Erika vs marketing agencies
Should I hire a marketing agency or use Erika for recruitment ads on Facebook and Instagram?
It depends on what the campaign is for. A marketing agency is the better choice for an employer-brand campaign, a shoot with your own employees, TV, outdoor or print, or when you want a creative team to own the whole concept. Erika fits when you need applicants for blue-collar roles, often and fast: it writes and voices short video ads in minutes, runs them on Facebook and Instagram, moves budget to what works every hour and sends screened applicants to your ATS, for a monthly price with ad spend included. You can also use both.
Side by side
| Marketing agency | Erika | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | A campaign concept, filmed or designed creative and media buying, depending on the agency. | Short vertical video ads with AI avatars and voice-over in the candidates' language, plus image variants, for every open role. |
| Time to launch | Usually a brief, scripting, production and approval rounds before anything goes live. | The campaign goes live within 24–48 hours of your brief; first applications usually arrive within hours. |
| New roles and changes | New versions or languages usually mean another production round. | New variants in minutes. You launch, pause and move budget between roles yourself, any time. |
| Applicants | Depends on the setup; often a landing page or form your team has to process. | Native in-feed forms with your screening questions. Applicants land in your ATS with an AI-written CV, start date, salary expectation and the best time to call. |
| How you pay | Usually a production or project fee or a retainer, plus the media budget. | A monthly plan from $459 (as of October 2026). Ad spend included, no placement fees. |
| Best for | Employer branding, brand campaigns, TV, outdoor and print, filming your own team. | Filling blue-collar roles again and again with a steady flow of applicants. |
When a marketing agency is the better choice
- You want an employer-brand campaign, not applicants for specific open roles.
- You want the ads filmed with your own employees at your workplace.
- You need TV, radio, outdoor or print, not only Facebook and Instagram.
- You want a creative team to own the concept, the brand guidelines and the approvals.
When Erika is the better choice
- You need applicants for warehouse, driver, production or trades roles every month.
- Your roles change often, and each one needs its own ad, sometimes in several languages.
- You want to launch on a Friday evening without waiting for a production round.
- You want one monthly price that already includes the ad spend.
- You want screened applicants delivered to your ATS, not just reach and clicks.
Can I use both?
Yes. You can keep an agency for employer branding and brand campaigns, and use Erika for the day-to-day hiring ads. Erika launches campaigns from its own profile, so it doesn't need access to your ad account.
What Erika costs
Erika has a free plan with 500 one-time credits to try the ATS and create ad previews; publishing ads needs a paid plan. Paid plans start at $459 per month (Growth, 10,000 credits), then $719 (Scale, 20,000 credits) and $1,199 (Enterprise, 40,000 credits). Credits pay for both the AI-made ads and the ad spend on Facebook and Instagram. No placement fees, cancel any time. Prices as of October 2026; the current list is on the pricing page.
Across Erika campaigns, the median cost per candidate for warehouse operatives was $1.70 as of October 2026. Cost per candidate is ad spend divided by the people who applied. It is not a cost per hire.
What customers say
Recruitment is changing - and at Well Pack, we're changing with it. One of our latest additions is Erika, and we quickly came to love it.
When we started with Erika, I didn't have high expectations. AI in recruitment? I thought: „OK, let's give it a try…“ But the reality genuinely surprised us. In two weeks we hired 4 drivers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Erika a marketing agency?
No. Erika is software. It writes, produces and runs recruitment video ads for each open role; you brief it in plain language and receive applicants.
Do I need my own Facebook ad account?
No. Erika launches campaigns from its own profile, so you don't need an ad account or marketing approvals.
Can the ads use our logo and workplace?
Yes. The ads carry your logo, and photos of your workplace help, though they aren't required.
How do I start with Erika?
Create a free account at app.erikawork.com (500 credits, no card required) or book a 15-minute demo. Publishing ads needs a paid plan.