{ "name": "OF Agency Ranking scoring rubric", "version": "1.0", "published": "2026-09-11", "url": "https://ofagencyranking.com/methodology", "license": "CC BY 4.0", "publisher": { "name": "OF Agency Ranking", "operated_by": "FantasyRise LLC", "disclosure_url": "https://ofagencyranking.com/disclosure" }, "rule": "Every criterion is scored on what the agency publishes on its own site as of the date checked. Anything not published scores 0 for that criterion and the profile says \"not disclosed as of , checked at \". All fourteen criteria carry equal weight. The score is the mean of the fourteen criterion scores, out of 10, one decimal. A fact published only in a machine-readable file such as llms.txt, and on no page written for people, counts at half the band it would otherwise earn; where a human-readable page says a term is set in the agreement or not public, that statement governs and a contrary claim in llms.txt does not count.", "arithmetic": { "formula": "score = sum(criterion scores) / 14, rounded to one decimal", "criterion_range": [ 0, 10 ], "weighting": "equal", "tie_break": [ "count of criteria scored 10", "agency name, alphabetical" ] }, "evidence_rules": [ "Only the agency's own published pages and public registers count.", "Every cell carries the quoted sentence, the source URL and the date it was read.", "Anything not published scores 0 for that criterion.", "A fact published only in a machine file counts at half its band; a human-readable page overrides a contrary machine file.", "Where a fact is published is recorded: a term on a single acquisition page, or one a page builds with JavaScript on click, is published and the cell says where.", "Longevity is scored on the oldest public record, never on the agency's own statement.", "Third-party listings, reviews and press are shown on the profile and never scored.", "Claims that cannot be verified without exposing a creator are shown and not scored." ], "statuses": { "published": "Published", "partly": "Partly published", "published_zero": "Published, scores 0 under the band", "withheld": "Withheld for the call or the agreement", "not_found": "Not found on the site", "unverifiable": "Unverifiable, provisional" }, "criteria": [ { "position": 1, "key": "commission_disclosure", "name": "Commission published", "short": "Commission public", "definition": "The commission rate or range is published on the agency's site before any call, with the basis stated (gross, or net after the platform's 20%).", "why": "It is the single fact creators most want and most agencies withhold until a sales call.", "scoring": "10 = exact rate or range published with basis stated, on a pricing, services or FAQ page. 5 = published without basis, or only inside a comparison article. 0 = not disclosed, including \"disclosed on the call\"." }, { "position": 2, "key": "login_control", "name": "Creator keeps sole login", "short": "Login stays with creator", "definition": "Published onboarding, FAQ or terms state that the creator retains sole access to the account credentials, email and two-factor codes.", "why": "The account is the business. Whoever holds the login can change payout details or lock the creator out.", "scoring": "10 = creator-only access stated. 5 = shared access disclosed. 0 = agency logs in, or not stated." }, { "position": 3, "key": "direct_payouts", "name": "Payouts go direct to the creator", "short": "Direct payouts", "definition": "Platform payouts go to the creator's own bank account, never through the agency.", "why": "Money that passes through an agency is money the creator has to ask for.", "scoring": "10 = stated. 0 = routed through the agency, or not stated." }, { "position": 4, "key": "term_and_exit", "name": "No minimum term, clear exit", "short": "Minimum term", "definition": "Minimum term, notice period and renewal are published.", "why": "Undisclosed terms, silent renewal and no route out are where creators get trapped. Minimum terms are legal; hidden ones are the problem.", "scoring": "10 = no minimum term, notice 30 days or less, published. 6 = no minimum term stated, notice not stated. 3 = minimum term disclosed with an exit route. 0 = not disclosed." }, { "position": 5, "key": "tail_commission", "name": "No commission after exit", "short": "Post-exit commission", "definition": "Whether any commission continues after the agreement ends is published.", "why": "A post-termination percentage on existing subscribers is the clause that costs creators most, and it is almost never on a marketing page.", "scoring": "10 = explicitly none. 5 = tail disclosed with length and basis. 