Influencer Advisory™How to select an influencer marketing agency
Founder · October 2, 2026 · 33 min read
Know what you need an agency for
1. Hire one for the creator relationships you do not have.
I don't have the relationships, nor the capacity to go and reach out and convince the right influencers, and so I'd like an agency who has relationships, who can convince this, these people to come in.
a private healthcare clinic, on a call, April 2026
2. Hire one for a channel your own team is not expert in.
the reason we got an agency to help us with TikTok is we needed someone who was an expert in that field, and it was fulfilling a different role.
a travel company, on a call, July 2026
3. Hire one when you cannot manage a large pool of creators yourself.
I don't have, like, the true bandwidth to be dealing with, like, a lot of creators, like a large pool of creators at once.
a shipping software company, on a call, May 2026
4. Doing outreach yourself is slow, and many creators never answer.
Like, personally, it is kind of hard to get in contact with influencers. Typically, we've seen like, people don't respond. It kind of takes a long time, and then it's like not much negotiation.
a telehealth brand, on a call, January 2026
5. Some brands use an agency only to reach the top creators they cannot contact.
We don't hire agencies. Most of the creators, we collaborated this team, but we will have some agencies help us to find some top tier creators that we can't contact before.
a kitchen appliance brand, on a call, January 2026
6. If you run campaigns in-house, you may only need the agency's list of creators.
We are doing all of this internally, so we mostly, what we mostly need from the agencies is the influencer, the list of influencers we, which we could choose from.
a mattress brand, on a call, June 2026
7. Some brands come to an agency after their own creator posts brought no sales.
So neither of them really generated any sales for us. So that's why we're like, okay, let's just work with an actual agency, because y'all know best
a telehealth brand, on a call, April 2026
8. If you are one local franchise, ask for small local creators, not big ones.
If I went and spent 3000 pounds on an influencer in the UK, I'm probably going to be advertising the other 1500 franchisees in [the chain], for example. So we would leave that level of influencer to the brand. For us, we would be looking at micro.
a UK franchise operator, on a call, April 2026
9. A brand selling in several countries may hire a separate agency for each region.
We have just onboard an agency to help with talent in the UK and Ireland and we already have one in the USA.
a vitamin brand, by email, December 2025
When you may not need one
10. If you already run creators in-house and like being hands-on, a fully managed agency may not fit.
We already run our affiliate and creator programs in-house and tend to be pretty hands-on with individual creator relationships and ongoing partnerships, so we’re not actively exploring fully managed campaigns right now.
a kitchen knife brand, by email, January 2026
11. A brand that works only with nano creators may keep it all in-house.
Our current strategy focuses exclusively on working with nano-influencers, and we prefer not to collaborate with agencies as we manage all of our creators partnerships in-house.
a meal replacement brand, by email, January 2026
12. Once you have your own outreach pipeline and over 50 creators, you may not need to pay an agency fee.
I also want to be very clear that our team is not looking to pay an agency fee at this time. We currently have a solid system in place with a reach-out pipeline and over 50 creators.
an online pharmacy, by email, May 2026
13. Hold off when the pricing is outside the range you set for influencer marketing.
For the time being, the pricing is still outside of the range we’re looking to stay within for influencer marketing, so we’re going to hold off on moving forward with an agency partner right now.
a cannabis brand, by email, June 2026
Ask for proof before you sign
14. Talk to a shortlist of agencies, then compare their decks.
We just finished the round of conversations with all pre-selected agencies today. I'm waiting for all the decks to gather the necessary information to share with my Director and CMO.
a shipping software company, by email, June 2026
15. Ask which of the brand names on the agency's website were real partnerships.
I had a look at the website - I saw a lot of case studies and names, but wasn't quite clear which of those were actual partnerships?
a health technology company, by email, September 2026
16. Ask for a client reference or a campaign you can check in public.
It would also be helpful to have a client reference or a publicly verifiable campaign example. We need to assess both the fit and the evidence behind the proposed approach before involving senior stakeholders.
