Nearly three in four marketers expect to raise influencer budgets by half or more. That is the headline, and it is a trap. Those planning bigger budgets will be judged not on ambition but on where the new dollars land. They will be judged on where the new dollars land.
The money is real, the plan usually is not
Nobody is arguing about direction anymore.
The macro data agrees. The IAB projected US creator ad spend at $37 billion for 2025, a 26% jump year over year and roughly four times the 5.7% growth of the media industry overall. The same IAB release found that 48% of ad spenders consider creators a “must buy”.
Now the uncomfortable part. A bigger budget amplifies whatever process you already have. If your vetting is sloppy, you will buy more sloppy partnerships. If your reporting is shaky, you will have a larger number you cannot defend in the next planning cycle.
A budget increase is a loan against next year’s credibility. Every new dollar needs a measurement plan attached before it is committed.
Where should the first new dollars go?
Not to more creators. Start with the plumbing.
Sprout Social’s survey of 296 social media professionals, covered by Net Influencer, offers a useful read on how budget growth and proof of ROI interact. In that survey, 54% reported a budget increase of 1-10% and 22% reported an increase of 11% or more. Yet 33% said concrete evidence of ROI is the factor most likely to trigger a significant budget increase. Money follows proof, and proof needs infrastructure.
A practical split for a mid-sized program adding budget this year:
- A modest, protected slice to measurement and tooling. Unified reporting, holdout tests, and creator-level attribution. Our piece on unified measurement shows how few teams have this nailed.
- The largest share to proven creators you already work with. Extend, do not restart.
- A sizable share to controlled experiments. New formats, new markets, new tiers, each with a pre-agreed success metric.
- A meaningful share to paid amplification and usage rights. Your best content deserves distribution.
- A small but non-negotiable share to compliance, contracts and brand safety. Boring, and cheaper than a takedown.
These ranges are my working framework, not an industry benchmark. Adjust them to your category and your current gaps.
Retention beats recruitment
Why favor existing creators? Because switching costs are hidden. Every new relationship means briefing time, onboarding, rate negotiation and a learning curve on what converts.
Repeat deals also soften pricing. We covered how to lock creator rates early and avoid rush fees, and the logic gets stronger when budgets balloon and everyone competes for the same talent. If you plan structured long-term deals, read up on ambassador deal terms first. Exclusivity, usage windows and performance clauses are where those contracts quietly go wrong.
What about agency fees?
Here is the catch. When budgets climb sharply, so does the fee base on percentage-of-spend agreements. Audit the effective cost before you sign anything. Our guide to agency markups walks through where the margin hides.
The benchmark also found that two-thirds of programs are managed entirely in-house, with selective outsourcing for specific tasks. That suggests many brands are keeping strategy close and renting execution.
Rethink what you are buying
Follower count is a weak purchase signal. In Sprout Social’s consumer survey, only 17% of consumers cited follower count as a factor in deciding whether to follow a creator. The subjects a creator discusses ranked first, cited by 47% of consumers. Sprout Social’s Instagram analysis, as reported by Net Influencer, found that on Reels, 60% of creators have audiences where 70% or more of viewers are non-followers.
Translate that into buying behavior. Pay for topical authority and content quality, not headline reach. Our write-up on native signals covers how to rewrite vetting criteria accordingly.
In the IAB’s findings, 58% of brands cited creator reputation and 56% cited audience alignment among their top selection criteria. About a third called finding the right creators their biggest hurdle. So discovery tools and manual review time are legitimate line items, not overhead.
Small creators, with eyes open
Expect crowded competition for nano creators, since many brands are targeting the same tier. That is a lot of brands chasing the same tier. Rates can differ wildly by geography, as we showed in nano rates by market. Budget by market, not by global average.
Scaling small creators also multiplies admin: contracts, disclosures, payments, content review. A hundred creators at small fees can cost more to manage than ten at larger ones. Price your internal hours.
Close the goal mismatch
This one hurts. In the Sprout Social data, half of marketers cited brand awareness as a top-three reason for running campaigns, 46% cited brand trust, and only 24% cited direct sales or conversion. Meanwhile, two-thirds of consumers had bought something because of an influencer’s recommendation in the past year.
So audiences are buying and many marketers are not set up to capture it. The IAB found that 43% of brands prioritize awareness and 32% prioritize online sales, while 40% of buyers rank overall ROI as their top KPI. Decide up front which campaigns are awareness plays, which are conversion plays, and what each must deliver. Then fund them differently.
