Influencer marketing has reached a point where simply hiring an agency is no longer enough. As budgets tighten and performance expectations rise, brands are being forced to scrutinize not just creators, but the agencies that sit between strategy and execution.
The result is a growing gap between what brands expect from influencer partnerships and what many agencies are actually equipped to deliver.
These challenges were explored directly during a recent Influencer Marketing Hub event led by Ryan Hilliard, CEO of Influencer Marketing Hub, in conversation with Taylor Adams, co-founder and CEO of The Creative Agency based in Boston.
Taylor brings a dual perspective to the discussion, having built her agency around creator-first representation while also working closely with hundreds of brands navigating influencer strategy at scale.
Rather than focusing on surface-level trends, the conversation centered on real operational friction points, from creator performance mismatches and pricing misunderstandings to shifting platform value and changing brand expectations.
The insights shared reflect what is happening now, not what worked a few years ago.
- Agencies Should Know the Difference Between Awareness Creators and Conversion Creators
- Agencies Should Defend Creator Selection With Data, Not Choose on Aesthetics
- Agencies Must Push Back on Ineffective Campaign Structures
- Agencies Should Clarify the Difference Between Retainers and One-Off Deals
- Agencies Must Protect Creator Authenticity While Serving Brand Goals
- Agencies Must Explain Creator Pricing to Brands
- Agencies Must Actively Rebalance Platform Strategies for Brands
- Agencies Must Leverage Underused Channels to Extend Performance
- Unlocking the Secret to Choosing the Right Influencer Marketing Agency
- Frequently Asked Questions
Agencies Should Know the Difference Between Awareness Creators and Conversion Creators
As performance expectations increase, one of the clearest indicators of agency maturity is whether it can separate awareness-led creators from conversion-led creators. This distinction has become more visible as affiliate attribution and TikTok Shop reporting push brands to expect measurable outcomes from influencer partnerships.
Agencies working closest to creators are increasingly required to explain why two creators with similar reach can deliver radically different results. The difference is not content quality or effort, but how an audience is conditioned to engage.
Some audiences actively shop through links and storefronts, while others engage deeply with content without transacting directly.
Why Audience Priming Matters More Than Creator Format
During the event, it was noted that some creators consistently drive affiliate revenue because their audiences already expect product discovery and purchasing behavior from them.
Others maintain high engagement but function primarily as top-of-funnel visibility drivers. These are not interchangeable roles, and agencies that treat them as such often misalign campaign goals.
The challenge arises when brands request conversion metrics from creators whose audience behavior does not support direct sales. In those situations, agencies must be willing to pause execution and reframe expectations.
One example discussed involved brands pushing for performance benchmarks despite being advised that the creator’s audience historically did not convert via affiliate links.
What Brands Should Expect Agencies to Do Differently
Agencies should be able to clearly explain:
- Which creators on their roster are optimized for commerce-driven campaigns
- Which creators are better suited for awareness and consideration
- How platform context influences audience behavior
- Why follower count alone is insufficient for performance prediction
An agency’s value is not in promising conversions from every creator, but in helping brands select the right creator for the right outcome. As emphasized during the discussion, not every creator is appropriate for every campaign, and effective agencies build a strategy around reality rather than working around it.
For brands evaluating agencies, the key signal is whether creator recommendations are grounded in audience behavior and historical performance, not surface-level metrics or convenience.
Agencies Should Defend Creator Selection With Data, Not Choose on Aesthetics
A second major signal of agency quality is whether creator recommendations are backed by performance data rather than visual fit or follower count. Despite years of education in influencer marketing, many brands still default to size as a proxy for effectiveness, even when evidence suggests otherwise.
Agencies operating close to creators increasingly encounter resistance when presenting smaller creators with strong conversion histories.
During the discussion, it was highlighted that brands often dismiss creators with limited followings even when presented with clear affiliate performance data. This disconnect reveals how deeply ingrained vanity metrics remain in brand decision-making.
Why Follower Count Still Skews Brand Judgment
Follower count is easy to compare and easy to justify internally. Conversion data is more nuanced and requires context. Agencies that rely on aesthetics or reach alone often do so because it simplifies the pitch, not because it improves outcomes.
One point raised during the event was the frustration agencies face when brands request creators with arbitrary minimum follower thresholds, even after being shown concrete revenue results from smaller accounts. In these cases, the agency’s role shifts from facilitator to educator.