a health technology company, by email, September 2026
17. Your boss will ask for past results or expected numbers, so get them before you pitch it inside.
They're going to want to see some rough understanding of, like, hey, here's previous either case studies that we've done, or here's, you know, some numbers that you guys could expect from this engagement.
a cannabis brand, on a call, June 2026
18. Look for an agency that has already worked in your category.
And they've never done peptides before. So that's why it's like I need to go back to the drawing board and find someone that's been in the space if that's possible.
a peptide telehealth brand, on a call, July 2026
19. In a regulated category, ask how it checks content for compliance.
How do you handle FDA/FTC compliance review on the content side?
a fertility testing brand, by email, May 2026
20. Ask what the agency's relationship is with each creator it puts forward.
could you please clarify your relationship with these influencers? Specifically, are you their direct talent manager, or is your agency the exclusive signing company for these creators?
an online marketplace, by email, February 2026
21. Check whether a creator on the list is already represented by another agency.
I actually looked into him a few weeks ago and saw he was represented by another agency, [another agency]. Any relation with you and them?
a web hosting company, by email, July 2026
22. Check the list against creators you already work with.
Please feel free to share any creators you work with exclusively - unfortunately we have relationships with most of the folks you’ve shared.
a mobile games company, by email, February 2026
23. Check that the creators on the list can reach the views you are being promised.
with this roaster that you gave us, of these five people, only one of them, which is like [one channel], has 200,000 average views. So. So, for example, for us to go to 2 million views, we'd need 10 creators with that average views.
a shipping software company, on a call, June 2026
24. Rerun the agency's projection with your own conversion rates.
Our signup-to-NAU conversion is 3.86%, not the 10% that was used in your original projection.
a shipping software company, by email, June 2026
25. Ask where each number in the projection comes from.
The problem lies with the top-of-funnel assumption. When you updated the number in the spreadsheet (C1) to 2% (average clicks), how did you arrive at that figure? Is this the average CTR from your past campaigns?
a shipping software company, by email, July 2026
26. See the creators before you pay the fee.
We would essentially want to know who would be coming in prior to committing to the $2,500 fee, to ensure their online presence/engagement stats justify the cost - especially since we don't have an existing budget for this.
an ASMR spa, by email, May 2026
Find out how it gets paid
27. Ask how the agency makes money, and whether it takes a cut of the creator's fee.
How do you make money out of it? Like, I know that you said, like, you probably have, like, a take rate if it's a performance based business, or, for example, if it's a flat fee. Do you take anything of the flat fee?
a shipping software company, on a call, May 2026
28. Ask for the price split into the agency fee, creator fees and anything else.
Can you break down the $20-30K/month investment into agency fee vs creator flat fees vs any other costs? My leadership will want to see exactly where the budget goes.
a shipping software company, by email, June 2026
29. If the fee is a percentage, ask what it is a percentage of.
10% commission via impact: What does this mean? How do you measure impact? And 10% from what?
a shipping software company, by email, June 2026
30. On commission deals, ask whether the agency takes part of the creator's commission.
Is the commission paid to the creator, or does your team/agency take a commission?
a kitchen appliance brand, by email, February 2026
31. You can ask to pay creators directly and pay the agency only for its own work.
Regarding payment, we'd like to know if you can invoice us separately for your project management fees (US$7,000) and production fees, and for the influencer fees we will transfer them directly to the influencer.
a rehab clinic, by email, July 2026
32. Compare the agency's creator rates with rates you have already signed.
Can you tell me, why the rates / CPMs are so much higher from the previously shares list? Even looking at [a creator] doesn’t make any sense looking at the rates that we signed the IO with him :) It’s like 5-6 times bigger on your sheet.
a wellness device brand, by email, July 2026
33. You can set the rate for each creator and have the agency negotiate to it.
So I usually discuss a rate with the agencies that I work with, and I say, okay, I'm willing to spend 500 for this specific person, and then they are going back to the influencer with it.
a footwear brand, on a call, January 2026
34. Some brands ask for commission because a flat fee video can bring no sales at all.
for investing four grand into one video, we don't get a single sale. I mean, like, we're just wasting money at that point.
