Natalia Cortazar left the stability of a decade-long marketing career to launch her own ethically-minded influencer agency, The Good Egg, four years ago, just before the lockdowns hit. The London-based agency prioritizes “good results by good people.” It thoroughly vets creators through a combination of technology and human review to ensure they align with brand values and voice.

“I have the contacts, I have experience, and I think I could be doing this more ethically and humanly, be a bit more responsible, and try to do influencer marketing better,” Natalia thought at the time. The name “The Good Egg” reflects her mission. “[In Spanish] it means someone good or someone [with] good intentions,” she explains. 

The agency strives to “get rid of all [the] bullshit that stems and all the noise. We focus on getting good results in a good ethical manner,” the marketing veteran says, revealing that this approach means turning away some potential clients. “If we only work with sustainable mega-ethical clients, we wouldn’t work at all because I know the business is not that ethical,” she acknowledged. “But we tend to have that kind of ethical background when we choose clients.”

The unique positioning resonates. “We are very recognized, and I think that our ethos in the way we do business really matches the name,” Natalia says. She believes the agencies that will succeed are those providing true, multifaceted value to brands and creators—not just middleman services.

Keeping a Steady Pace In the Creator Economy

At The Good Egg, Natalia and her team offer a wide range of services empowered by digital creators. “We do everything and anything within the digital world empowered by creators,” she explains. This could include classic influencer marketing campaigns with creators posting sponsored content, user-generated content campaigns utilizing smaller creators, organizing branded podcasts or events featuring creators, or providing social media support from creator talent.

“It always has to have some kind of digital creator background,” Natalia notes. While the agency can facilitate physical activations like events and shoots, the work centers on the creator economy.

One of the main challenges Natalia and her team face is keeping up with the rapid pace of change. “Every six weeks, we get a new platform or way of working,” the entrepreneur says. The Good Egg strives to capitalize on emerging trends, quickly testing new platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts with forward-thinking clients.

“We tend to be avant-garde with that and be like, right, so let’s explore this,” Natalia states, adopting new content formats early. “Let’s suggest to the client doing news stories on TikTok…Let’s try YouTube Shorts.”

The breakneck speed of innovation isn’t the only hurdle for creators. “Now it’s no longer like a side hustle. It’s more of like a full-time job, and you need to really dedicate time to it and to create value,” she observes. “There is so much offer…you need to bring something of value to the table.”

To address this, The Good Egg prioritizes working with creators who bring a unique perspective and avoids those simply looking to capitalize on reality TV fame. “We tend to stay away from creators who are just, yeah, someone taking pictures. That’s it,” Natalia says.

Combining Tech and Human Vetting for Successful Partnerships

At the core of The Good Egg’s approach is thoroughly vetting creators to ensure fruitful brand collaborations. “Something very important that people often overlook is manual vetting,” Natalia reveals.

While the agency utilizes technology for data and mapping, it goes a crucial step further with human checks. “We make sure that yes, in the paper, they look great, like the numbers are good and all of this works, but let’s check that the content is actually what we want to associate with,” Natalia says.

As she explains, the team reviews creators’ past posts and comment sentiment to gauge whether their voice aligns with the brand’s values before proceeding. Relationships with creator management teams also support comprehensive vetting.

“We really mix and match technology and human vetting,” she notes. This combines the best of data-driven insights and nuanced human evaluation.

Another key to successful collaborations for her is localization and understanding cultural nuances across markets. “What may work in the States may not work in Italy. And what may work in the UK may not work in Spain,” she emphasizes. “It’s so important that you understand the culture.”

Drawing on her Hispanic background and Spanish-speaking team members, Natalia ensures activations resonate regionally. The managing director says campaigns might take a more elegant, polished tone in the UK versus a chattier, more direct approach in Spanish-speaking countries.

The Good Egg also accentuates creator freedom within brand guidelines. “We really, really give creators freedom as well to bring our briefs to life.” If creators suggest adjustments to better connect with their audience, the agency is open to revising instead of being prescriptive, which Natalia deems “crucial for success.”

What the Future Looks Like For The Good Egg

As the creator economy marches into new territories, Natalia sees several key trends that will shape its future. Agencies like The Good Egg are already utilizing artificial intelligence to streamline administrative tasks and increase agility. “We use AI to simplify a lot of work in terms of, okay, we need to organize an influencer trip,” she explains.

However, creators must consider longevity beyond maintaining a presence on social platforms. “For creators to be relevant over time, they need to create something tangible,” Natalia advises. This may be creating their own brand or coming out with products. If you just base your business on Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, what happens if those platforms disappear tomorrow?”

She points to the recent boom of creator-led beverage brands as an example of monetizing fanbases through tangible products and services beyond sponsored content.

The seasoned marketer also stressed the need for better creator management teams to guide talent interests and businesses. “I see horrific management teams…They need to up their game and bring value. Otherwise, creators are going to go back to just having one person to manage them.”

Looking at agencies, Natalia believes those providing true value and supportive skillsets will continue thriving. “Agencies that actually bring value on the creative side, on the management side, etc., are going to stay there,” she says. “But the agencies that are not doing a proper good job…are destined to sink.”

For aspiring entrepreneurs aiming to make a mark, Natalia underscores authenticity above all. “Be themselves…Find their own style, their own thing, their own ways of communicating,” she states. “It doesn’t matter if that doesn’t look like someone else’s super successful agency. Your story is yours.”