What Real Creator Vetting Looks Like in Practice
Agencies that prioritize performance approach creator selection differently. Instead of leading with audience size, they emphasize:
- Historical affiliate or commerce performance
- Audience purchasing behavior
- Platform specific strengths
- Consistency of engagement relative to audience size
Taylor Adams directly addressed this gap when discussing how often brands ignore clear performance indicators in favor of scale. Her position was not that large creators lack value, but that size without intent is a poor predictor of results.
What Brands Should Look for When Evaluating Agencies
Brands should expect agencies to:
- Justify creator recommendations using audience and performance context
- Push back on size-based requirements when they conflict with campaign goals
- Explain tradeoffs between reach, engagement, and revenue
- Present creators as strategic assets, not interchangeable inventory
An agency that cannot clearly articulate why a creator was selected beyond visual alignment or follower count is unlikely to deliver consistent performance. Strong agencies treat creator selection as a data-informed decision, not a subjective preference.
Agencies Must Push Back on Ineffective Campaign Structures
One of the most telling indicators of an agency’s strategic value is whether it is willing to challenge brand assumptions about how influencer campaigns should be structured. Agencies that simply execute what is requested may appear efficient, but they often enable inefficient spend.
During the discussion, it was made clear that single-creator, single-post campaigns are one of the most common sources of disappointment for brands. The issue is not creator quality, but structure.
Algorithms are unpredictable, audience exposure is inconsistent, and expecting one piece of content to deliver meaningful impact ignores how platforms actually distribute content.
Why One-Off Activations Often Underperform
It was emphasized that when brands pursue one-off activations, success depends on volume and repetition, not individual posts. Referencing historical brand behavior, the conversation highlighted how some brands achieved recall not by deep creator partnerships, but by appearing everywhere within a specific vertical.
The effectiveness came from frequency, not novelty.
Agencies that understand this dynamic do not recommend isolated creator activations unless they are part of a broader deployment. Instead, they encourage brands to work with multiple creators in the same category to reinforce messaging through repetition.
The Agency’s Responsibility to Reframe the Ask
A recurring theme was that agencies must be comfortable saying no, or at least not exactly. When brands propose a single high-budget creator post and expect outsized results, agencies should intervene and explain why the structure is misaligned with platform realities.
This is where agency incentives matter. Agencies focused on short-term revenue may accept inefficient campaigns. Agencies focused on long-term performance are more likely to propose alternative structures, even if it means smaller individual deals.
What Brands Should Expect From a Strategic Agency
Brands evaluating agencies should look for partners who:
- Explain the limitations of single-post activations
- Recommend creator clustering when pursuing awareness
- Distinguish between tactical launches and sustained campaigns
- Optimize for message frequency rather than one-time exposure
An agency that never pushes back is not protecting brand outcomes. The strongest agencies act as strategic filters, ensuring campaign structures align with how influencer marketing actually works.
Agencies Should Clarify the Difference Between Retainers and One-Off Deals
A critical differentiator between transactional agencies and strategic partners is how they approach retainer-based creator relationships versus one-off activations. While both models can be effective, agencies must understand when each is appropriate and how performance compounds over time.
During the discussion, it was clearly stated that one-off deals and retainers require entirely different strategies. One-off campaigns rely on scale and repetition across creators, while retainers rely on continuity, trust, and audience familiarity.
Agencies that treat these models interchangeably often struggle to deliver consistent results.
Why Retainers Change Performance Dynamics
Retainer partnerships work because they align with how audiences process brand exposure. It was noted that consumers typically need multiple exposures before making a purchase decision. Retainers allow creators to integrate products into their ongoing content naturally, rather than repeatedly introducing the same brand as a standalone sponsorship.
This repeated integration reduces creative fatigue and increases credibility, provided creators retain control over how the brand appears. Agencies that manage retainers effectively encourage creators to incorporate products into existing content formats rather than repeating scripted messaging.
When One-Off Deals Still Make Sense
The conversation also acknowledged that one-off deals are not inherently ineffective. They can work when deployed across multiple creators within the same vertical, creating frequency through breadth rather than duration.
The key is that agencies must structure these campaigns intentionally, not treat them as isolated activations.
What Brands Should Ask Agencies About Partnership Models
Brands evaluating agencies should ask:
- How do you decide when a retainer is more appropriate than a one-off?
- How do you prevent diminishing returns in long-term partnerships?
- How do you measure performance across multiple months?
- How do creators integrate brands without repetitive messaging?
Agencies that can answer these questions clearly demonstrate an understanding of influencer marketing as a long-term relationship channel, not a series of disconnected transactions.
Agencies Must Protect Creator Authenticity While Serving Brand Goals
A common failure point in influencer campaigns is not creator selection or platform choice, but how much control brands exert over the content itself.
