How to Choose an Influencer Marketing Agency in 2027 – A Checklist

3 oktober 2026

To choose the right influencer marketing agency, check ten things: that it understands your goal, has access to the right talent, selects creators on fit rather than follower count, brings creative strategy, can combine organic and paid media, measures against business results, takes ad labelling and AI rules seriously, writes clear contracts with usage rights, is transparent about pricing and can show cases with real numbers. In 2027, also ask about AI policies, creator commerce and how the agency connects its data with yours.

Agencies play a big role in the market. Linqia’s latest State of Influencer Marketing report found that 49 percent of enterprise marketers partner with specialist influencer agencies, with creative strategy as the top differentiator, and Digiday reported that reliance on influencer agencies among multinational brands surveyed by the WFA had grown to almost 74 percent. This checklist helps you compare agencies before you sign.

Do you need an influencer marketing agency?

Not always. In Influencer Marketing Hub’s latest Benchmark Report, 66 percent of respondents run their programs entirely in-house, while about 11 percent work through agencies and as many use a hybrid model. An agency adds the most value when you need:

Access to well-known personalities and creators you cannot easily reach yourself.
Creative concepts and production, not just the booking of posts.
Organic and paid distribution planned together.
Contracts, usage rights and ad labelling handled professionally.
Capacity to run several campaigns or long-term ambassador programs at once.

If you mainly need a few product seedings with micro-influencers and have the time in-house, you may manage on your own.

What types of influencer agencies are there?

Mediemyndigheten describes several kinds of intermediaries in the Swedish market. Talent agencies represent influencers and personalities and usually handle their collaborations exclusively. Influencer networks connect advertisers and influencers, with less exclusive relationships. Affiliate networks provide technology for tracking clicks and sales. Full-service influencer marketing agencies work on the brand side and build campaigns from strategy to measurement. Some agencies, like Collabri, combine a strong talent network with the strategic role of an influencer marketing agency.

The checklist: 10 questions to ask an influencer marketing agency

1. Do they understand your goal?

A good agency starts with your business goal, not with a list of influencers. The most common goals for creator campaigns are brand awareness (43 percent), reaching new audiences (41 percent) and building trust (35 percent), according to the IAB – and each goal needs a different plan.

2. Do they have access to the right talent?

Ask which personalities and creators the agency works with directly, and whether they can reach the audience you need – across age groups and channels. Access to well-known faces matters most for launches and broad campaigns.

3. How do they select talent?

Selection should be based on audience data, fit and credibility. In the IAB’s report, creator reputation (58 percent) and audience alignment (56 percent) were the top criteria, and Influencer Marketing Hub found that fake or bot followers make up 56.5 percent of reported fraud and quality issues. Ask how the agency checks audiences and engagement.

4. Do they bring creative strategy?

Creative strategy was the top differentiator for agencies in Linqia’s report. Ask for concepts, not just media plans – and how the agency gives creators room to tell the story in their own way. Sprout Social reports that influencers want to be involved in creative planning earlier.

5. Can they combine organic and paid media?

Creator content makes up 44 percent of brands’ paid media creative, according to CreatorIQ’s Creator-Powered Funnel report, and securing usage rights is a major barrier for 54 percent of paid media marketers. An agency should plan paid amplification and rights from the start.

6. How do they measure results?

Ask what will be reported, how often and against which goal. In CreatorIQ’s latest State of Creator Marketing report, no single measurement method was preferred by more than 19 percent of brands, and Linqia found that 79 percent of marketers struggle to measure ROI. A good agency agrees on the measurement model before the campaign starts.

7. Do they take compliance seriously?

In Sweden, the company behind the marketing has the main responsibility, but Konsumentverket states that influencers, intermediaries and others who contributed can share responsibility. Ask how the agency ensures ad labelling – “reklam” or “annons”, visible at first glance – and how it handles AI-generated or AI-edited content under the EU AI Act.

8. Are contracts and usage rights clear?

Make sure the agreement covers deliverables, deadlines, approval, exclusivity, usage rights in paid media, AI use and what happens if something goes wrong.

9. Is the pricing transparent?

Ask for agency fees, talent fees, production and media costs to be shown separately. That makes it easier to compare offers and to calculate the return.

10. Can they show results?

Ask for cases with real numbers from similar goals. Two examples from Collabri: the “Coca-Cola Loves Tacos” activation reached over 4.5 million views and 6,300 interactions, and the Swedish launch of Fazer Domino reached over 3.5 million views and 14,000 interactions through creators on TikTok and Instagram combined with paid media.

What are the red flags?

