Influencer Advisory™What Are the Best NYC Influencer Marketing Agencies in 2026
The 11 NYC influencer marketing agencies worth knowing, with real clients on each, 2026 rates, and a 14-day plan to pick one without losing a quarter.
Senior Partnerships Manager · May 5, 2026 · 11 min read · Updated October 28, 2026
We read the websites of the NYC influencer marketing agencies brands shortlist most, and checked the quotes below against each agency's own homepage.
11 agencies made the list, and this post names all 11 with proof from their own sites, what to ask about price, and a 14-day plan to pick one.
- 11 NYC influencer agencies worth shortlisting, with named clients and quoted homepage proof for each.
- Ask for the price split into the agency fee, creator fees and anything else.
- Ask every agency to name 10 creators in your category, in writing. If they cannot, the rolodex is shallower than the pitch.
- A clean NYC contract prices the post, the whitelist, and the usage rights as 3 separate line items.
What's inside
- Which NYC influencer marketing agencies are worth knowing?
- What does an NYC influencer agency cost in 2026?
- How are NYC deals priced (post, whitelist, usage)?
- Should I hire an NYC agency or go direct?
- What red flags show up in an NYC agency pitch?
- Which NYC creators ship for brands right now?
- How do I shortlist 5 NYC agencies in 14 days?
Which NYC influencer marketing agencies are worth knowing?
Eleven shops, each with what they do well, what they don't, and verbatim proof from their own homepage.
VaynerMedia
Consider them when you want creator, paid media, and brand creative running from one plan.
What they do well. Integrated programs where influencer sits inside a wider media engine.
Hudson Yards HQ.
The site groups the offer into Creative, Media, Strategy, Integrated, Consulting, Commerce, and a dedicated Influencer Talent Services unit.
The creator buy plugs into the same data spine as paid spend.
Their stated frame is "listening to audiences, not opinions" and a push past traditional reach and efficiency metrics.
What they don't do well. Small-shop speed.
Their offer is built for big integrated accounts, so a small creator-only pilot sits outside their normal lane.
Creators we would pair them with for an NYC brief. NYC macro creators we track, picked for broad-reach personalities that fit an integrated brand-and-creator program:
- Devon Rodriguez @devonrodriguezart (34.1M, arts + creative, NYC). A New York subway-portrait artist. Fits VaynerMedia's brand-creative-led plays where the creator is the campaign idea.
- Jesha Stevens @jeshastevens (3.1M, food + health, NYC). Built for the mass-attention moment a holdco media plan is designed to amplify.
- The Hayeks @the_hayeks (2.7M, pets + lifestyle, NYC). A family-and-pets lane that travels across CPG, retail, and entertainment briefs.
In their own words:
"We are The Modern Agency of Record"
"We're a modern blend of traditional Madison Avenue thinking and social-first storytellers"
Source: vaynermedia.com
The pitch under the pitch. VaynerMedia is selling the integration, not any single tactic.
The site keeps framing itself against traditional reach metrics and pitching attention, relevance, and business outcomes as the modern measurement layer.
They want the whole brand-and-creator account, not a creator-only line item.
Best fit if you are a $50M+ ARR brand and you can absorb a holdco overhead.
Collectively
Consider them when you want award-shelf production polish for a beauty, CPG, or entertainment brand.
What they do well. Multi-million-impression campaigns that win industry awards. 2025 work for Dove (with Crumbl), TRESemmé, Apple TV+ Severance, Salesforce Dreamforce, and Hoka.
Named on Adweek's 2025 Fastest Growing Agencies list.
What they don't do well. Tight pilot budgets.
The shop's gravity is the big-production work.
A 5-creator $25K pilot is below their normal lane.
On their own site: their homepage lists a 2025 MediaPost OMMA win for Best Influencer Marketing Campaign, for Dove x Crumbl, and a 2025 Adweek Fastest Growing Agencies place as Top Medium and Top Women-Led. Source: collectivelyinc.com
Best fit if you are a $20M+ DTC beauty, food, or apparel brand running $100K+ campaigns.
Open Influence
Consider them when you want global creator sourcing through proprietary tech.
What they do well. Mid-market and Fortune 500 work across NYC, LA, and Chicago.
Public client list across the web names Ford, Disney, and McDonald's.
The pitch is data-led casting rather than rolodex relationships.
