Indian brands bring creators in-house, sidelining agencies as roles grow 9x since 2020
Companies are hiring influencers, video editors, scriptwriters and 'doomscrollers' on payroll instead of contracting agencies. Creator-linked postings have grown 9x since 2020, with brand coordinator roles up 34.5% in 2025 and video editors up 21.7% in Q1 2026. Salaries range ₹3-12 lakh, with top influencers earning up to ₹10 lakh.
What happened
Indian creator economy · Indian brands are increasingly hiring content creators, influencers, video editors, scriptwriters and 'doomscrollers' in-house instead
Key facts
- 2-3 million creators
- 10-15% success rate
- 9x growth in postings 2020-2026
- 1 in 100 marketing jobs
- brand coordinators +34.5% in 2025
- video editors +21.7% Q1 2026
- influencer salaries up to ₹10 lakh
- editors/writers ₹7-12 lakh
- entry ₹3-6 lakh
Why this matters
Scout boutique creator agencies and freelance collectives for acqui-hires before brands fully internalize the function and valuations compress on shrinking client books.