Talent proposals based only on follower count.
No clear plan for ad labelling or AI disclosure.
Reporting that stops at views and impressions.
Vague contracts about usage rights and exclusivity.
Prices that cannot be broken down.

What should you expect from an agency in 2027?

The requirements are rising. These are four areas where a good agency should be ready for 2027:

An AI policy. The last deferred technical requirements of Article 50 of the EU AI Act apply from 2 February 2027. The agency should be able to explain how AI is used in its work and how AI-generated content is disclosed.
Readiness for new EU rules. The European Commission is preparing a Digital Fairness Act, planned to be proposed before 2027, that is expected to regulate influencer marketing. Ask how the agency follows the process.
Creator commerce. 48 percent of brands have integrated creator commerce into their strategy, according to CreatorIQ. An agency should be able to connect content with product links, shop features and sales tracking.
Connected data. Integrating creator data and workflows across systems is now brands’ top roadblock, according to CreatorIQ – so ask how the agency shares data with your own systems.

The market also expects agencies to deliver: in CreatorIQ’s latest report, 73 percent of agencies said their clients’ ROI had increased year over year.

Key takeaways

Start with your goal and decide whether you need an agency, a talent agency or a hybrid.
Compare agencies on talent access, selection, creative strategy and paid media.
Demand a measurement model and transparent pricing before you sign.
Check how the agency handles ad labelling, contracts and AI.
In 2027, ask about AI policies, creator commerce and connected data.

Frequently asked questions

What does an influencer marketing agency cost?

It depends on the scope. Costs usually include an agency fee for strategy and project management, talent fees, production and paid media. Ask for these to be shown separately.

What is the difference between a talent agency and an influencer marketing agency?

A talent agency represents personalities and manages their collaborations. An influencer marketing agency works on the brand side and builds campaigns. Some agencies combine both roles.

Should we run influencer marketing in-house or with an agency?

Many brands run programs in-house, but agencies are common among larger brands and for campaigns with well-known personalities, creative concepts and paid media. A hybrid model is also possible.

How long should we work with an agency before judging the results?

Evaluate each campaign against its goal, but give long-term work – such as ambassador programs – at least several months, since brand effects build over time.

Collabri combines a network of some of Sweden’s best-known personalities – including Pernilla Wahlgren, Carolina Gynning, Carina Berg, Laila Bagge, Marko “Markoolio” Lehtosalo and Sofia Wistam – with strategy, production and paid media. Want to see how we would approach your brief? Contact us at info@collabri.se.

Sources

Linqia – 2026 State of Influencer Marketing (2026): https://www.linqia.com/2026-state-of-influencer-marketing/
Digiday – WFA sees 54% of multinational brands boosting influencer spending – with more relying on agencies to find creators (2025): https://digiday.com/marketing/wfa-sees-54-of-multinational-brands-boosting-influencer-spending-with-more-relying-on-agencies-to-find-creators/
Influencer Marketing Hub – Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2026 (2026): https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report/
Mediemyndigheten – Influencers på den svenska mediemarknaden (2026): https://mediemyndigheten.se/rapporter-och-analyser/influencers-pa-den-svenska-mediemarknaden/
IAB – Creator Economy Ad Spend to Reach $37 Billion in 2025, Growing 4x Faster than Total Media Industry (2025): https://www.iab.com/news/creator-economy-ad-spend-to-reach-37-billion-in-2025-growing-4x-faster-than-total-media-industry-according-to-iab/
Sprout Social – The State of Influencer Marketing Report: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/data/influencer-marketing-report/
CreatorIQ – Creator Content Now Powers 44% of Paid Media Creative (2026): https://www.creatoriq.com/press/releases/creator-powered-funnel-report-2026
CreatorIQ – State of Creator Marketing 2026–2027 (2026): https://www.creatoriq.com/white-papers/state-of-creator-marketing-trends-2027
Konsumentverket – Influencers reklaminlägg – regler för företag: https://www.konsumentverket.se/marknadsratt-foretag/influencers-reklaminlagg-regler-for-foretag/
IAB Sverige – Annonsmärkning: https://iabsverige.se/arbetsomraden/influencer-marketing/annonsmarkning/
Paul, Weiss – EU Finalises Transparency Rules for AI-Generated Content (2026): https://www.paulweiss.com/insights/client-memos/eu-finalises-transparency-rules-for-ai-generated-content
Covington & Burling (Global Policy Watch) – What to Watch in 2026: Key Developments in EMEA Consumer Protection (2026): https://www.globalpolicywatch.com/2026/02/what-to-watch-in-2026-key-developments-in-emea-consumer-protection/