What they don't do well. Small-brand feel.
The shop is 12+ years old.
The operating model favors scale.
Small brands often get a template program rather than custom strategy.
In their own words: the homepage says little past its title, so ask for the deck on the first call.
"Global Influencer Marketing Agency"
Source: openinfluence.com
Best fit if you are a Fortune 500 or mid-market brand running broad-reach campaigns.
Audience-segmentation data matters as much as the creator pick.
Whalar
Consider them when you want creators on the creative team, not just on the buy.
What they do well. Creator-led strategy across NYC, London, and LA.
The offer is a four-phase Build, Activate, Measure, Scale system that treats creators as the core product.
The site cites a Nielsen-measured $2.41 media ROI and a striking claim about creators: "While making up less than 1% of total media, they contribute 300% of the impact."
Strong on cultural campaigns and what the shop calls co-creation.
What they don't do well. Pure performance.
The whole site argues for brand-building and culture.
If you need a CAC-led tracking-pixel funnel by Friday, this is the wrong shop.
A $10K pilot is also off-strategy for this tier.
Creators we would pair them with for an NYC brief. NYC macro creators we track, picked for culture-and-co-creation accounts over promo-code performance plays:
- Isis Tkeyah @isistkeyah (2.7M, parenting + family + lifestyle, NYC). A culture-and-community voice that fits Whalar's co-creation frame better than a one-off paid read.
- Texy Kitchen @texykitchen1 (2.3M, food + drink, NYC). A strong creative-format channel where the brand can be built into the storytelling, not bolted onto it.
- Aleksis @aleksiss5 (1.1M, lifestyle + fashion, NYC). A fashion and lifestyle voice for a brand that wants to be part of the story.
In their own words:
"No one else has the same understanding, proximity & trust of creators"
"We are the secret growth weapon for CMOs"
"Nielsen found that Whalar campaigns had an ROI of $2.41, far surpassing all other media channels measured."
Source: whalar.com
The pitch under the pitch. Whalar is selling proximity and trust with creators, not a media buy.
The Nielsen citation and the 1% of media, 300% of impact claim give CMOs a number to bring to the board.
Best fit if you are a $30M+ brand that wants creators inside the creative concept.
Obviously
Consider them when you want always-on creator programs with dashboard reporting.
What they do well. Custom creator networks at scale.
The homepage counter cites 152,562 influencer collaborations, 5,175,687,487 organic impressions, and 425,634 unique pieces of content.
The numbers are precise, not rounded.
Proprietary client dashboard with real-time analytics, brand-safety checks, and a Share of Influence product that benchmarks brand voice share against category competitors.
Strong on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube execution.
What they don't do well. Niche category depth.
The strength is volume and dashboard.
A hyper-specific vertical brief (B2B fintech, telehealth, supplements) sometimes gets the same template as a generalist DTC brand.
Creators we would pair them with for an NYC brief. NYC creators we track across categories, picked for the always-on, multi-creator volume model Obviously runs:
- Crazy Korean Cooking @crazykoreancooking (2.0M, food + drink, NYC). A high-output food channel that fits an always-on content cadence across many posts.
- Margaret Kov @margaret_kov (1.0M, beauty, NYC). A steady beauty creator for repeatable monthly programs rather than one-off launches.
- Kelly Strack @kellystrackofficial (844K, beauty + parenting + family, NYC). Cross-category reach that suits Obviously's volume-and-dashboard model where dozens of creators run at once.
In their own words:
"Influencer marketing for the world's iconic brands"
"The Fortune 500 Trust Obviously"
"We detect, vet and activate a handful of creators or tens of thousands, where all first-party data belongs to you."
"Obviously executes the largest influencer campaigns in the industry."
Source: obvious.ly
The pitch under the pitch. Obviously leads with three precise numbers and a Fortune 500 logo wall.
The shop is selling scale, dashboard, and trust.
The "first-party data belongs to you" language is aimed at brands burned by past agencies who held the creator data hostage.
Best fit if you are a mid-to-enterprise brand running always-on creator programs.
The Influencer Marketing Factory
Consider them when you want real sales from creators, not impressions you have to apologize for.
What they do well. End-to-end TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube campaigns built around tracked revenue.
Promo codes, tracking pixels, full-funnel report.