Agencies play a central role in managing this balance, and how they do so directly impacts performance.
Throughout the discussion, it was emphasized that creator-led content consistently outperforms heavily scripted integrations. When creators are forced into rigid talking points, pre-approved language, or unnatural formats, audiences disengage quickly.
Agencies that understand this act as buffers, ensuring brand objectives are met without stripping away the creator’s voice.
Creative Freedom Is a Performance Decision, Not a Creative Preference
One clear takeaway was that creative freedom is not about the creator's ego. It is about outcomes. Creators understand their audiences better than any external stakeholder, including agencies and brands. When creators are allowed to respond to real-time trends, audience sentiment, or ongoing content series, integrations feel natural rather than disruptive.
During the event, it was noted that some long-term brand partnerships succeed specifically because creators are not required to submit content for approval. Instead, creators publish content aligned with their existing formats, and performance remains strong as a result.
This model works because the agency has already aligned expectations on brand safety and goals.
The Agency’s Role as Translator, Not Enforcer
Agencies that deliver strong results typically frame creative guidelines as guardrails, not scripts. They help brands articulate what must be communicated while allowing creators to decide how it appears on their channel.
Taylor Adams explicitly pointed out that creators on retainers who are given autonomy tend to outperform those working under tight controls. Her agency focuses on collaboration, where brands share priorities and creators determine execution.
What Brands Should Look For
When evaluating agencies, brands should assess:
- How creative approvals are handled
- Whether creators retain control over tone and format
- How agencies prevent content from feeling repetitive over time
- How brand safety is maintained without micromanagement
Agencies that default to strict control may feel safer in the short term, but they often sacrifice performance. Strong agencies understand that authenticity is not a risk to manage, but an asset to protect.
Agencies Must Explain Creator Pricing to Brands
How an agency frames creator pricing is one of the strongest indicators of whether it truly understands influencer marketing as a production channel rather than a media buy. Misalignment here often leads to strained relationships, rushed content, and underperformance.
During the discussion, it was made clear that brands frequently underestimate the labor involved in creator deliverables. Requests framed as “quick” or “simple” videos often ignore the reality of the production process.
Concept development, filming, editing, and revisions require significant time, regardless of final video length.
Creators Are Full-Stack Production Teams
A key point raised was that creators effectively replace an entire traditional production crew. When brands pay for a TV or magazine ad, they budget separately for talent, creative direction, filming, editing, and distribution.
With influencers, all of that labor is consolidated into one individual. Agencies that fail to explain this equivalency leave brands with unrealistic expectations.
Taylor Adams addressed this directly when describing how she reframes pricing conversations. Rather than allowing brands to reduce rates based on video length, her approach focuses on the total effort required to produce quality content that aligns with brand goals.
Negotiation Should Focus on Deliverables, Not Discounting Labor
Another important insight was how agencies handle budget constraints. When budgets change, effective agencies do not push creators to absorb the loss. Instead, they renegotiate the scope. For example, adjusting formats, reducing deliverable volume, or shifting to lighter-weight placements that still serve the brand’s objective.
Taylor emphasized that flexibility must exist on both sides. Creators are expected to be reasonable, but agencies also have a responsibility to prevent exploitative expectations that undervalue creator time.
What Brands Should Look For in an Agency
Brands evaluating agencies should pay attention to whether:
- Creator pricing is contextualized against production effort
- Budget constraints lead to scope changes, not unpaid labor
- Agencies actively protect creator sustainability
- Negotiations are transparent rather than transactional
Agencies that handle pricing thoughtfully create healthier partnerships, stronger content, and more consistent performance over time.
Agencies Must Actively Rebalance Platform Strategies for Brands
One of the most overlooked indicators of agency effectiveness is whether it actively adjusts platform strategy as market conditions change. Platform value, pricing, and performance are not static, and agencies that rely on outdated assumptions expose brands to unnecessary risk.
During the discussion, it was noted that brands are currently paying significantly less for TikTok activations than in prior years. This shift was directly tied to platform uncertainty and the possibility of regulatory disruption.
As a result, creators who once commanded premium TikTok rates are now seeing stronger compensation tied to Instagram deliverables.
This change challenges the common narrative that Instagram is no longer valuable. Despite perceptions of decline, Instagram remains a primary platform for brand investment, and agencies increasingly advise creators to maintain an active presence there, even if TikTok is their main growth channel.
The rationale is not growth alone, but brand willingness to pay.
Platform Strategy Requires Ongoing Reassessment
Beyond Instagram and TikTok, the discussion highlighted increased brand interest in YouTube Shorts. Historically, brands approached YouTube only for large, long-form creators. That dynamic has shifted.
