NewGen vs Popcorn Growth

Why brands look at these two influencer partners

Brands often hear the same short list of influencer agencies over and over. When your team is choosing who to trust with budget and creative control, it is normal to stack options side by side.

Here, the focus is on two service-based influencer partners that help brands grow through creators, content, and social channels.

Most marketers want clarity on three things: what each agency actually does, how they work with creators, and which one fits their stage of growth best.

Table of Contents

• Influencer growth strategy overview
• What each agency is known for
• How NewGen tends to work with brands
• How Popcorn Growth typically runs campaigns
• Key differences in style and focus
• Pricing approach and how engagement works
• Strengths and limitations to keep in mind
• Who each agency is best suited for
• When a platform like Flinque can make more sense
• FAQs
• Bringing it all together
• Disclaimer

Influencer growth strategy overview

The primary theme here is influencer growth strategy. Both agencies revolve around using creators to drive views, clicks, and sales, but how they reach those outcomes can feel very different from the inside.

Instead of only chasing viral hits, strong influencer growth often blends steady content output, smart creator choices, and clear tracking of what actually leads to revenue.

As you read, keep your own goals in mind. Fast awareness, lower cost per acquisition, user generated content, or long term creator communities all point you in slightly different directions.

What each agency is known for

Publicly available information paints a picture of two influencer-focused partner types that lean into short form video, social storytelling, and creator-led sales.

One is often associated with helping brands grow through culturally tuned creator campaigns. The other tends to be linked with performance driven influencer programs and repeatable content systems.

Both claim to help brands navigate platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, but their emphasis, creative style, and client mix can diverge.

How NewGen tends to work with brands

This agency is usually positioned around helping brands tap into newer waves of social culture. Their pitch often focuses on relevance, speed, and creators who feel native to each platform.

For many brands, that means using them when you want to refresh your image, reach younger audiences, or test new channels without rebuilding your in house team.

Core services and deliverables

While offerings evolve, agencies in this lane commonly cover:

• Influencer discovery and vetting across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube
• Creative concepts designed around trends and native platform behavior
• Full campaign management, from outreach to reporting
• Content usage rights for ads and paid social
• Sometimes, social strategy support around launches or peak seasons

Expect a hands on team that manages most day to day execution, while your marketing or growth lead stays focused on goals and guardrails.

Approach to campaigns

Campaigns often start with a brand intake, audience clarity, and examples of content you already like or dislike. From there, the agency narrows down creators and themes.

You might see a mix of micro and mid tier influencers, plus some testing of new faces. The aim is usually to balance reach, cost, and authenticity.

Many brands prefer this when they want structured campaigns with clear timelines, while still leaving room for creators to add their own style.

Creator relationships and network

Agencies like this often maintain a strong network of creators they trust from past work. That does not always mean exclusive contracts, but it does mean faster matching and smoother communication.

Because of that, your campaign may move quickly from “approved brief” to “first drafts of content.” You also benefit from the agency already understanding what each creator does best.

The flip side is that you might see repeat faces, which can be good for consistency but less ideal if you want a totally fresh slate every time.

Typical client fit

The brands that lean toward this style tend to be:

• Consumer product companies wanting to break deeper into TikTok culture
• Beauty, fashion, and lifestyle brands chasing visual storytelling
• Apps and direct to consumer brands seeking measurable conversion lift
• Marketing teams that want a partner, not just a one off project shop

If your priority is staying on trend while having campaigns handled for you end to end, this type of agency can feel like an extension of your internal team.

How Popcorn Growth typically runs campaigns

The other agency is often associated with disciplined performance, structured testing, and repeatable creator content that feeds both organic reach and paid ads.

They usually stress measurable outcomes and strong creative that plugs into your existing performance marketing stack.

Services they are commonly linked with

Based on public positioning, services may include:

• Influencer identification with a stronger performance lens
• Scripted and semi scripted content frameworks for creators
• Always on creator programs instead of only one off bursts
• Repurposing influencer videos into paid ads
• Ongoing testing of hooks, angles, and offers

This is attractive to brands that live and breathe metrics, where creative is treated as fuel for both awareness and performance channels.

Campaign structure and process

Campaigns may start with clear performance goals, such as cost per acquisition targets, click through expectations, or retention focused messaging.

From there, creators are briefed more tightly. Hook lines, key benefits, and call to action language may be more defined than in looser collaborations.