a telehealth brand, on a call, April 2026
35. Watch for deals where you pay a flat fee on top of commission, so all the risk sits with you.
a flat fee structure where the risk sits entirely with us, in addition to the commission and promotion, is not an arrangement we are interested in at this time.
a beauty device brand, by email, February 2026
36. Do not prepay an agency fee before you have seen the creators.
At this stage, we have not yet reviewed the proposed influencers, nor have we committed to paid collaborations. Our standard approach is to begin with barter-based partnerships, and we do not work on a pre-paid agency fee model.
an airport transfer service, by email, February 2026
37. If you only pay for results, say so first, and walk away from agencies that will not.
Regardless of influencer status, mega, macro, to nano, I set up my influencers this way to protect our investment. This doesn’t work for a lot of agencies, and I’ve walked away from everyone of them.
a fitness app, by email, March 2026
Start with a small test
38. Ask what a small test costs, with the agency fee and the creator fees together.
What is the typical budget range for a small test campaign (including both your fee and the fee to the creators)?
a diabetes app, by email, January 2026
39. Test anything new with one or two creators before you scale it.
every time that we agree on testing a new niche or new formats or new channels, it needs to be like an MVP first, so one two creators before we see if it works or not, and then decide on killing it or scaling it.
a hair care brand, on a call, January 2026
40. Use a small first budget to learn how the agency works in practice.
we'd like to take things step by step before committing to a larger campaign. We're thinking of starting with a smaller budget (around €5k) just to test the waters, understand how your process works in practice, and see what kind of results we can generate.
an adult film studio, by email, June 2026
41. Run a 90 day pilot with 10 creators, and replace the ones that do not work.
over that 90 day pilot, we are going to select 10 on the first roaster and then like we're going to do like one post per month with them or we will replace them if they're not going good on the first one.
a shipping software company, on a call, June 2026
42. Stay month to month at first, and lock in longer rates only for creators who work.
I think we should keep it not locked into a three month rate with anybody. Kind of a month to month, and then if we go after the first month or two, then we could potentially identify these are the people we want to see if we could lock in more of a long term rate.
a tactical gear brand, on a call, January 2026
43. Start where you can measure sales, and use that proof for the bigger spend.
my whole theory was that if I could show the investment paid off on the CBD side of things, where I can really track that return on investment, I'll be able to talk to the board and say, listen, this was very successful.
a cannabis brand, on a call, June 2026
Read the contract closely
44. For a first pilot, ask for a 12 month term, not 24.
Clause 2 (Term Length): We would like to set the term to 12 months (rather than 24). Given this is an initial pilot test, a 1-year non-circumvention period is standard for us.
a diabetes app, by email, February 2026
45. Strike open-ended legal fees out of the breach clause.
We are comfortable with the 25% fee as the stipulated remedy for a breach, but we cannot agree to open-ended liability for undefined legal fees.
a diabetes app, by email, February 2026
46. Make the penalty period end when the term ends.
To ensure it matches the 12-month term we agreed on in Clause 2, we need to explicitly limit the remedy period as well.
a diabetes app, by email, February 2026
47. Read the non-circumvention clause, because it can block creators your own team already talks to.
the restriction preventing us from directly or indirectly engaging with introduced influencers for 12 months presents a challenge for us. We work with influencers through multiple independent channels and managers within our team. In some cases, we may already be in contact with certain creators without knowing they are represented by your agency.
an airport transfer service, by email, February 2026
48. Ask whether the quoted price guarantees the exact creators on the list.
what’s not clear to me is if you would guarantee this list for the quoted price of 20k, which would be a lot of money for us for influencer marketing so far.
an audio software company, by email, January 2026
49. Get the right to approve the creators before you pay.
at what point in the process do we know which creators are going to be working on this? Would this be something that happens later on where we've already paid and we kind of just get surprised with the list of creators names? Or is this something we approve at some point?
a regulated finance business, on a call, July 2026
50. Make sure you can swap out creators who do not fit or you have used before.
if we feel certain creators aren’t a good fit, or if we’ve worked with them before, can you swap or update the creators accordingly?