Brands are now evaluating smaller creators on YouTube due to strong distribution, long-term discoverability, and cross-surface exposure.
Facebook Reels was also mentioned as an area where creator growth is accelerating faster than brand adoption. Agencies that monitor these discrepancies can give brands early access to performance before platforms become saturated.
Taylor Adams emphasized that many of these shifts have occurred within a six-month window. Agencies that fail to reassess platform value regularly risk anchoring brand strategy to outdated assumptions.
What Brands Should Expect From Agencies
Brands should evaluate whether agencies:
- Adjust creator pricing recommendations by platform
- Advise against overexposure to high-risk platforms
- Identify emerging performance channels early
- Treat platform selection as a strategic decision, not a habit
An agency’s ability to rebalance platform strategy is a direct reflection of how closely it tracks the influencer ecosystem.
Agencies Must Leverage Underused Channels to Extend Performance
Strong agencies do not rely exclusively on primary social feeds to drive results. Instead, they look for incremental performance gains through underutilized distribution channels that require minimal additional effort.
One example discussed was Pinterest. Pinterest allows creators to claim their Instagram accounts and automatically distribute recent and future content onto the platform.
This creates additional exposure and search visibility without requiring creators to produce or manually repurpose new content.
Why Passive Distribution Matters
What makes this approach valuable is efficiency. Creators are often constrained by time, and brands are sensitive to production costs. Platforms that enable passive or automated distribution allow agencies to extend content lifespan without increasing workload.
Pinterest is particularly effective for discoverability because content behaves more like search than feed-based social media. This allows influencer content to resurface long after it is published, creating longer-term value than traditional short-form posts.
How This Reflects Agency Maturity
Agencies that recommend channels like Pinterest demonstrate a deeper understanding of content economics. Rather than pushing for more deliverables, they optimize the reach of existing assets.
Brands should assess whether agencies:
- Identify low-effort, high-upside distribution opportunities
- Extend content beyond feed-based visibility
- Prioritize longevity alongside immediacy
- Add value without increasing creator burden
Underused channels are not secondary. They are often where marginal gains compound over time, and agencies that recognize this provide strategic advantages brands rarely get from transactional partners.
Unlocking the Secret to Choosing the Right Influencer Marketing Agency
Selecting the right influencer marketing agency goes far beyond just a portfolio of creators. It’s about strategic fit, data-driven decision-making, and long-term performance.
The best agencies don’t just match brands with influencers—they actively manage platform dynamics, creator authenticity, and creator sustainability while delivering measurable results.
As brands face increasing pressure to prove ROI, agencies must shift from traditional models to more nuanced, adaptable strategies. From pricing negotiations to understanding creator roles, brands should demand clarity, data-backed decisions, and proactive strategy from their agency partners.
Only then can they ensure lasting success in an ever-evolving influencer landscape.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can brands objectively compare influencer marketing agencies before hiring one?
Brands can reduce bias by evaluating agencies on tooling, reporting depth, and creator discovery workflows, especially those supported by influencer marketing platforms that standardize data across campaigns.
What separates agencies that scale successfully from those that stall early?
Operational maturity is often the dividing line, particularly around process design, creator vetting, and client expectations, which becomes clear when looking at how teams start an influencer agency with structure instead of opportunism
How should brands measure influencer campaigns beyond engagement metrics?
Modern evaluation increasingly focuses on attribution, audience behavior, and downstream actions, which is why brands are reassessing how they measure influencer campaigns across platforms and timeframes.
Why do brands struggle to prove influencer marketing ROI internally?
The challenge often stems from mismatched KPIs and short measurement windows, making it essential to align reporting with realistic influencer marketing ROI frameworks that reflect funnel impact rather than isolated posts.
What responsibilities should brands expect an influencer marketing agency to own?
Beyond creator sourcing, agencies are expected to manage strategy, negotiation, performance tracking, and risk mitigation, all core to understanding what influencer agencies do in a mature marketing stack.
How does TikTok change the way agencies plan influencer campaigns?
TikTok’s discovery-first algorithm and commerce integrations require different creator selection and content pacing, which is why many brands reassess strategy using a TikTok influencer marketing lens.
Why does Instagram still matter to influencer agencies despite platform fatigue?
Brand investment remains strong due to established ad formats and creator familiarity, reinforcing why agencies continue prioritizing influencer marketing on Instagram for consistency and monetization.
How can influencer marketing support broader business growth goals?
When aligned with product launches, paid media, and lifecycle marketing, influencer programs become scalable growth drivers, especially when brands understand grow your business use cases beyond awareness.
