An influencer marketing agency typically costs $1,000 to $20,000 a month on retainer, or from $5,000 per project. Those are the typical ranges we see in 2026, and they pay for the agency's work only: strategy, creator sourcing, briefs, approvals and reporting. Creator fees, product seeding and any paid boosting are separate lines. If you sell supplements, peptides or longevity products, plan for the middle of the range, because compliance review takes real hours.

This guide breaks down what sits inside that fee, what pushes it up or down, and how to build a budget you can defend to a finance team.

How much does an influencer marketing agency cost per month?

Most agencies on a retainer charge between $1,000 and $20,000 a month, based on typical ranges we see in 2026. The low end usually means a small roster of creators, one platform and light reporting. The high end means several platforms, a dozen or more creators a month, multiple review rounds and detailed weekly reports.

A retainer makes sense when you plan to run creators every month. The agency keeps a bench of creators warm, learns your claim rules and gets faster with each round. You pay for continuity.

What a monthly retainer usually covers:

• Creator sourcing and vetting
• Rate negotiation and contracts
• Brief writing for each creator
• Script and content approval
• Compliance review against your claim rules
• Weekly or monthly reporting

What it usually does not cover:

• Creator fees
• Product, samples and shipping
• Paid boosting or whitelisting spend
• UGC production beyond the agreed number of pieces

How much does an influencer campaign cost as a one-off project?

Project fees start around $5,000 in the typical ranges we see. A project suits a product launch, a seasonal push or a first test before you commit to a retainer.

A project fee usually pays for a fixed scope: a strategy document, a shortlist of creators, briefs, approvals for a set number of posts and one final report. When the project ends, so does the agency's work. If the test works, most brands move to a retainer so they do not lose the creators who performed.

What makes an agency charge more or less?

Five things decide where you land inside the range.

• Number of creators. Ten creators take more sourcing, contracts and approvals than three.
• Platforms in scope. TikTok, Instagram and YouTube each need different formats and briefs. Three platforms cost more than one.
• Review rounds. Regulated categories need more rounds. A peptide brand may need legal sign-off on every script.
• Reporting depth. A monthly summary is cheaper than weekly per-creator reporting with code and link tracking.
• Contract length. Longer commitments often get a lower monthly rate, because the agency can plan staff around them.

As a rough example, a 10-creator TikTok test with weekly reports will cost less than a 3-platform launch with legal review. The difference is hours, not prestige.

Why do wellness, supplement and peptide brands pay more?

Brands in these categories pay toward the middle or top of the range because their content needs more review. Platforms reject or limit posts that make health claims, and regulators watch supplement and peptide marketing closely. One post that says a product treats or cures something can get the post removed and the brand flagged.

That means every brief has to list banned words and safe phrasing, every script needs a check before filming, and every final cut needs a check before it goes live. Those steps take time, and time is what an agency bills for. The upside is that the content clears review the first time, which saves you reshoots and pulled posts.

How much do the creators cost on top of the agency fee?

Creator fees are billed separately from the agency fee, and they depend mostly on follower count. Typical 2026 ranges by tier:

• Nano creators (under 10k followers): $50 to $300 per post
• Micro creators (10k to 100k followers): $300 to $2,000 per post
• Mid-tier creators (100k to 500k followers): $2,000 to $10,000 per post
• Macro creators (500k followers and up): $10,000 and up per post

Usage rights, exclusivity and extra formats such as stories or long videos raise these numbers. So does a tight deadline.

For most wellness brands starting out, nano and micro creators carry the campaign. They are cheaper, their audiences are specific, and you can test several of them for the price of one bigger name.

How should you budget for an influencer agency?

Build your budget in two lines: the agency fee and the creator fees. Keep them separate in your plan and in every quote you ask for.

A simple way to start:

• Pick one goal for the first 60 to 90 days, such as testing which niche sells.
• Choose one or two platforms where your buyers already watch.
• Set a creator budget by tier, for example a group of micro creators plus a few nano creators.
• Ask agencies for a project quote that covers sourcing, briefs, approvals and a report.
• Review the report, keep the creators who moved sales and decide whether a retainer makes sense.

This keeps the first commitment small and gives you real data before you sign anything longer.

What questions should you ask before you sign?

Ask every agency the same questions so you can compare answers side by side.

• What exactly does the fee include, and what is billed on top?
• Do you mark up creator fees, and by how much?
• How many review rounds are included?
• Who checks content for health and product claims?
• What does a sample report look like?
• Can we end the contract early, and what notice is required?

An agency that answers these clearly on the first call will usually run a clear campaign. One that dodges the markup question is telling you something.

Is an agency cheaper than doing it in-house?

An agency is often cheaper for the first year, and in-house can win once you run creators at volume. Hiring an in-house influencer manager means a salary, tools and months of relationship building before the first post goes live. An agency arrives with creators, contracts and a review process already in place.

The trade-off is control. In-house teams know the product best. Agencies know the creators best. Many wellness brands start with an agency, learn what works, and bring parts of the work in-house later.

What does Baseamp charge?

Baseamp works only with wellness, biohacking, longevity, supplement and peptide brands, and our pricing sits inside the typical ranges above. We quote the agency fee and the creator budget as two separate numbers, send a shortlist of creators in 48 hours, and pre-approve every post before it goes live. Reporting is weekly, per creator, with codes and links tracked from day one.

FAQ

How much does an influencer agency cost?

An influencer agency typically costs $1,000 to $20,000 a month on retainer, or from $5,000 for a one-off project, based on typical ranges we see in 2026. That fee covers the agency's work: sourcing, briefs, approvals and reporting. Creator fees are paid on top, from about $50 per post for nano creators to $10,000 and up for macro creators.

How much do influencer agencies charge?

Influencer agencies charge either a monthly retainer, a project fee or, less often, a percentage of the creator budget. Typical ranges we see in 2026 are $1,000 to $20,000 a month for retainers and from $5,000 for projects. Brands in regulated categories such as supplements and peptides tend to pay toward the middle of that range because content review takes longer.

What is an influencer agency?

An influencer agency is a company that plans and runs creator campaigns for brands. It finds creators who fit the brand, negotiates their fees, writes briefs, approves content before it goes live and reports on what the content sold. The brand pays the agency for that work and pays the creators separately.