# Influencer Marketing: How It Works and What It Costs (2026) > Influencer marketing is paying creators to show your product to their followers. How it works on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, what it costs and how to start. Source: https://octoclip.io/influencer-marketing Updated: 2026-10-19 --- Free to post a job # Influencer marketing, explained for brands in 2026. Influencer marketing is when a brand pays creators to feature its product in posts on their own TikTok, Instagram or YouTube accounts. **Most teams now run it in-house**: they choose the creators, agree a **fixed price per post** and approve each one before it goes live. [Post a job free](https://octoclip.io/signup/brand) - Free until you hire - Fixed price per post - You approve every video Updated 19 Oct 2026 **01** In short ## What is influencer marketing? Influencer marketing is a form of advertising in which a brand pays creators to show its product to the people who follow them, usually in short videos on TikTok, Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. The creator posts on their own account, labelled as an ad, and the brand can often reuse the video in its own ads. - **Octoclip is**: An influencer marketplace where creators apply to your job and you hire them at a fixed price per post. - **Octoclip is not**: An agency, a database to search or a pay-per-view tool. **02** The numbers ## Influencer marketing in numbers. Figures from the publishers’ own reports, with the day we read them. *Influencer marketing in numbers.* | Fact | Figure | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Brands expecting their influencer budget to rise | 87.49% (survey of 600+, 2026) | [Influencer Marketing Hub, Benchmark Report 2026](https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report/) Read 19 Oct 2026 | | Brands that run influencer marketing entirely in-house | 66.33% | [Influencer Marketing Hub, Benchmark Report 2026](https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report/) Read 19 Oct 2026 | | Brands that run it through an agency partner | 10.71% | [Influencer Marketing Hub, Benchmark Report 2026](https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report/) Read 19 Oct 2026 | | Respondents who included TikTok in their influencer plans | 31% | [Influencer Marketing Hub, Benchmark Report 2026](https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report/) Read 19 Oct 2026 | | Size of the creator economy | $250 billion in 2023, forecast $480 billion by 2027 | [Goldman Sachs Research, 2023](https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/the-creator-economy-could-approach-half-a-trillion-dollars-by-2027) Read 19 Oct 2026 | | Monthly fee to hire influencers on Octoclip | €0 | [Octoclip terms](https://octoclip.io/terms) Read 19 Oct 2026 | | How long a creator post stays live on Octoclip | At least 90 days | [Octoclip terms](https://octoclip.io/terms) Read 19 Oct 2026 | **03** The guide ## How to start influencer marketing in six steps. From the first brief to the creators you hire again. 1. **Decide what one post should do** Pick one goal for the first round: show the product in use, answer one doubt, or reach one kind of buyer. One goal makes the brief short and the posts easy to compare. 2. **Choose the platform** TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts all reward short vertical video. Start where your buyers already scroll. For TikTok in particular, see [TikTok influencer marketing](https://octoclip.io/tiktok-influencer-marketing). 3. **Set one price per post** A fixed price per approved post keeps the cost known before anyone films and is fair to the creator. Never pay on views: they depend on the algorithm, not on the creator’s work. 4. **Let creators come to you** Post the job and read who applies, rather than messaging strangers. Smaller accounts are often the best start: see [micro influencers](https://octoclip.io/micro-influencers). 5. **Approve before it goes live** Check each post against the brief’s must-include points, then let the creator publish. Ask for the ad code if you want to boost it as a [Spark Ad](https://octoclip.io/spark-ads) or a [partnership ad](https://octoclip.io/partnership-ads). 