The Shelf vs HelloSociety

Why brands weigh influencer agency options

When you’re serious about influencer marketing, choosing the right partner can shape everything from your content quality to your sales numbers. Two well-known agencies many marketers look at side by side are The Shelf and HelloSociety.

Both focus on building campaigns with creators, but they do it in different ways. You’re likely trying to figure out which one fits your goals, budget, and internal resources, and where each might come up short for your brand.

The primary focus here is influencer marketing agencies, especially how they work with brands, creators, and budgets in the real world. You’ll see how each agency tends to operate, who they usually attract, and which might feel more natural for your team.

What these agencies are known for

Both agencies are full-service influencer partners, not self-serve tools. That means they handle strategy, creator outreach, campaign management, and reporting for you, usually on top of helping shape your creative direction.

The Shelf is often associated with data-driven matching and storytelling, placing brands with creators who can build narrative-driven content across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and blogs. They tend to emphasize performance tracking and measurable outcomes.

HelloSociety gained early visibility for its work with Pinterest influencers and highly visual creators, later expanding into broader social channels. They frequently highlight premium content, brand partnerships, and polished creative for consumer brands and retailers.

In short, both run influencer campaigns from start to finish, but with different histories, areas of focus, and ways of collaborating with clients and creators.

The Shelf: services and style

The Shelf positions itself as a creative, data-informed influencer marketing agency. They try to blend analytics with storytelling, pairing brands with creators whose audiences and content style line up with specific campaign goals.

Core services you can expect

While details can shift over time, brands generally look to The Shelf for end-to-end support. That typically includes planning, creator selection, content management, and performance tracking over the course of a campaign.

• Influencer strategy tailored to brand goals and audience segments
• Creator discovery, vetting, and outreach across multiple platforms
• Creative concepts and brief development for influencers
• Campaign management, content approvals, and scheduling
• Reporting focused on reach, engagement, and conversions

Many brands lean on them when they need structure around their influencer efforts and want to avoid managing dozens of creator relationships internally.

How The Shelf tends to run campaigns

The Shelf usually starts with a clear objective, like awareness, engagement, or driving signups and sales. From there they work backward into audience targeting, influencer mix, and content angles.

They often talk about using data to find the right fit, which can include audience demographics, brand alignment, engagement quality, and historic performance. The idea is to avoid “random” partnerships that don’t move the needle.

Campaigns commonly include a mix of macro and micro influencers, repurposable content assets, and multi-post sequences rather than one-off mentions. This can help create a more consistent brand presence across social feeds.

Creator relationships and style

The Shelf maintains relationships with a wide range of creators, but they typically operate as an independent agency, not as a talent management firm for a small roster. That means they can tap into many types of influencers rather than only in-house talent.

Brands that like more creative partnerships usually appreciate when an agency gives creators room to adapt briefs to their personal voice, within brand guardrails. The Shelf publicly leans into this balance between structure and authenticity.

Typical brand and client fit for The Shelf

The Shelf often works with consumer-facing brands in areas like beauty, fashion, lifestyle, parenting, CPG, and tech. They align especially well with teams that want measurable outcomes and a strong emphasis on planning and reporting.

They tend to fit:

• Mid-market brands trying to scale influencer efforts
• Growing e-commerce companies wanting conversions as well as awareness
• Larger brands looking for structured, trackable programs
• Marketing teams that need a partner to run day-to-day campaign details

HelloSociety: services and style

HelloSociety emerged early in the influencer space, first known for its strong connection to Pinterest and highly visual content creators. Over time, they expanded into Instagram, TikTok, and other channels, while keeping a focus on premium content.

Core services you can expect

HelloSociety also operates as a full-service influencer agency, guiding brands through the entire campaign cycle. They emphasize curated creator selections and branded content that feels polished and on-message.

• Influencer strategy aligned to brand positioning and seasonal moments
• Curated rosters of content creators across social platforms
• Creative concepts, content direction, and visual storytelling
• Production support and shoot coordination in some cases
• Campaign management, optimization, and end-of-campaign reporting

They are often sought out by brands that value strong visuals, brand-safe content, and placements that fit neatly into broader media and retail efforts.

