Marketplaces are transactional. Agencies are managed. Pick by budget + control.
Two very different products
Influencer agencies
- Take 25–40% commission
- Pitch you 3–5 hand-picked creators per brief
- Handle contracts, payments, content approval
- 2–4 week turnaround
- Best for: 50k+ EGP campaigns, brand-sensitive launches
Creator marketplaces (like MindHub Creators)
- Take 10–15% commission
- You browse hundreds of creators directly
- You manage relationships
- Same-day to 7-day turnaround
- Best for: 5–30k EGP campaigns, fast tests, UGC at scale
When to pick which
Agency wins when:
- You're launching a regional product
- The brand voice needs strict guardrails
- You have no internal team to manage 5 creators
Marketplace wins when:
- You want to test 10 creators cheaply
- You need volume (10+ pieces of content per month)
- You're comfortable doing your own briefs
The hybrid play
Use both. Agencies for tentpole campaigns (2-3 per year). Marketplaces for always-on UGC. MindHub clients running this hybrid average 40% lower cost per acquired customer.