Agency Fees in Creator Deals Turn Into the Next Transparency Headache

A survey by ISBA's media leaders group showed that only 42% of respondents consider creator agency fees to be fully transparent, while 21% deemed them partially transparent, and 37% said they were unsure of their true size, according to Digiday.

TrinityP3 estimates that a bundled deal for a content creator may leave as little as 35% of the budget for the creator themselves, compared to up to 60% when line items are itemized line-by-line and explicitly detailed for the advertiser—a significant difference in the return reaching the creator.

According to figures from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) earlier this year, the average agency share accounted for about 30% of influencer spend, with only 39% of agreements being transparent to the advertiser, deepening concerns among advertisers asking where their money goes.

The report attributes the structural cause to creator budgets entering media plans as a single bundled line item, making it difficult for brands to distinguish between what goes to the creator and what the agency keeps for itself without itemized invoices.

What do these terms mean?

**Bundled fees:** A single amount covering multiple services without itemizing what belongs to each party, making it hard to know the actual shares. **Transparency:** That the advertiser knows exactly how their budget is allocated and who receives each part of it. **Agency share:** The percentage retained by the agency for organizing and managing the deal and connecting the brand with the creator, which is the most controversial figure in these discussions.