a kitchen appliance brand, by email, February 2026
51. If an agency promises a result, ask for it in the contract.
Are you able to guarantee ROAS? And if so, is this something that can be written into the contract?
a kitchen appliance brand, by email, February 2026
52. Set a refund goal you can measure before the pilot ends.
So for example, there can be a problem where we say, hey, we didn't reach the goal and then you're going to refund us. But then like a few months later we reach the goal and then we have to give you the money back.
a shipping software company, on a call, June 2026
53. With gifted product, ask whether posting is guaranteed.
For these creators, are there any guarantees of any posting, or is it just if they feel like sharing they will?
a cold plunge brand, by email, February 2026
Agree how you will work together
54. Keep the right to review creators and content, especially if your product takes explaining.
we need to review the creators. We also need to review the content, because we can't just very trust of the agencies to know our product, because the education curve is a little bit higher in our products.
a kitchen appliance brand, on a call, January 2026
55. Ask whether the agency manages the creators or just finds them and hands them over.
are you going and sourcing them all, managing the relationships, like owning everything, or do you just go find them for me and then hand them to me, and then I manage the relationship with the influencer?
a private healthcare clinic, on a call, April 2026
56. Ask whether you can talk to the creators yourself.
Also, question: do we have the opportunity to meet with the talent or is everything done by proxy?
a web hosting company, by email, July 2026
57. Ask whether it will also work with creators you find yourself.
Do you also explore creators outside the agency roster? If we find good profiles outside the roster and refer them to you, will you negotiate and manage everything with them too?
a shipping software company, by email, June 2026
58. Agree how often sales data is shared.
in terms of the reporting side for you guys, is it a weekly thing that you want to gather the data from us, or end of the month?
a telehealth brand, on a call, June 2026
Warning signs
59. After one agency over-promised, a brand stopped paying anything upfront.
Truth be told, we've tried influencer agencies before and it did not pan out for us. A lot of over-promising and under-delivering. So now, we wouldn't commit a single dime upfront unless we can see some real results.
a nightlife booking app, by email, December 2025
60. Watch for setup fees added to an all commission deal.
What ends up happening half the time when I have on these call, it's, well, it's all commission. And then it's like, but also, there's a $3,000 you know, fee for initiation.
a beauty device brand, on a call, March 2026
61. Be wary of an agency that only sends a PDF of creators and will not get on a call.
Normally, they just give us, like, Hey, here's a PDF with the pool of creators. Let me know if someone is like, of your interest and things like that. And, no, we don't jump on calls and etc.
a shipping software company, on a call, May 2026
62. Be wary of an agency that will not let you speak to the creator.
We just talk to the agency, they don't let us talk to the Creator. So that's kind of what I think it's really bad, because sometimes, like the the agency can see something and say, like, Hey, this is not a fit. But then, like, the Creator would see a fit because he knows better his audience
a shipping software company, on a call, May 2026
63. Check that the agency really has the creator network it claims in your space.
I don't think that they necessarily had the network that they had positioned themselves to have had. And because it wasn't so much in the beauty space, it didn't necessarily make as much sense.
a medical device company, on a call, July 2026
64. A three month follower goal with a past agency took six.
we wanted to achieve 15,000 followers within three months. It took us six months to get to that figure.
a travel company, on a call, July 2026
65. Check whether the engagement comes from customers or from other creators.
We noticed a lot of the engagement that did occur was from the same circle/group of influencers vs. actual leads or potential clientele, so we don't want to make those same mistakes.
an ASMR spa, by email, May 2026
66. If the offer is hard to follow, keep looking.
I've talked to some agencies before where it just feels like it gets really convoluted.
a tactical gear brand, on a call, January 2026
67. If an agency's first email gets your business wrong, it has not done its homework.
Your friend has not purchased one of our research reports, because we don't do any, and the target audience you describe is not ours at all.
an early childhood data company, by email, January 2026
1. How many influencer campaigns did you run last year, and how many in my category?
Why ask: A long client list can be a few big jobs from years ago. Recent work in your category is what tells you they already know your claims, your approvals and your creators.