6. **Rehire the creators who delivered** Keep the creators whose posts worked and brief them again. Measure the posts you boost with the [CPM calculator](https://octoclip.io/cpm-calculator) and the [ROAS calculator](https://octoclip.io/roas-calculator). **04** Two ways to work ## Influencer posts or UGC videos: which do you need? Each job is one type. You set the price per video, and creators see it before they apply. ### Creator post Job type The creator publishes on their own TikTok, Instagram or YouTube, to their own audience. You get the live post to repost and run as an ad. - **Where it lives**: The creator’s account, live at least 90 days - **Followers**: Matter. You can set a minimum - **Best for**: Reach on the creator’s own audience ### UGC video Job type The creator sends you the file. You publish it on your own accounts, on your site and in your ads. - **Where it lives**: Your accounts and ad library - **Followers**: Don’t matter. Only the video does - **Best for**: Video files for your own accounts and ads **05** How it works ## How to run influencer marketing on Octoclip. Free until you hire. You only pay when a creator accepts. 1. Free **Post a job** Type, price per video, volume, deadline and the brief, with the must-include points every video is checked against. 2. Free **Review applicants** Creators apply with a note. You see their profile, connected account and record on Octoclip. 3. Free **Send offers** The contract is generated from your job’s terms. Hire one creator or twenty from the same brief. 4. **Hire and approve** When a creator accepts, you pay and they start. You approve every video before the creator is paid. When money moves 1. **You post and review** €0 2. **A creator accepts** Payment secured 3. **You approve a video** Creator is paid [Post a job free](https://octoclip.io/signup/brand) [See the whole flow](https://octoclip.io/#s-how) **06** Pricing ## How much does influencer marketing cost? There is no set price: each creator’s rate depends on the platform, the audience and the work. On Octoclip you set one price per post, and creators see it before they apply. - **€0**: **to post a job** As many jobs, applicants and teammates as you need. Reviewing and sending offers is free too. - **Charge**: **Pay when you hire** Charged when a creator accepts your offer. You see the full amount before you send it. - **Price**: **Fixed price per video** Never tied to views. You set it, and creators see it before they apply. An example 10 creator posts at €100 each Paid to creators **€1,000** - **Monthly fee**: €0 An example, not a price list: you choose the price and the number of videos, and you see the full amount before you send an offer. **07** Compare ## Ways to run influencer marketing. Octoclip against an influencer platform, an agency and doing it yourself. *Octoclip compared with an influencer platform, an agency and doing it yourself* | What you get | Octoclip Post a job free | Influencer platform Databases and subscriptions | Agency Retainer fees and shortlists | Doing it yourself DMs, spreadsheets, invoices | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Creators apply to your job | Yes | No: You search a database | No: They pick for you | No: You message one by one | | You choose who works with you | Yes | Yes | No: From their shortlist | Yes | | One fixed price per video | Yes: Set by you, seen before they apply | No: Negotiated each time | No: Set by the agency | No: Negotiated each time | | No monthly cost | Yes: €0 until you hire | No: Usually a subscription | No: Often a retainer fee | Yes: Your time instead | | Contracts and payouts handled | Yes | No: Often extra | Yes | No: By you, one by one | | Ad rights in every contract | Yes: Spark Ads and partnership ads included | No: Agreed case by case | No: Agreed case by case | No: Agreed case by case | **Weighing a UGC platform?** See Octoclip side by side with each one. [Compare platforms](https://octoclip.io/compare) **08** Avoid these ## Four influencer marketing mistakes. - **Choosing by follower count** Followers say nothing about who watches. Look at the creator’s recent videos and who they are made for. - **Paying for views** Views depend on the algorithm. A fixed price per approved post keeps your cost known and the deal fair. - **Writing a brief nobody can follow** Give one goal, the few points the post must include and what to avoid. Leave the creator room to sound like themselves. - **Leaving the rights unwritten** Agree how long the post stays up and whether you may use it in ads before anyone films. On Octoclip it is in the contract both sides accept. ## About this guide **Written by Octoclip.** Published 19 Oct 2026, updated 19 Oct 2026. ### Sources The review, revision and payment rules on this page are Octoclip’s own, set out in the [terms](https://octoclip.io/terms). Usage rights are set in each job’s terms and shown on the contract. FAQ ## Influencer marketing, answered. What brands ask before they post: price, rights and review. **A person answers.