How HelloSociety tends to run campaigns

HelloSociety usually centers campaigns around highly curated content themes, seasonality, and brand storytelling. They highlight mood, visual consistency, and alignment with broader marketing pushes like product launches or retail promotions.

Creators are typically selected for strong photography, video skills, and brand fit rather than just follower count. For some brands, this can lead to content that looks closer to lifestyle advertising than casual creator posts.

Because of its history, the agency is especially appealing when visual platforms, especially Pinterest-inspired content, are core to the plan.

Creator relationships and style

HelloSociety is known for close relationships with a curated group of creators. While they do work beyond a fixed roster, they often highlight networks of trusted influencers who consistently produce high-quality visuals.

Brands that care deeply about aesthetic, mood, and consistent brand presentation often enjoy this model. It can feel like working with a creative studio that happens to specialize in influencer content.

Typical brand and client fit for HelloSociety

HelloSociety often attracts larger consumer brands, retailers, and lifestyle-focused companies that value premium content and visual storytelling. Their work can dovetail with merchandising, in-store displays, and digital campaigns.

They tend to fit:

• Retailers and big consumer brands focused on seasonal campaigns
• Premium lifestyle, home, fashion, and food brands
• Marketing teams that want tightly curated, aesthetic content
• Brands that see Pinterest or similar visual platforms as key channels

How their approaches feel different

The two agencies are often mentioned together because they both work with consumer brands at scale. Still, their histories and styles lead to meaningful differences in how campaigns feel and run.

One obvious difference is emphasis: The Shelf frequently highlights data, targeting, and measurable performance. HelloSociety more often puts visual quality, curated creators, and brand fit at the center of its story.

That doesn’t mean one ignores numbers or the other ignores aesthetics. It’s more about what they spotlight and how they talk about success. The Shelf might lean into KPIs like clicks and conversions, while HelloSociety may talk more about brand lift and visual consistency.

The types of creators they surface can feel different too. The Shelf may bring a wide variety of influencers at different tiers, from niche micro creators to larger personalities, depending on your goals. HelloSociety may lean more toward polished lifestyle creators and photographers.

For some brands, especially those with strong e-commerce goals, The Shelf’s performance narrative feels reassuring. For others, especially those heavily invested in retail and brand image, HelloSociety’s curated, visual approach can feel like a better fit.

Pricing and how engagement usually works

Both agencies operate on custom pricing rather than public, standardized packages. Costs usually depend on scope: number of influencers, platforms, content pieces, timeline, and complexity of deliverables.

Typically, pricing includes at least two major components: creator fees and agency fees. Creator fees cover payment to influencers for their content and usage. Agency fees cover strategy, outreach, management, approvals, and reporting.

Common models may include campaign-based projects, ongoing retainers, or multi-phase engagements tied to product launches or seasonal windows. Larger brands sometimes prefer year-long retainers to keep a consistent flow of creator content.

The Shelf may emphasize performance metrics and testing within the budget, reallocating spend toward better-performing creators or formats. HelloSociety may invest more of the budget into production quality, curated creator choices, and highly polished content.

Because there are no public price sheets, it’s normal to request a discovery call, share your goals and budget range, and get a custom proposal. Transparent conversations early on usually help avoid misalignment later.

Strengths and limitations to keep in mind

No agency is perfect for every brand. Each one has strengths that shine in some situations and tradeoffs that may matter in others.

Where The Shelf often shines

• Campaigns designed around clear goals and measurement
• Blending storytelling with performance-focused thinking
• Working with a diverse mix of creator sizes and categories
• Helping brands that want to scale testing and optimization

A common concern is whether data-driven programs still feel human and creative. When done well, The Shelf’s approach can balance both, but brands should ask to see past work that matches their tone and category.

Where The Shelf may feel less ideal

• Brands that want a small, exclusive roster of creators they reuse constantly
• Teams that prefer to stay heavily involved in each creator relationship
• Very small budgets that can’t support managed services

Where HelloSociety often shines

• Highly visual, lifestyle, and retail-focused campaigns
• Curated creator groups that match a specific aesthetic
• Content that can double as ads, lookbooks, or merchandising
• Brands that want influencer content aligned with bigger brand pushes

Because they lean into quality and curation, they can be a strong choice when your internal stakeholders are very particular about visuals and brand presentation.