A good answer: A number, and two or three brands from the last year that sell something like yours.
2. Is your revenue number turnover, or the part you keep?
Why ask: Turnover counts the money that passes straight through to creators. The Goat Agency filed £44,302k of turnover and £11,638k of gross profit, so the same firm is honestly a 44 million pound agency or an 11 million pound agency.
A good answer: The figure and which of the two it is, without going away to check.
3. Which of these logos did you sign a contract with?
Why ask: Of 67 brand and agency pairs we researched, 4 were a real pitch. The rest came through a parent company deal or a lead creative agency, the way LePub brought a creator partner into Heineken's campaign.
A good answer: Logo by logo, who signed the contract and who led the work.
4. Can I speak to two current clients and one who left?
Why ask: Public buyers ask for exactly this. The tourism RFP from West Virginia asks for two current and two former client references, plus the accounts the agency won and lost in the last year.
A good answer: Names and phone numbers this week, including the client who left.
5. What share of your clients book a second campaign with you?
Why ask: A first campaign can be sold with a good deck. A second one has to be earned by the first.
A good answer: A percentage, and the reason the biggest client who did not come back gave.
6. Which legal company would I sign with, and will it still exist next year?
Why ask: The Goat Agency's own filed directors' report says it intends to close its legal company in 2027. Trading names and the company on the contract are often different things.
A good answer: The registered company name and number, and who owns it.
7. Do you also manage creators, and would you put your own creators on my campaign?
Why ask: An agency that also represents creators can be paid on both sides of the same booking, and it has a reason to pick its own people first.
A good answer: A straight yes or no. If yes, every creator they manage is flagged to you before you approve them.
8. Who are your clients in my category right now?
Why ask: If they work for your closest competitor, your brief, your prices and your best creators sit in the same building.
A good answer: The list, and how they keep the two teams and the two creator lists apart.
The people
9. Which of the people in this meeting will run my account day to day?
Why ask: Most agency relationships that fail do it inside 90 days. Trust is recorded as going by day 45 where a senior team pitches and a junior team does the work.
A good answer: Names on paper, with how much of each person's week you are buying.
10. How many other accounts does my main contact run?
Why ask: A contact spread across a dozen brands answers your email last.
A good answer: A number, and the most they will ever put on one person.
11. What happens to my account if the person who won it leaves?
Why ask: In a survey of more than 400 brand and agency people, 48% of clients who ended a relationship said delivery was the reason. Agencies blamed leadership changes and budget cuts.
A good answer: A named backup who already knows the account.
12. Which parts of the work go to freelancers or another company?
Why ask: Editing, paid ads, reporting and paying creators often go outside. Public RFPs ask for the qualifications of every subcontractor for this reason.
A good answer: Every outside firm named, and what the agency adds on top of their price.
13. Who actually talks to the creators?
Why ask: Some agencies send the brief through a marketplace and never speak to the creator. That is where the point of the product gets lost.
A good answer: A named person who speaks to every creator before they film.
Money
14. What share of my budget reaches creators?
Why ask: An ANA study reported in February 2026 found agencies take 30% of influencer spend on average and creators get 70%. 61% of senior marketers were on fee models that were not transparent, or that they did not know.
A good answer: A percentage, in writing, before you sign.
15. Will you show me each creator's actual invoice?
Why ask: Only half of the marketers in that ANA study had full visibility into what creators were actually paid.
A good answer: Yes, the creator's own invoice, not a line the agency typed.
16. Do you mark up creator fees, and by how much?
Why ask: Clean Power Alliance wrote into its public RFP that no margin can be added to anything billed at cost. A markup hidden inside a creator's price makes the creator look expensive instead of the agency.
A good answer: Creator fees passed through at cost, with the agency fee as its own line.
17. What is included in your fee, and what costs extra?
Why ask: The Clean Power Alliance RFP asks for strategy, finding creators, production, paid ads and reporting as separate prices, plus creator fees at cost and a total the bill cannot go over.
A good answer: A price sheet with every item on it and a maximum.