You still get creator personality, but it sits inside a framework that can be tested, scaled, and repeated if the numbers look right.

Creator relationships and style

In this model, the agency usually builds relationships with creators who are comfortable making performance oriented content.

Think of creators who can deliver multiple variations, iterate quickly, and follow data informed direction while still sounding natural.

For some brands, this balance of creativity and discipline feels ideal. For others, it can feel slightly more controlled than they would prefer.

Types of clients that often choose them

Brands that lean heavily into this style are often:

• Direct response focused advertisers scaling spend fast
• Subscription and app based companies watching retention closely
• Ecommerce brands used to heavy testing on Meta and Google
• Marketing teams that care deeply about attribution and dashboards

If you are already in a performance first mindset and want influencer work to slot cleanly into that, this style of partner can feel familiar and reassuring.

Key differences in style and focus

On the surface, these agencies both run influencer campaigns for brands. Underneath, there are real differences in tone, process, and what they emphasize in sales conversations.

One tends to lean a bit more into cultural presence and trend fluent creative. The other leans slightly harder into structured testing and clear performance frameworks.

Creative freedom versus structured frameworks

In practice, you might notice:

• More open ended briefs and riskier trends with the culture leaning partner
• Tighter scripts, clearer hooks, and repeated testing angles with the performance leaning partner
• Different expectations around how much creators improvise on camera

Neither is automatically better. The right fit depends on whether you need brand freshness, revenue proof, or both.

Campaign rhythm and pace

Some agencies favor bigger, splashy launches tied to product drops or key seasons. Others prefer always on programs that run all year.

You will want to ask whether they expect to run short sprints, long term retainers, or a blend. This affects content volume, creator relationships, and budget planning.

It also shapes your internal workload, since approvals and reporting cadence will differ between sprint heavy and always on setups.

Client experience and communication

While every agency is unique, you can usually expect to work with an account manager and a supporting team.

Differences show up in how often they meet with you, how detailed the reports are, and whether strategy discussions feel high level or very tactical.

If you prefer informal, creative brainstorms, one style may feel more comfortable. If you like structured check ins and dashboards, the other may be better.

Pricing approach and how engagement works

Both groups operate as service based businesses, not self serve software. That means pricing is tailored to each brand rather than sold as fixed subscription tiers.

You can expect a mix of agency fees and creator costs, usually organized either as a project scope or an ongoing retainer.

What goes into campaign cost

Several factors tend to drive the final number:

• Number of creators and their audience size
• Platforms involved and content formats needed
• Whether you are buying only organic posts or also ad usage rights
• Whether this is a one time push or an always on program
• The level of strategic support and reporting depth required

Expect to receive a custom quote after sharing your goals, budget range, and key timelines.

Retainers versus one off projects

Many influencer agencies prefer retainers because they allow for ongoing testing, relationship building, and creative refinement.

However, one off projects are still common for product launches, seasonal promos, or proof of concept tests before committing long term.

Your choice largely depends on budget flexibility and how central influencer marketing is to your overall strategy.

Management costs and creator fees

Creator fees cover the people actually appearing in content. Management costs cover strategy, outreach, negotiations, approvals, and reporting.

Sometimes these are bundled together. Other times you see a clearly separated management fee plus pass through creator payments.

When you compare agencies, it helps to ask for a simple breakdown to avoid confusing apples with oranges.

Strengths and limitations to keep in mind

Every influencer partner shines in certain situations and falls short in others. Knowing both sides helps you set realistic expectations.

Common strengths of these influencer partners

• Access to creators you would struggle to manage alone
• Experience with platform trends and formats you may not follow daily
• Streamlined process for negotiation, briefs, and creative approvals
• Ability to repurpose content into ads or other channels
• Reporting that ties activity to views, clicks, and in some cases revenue

For many brands, this is the difference between influencer experiments and serious, repeatable programs.

Where limitations often show up

• Less flexibility for very small budgets or early stage startups
• Possible tension between brand safety and fast moving trends
• Limited control over every creator nuance, since authenticity matters
• Internal approvals still needed, which can slow things down
• Dependence on platforms you do not own, like TikTok and Instagram

A frequent concern is whether results will justify the agency fee and creator spend, especially on the first campaign.

How to weigh these trade offs

If your team is small and you want a strong creative partner, the value of saved time and faster learning can be significant.

If your team is large and already works with freelancers, you might only need strategic help, not full execution.