0 = not disclosed." }, { "position": 6, "key": "upfront_cost", "name": "No upfront cost", "short": "Upfront cost", "definition": "Nothing is payable before the creator earns: no setup fee, retainer or software charge.", "why": "Upfront fees shift the risk to the creator before the agency has done anything.", "scoring": "10 = explicitly none. 0 = fees, or not disclosed." }, { "position": 7, "key": "content_ownership", "name": "Creator owns the content", "short": "Content ownership", "definition": "Published statement that content created during the agreement belongs to the creator and any license ends with the contract.", "why": "A perpetual license lets an agency keep using a creator's material after she leaves.", "scoring": "10 = ownership stated and the agency's license ends with the contract. 5 = ownership stated, license terms kept in a private agreement. 0 = license survives exit, or not stated." }, { "position": 8, "key": "legal_entity", "name": "Verifiable legal entity", "short": "Legal entity", "definition": "Legal name, jurisdiction and address are published and can be checked in a public register.", "why": "An agency that exists only as a contact form cannot be held to anything.", "scoring": "10 = legal name, jurisdiction and address published, and the register named or linked. 5 = name and country. 0 = contact form only." }, { "position": 9, "key": "longevity", "name": "Longevity, documented", "short": "Operating since", "definition": "Years operating under this name, supported by the oldest public evidence we can reach, in this order of strength: a company register filing date, the domain registration date, the oldest readable archived copy of the site, or a dated third-party artifact that names the agency (a portfolio piece, a directory entry, press). A predecessor structure counts if it is publicly documented. A founding year stated only on the agency's own site does not count.", "why": "Agencies appear and vanish. A record that survives a few years is evidence of a business, not a campaign.", "scoring": "10 = five or more years documented. 7 = three to five. 4 = one to three. 1 = under a year. Scored on the oldest public evidence, never on the agency's own statement." }, { "position": 10, "key": "results_evidence", "name": "Results with a verification route", "short": "Results evidence", "definition": "Results are shown with a way to check them: payout screenshots published with permission, a results page, a creator reference on request, or a live-dashboard offer.", "why": "Every agency claims growth. Few give a creator a way to check the claim before signing.", "scoring": "10 = artifacts plus a verification route. 6 = artifacts without a route. 3 = figures without artifacts. 0 = none." }, { "position": 11, "key": "honesty_about_limits", "name": "Says who should not sign", "short": "Honesty about limits", "definition": "The site names situations in which a creator should not sign, or a competitor that is the better fit.", "why": "It is the best available proxy for whether the rest of the site is straight.", "scoring": "10 = names situations and competitors. 5 = names situations. 0 = none." }, { "position": 12, "key": "scope_disclosed", "name": "Scope of the commission itemized", "short": "Scope itemized", "definition": "What the commission includes is listed, so that add-ons are visible before signing.", "why": "\"Full service\" means nothing until it is itemized.", "scoring": "10 = what the commission includes is itemized and the site states whether anything costs extra. 5 = a list without that statement. 0 = not stated." }, { "position": 13, "key": "scale", "name": "Scale and infrastructure, published", "short": "Scale", "definition": "Team size, roster size, platform coverage and locations as published by the agency.", "why": "Size is a real advantage for multi-platform creators and a real disadvantage for creators who want attention. It is scored, and it is scored low on purpose relative to disclosure.", "scoring": "10 = 100+ team or 10+ platforms. 7 = 20+ team or several platforms. 4 = small team, disclosed. 0 = not disclosed." }, { "position": 14, "key": "content_protection", "name": "Content protection included and described", "short": "Content protection", "definition": "Leak monitoring and takedowns are included in the commission, and the mechanism is published: monitoring cadence and typical takedown time.", "why": "Leaks are the second most common creator fear after account control, and \"DMCA\" is often an upsell.", "scoring": "10 = included, mechanism and typical takedown time published. 7 = included, mechanism published, no timing. 5 = included, no detail. 0 = extra fee, or not stated." } ], "changelog": [ { "date": "2026-09-11", "version": "1.0", "note": "First published version: fourteen criteria, equal weights, and the rule that anything an agency does not publish scores zero. Every later change to a band or a weight is dated here." } ], "applied_to": "https://ofagencyranking.com/data/ranking.json" }