18. Do you get paid by anyone else for recommending them?
Why ask: A referral payment from a software tool, a platform or a creator's manager is a reason to recommend them that has nothing to do with you.
A good answer: No, or a list of every such payment written into the contract.
19. How do you get paid: a retainer, per project, or a share of what I spend?
Why ask: An agency paid a share of spend earns more when you spend more, so it has no reason to ever tell you to spend less.
A good answer: Pay tied at least partly to a result you care about, not only the size of the budget.
20. When do creators get paid, and does my money sit with you first?
Why ask: In a Tipalti survey reported by Digiday in 2024, 56% of creators said they had been paid late. Creators remember who paid late, and the good ones stop saying yes.
A good answer: A set number of days after the post goes live, and proof they hit it.
21. What happens to money already spent if we stop halfway?
Why ask: Creator fees are often paid up front or promised in contracts you cannot cancel.
A good answer: A written rule for refunds and for creators who are already booked.
22. Who pays when a creator does not post, posts late, or posts the wrong thing?
Why ask: If the creator's contract does not say, the answer is usually you.
A good answer: No post, no pay, and the agency fixes a wrong post at no cost to you.
Finding the creators
23. Can I see the last ten creators you booked in my category?
Why ask: On one shelf we measured, 13 daily supplement brands and 8,971 sponsored videos, 51% of the bookings sat on a creator a rival brand had already paid.
A good answer: Real names, and who else has already paid each one.
24. Where do your creators come from?
Why ask: A list of creators who signed up to an agency is a list of who wanted work, not a list of who fits your customer.
A good answer: A search built from your customer each time, not just a pull from their own database.
25. How do you check the followers are real?
Why ask: The FTC rule announced August 14, 2024 bans buying fake followers or views to look more influential, where the buyer knew or should have known.
A good answer: What they look at, like engagement against follower count, where the audience lives, sudden follower spikes and copied comments, and a person who checks by hand.
26. What share of the creators you look at do you turn down?
Why ask: Kroll told the ANA that about one quarter of influencers put through professional vetting had content or behaviour worth a client's attention. An agency that turns down nobody is not checking.
A good answer: A rough share, and the three most common reasons.
27. Who checks what a creator posted years ago?
Why ask: Checking that followers are real and checking old posts are two different jobs. A follower tool will not find the old post that becomes a news story. A report on one name costs about $29 at Ferretly.
A good answer: The tool they use for old posts, and the person who signs off each name.
28. Has a person watched this creator's recent videos?
Why ask: On our own work a creator topped three shortlists in a row before a person noticed he had died in 2023. Nothing in the numbers knows whether somebody is alive.
A good answer: Yes, with a note on each creator.
29. Do you check whether a creator promoted my competitor recently?
Why ask: A creator who sold a rival last month is hard to believe selling you this month.
A good answer: A check on every name going back several months, and what it found.
30. Can you pick creators by who their followers are, not just who the creator is?
Why ask: A creator can live in one country while most of their followers live somewhere else.
A good answer: Audience country, age and gender for each name, from the platform's own data.
31. Do you keep a list of creators you will not book again?
Why ask: If they do not, you pay for a mistake another brand already paid for.
A good answer: Yes, and the reasons creators end up on it.
Content and approvals
32. Can I see a brief you wrote for a brand like mine?
Why ask: The brief decides what the creator says. A vague one gets a vague video.
A good answer: A real brief, with the claims, the things that must be said and the things that must not.
33. Do I approve every script and every video before it goes live?
Why ask: Public buyers write this in. Clean Power Alliance says nothing publishes without its written approval.
A good answer: Yes, with the number of change rounds written into every creator contract.
34. How many rounds of changes are included, and what does another round cost?
Why ask: Extra rounds are where a fixed price quietly stops being fixed.
A good answer: A number of rounds, and a price for each one after that.
35. How do you stop a creator saying something untrue about my product?
Why ask: Under the FTC's 2023 update, brands and their marketing and advertising partners can be liable if an influencer makes a false claim about what a product does. Health claims need real evidence behind them.
A good answer: A list of approved claims that every creator gets, and a check of every final video against it.
