The Shelf vs SociallyIn

Why brands look at these two influencer partners

You’re likely here because you’re choosing between two influencer marketing agencies and want to know which one fits your brand goals, budget, and timeline.

Both operate as full service partners, but they feel very different in style, process, and creative direction.

The primary focus here is on influencer agency services and how each option supports brand growth across social channels.

What these agencies are known for

Both names come up often when brands research influencer specialists, but their reputations lean in different directions.

Understanding those reputations helps you match the agency personality and strengths to your product and team.

The Shelf at a glance

The Shelf is widely associated with highly stylized, concept driven influencer campaigns.

They highlight storytelling, custom creative concepts, and often emphasize visually striking content that ties into broader brand themes.

The agency tends to speak to consumer brands across beauty, fashion, lifestyle, home, and D2C products that want polished storytelling.

SociallyIn at a glance

SociallyIn is better known as a broader social media agency that also runs influencer work.

They focus heavily on social content production, community management, and platform specific creative, particularly for TikTok and Instagram.

Influencer collaborations are usually one piece of a wider social strategy they manage end to end.

Inside The Shelf’s style and services

This agency positions itself squarely as an influencer marketing specialist, rather than a general social shop.

The team usually handles planning, creator sourcing, management, and reporting under one roof.

Core services offered

The Shelf typically supports brands with a deep range of influencer focused work, including:

• Strategy and campaign planning across social platforms
• Influencer discovery, vetting, and outreach
• Creative concepts and content briefs for creators
• Contracting, negotiations, and usage rights
• Multi post, multi channel campaign management
• Reporting tied to awareness, traffic, or sales goals

Because influencer is the main focus, most services orbit around creators rather than general social channel management.

How The Shelf tends to run campaigns

The Shelf leans into detailed planning before anyone posts a thing.

They often build mood boards, reference visuals, and clear storylines to keep creator content consistent with brand positioning.

Brands that want tight creative control usually appreciate this step by step structure and emphasis on narrative.

Creator relationships and selection style

The agency publicly highlights access to a broad creator pool, from micro influencers to larger personalities.

They typically make decisions based on audience fit, content style, engagement health, and brand safety, not just follower counts.

Expect them to lean toward creators who can visually interpret concepts, not just post quick product shots.

Typical client fit for The Shelf

Based on public work, common fits include:

• Consumer brands with strong visual identity, like beauty and fashion
• Home, lifestyle, and parenting brands seeking storytelling campaigns
• D2C and ecommerce teams that want measurable, long term influencer programs
• Marketers who prefer hands on management from a specialist partner

Brands with existing in house content teams still use them for influencer strategy and coordination.

Inside SociallyIn’s style and services

SociallyIn presents itself as a social media agency with influencer capabilities built in, rather than only a creator focused shop.

This makes them attractive for brands wanting one partner to run multiple social tasks.

Core services offered by SociallyIn

Their published services stretch across social channels, such as:

• Social media strategy and calendar planning
• Content creation and production for feeds and stories
• Platform specific creative for TikTok, Instagram, and more
• Community management and social engagement
• Paid social media advertising and optimization
• Influencer identification and campaign execution

Influencer programs are often integrated with overall social and paid efforts for broader coverage.

How SociallyIn tends to run campaigns

SociallyIn usually works from a platform first mindset.

They look at what performs natively on each social channel and shape creator work around those patterns.

The feel of the content can be looser and more native, especially on short form video channels.

Creator relationships and selection style

SociallyIn collaborates with a mix of creators aligned to the platforms a brand wants to prioritize.

They often favor creators who are strong on video and trends, particularly for TikTok campaigns and Reels.

Because they also handle paid social, they may repurpose influencer content into ads.

Typical client fit for SociallyIn

Common fits tend to look like:

• Brands wanting one partner for content, community, and influencers
• Companies focused on TikTok growth and fast moving social trends
• Teams with limited in house social resources
• Marketers who care about everyday content as much as flagship campaigns

They often work with growth minded brands that see social channels as always on marketing, not just launches.

How the two agencies truly differ

On paper they both run influencer campaigns, but the day to day feel can be quite different.

Looking at style, structure, and scope makes it easier to understand how each one shows up as a partner.

Specialist focus versus broad social support

The Shelf is more of a pure play influencer partner, with services orbiting around creators and storytelling campaigns.

SociallyIn offers influencer support as one piece of a larger social media stack, including community and ads.

Your choice may hinge on whether influencer is the center of gravity or just one tactic.

Creative style and content feel

The Shelf is often associated with polished, brief driven content that tells a clear story and fits brand visuals.

SociallyIn tends to prioritize platform native content that feels like it belongs naturally in a TikTok or Instagram feed.

If your brand needs strict visual guidelines, you may appreciate the extra creative structure a specialist offers.

Client experience and collaboration rhythm

With a specialist influencer partner, you might see deeper dives into creator concepts and narrative arcs.

With a broader social agency, touchpoints may cover many topics in each meeting, including content calendars and community metrics.

Think about whether you want wide coverage or deep focus when reviewing case studies and proposals.

Scale, structure, and types of campaigns

Both can support multi creator campaigns, but the flavor differs.

The Shelf usually highlights thematic campaigns with many creators telling variations of the same story.

SociallyIn may blend creator posts with brand owned content, regular posting schedules, and paid amplification.

Pricing approach and how work is structured

Neither agency lists rigid public pricing because costs depend heavily on scope, platforms, and creator tiers.