When we captured their homepage, it cited $150M+ in client revenue generated, 1,000+ campaigns delivered, and 3B+ people reached, as the screenshot below shows.
The same capture shows a Live Oak Bank testimonial.
The whole frame is that you know influencer marketing works, and running it well is the hard part.
What they don't do well. Brand-building or experiential plays where the win is cultural.
The site has no awards shelf.
No cultural-relevance language.
If your KPI is awards or earned media, this is the wrong shop.
Creators we would pair them with for an NYC brief. NYC food creators we track, picked for mid-tier accounts where promo-code attribution is easy to read:
- Riyma Eatz @itsriyma (806K, food + drink, NYC). A food channel where a promo code fits the format.
- Mostasting @mostasting (947K, food + drink, NYC). Slower burn than Riyma, fits a longer-tail DTC food / kitchen brand.
On their own site: the pitch is one team from creator sourcing to tracked return, with promo codes, tracking pixels, and a funnel report that runs from reach to purchase. Source: theinfluencermarketingfactory.com
The pitch under the pitch. The homepage is built around three big stats and one promise.
You bring the KPI.
They bring the funnel.
The $150M+ client revenue line above the fold tells you the shop wants to be measured on dollars in, not impressions out.
They are anti-recap-deck on principle.
Best fit if you are a $5M-$50M DTC or fintech brand running TikTok plus Instagram.
Your CMO wants a funnel report, not a vanity recap.
theinfluencermarketingfactory.com
HireInfluence
Consider them when you want events plus creators running together, with creators woven into on-the-ground brand activation.
What they do well. Award-winning, full-service work since 2011 across NYC, LA, and Austin.
White-glove campaign execution with EMV, sentiment, and conversion tracking.
Strong on on-site brand promo and recurring or on-demand UGC activations.
What they don't do well. Lean digital-only briefs.
The offer is built around bespoke human-to-human design.
A database-export-plus-three-creators shape misses what the shop charges for.
Creators we would pair them with for an NYC brief. NYC creators we track, picked for on-camera personality and neighborhood-tagged accounts for in-person activations:
- Brooklyn from @xbrooklynbell (990K, beauty + health, Brooklyn). Confirmed Brooklyn-anchored. Top-of-mind for SoHo or Williamsburg pop-ups.
- Preslee @iampresleefaith (4.2M, beauty + fashion + lifestyle, NYC). Macro-tier on-camera personality.
- Alexis Jacobo @juhcobo (2.2M, beauty + lifestyle, NYC). Strong fit for activation days where the goal is being seen on the day.
In their own words:
"No canned packages here"
"Since 2011, HireInfluence has set the standard in influencer marketing."
Source: hireinfluence.com
Best fit if you are a $15M+ brand running on-the-ground events in New York where creators are part of the experience.
Amra & Elma
Consider them when you want luxury, beauty, or premium-CPG influencer paired with traditional PR placement.
What they do well. NYC-headquartered hybrid of PR, digital, and influencer marketing.
Their homepage names LVMH, Rolex, Netflix, Nestlé, Uber, Procter & Gamble, Wells Fargo, IL MAKIAGE, Johnson & Johnson, and Bvlgari.
Founders cited by Inc., Financial Times, and Huffington Post on social media expertise.
What they don't do well. Performance attribution.
The positioning is prestige and earned media.
Brands that care about CAC over EMV find the language off.
In their own words:
"Trusted by LVMH, Rolex, and Netflix, we engineer virality and authority through top media, influencers, and SEO!"
"Amra & Elma 'one of New York City's top social media agencies'" (Inc. Magazine)
"Amra & Elma 'have mastered Google, Instagram and YouTube'" (Huffington Post)
Source: amraandelma.com
Best fit if you are a luxury, beauty, or premium-CPG brand wanting macro and celebrity influencer plays.
inBeat
Consider them when you care more about CAC than EMV and want UGC plus paid TikTok pumping the same creative library.
What they do well. Performance-leaning NYC-client-team agency combining UGC, Influencer, TikTok Shop, paid media, CRO, and attribution under one roof.
The site frames the offer in four pillars: Influencer and UGC, Strategy, Media and Measurement, Performance Creative.
A public testimonial from Miro's Head of Social Media and Influencer Marketing praises how they scaled Miro's program, and one from Hurom's head of marketing and sales cites many months where sales doubled.
The Hurom case study claims a 300% ROAS lift through full-funnel work.