Where HelloSociety may feel less ideal

• Brands that need heavy experimentation with many small creators
• Marketers focused almost solely on direct-response metrics
• Smaller teams with limited budget who need maximum volume

Who each agency fits best

Thinking in terms of fit can make the decision easier. Instead of asking which agency is “better,” focus on what your brand really needs right now.

When The Shelf is usually a strong match

• You want a partner to build measurable programs around sales, signups, or app installs.
• You like testing creators, content formats, and platforms, then doubling down on what works.
• You’re open to a mix of influencer sizes, including micro and mid-tier creators.
• You value structured reporting and ongoing optimization.

The Shelf generally works well for brands ready to treat influencer activity less like one-off sponsorships and more like an ongoing marketing channel.

When HelloSociety is usually a strong match

• Your brand is visually driven, with strong lifestyle, fashion, home, or food angles.
• You care deeply about the look and feel of every piece of creator content.
• You want campaigns that plug into retail, merchandising, and brand campaigns.
• You’re comfortable investing in curated, higher-production content over volume.

HelloSociety often fits when influencer efforts are part of a larger brand-building or retail strategy rather than purely performance-driven channels.

When a platform like Flinque makes more sense

Full-service agencies are powerful, but they come with management fees and a higher level of commitment. Some brands prefer more control and lower ongoing costs, especially once they have campaign basics in place.

That’s where a platform-based option, such as Flinque, can be useful. Instead of hiring an agency to run everything, you use software to discover creators, manage outreach, and organize campaigns yourself.

Flinque isn’t an agency; it’s built for teams that want to keep influencer work in-house while still having tools to search, evaluate, and track creators. This approach works best if you have someone internally who can own day-to-day management.

You might consider a platform instead of an agency when:

• Your budget is tight but you still want to run ongoing influencer programs.
• You already have strong internal creative direction and clear briefs.
• You want to build long-term creator relationships directly, not through intermediaries.
• You’re comfortable learning a tool and refining your own process over time.

In some cases, brands even start with an agency to learn what works, then later move into a platform workflow once they have more confidence and internal resources.

FAQs

Do I need an agency if I already work with a few influencers?

Not always. If you only manage a handful of creators and feel in control, a platform or manual outreach might be enough. Agencies become more helpful when you want to scale, test many creators, or connect influencer work to bigger marketing goals.

Which agency is better for small brands?

Both typically serve brands with reasonable marketing budgets. Very small brands might find agency minimums too high and may be better served by platforms or direct outreach until their budget grows.

Can I work with the same influencers through both agencies?

Potentially, but it depends on how the creators are represented and the agreements in place. Some influencers are independent, while others may have exclusive relationships. Always clarify rights, territories, and usage terms in your contracts.

How long should I plan for an influencer campaign?

Most meaningful programs run over several weeks to several months. You’ll typically need time for strategy, creator selection, content production, posting, and measurement. One-off posts rarely deliver the full potential of influencer marketing.

What should I ask on my first agency call?

Ask about past work in your category, how they choose creators, how they measure success, expected timelines, and how they communicate during a campaign. Also share your budget range so they can recommend realistic options.

Conclusion: choosing the right partner for you

The decision between these influencer marketing agencies comes down to what matters most to your brand: performance metrics, visual storytelling, budget, and how hands-on you want to be.

If you prioritize measurable performance with structured testing and varied creator mixes, you may lean toward a data-forward partner. If your priority is premium, curated content that blends seamlessly into brand and retail campaigns, a visually focused team may be a better match.

Clarify your goals, budget, timeline, and internal capacity before you talk to any agency. That clarity will help you ask sharper questions and quickly see which partner actually fits how your team works.

And if you prefer keeping control in-house, a platform such as Flinque can offer a middle path, giving you tools to manage influencer efforts without long-term agency retainers.

Disclaimer

All information on this page is collected from publicly available sources, third party search engines, AI powered tools and general online research. We do not claim ownership of any external data and accuracy may vary. This content is for informational purposes only.