36. How long from signing to the first video going live, and what is the slowest step?
Why ask: Picking the agency is the short part. A real pitch runs five to eight weeks, and Dell takes six to nine months to vet one creator.
A good answer: They name your own legal review as the slow step before you do.
37. What happens when a video goes live with a mistake in it?
Why ask: Somebody will get a claim or a disclosure wrong eventually. What matters is how fast it gets fixed.
A good answer: Who spots it, how fast it gets edited or taken down, and who pays.
38. Do you use AI to make or edit content, and will you tell me when you do?
Why ask: The public RFP from Clean Power Alliance makes agencies disclose any generative AI used in the work.
A good answer: Yes or no for every video, in writing.
Disclosure and risk
39. If a creator does not say it is an ad, whose problem is that?
Why ask: Yours. The FTC says: "Your company is ultimately responsible for what others do on your behalf." Across the 2,539 brands we measured, the middle brand has its sponsorship declared on 16% of its videos.
A good answer: The agency writes the disclosure into every brief and contract, and checks every post after it goes live.
40. Who checks posts after they go live, and how often?
Why ask: The FTC expects a reasonable program: tell creators the rules, search for what they post, and act when they get it wrong. With one in place, it says one rogue influencer is unlikely to lead to a law enforcement action.
A good answer: A named person checking live posts on a schedule, with a record you can see.
41. Will creators say it is an ad out loud, or only write it?
Why ask: The FTC says: "Simultaneous written and spoken disclosures are the best."
A good answer: Both, on every video.
42. What is your plan if a creator gets into a scandal during my campaign?
Why ask: Digiday reported in April 2026 that morality clauses have become brands' go-to way out of creator deals. The clause only helps if it is in the contract before the scandal.
A good answer: A morality clause in every creator contract, and a named person who makes the call within hours.
43. Have you worked in regulated categories, and how do you keep the claims legal?
Why ask: Breaking an FTC trade rule, like the one on fake reviews and fake followers, carries a maximum civil penalty of $53,088 per violation.
A good answer: A named person who reviews claims, and a past campaign in your category that got through legal.
44. What insurance do you carry?
Why ask: Public buyers like Clean Power Alliance require it before they sign.
A good answer: Professional and media liability cover, with a certificate you can see.
Rights and paid ads
45. Who owns the videos when the campaign ends?
Why ask: West Virginia's tourism RFP says everything made for it becomes its property, and the New York City Campaign Finance Board keeps all rights to its videos.
A good answer: Ownership or a licence in writing, with how long, where, and whether you can edit the video.
46. Can I use the videos in my own ads, and for how long?
Why ask: Posting on the creator's page, using the video in your ads, and running ads from the creator's own account are three separate permissions, usually priced separately.
A good answer: Each one named in the creator contract, with a start date and an end date.
47. Is running ads from the creator's own account included, and who manages those ads?
Why ask: Brands are far apart on this, so nobody can assume it is part of the deal. AG1 runs 41.2% of its own live Meta ads on creator content, and C4 Energy runs 0%.
A good answer: The permission is in every contract, and one named team runs the ads.
48. Whose budget pays to put ad money behind the videos?
Why ask: That money usually sits with a media agency that is not in the room. Between 2023 and 2026 we found zero public announcements of a beverage brand naming a creator agency as its agency of record.
A good answer: They name who holds the money and say they have already spoken to them.
49. Will creators be kept from working with my competitors, and for how long?
Why ask: Exclusivity costs extra. A short list of named competitors for a few weeks costs far less than a ban on a whole category.
A good answer: Named competitors, a set number of weeks, and the price of each.
50. Do I get the raw footage?
Why ask: Raw footage is what lets you cut new ads later without paying the creator to film again.
A good answer: Yes, or a price for it agreed before filming.
Measurement
51. What exactly are you promising, and what happens if you miss it?
Why ask: In the ANA's August 2026 study, 67% of marketers called measurement the hardest step.
A good answer: A number, the date it is measured on, and what you get back if they miss.