What they don't do well. Brand prestige plays.
The whole stack is built for direct response and feed performance.
A launch where the goal is being talked about, not sold through, is not the shop's lane.
Creators we would pair them with for an NYC brief. An NYC TikTok creator we track, picked for paid amplification:
- emma__jordyn @emma__jordyn (716K, beauty + lifestyle, NYC). A beauty and lifestyle account that suits paid amplification.
In their own words:
“"Full Funnel Growth Marketing" and "Increasing ROAS by 300% through a full-funnel strategy." (Hurom case study)
"Built on data," "Scaled through media," "Engineered for the feed" (three of their section headings)
"We start by making work people actually want to watch, then build systems that listen, adapt, and scale what the audience responds to."
"inBeat has been an invaluable partner in managing and scaling Miro's influencer marketing program." (Aida Ahmed, Head of Social Media and Influencer Marketing, Miro)
"Our challenge was that our efforts were very siloed. Since inBeat was able to plug-into the various internal stakeholders, we've seen many months where we've literally doubled sales" (Brian A. Crandall, Head of Marketing and Sales, Hurom)
Source: inbeat.agency”
The pitch under the pitch. inBeat is selling the unified creative-to-media loop.
Every UGC asset feeds the paid TikTok engine.
Every paid result feeds the next round of UGC.
The 300% ROAS number is intentionally specific.
Best fit if you are a $5M-$30M DTC or SaaS brand that wants UGC plus paid TikTok pumping the same creative library.
GALE
Consider them when you are running a loyalty relaunch or category repositioning.
What they do well. NYC-headquartered "business agency" winner of Ad Age's 2024 Business Transformation Agency of the Year.
Public work includes Delta SkyMiles, Pella, and a Roblox-to-IRL campaign for Bomb Pop that the shop says lifted in-store sales.
What they don't do well. Standalone creator buys.
Influencer sits inside a wider loyalty, media, and brand-transformation product.
A "give us 5 creators next month" brief is misaligned with the shop's pricing and process.
In their own words:
"We're a Business Agency."
"Built one of the fastest growing loyalty programs in history."
Source: gale.agency
Best fit if you are a $100M+ brand running a loyalty relaunch.
160over90
Consider them when you are spending against sports rights, music partnerships, or fashion-week activations.
What they do well. Endeavor-owned cultural marketing across sports, music, fashion, and entertainment.
NYC HQ with offices across multiple cities.
Influencer work sits inside Partnerships and Sponsorships and Cultural Strategy, paired with experiential and brand work.
What they don't do well. Small-ticket digital-only programs.
The shop's gravity is multi-million-dollar cultural activations.
A $25K creator pilot is below their normal lane.
In their own words:
"Culture Moves Us."
"We do more than just connect brands to culture, we surround them with the people shaping it."
"Turning followers into fans, and fans into fanatics."
Source: 160over90.com
Best fit if you are a $50M+ brand with sports rights, music partnerships, or fashion-week budget.
Where NYC influencer agencies sit inside the broader scene
Most top NYC advertising shops run influencer through a sub-team.
The casting bench is shallower than the headline service suggests.
The eleven shops above are different.
Influencer is the primary product, not a bolt-on.
That shows up in how fast they can cast a brief.
A few practical points before comparing a category specialist against a generalist:
- Vertical depth. For B2B SaaS, fintech, or any category where audience overlap matters more than reach, the depth gap widens fast.
- List versus reality. Top New York marketing agency lists almost never match best NYC influencer marketing agency lists. The first is built for breadth. The second is built for depth.
One test works on every agency in every city.
Any NYC influencer marketing agency worth its retainer can name 10 creators in your category, in writing, on the first call.
If they cannot, the rolodex is shallower than the pitch deck.
You should pass.
Already running creators in New York?
Our free offer is an audit, for a brand that already runs an influencer program. We look at the program you run today before you pay any agency a retainer.
Ask for your free audit →
What does an NYC influencer agency cost in 2026?
Agency prices in New York swing too widely to trust any one band you read online, so the useful move is to make each shop show you its own numbers.
Ask for the price split into the agency fee, creator fees and anything else.
Buyers ask us the same thing.
"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
Do not prepay an agency fee before you have seen the creators.
Once you have your own outreach pipeline and over 50 creators, you may not need to pay an agency fee.
