HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

How to hire influencer marketing in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to influencer marketing, but every rewarded post must be labelled as an ad. Here are the checks, the contract terms and the questions to ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring influencer marketing in five steps

  1. Decide the goal and the budgetAwareness, clicks or sales, and how much goes to creators, products and any agency fee.
  2. Check the audience, not the follower countAsk for audience location, age and engagement for each influencer, and look for signs of bought followers.
  3. Put every deliverable in a contractPosts, stories or videos, dates, the message, usage rights, exclusivity and payment.
  4. Make the ad label a conditionEvery paid or gifted post clearly labelled as an ad from the start of the post.
  5. Ask for a results reportReach, engagement, clicks and sales, with screenshots of each live post.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses influencers or influencer marketing agencies in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The rules that bite come from consumer protection law and the advertising codes, and the brand carries part of the responsibility.

Ask the agency or influencer for past campaigns with live links and a brand you can contact.

Ads must be labelled

The CMA's guidance for content creators, under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 and other consumer protection law, says any post made in return for money, a gift, a discount or another incentive must be clearly labelled as an ad, and that everyone involved, including the brand, must take responsibility for the labelling. The Advertising Standards Authority enforces the advertising rules too.

Write the label into the contract and check every live post for it. gov.uk →

Honest claims and no fake reviews

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 bans misleading consumers with false or deceptive messages and bans commissioning fake reviews. An influencer saying they love a product they have not used, or a claim you cannot prove, is your problem as well as theirs.

Brief only claims you can back up, and ask influencers to describe their genuine experience. gov.uk →

Usage of influencer content

The influencer owns the copyright in their posts under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Reusing their photos or videos in your own ads or website needs a licence in the contract, or a signed assignment.

Name the reuse you want, the channels and the period, and the fee for it. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Influencer marketing services are standard-rated: a registered agency charges 20% on its own fee, and each creator invoices VAT on their fee only if they are registered. Registration becomes compulsory once an influencer marketing agency has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the agency for its VAT number and for its fee, each creator's fee and the VAT on each shown apart. gov.uk →

“Which influencer marketing campaigns have you run for businesses like mine?”

A good answer: Named campaigns with live posts you can see and results described honestly, not just follower totals.

“How do you check an influencer's audience is real and in the UK?”

A good answer: Audience data from the influencer's account, engagement checks and a look at comments, not follower numbers alone.

“How will every post be labelled as an ad?”

A good answer: A clear "Ad" label at the start of each paid or gifted post, written into each influencer contract and checked before reporting.

“What is your fee, separate from what the influencers are paid?”

A good answer: Agency management, creator fees, products and any paid boosting shown as separate lines.

“Can we reuse the influencer content in our own ads?”

A good answer: Only with usage rights in the contract; the agency should price extended usage before the campaign.

“What will the influencer say about the product?”

A good answer: A brief built on claims you can back up, with the creator free to describe their genuine experience.

“How will the influencer marketing results be reported?”

A good answer: Reach, engagement, clicks and sales per post, with screenshots and a date for the final report.

Getting the quote right

  • Each influencer, platform and deliverable listed with posting dates
  • Who actually attends to the campaign: the agency's employed staff, subcontracted managers, and which creators post
  • Creator fees, products, paid boosting and the agency's own fee shown separately
  • Ad labelling required in every influencer contract
  • Usage rights and any exclusivity, with their cost
  • The reporting: what is measured and when the report arrives
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on the agency fee and on each registered creator's fee

Walk away if

  • "We don't use ad labels; it looks more natural"
  • Follower numbers with very low engagement or comments that read like bots
  • No written contract with each influencer
  • Guaranteed sales or viral reach
  • A single fee with no breakdown of what the influencers receive
  • No live links in the results report
LOW
£50
TYPICAL
£500
HIGH
£20,000

What influencer marketing costs: £50–£20,000 per campaign

Influencer marketing is priced per campaign: each creator's fee, products and any boosting, plus an agency fee where one manages it. Influencer Marketing price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Influencer marketing agencies near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. StrategyGoal, audience, budget, platforms and the claims you can support agreed.
  2. Creator selectionInfluencers shortlisted on audience fit and engagement, with their rates.
  3. Contracts and briefsEach influencer signs terms covering deliverables, dates, labelling, usage and payment.
  4. Content and postingDrafts approved where agreed, then posts go live, labelled as ads.
  5. ReportResults per post and per creator, with what to change next time.

Gifting
Sending a product free in the hope or expectation of a post; still counts as an incentive.
Micro influencer
A creator with a smaller, often more engaged, following.
Engagement rate
Likes, comments and shares as a share of followers or views.
Usage rights
Permission to reuse the influencer's content, for a set use and period.
Exclusivity
A promise not to promote competitors for a set time, usually at extra cost.
Affiliate link
A tracked link that pays the creator commission on sales; posts using one must be labelled.

AFTER

When the job is done

Screenshot every live postWith the ad label visible and the date. If a post is later questioned, this is your record.
Check the report against the postsReach and clicks should match what the platforms show. Ask for the raw numbers if a figure looks high.
Diary the end of usage rightsIf you reuse creator content in ads, stop when the licence ends or extend it.
Leave an honest reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked jobs, so yours counts. If the influencer marketing agency fell short, use the make-it-right step first and they get the chance to put it right.

STEP 1Start with the influencer marketing agencyDescribe the fault and give a fair deadline to fix it. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 expects reasonable care and skill from the influencer marketing agency as a trader, so you can insist on the work being put right or the bill cut.
STEP 2Make-it-right on LocufyA rating under four stars asks whether the influencer marketing agency should hear about it first. Agree, and the make-it-right step runs before your review appears.
STEP 3The consumer helplinesFor advice on your rights against the influencer marketing agency, or to report a trader who breaks the law, call Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060 or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Take it to small claimsSmall claims is the last step against the influencer marketing agency: the limit is £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring influencer marketing: questions people ask

Yes, whenever the influencer received money, a free product or any other incentive. The CMA says the label must be clear, and the brand shares responsibility with the creator.

There is no licence for influencers or agencies in any UK nation. Consumer protection law and the advertising codes regulate what the posts say and how they are labelled.

Only if the contract gives you the right. The influencer owns the copyright, so usage in your ads needs a licence or a signed assignment.

Expect £50–£20,000 per campaign; £500 is typical. Follower count and platform set each creator's fee; usage rights, exclusivity and agency management add to it. Our influencer marketing price guide breaks the figures down, and your town above brings up influencer marketing agencies close by.

Very low engagement for the follower count, sudden jumps in followers, and generic comments. Ask for audience data from the platform.

Usually two to eight weeks from briefing to the final report.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in marketing, design & tech

How to hire: Content CreatorHow to hire: Social Media ManagerHow to hire: PR ConsultantHow to hire: Digital Marketing ConsultantHow to hire: CopywriterHow to hire: Email Marketing SpecialistHow to hire: Google Ads / PPC SpecialistHow to hire: SEO SpecialistAll 701 hiring guides →

Influencer marketing agencies near you

Influencer marketing agencies in LondonInfluencer marketing agencies in ManchesterInfluencer marketing agencies in BirminghamInfluencer marketing agencies in GlasgowInfluencer marketing agencies in BelfastAll influencer marketing agencies on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk (CMA) — social media endorsements: guidance for content creators
  2. gov.uk — regulations that affect advertising
  3. gov.uk (CMA) — short guide on consumer reviews and fake reviews
  4. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90 — assignment in writing
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register