** Can’t find your question? Write to us and someone at Octoclip replies. [Talk to us](mailto:info@octoclip.io) ### What is influencer marketing? Influencer marketing is advertising in which a brand pays creators to show its product to their followers, usually in short videos on TikTok, Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. The creator posts on their own account and labels it as an ad. ### How does influencer marketing work? A brand writes a brief, chooses creators, agrees a price and approves each post before it goes live. On Octoclip you post a job at a fixed price per post, creators apply, and you send offers to the ones you want. ### How much does influencer marketing cost? Posting a job, reviewing applicants and sending offers are free. You set a fixed price per video and pay only when a creator accepts your offer. The full amount is shown before you send the offer. ### How does Instagram influencer marketing work? On Instagram, influencer marketing is mostly Reels: a creator films a short video with your product and posts it on their account, tagged as a paid partnership. You can then run it as a partnership ad from your own account. See [Meta partnership ads](https://octoclip.io/partnership-ads). ### Do brands run influencer marketing in-house or with an agency? Mostly in-house: in Influencer Marketing Hub’s 2026 benchmark survey, 66.33% of respondents run it entirely in-house and 10.71% through an agency partner. Octoclip is built for the in-house way: you choose and hire the creators yourself. ### What is the difference between influencer marketing and UGC? In influencer marketing the creator posts to their own audience. With UGC the creator makes a video file that the brand posts on its own accounts and in its ads. See [UGC vs influencer marketing](https://octoclip.io/ugc-vs-influencer-marketing). ### Can I use an influencer’s post in my ads? Yes. The contract both sides accept lets you use approved content in paid ads, including Spark Ads and partnership ads. Ask for the ad code or approval in your brief so the creator knows before they apply. ### Does influencer marketing work? Brands hire creators because a recommendation from someone people follow is trusted, and 87.49% of brands in Influencer Marketing Hub’s 2026 survey expect to spend more on it. Octoclip does not sell or guarantee downloads, installs or views. You pay a fixed price for each approved video. ### When is a creator paid? Their payment is secured when they accept, before any work starts, and released for each video you approve. ### Is Octoclip an influencer marketing agency? No. You choose and hire creators directly. Octoclip runs the jobs, contracts, approvals and payments in between. **A person answers.** Can’t find your question? Write to us and someone at Octoclip replies. [Talk to us](mailto:info@octoclip.io) More on Octoclip ## More guides and tools. [All guides and tools](https://octoclip.io/resources) [Guide TikTok influencer marketing How to run TikTok creator videos without an agency. Read the guide](https://octoclip.io/tiktok-influencer-marketing) [Guide Micro influencers Hiring micro and nano creators for TikTok, Instagram and YouTube at a fixed price per video. Read the guide](https://octoclip.io/micro-influencers) [Guide TikTok Spark Ads Run a creator’s own TikTok post as your ad, with one code. Read the guide](https://octoclip.io/spark-ads) [Free tool CPM calculator What 1,000 impressions of your ad cost. Open the tool](https://octoclip.io/cpm-calculator) ### Guides for brands - [UGC ads](https://octoclip.io/ugc-ads) - [UGC creators](https://octoclip.io/ugc-creators) - [AI UGC vs real UGC](https://octoclip.io/ai-ugc-vs-real-ugc) - [Micro influencers](https://octoclip.io/micro-influencers) - [TikTok influencer marketing](https://octoclip.io/tiktok-influencer-marketing) - [TikTok Creator Marketplace](https://octoclip.io/tiktok-creator-marketplace) - [Find influencers](https://octoclip.io/find-influencers) - [TikTok Spark Ads](https://octoclip.io/spark-ads) - [Meta partnership ads](https://octoclip.io/partnership-ads) - [What is UGC?](https://octoclip.io/what-is-ugc) - [UGC examples](https://octoclip.io/ugc-examples) - [UGC rates](https://octoclip.io/ugc-rates) - [UGC contract template](https://octoclip.io/ugc-contract-template) - [UGC vs influencer marketing](https://octoclip.io/ugc-vs-influencer-marketing) ### On Octoclip - [All guides and tools](https://octoclip.io/resources) - [UGC prompts](https://octoclip.io/prompts) - [Octoclip for brands](https://octoclip.io/) - [Open jobs](https://octoclip.io/jobs) - [Octoclip for creators](https://octoclip.io/creators) Free to post a job ## Start influencer marketing today. Post a job free and see who wants to work with your brand before you pay anything. [Post a job free](https://octoclip.io/signup/brand) [Sign in](https://octoclip.io/login) **Posting a job is free.** You’re charged only when a creator accepts. [Post a job free](https://octoclip.io/signup/brand)