For the line items most agencies charge and how to read a quote, see what an influencer marketing agency costs.
The risk in this market is paying for a brand name instead of paying for a rolodex.
“"Generic agencies. If the last agency you hired had to be taught what your product does, what you are legally allowed to claim about it, and why the wrong claim costs far more than the campaign was ever worth, then stay with me, because the problem is not that they were lazy and it is not that you briefed them badly, it is that they sell to everybody, and an agency that sells to everybody learns your category on your budget."”
Dennis Ksendzov
The way out is to score on results.
Ask the agency to name 15 vetted creators in your category in 21 days as a precondition to the contract.
If a New York agency quotes you one number but will not break the line items apart, treat that as a warning before you commit any budget.
How are NYC deals priced (post, whitelist, usage)?
A clean NYC creator contract has three separate line items.
The standard sponsored post
This is the floor price.
The creator makes content with the brand.
They post it once on the agreed platform.
We hold no NYC-only rate data, but across the YouTube creator fees we hold, a channel with 50K to 250K subscribers charges a median of $1,715 for one sponsored video, and the middle half charge $800 to $3,000.
Platform, niche, and edit complexity set the exact number.
The whitelisted or boosted post
This is the brand running paid media spend behind the creator's organic content.
The boost pushes it past the creator's existing audience.
The brand is buying media.
The creator's face is the vehicle that makes the ad feel native instead of bought.
Our own pricing notes put one number on it: "Whitelisting a creator with 3 million followers runs about $4k to $8k a month".
A creator who charges the same rate for both is quietly paying for the brand's media buy.
Usage rights
This is the brand re-using the creator's content on owned channels.
Website, email, paid ads.
Fixed window.
Usage rights are a separate fee, negotiated on their own.
Easy to lose track of if nobody on the brand side is watching.
A clean NYC contract has all three lines priced separately on the same page.
Here is what the YouTube creators in our data charge for one sponsored video, by channel size. These are fees from creators across the market, since we hold no NYC-only set.
| Channel size | Creators with a fee | Middle half of fees | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 50K subs | 106 | $450 to $1,976 | $1,000 |
| 50K to 250K subs | 265 | $800 to $3,000 | $1,715 |
| 250K to 1M subs | 207 | $2,500 to $8,250 | $4,500 |
| 1M+ subs | 187 | $3,500 to $15,000 | $7,500 |
Should I hire an NYC agency or go direct?
The math is simple.
The marketing for it rarely is.
The agency saves you time.
It gets you a better price cap on creator deals.
It handles the back-and-forth of running 20+ briefs in parallel.
You pay an agency fee on top of creator spend for that, so ask what share of the total it is.
Go direct when the volume is low and the relationships are already yours:
- You have under 5 deals a quarter. You can manage them in a calendar.
- You already know the 10 New York creators you want, with their managers' direct lines.
- You have an in-house marketer who can run contracts and FTC disclosure end to end.
Hire an NYC agency when the volume is high and the access you need is gated:
- You want to test 20+ creators a quarter without hiring a full-time program manager.
- You need category-specific creator vetting, not a database export.
- You want one signature on contracts, payments, reporting, and disputes.
- You need access to NYC talent-manager rosters you cannot cold-email your way into.
The agency premium is worth paying when the agency knows your category.
It is worth almost nothing when the agency does not.
Ask for 3 past clients in your vertical, in writing, before you sign anything longer than a 60-day pilot.
What red flags show up in an NYC agency pitch?
Five signals that come up over and over.
Two or more in the same pitch is a walk, not a negotiation.
- No named past clients in your vertical. "We work with great brands" is not a reference. Ask for 3 past clients by name, in writing, before any second meeting.
- Database creator counts as the headline. "We have 50,000 creators" tells you nothing about which 30 fit your brand. The right number to ask about is 30, not 50,000.
- Year-long lock-in with no exit clause. A confident NYC agency offers a 60-day pilot. They know the work will speak for itself by day 45.
- No FTC disclosure language in the contract template. Countless creator deals close every month without proper #ad disclosure. The brand carries the legal risk alongside the creator.
- Payment terms over 60 days on creator invoices. Slow creator pay kills the relationship. It shows up in worse content on the next campaign.
The next boutique on your shortlist is a better bet than fixing this one.