Do not skip the risk line
More creators, more content, more exposure. In the Sprout Social survey, 32% of marketers cited disclosure and compliance guidelines as a top challenge. Put real money behind contract language, content approval workflows and usage monitoring. See our note on proof of use clauses for contract specifics.
Also be careful with AI spending. The IAB reports that 95% of advertisers have concerns about using AI in creator marketing, with loss of human connection the top concern. Use it for briefs and editing, not to replace the human voice that makes creators valuable.
FAQs
How much of a new influencer budget should go to measurement?
A sensible starting point is a modest but protected share of the incremental dollars, though that is a practitioner guideline rather than a published benchmark. Teams with no attribution setup should lean to the high end. Sprout Social’s survey found ROI evidence is the top trigger for larger budget increases, so this spend funds your next ask.
Should new budget go to more creators or deeper relationships?
Lean toward deeper relationships with proven performers, then reserve a defined share for tests. Repeat partnerships reduce onboarding costs and support better rates. New creators should enter through structured experiments with set success criteria.
Is the headline budget growth a sign of an overheated market?
Read it carefully. The benchmark number reflects expectation, not confirmed spend. Sprout Social’s data on realized budgets, covered by Net Influencer, shows 54% of marketers landing at an increase of 1-10%. Plan for the realistic case and treat larger jumps as upside.
What KPIs should justify extra influencer spend?
Match KPIs to the campaign goal. The IAB found that 40% of creator ad buyers rank overall ROI as their top KPI. Use reach and completion for awareness, and conversion, repeat purchase or incrementality tests for sales campaigns. Our guide on completion rate is a good place to begin on video quality signals.
How do I protect the budget from compliance risk?
Set aside a small, dedicated share for contracts, disclosure checks and content approval. Make disclosure language and usage rights explicit in every agreement, and review creator posts before and after publishing.
Next step: before approving any increase, write a one-page allocation memo that assigns each new dollar to a goal, a metric and a review date, and cut anything that cannot name all three.
Top Influencer Marketing Agencies
The leading agencies shaping influencer marketing in 2026
Agencies ranked by campaign performance, client diversity, platform expertise, proven ROI, industry recognition, and client satisfaction. Assessed through verified case studies, reviews, and industry consultations.
Moburst
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2
The Shelf
Boutique Beauty & Lifestyle Influencer AgencyA data-driven boutique agency specializing exclusively in beauty, wellness, and lifestyle influencer campaigns on Instagram and TikTok. Best for brands already focused on the beauty/personal care space that need curated, aesthetic-driven content.Clients: Pepsi, The Honest Company, Hims, Elf Cosmetics, Pure LeafVisit The Shelf → -
3
Audiencly
Niche Gaming & Esports Influencer AgencyA specialized agency focused exclusively on gaming and esports creators on YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. Ideal if your campaign is 100% gaming-focused — from game launches to hardware and esports events.Clients: Epic Games, NordVPN, Ubisoft, Wargaming, Tencent GamesVisit Audiencly → -
4
Viral Nation
Global Influencer Marketing & Talent AgencyA dual talent management and marketing agency with proprietary brand safety tools and a global creator network spanning nano-influencers to celebrities across all major platforms.Clients: Meta, Activision Blizzard, Energizer, Aston Martin, WalmartVisit Viral Nation → -
5
The Influencer Marketing Factory
TikTok, Instagram & YouTube CampaignsA full-service agency with strong TikTok expertise, offering end-to-end campaign management from influencer discovery through performance reporting with a focus on platform-native content.Clients: Google, Snapchat, Universal Music, Bumble, YelpVisit TIMF → -
6
NeoReach
Enterprise Analytics & Influencer CampaignsAn enterprise-focused agency combining managed campaigns with a powerful self-service data platform for influencer search, audience analytics, and attribution modeling.Clients: Amazon, Airbnb, Netflix, Honda, The New York TimesVisit NeoReach → -
7
Ubiquitous
Creator-First Marketing PlatformA tech-driven platform combining self-service tools with managed campaign options, emphasizing speed and scalability for brands managing multiple influencer relationships.Clients: Lyft, Disney, Target, American Eagle, NetflixVisit Ubiquitous → -
8
Obviously
Scalable Enterprise Influencer CampaignsA tech-enabled agency built for high-volume campaigns, coordinating hundreds of creators simultaneously with end-to-end logistics, content rights management, and product seeding.Clients: Google, Ulta Beauty, Converse, AmazonVisit Obviously →