep.
A full-time creator with a production routine and, usually, a manager. Professional delivery. Briefs get followed and deadlines get met. Watch for: Rates jump here, and so does the number of other brands in the feed.
A recognised name inside their category, often with an agent. Reach in a single post, and a name that lends the brand credibility. Watch for: Audiences are broad, so a rising share of the people you pay for do not care.
A celebrity, or a creator who has become one. Mass awareness fast, and coverage of the partnership itself. Watch for: You are buying reach, not trust. Expect the lowest engagement rate on the ladder.
Audience size, log scale Engagement rate — teal is stronger
How the category works
Six explainers covering the decisions a brand makes before it signs anything.
Creator tiers
Nano to mega, what each tier costs, and why engagement falls as audience grows.
Campaign types
Gifting, paid posts, affiliate, whitelisting, ambassadors and takeovers — and when each one fits.
Pricing
Creator rates by tier, how agencies charge on top, and where budgets actually go.
Measurement
Reach, engagement, EMV and conversions — which numbers mean something and which flatter.
Disclosure
What the FTC requires, what each platform requires, and who is liable when it goes wrong.
Choosing an agency
What to ask, what the answers should sound like, and the terms that matter in the contract.
12 brands that ran influencer campaigns
Every campaign here is sourced to a company press release, a company newsroom or named trade press — no figures recycled from agency blog posts. See the full table.
Dunkin'
A named menu item for a single creator
Chipotle
A dance challenge tied to a free-guacamole day
e.l.f. Cosmetics
The first brand to commission an original song for TikTok
Southwest Airlines
Creator videos you could book a flight from
Coca-Cola
Olympic sponsorship routed through creators, not broadcast
Crocs
Scarcity plus an unlikely partner
Questions people ask before hiring
What is an influencer marketing agency?
A company that plans and runs paid partnerships between brands and social media creators. It handles creator sourcing, contracts, campaign management and reporting, in exchange for a fee or a percentage of campaign spend.
Should I hire an agency or buy a platform?
Buy a platform if you have someone in-house who will run the programme week to week; the software finds and pays creators but does not do the work. Hire an agency if you do not, or if the campaign needs negotiation, production or legal review you cannot staff.
What does influencer marketing cost?
Creator fees run from roughly $100 for a micro-influencer post to five figures for a creator with over a million followers, and agencies charge on top — typically a management fee or 15 to 30 percent of creator spend. Full pricing breakdown.
Are micro-influencers better than celebrities?
For conversion, usually yes; for awareness, usually no. Micro-influencers engage a higher share of a smaller audience, which is why they cost less per result and more per person reached. See how the tiers compare.
Who is responsible if an influencer post is not disclosed properly?
Both the brand and the creator. The FTC has pursued advertisers for their creators' undisclosed endorsements, and an agency that briefs a campaign without disclosure requirements is exposing its client. What the rules require.