If your brand already runs a creator or affiliate program, our free audit looks at the program you run today, so you can spot these flags in your own setup before you hire anyone new. Ask for your free audit.
Which NYC creators ship for brands right now?
The named agency list above is the buying decision.
The creator depth below is the proof that any agency we recommend will have somewhere to source from.
NYC creator depth lives on TikTok.
Instagram is a clear second.
YouTube is a distant third.
Most of the NYC creators we track are on TikTok, from a group above 1M followers down to a deep mid-tier band that most brand briefs source from.
On YouTube far fewer channels list NYC in the bio, and the few above 100K subscribers carry almost all of the paid-deal volume.
On Instagram we keep a small pool of NYC accounts, separate from national accounts that happen to live here.
The biggest names on the TikTok roster:
| Creator | Niche | Followers |
|---|---|---|
| Devon from @devonrodriguezart | Arts and creative | 34.1M |
| Preslee from @iampresleefaith | Beauty, fashion, lifestyle | 4.2M |
| Natalie from @natviolette | Beauty | 4.0M |
| Jesha from @jeshastevens | Food and drink, health | 3.1M |
| Tia from @the_hayeks | Pets, lifestyle | 2.7M |
| Isis from @isistkeyah | Parenting and family | 2.7M |
| Gianna from @giannachristiine | Entertainment, music | 2.7M |
| Grace from @crazykoreancooking | Food and drink | 2.0M |
Briefs that lean on the top of this list are buying reach more than fit.
That is the right move for a launch, the wrong move for a sales campaign.
NYC creator depth by borough
Borough fit matters when the brief calls for in-person shoots or a specific look on camera.
| Borough | Anchor accounts |
|---|---|
| Brooklyn | Brooklyn from @xbrooklynbell (990K, beauty), Sam from @bkshedevil (868K, entertainment), Mandy from @oldloserinbrooklyn (618K, fashion), Brooklyn's Bites @brooklynsbites (129K, food), Sha from @mz.thora (104K, lifestyle), Rebecca from @robecs (25K, sustainability and fashion) |
| Manhattan | Mackenzie from @mackinstyle (130K, Manhattan-mom lifestyle), plus three Tribeca and SoHo aesthetic accounts on the beauty roster |
| Bronx | Jazmin from @jazmin_c3 (600K, beauty and fashion) |
| Harlem | Haley from @thewallstreetsniper (194K, finance and tech), Lil Joe from @lil.joemomma (62K, lifestyle) |
| Queens | Few creators carry an explicit Queens tag, which leaves a sourcing opening for an Astoria or Long Island City brand |
| Generic "New York City" tag | The bulk of the roster, fine for digital-only campaigns but less useful when the brand wants a specific neighborhood on camera |
A skincare brand shooting at a Williamsburg loft looks completely different from the same brand at a SoHo flagship.
How NYC creators get cast
NYC casting is network-led.
Most working NYC creators are signed to talent management at one of the big shops.
Underscore, A-List, ViralNation Talent, Gersh, Palette, Audrey, Lilac, or Dulcedo.
The better NYC agencies have direct lines into several of those rosters.
That access is what most of the agency premium pays for in this city.
A casting director who can text three Brooklyn food creators on a Monday and have two shooting by Thursday is the difference between a campaign that ships and one that drags into Q3.
NYC YouTube: small list, real depth
On YouTube the names worth knowing are different.
The platform rewards repeat sponsorship relationships more than viral reach.
The American Business Podcast at 171K subscribers leads the NYC list on repeat brand sponsorships.
A clean signal of B2B and finance fit.
JonnyCakes at 1.4M subscribers in food and entertainment comes next, in the second tier of NYC paid-deal channels.
Real NYC campaigns by niche
The table below is a sample of named NYC campaigns from 2024 and 2025 across many niches.