Instead, they quote based on your goals, timeline, and level of involvement.

How pricing usually works with influencer agencies

Most influencer focused partners structure pricing around several pieces:

• Strategy and management fees for planning and execution
• Influencer fees, including creation and posting
• Usage rights and whitelisting costs, if content becomes ads
• Production support or extra creative work beyond influencer content

Campaign size, number of creators, and platforms all influence the final number.

The Shelf’s typical engagement style

Expect custom proposals tied to your campaign goals and creator volume.

They may work on project based engagements for launches or seasonal pushes, or as an ongoing partner managing multiple campaigns yearly.

Retainers are common for brands wanting long term, always on influencer relationships.

SociallyIn’s typical engagement style

Because SociallyIn also handles ongoing content and community, retainers are especially common.

Your monthly investment might cover strategy, content production, community management, and influencer management together.

Shorter, campaign only engagements can happen, but many clients stay on longer term engagements for consistent social coverage.

Key strengths and honest limitations

Every agency has strong suits and trade offs. Knowing them up front saves time and prevents mismatched expectations later.

Where The Shelf tends to shine

• Deep focus on influencer as a core discipline
• Emphasis on creative ideas and storytelling
• Structured briefs and clear directions for creators
• Useful for brands needing highly branded content with guardrails

Some brands quietly worry that too much creative control might make content feel less organic.

Potential limitations for The Shelf

• Best suited to brands ready to invest meaningfully in campaigns
• May be less ideal if you only need simple seeding or gifting
• Not a full substitute for a social media team if you need daily posting

Brands with smaller budgets or purely experimental goals may feel constrained.

Where SociallyIn tends to shine

• Holistic social support, not just influencer outreach
• Strong fit for brands wanting help with content and community
• Comfortable with trend driven video formats and platform shifts
• Efficient for teams wanting to simplify vendor lists

This makes them attractive for marketing leaders who want one main social partner.

Potential limitations for SociallyIn

• Influencer work may compete internally with other social priorities
• Brands needing very niche or complex creator programs might want deeper specialization
• Those wanting only influencer services may pay for extra capabilities

Some marketers worry that influencer programs can get diluted when folded into general social retainers.

Who each agency is best for

Thinking in terms of “who thrives where” is often more useful than searching for one universal winner.

Below are simplified profiles that can help you self select.

Best fit scenarios for The Shelf

• You want influencer campaigns to be a core growth engine, not a side tactic.
• Your brand has a strong story and visual world that must stay consistent.
• You’re ready for concept driven campaigns with layered messaging.
• You care about detailed creator vetting and structured briefs.

Brands launching new products or entering new markets often gravitate toward this style.

Best fit scenarios for SociallyIn

• You want one partner to cover content, community, paid social, and influencers.
• Your priority is daily or weekly content for TikTok, Instagram, and other channels.
• You want creator programs that plug directly into your broader social efforts.
• You’re open to native, trend aligned content that feels less scripted.

Fast moving consumer brands and tech companies often appreciate this integrated model.

When a platform like Flinque makes more sense

Sometimes you don’t need a full service agency at all. You might simply need better infrastructure and tools.

This is where a software platform can be a useful alternative or complement.

How a platform based option differs

Tools like Flinque give brands direct access to creator discovery, outreach, and campaign management features.

Instead of paying an ongoing agency retainer, you pay for access to the platform and run campaigns in house.

This works best if you already have someone on your team ready to manage creators.

When to favor a platform over an agency

• You want to build long term direct relationships with creators.
• Your budget is limited, but your team has time and willingness to learn.
• You prefer transparent creator data and want to test many smaller collaborations.
• You only need outside help occasionally, not every month.

Some brands use an agency for flagship launches while running evergreen outreach themselves through a tool.

FAQs

How do I know if I’m ready for a full service influencer agency?

You’re usually ready when you have clear goals, defined products to promote, a realistic budget, and someone who can collaborate internally. If you’re still testing product market fit, lighter experiments or platforms might be a better starting point.

Should I prioritize a specialist influencer partner or a general social agency?

If creators are central to your growth plans, a specialist is often best. If you mainly need daily content, community, and some influencer support, a broader social agency can be more efficient and easier to manage internally.

Can small brands work with agencies like these?

Smaller brands can work with them, but budgets must still align with professional fees and creator costs. If funds are very limited, start with platforms, micro creators, or small campaigns before moving into full service agency relationships.

How long do influencer campaigns usually take to launch?

Timelines vary, but most structured campaigns need several weeks for planning, creator sourcing, approvals, and content production. Rushed launches are possible yet risk lower quality creator fits and less thoughtful storytelling.

What should I ask during discovery calls with agencies?

Ask about recent work in your category, how they choose creators, how they measure success, who will manage your account, and what a realistic budget looks like. Also ask what would make you a bad fit, to surface honest alignment issues early.

Bringing it all together for your decision

Choosing between these influencer partners comes down to what you want most from the relationship.

If you want influencer led storytelling with deep creative structure, a specialist agency is likely a better match.

If your priority is broad social channel support with creators as one piece, an integrated social agency can feel more natural.

Consider three factors as you decide: how central influencers are to your strategy, how much in house support you have, and how much you’re ready to invest over the next year.

If you still feel unsure, request sample scopes, ask to walk through a past campaign in detail, and compare how each team talks about your brand’s specific goals.

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.