52. Who measured the results in your campaign write-ups, and how?
Why ask: We read 12 published campaign write-ups from well-known agencies. 0 of the 12 named a measurement method or a source for a single figure.
A good answer: What was counted, over which dates, and who counted it.
53. Will your reports come straight from the platforms, or from screenshots?
Why ask: A screenshot can be cropped, old or picked from the best day.
A good answer: Numbers pulled directly from each creator's account, for every post.
54. What CPM are you promising, and on which views?
Why ask: Of 686 creator asking rates we hold with real view counts, the middle one works out to $70 per thousand views and 39.5% are above $100. Short videos and normal length videos give very different numbers on the same channel.
A good answer: Average views on normal length videos over the last ten posts, in writing.
55. Do you report earned media value, and how do you work it out?
Why ask: The Barcelona Principles from AMEC, the industry measurement body, reject earned media value. Tribe Dynamics' figure for Yeezy rose from $1.7M to $5.1M in the week the Adidas partnership collapsed, because bad news gets posted too.
A good answer: They would rather show you sales or site visits, and they say exactly where any such number comes from.
56. How will we know the campaign caused sales, and did not just come before them?
Why ask: The only clean way is a test: run it for some people or places and not others, then compare the two.
A good answer: A holdout or regional test in the plan, or an honest answer that they cannot prove it.
57. What will the first monthly report look like?
Why ask: Public RFPs ask for monthly budget and performance reports. Seeing one tells you more than any promise about reporting.
A good answer: A real report from another client, with the name hidden, in your inbox before you sign.
58. What share of the creators you booked last year did you book again?
Why ask: Across 2,539 brands, the middle brand looks 74% repeat. Count a discount code that never came off as one booking and it falls to 37%.
A good answer: A repeat rate that counts fresh bookings with fresh briefs, not codes left running.
The contract, and leaving
59. Can I see the contract you sign with creators?
Why ask: In the ANA's August 2026 study, 60% of marketers named negotiation and contracting as the first place to cut waste.
A good answer: The template, with usage, exclusivity, disclosure, payment and cancellation terms filled in.
60. How long is the contract, and how much notice do I give to leave?
Why ask: A long lock-in means a bad start costs you a year instead of a month.
A good answer: A short first term, then a month's notice.
61. What do I get back if we part ways?
Why ask: Ad accounts, creator contacts, contracts and data often sit in the agency's name.
A good answer: Everything set up in your company's name from day one, and handed over within days.
62. Can I book the creators directly after the contract ends?
Why ask: If the agency keeps the relationship, the creators who worked best for you leave with the agency.
A good answer: Yes, with no fee and no waiting period.
63. What would make you tell me to stop spending money with you?
Why ask: An agency that cannot picture that day has not thought about what success means for you.
A good answer: A real line, like a cost per sale they would not keep going past.
Where the numbers come from
- FTC, Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking
- FTC final rule banning fake reviews and fake followers, August 2024
- FTC inflation-adjusted civil penalty amounts, 2025
- Davis+Gilbert on the 2023 Endorsement Guides update
- MediaPost on the ANA agency compensation study, February 2026
- PPC Land on the ANA report Influencer Marketing: Reducing Waste, August 2026
- Digiday on how agencies vet creators, 2024
- Digiday on creator payment terms, 2024
- Digiday on morality clauses, April 2026
- Carusele, 33 questions to ask your influencer agency
- Pepper, 21 questions to ask before hiring an influencer agency
- Filed accounts at Companies House, read by company number
- Our own records of sponsored videos, brand and agency research, and saved reads of public influencer RFPs
The team behind it
Brands should first focus on gaining knowledge internally before reaching out to agencies.
““So that should be announced I think in the next few weeks and stuff like that as as well. Right. So um to really answer your question, I would say brands can do it, but from a maturity of their influencer team will really dictate if is if it makes sense. Obviously reach out to agencies like us, but I always try not to sell our services. I always believe that um how can a brand get as much knowledge internally first. But yeah, I know it's a long-winded question, but I think really it is scenario based and if leadership of that brand is willing to put in the time and investment to have the right people to get it done internally. Um and that's why I think the first step look at what resources you have.””