| Niche | NYC creator | Brand | Format | Views | Posted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fintech / Productivity SaaS | Mrs Dow Jones (56K subs) | Microsoft 365 Copilot | Agent Mode integration | 4.7M | Nov 2025 |
| Business / B2B SaaS | Modern MBA (781K) | NetSuite | "Evolving Business of Donuts" | 894K | May 2024 |
| Education / Science | PBS Space Time (3.43M) | Brilliant.org | "Gravity Particle" explainer | 1.2M | Nov 2025 |
| Travel | Brett Conti (1M) | Expedia | "Heaven on Earth in New Zealand" | 711K | Mar 2025 |
| Pets / Aquatics | Nanoscape (155K) | Zoo Med | Nano cube aquarium build | 666K | Jul 2025 |
| Food / CPG (premium oil) | Made With Lau (1.6M) | Graza | "Peking Pork Chops" | 101K | Jun 2024 |
| Fashion / Family | Jessica Wang | Gymboree | Holiday Nutcracker collection | 147K | Dec 2025 |
| Lifestyle / Meal kit | Brian Ruiz (100K) | CookUnity | "Day in the life of a SWE in NYC" | 367K | May 2025 |
| Tech / Marketing SaaS | rareliquid (247K) | HubSpot | "What I learned at JP Morgan" | 388K | May 2025 |
| Entertainment / DTC | CaseyNeistat (12.7M) | BetterHelp | Family vlog ad read | 1.4M | Jan 2024 |
Three patterns the table makes clear before you brief any agency:
Pick the audience, not the size. Mrs Dow Jones at 56K subscribers pulled 4.7M views on a Microsoft Copilot integration.
That beats most macro tech creators with full-budget productions.
Premium products keep choosing premium-product NYC creators. Made With Lau × Graza and Jessica Wang × Gymboree both put a premium product in front of a creator's own loyal audience.
Entertainment creators anchor the biggest absolute view numbers. The cost-per-view is rarely competitive against a tight category-fit mid-tier creator.
How do I shortlist 5 NYC agencies in 14 days?
The risk in any agency hire is taking 8 weeks to sign someone wrong. Then losing the quarter to a second search.
The way out is a deadline-led process.
It forces information on the table before the contract, not after.
Five steps, each in writing, each time-boxed:
- Seed across two tiers. Pull 3 boutique candidates and 3 mid-size candidates from the named list above. Skip enterprise unless you are at $50M+ ARR.
- Drop on category fit. Email each agency. Ask for 3 past clients in your vertical. Drop any agency that cannot share 3 in writing within five business days.
- Score the remaining 5 on four axes. Cost, category fit, speed-to-first-result, exit clause. Drop anything below 7 of 10 on category fit.
- Run a 30-minute call with the top 3. Ask for the named operator on your account. Ask for the talent managers they have direct lines into. Skip any agency that will not commit a name on either side.
- Sign a 60-day pilot. Do not prepay an agency fee before you have seen the creators. No annual lock-in until after the pilot ships.
The whole process fits inside 14 calendar days if you start the seed list on a Monday.
"Some brands use an agency only to reach the top creators they cannot contact."
Dennis Ksendzov
Already running creators or affiliates in New York? Ask for your free audit, and we will look at the program you run today before you hire anyone new.
Related reading: How to select an influencer marketing agency · The FTC influencer disclosure rules in 2026.
Frequently asked
What does an NYC influencer marketing agency cost in 2026?
Agency prices vary too much to trust one band. Ask for the price split into the agency fee, creator fees and anything else, and do not prepay an agency fee before you have seen the creators.
How long does an NYC influencer campaign take to launch?
Ask each agency for its date to the first creator post, in writing, before you sign. Big integrated shops often plan for several weeks before any content ships, while a smaller shop can move faster.
Should I hire an NYC influencer agency or go direct?
Go direct if you run under 5 deals a quarter and already know your creators. Hire an agency if you want 20 or more creators a quarter, need access to NYC talent-manager rosters, or want one signature on contracts, payments, and reporting.
What is a fair pilot length for an NYC influencer agency?
Sixty days. Do not prepay an agency fee before you have seen the creators. Avoid any annual lock-in until after the pilot ships its first creator posts.
How much do NYC creators charge per post?
We hold no NYC-only rate data. Across the YouTube creator fees we hold, the median sponsored video costs $1,000 for a channel under 50K subscribers, $1,715 at 50K to 250K, $4,500 at 250K to 1M, and $7,500 above 1M.
Do NYC influencer agencies handle FTC compliance?
Real ones do. Ask to see the contract template before signing. Every creator deal needs proper #ad disclosure, and the brand carries the legal risk alongside the creator.
Which NYC borough has the deepest creator roster?
Brooklyn has the deepest bench of named creators we track, across beauty, food, fashion, and lifestyle. Queens is the thinnest, which leaves room for an Astoria or Long Island City brand.