Behind the Screen: Creators are a Core Brand Pillar at AG1
Interview with Megan Parra Wells, Director, Creator Partnerships + Affiliates at AG1
Behind the Screen is a series on Following Up, featuring the minds behind brand’s influencer + community strategies. We often forget that there is a person or team behind the paid partnerships we consume, so I wanted to bring these people in front of the camera for a change.
Where are you based?
Austin, TX (born and raised)
How long have you been working in the influencer industry?
Just over 10 years, since graduating from college! That’s kind of wild to say out loud.
And how much of that time have you been at AG1?
I’ve been at AG1 for three years, and it really has felt like a new company every six months — in the best, most energizing way. When I joined, we had one product sold on our DTC channel. Now we’re on the 53rd iteration of our formula, we’re in retail (hi, Costco!), we’ve worked with thousands of creators, and are expanding our product offerings later this year.
It’s hands-down the most widely known company I’ve worked for — and also the one with the highest integrity. The level of care and quality that goes into the product still kind of rocks my brain. I’ve seen behind the curtain, and I’m still impressed by the standards we hold.
Nothing stays still for long, which keeps things exciting and constantly evolving.
Has the industry changed since you first started your career?
When I first got into this space, influencer marketing was often overlooked or treated as an afterthought. Brands were hesitant to invest in it as a real marketing channel, and there wasn’t a clear understanding of the power it held to shape perception and drive real business outcomes.
Fast forward to today, and the landscape has completely shifted. Influence is no longer reserved for a select few. The barrier to entry has dropped significantly. If you have a strong point of view and show up authentically, there's a real opportunity to grow. Platforms like TikTok have proven that anyone can gain traction overnight if they own their space and connect with the right audience.
We’ve also moved beyond the blog-and-Instagram era and into a social commerce driven environment. Now it’s YouTube, podcasts, TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitch, live shopping, and more — each offering its own style of content and influence. It’s more dynamic and fragmented, but also more exciting and creatively rich.
What hasn’t changed is the core of true influence. It's always been about trust — people who are embedded in their communities and have the ability to move culture, not just products. That’s the kind of influence that still drives the most meaningful results, whether you have 2,000 followers or 2 million.
I completely agree. Trust and relatability is everything in this industry, no matter the influencer’s following size. With the constant changes, how do you keep up and stay on top of trends and what competitors are doing in the space?
The limit does not exist with my screen time, but staying plugged in is part of the job. I’ve built strong relationships with teams at TikTok, Meta, and other social commerce platforms, which gives us early access to beta features and allows us to test and adapt quickly. We also have deep partnerships with our influencer sourcing and affiliate platforms, where we collaborate closely to develop tech solutions tailored to the needs of our program. I also love following accounts like
to keep a real-time pulse on how other brands are evolving.I see AG1 everywhere because of creators. Do you manage the full ecosystem, including paid partnerships, affiliate, and gifting?
I’ve managed all facets of our influencer strategy throughout my time at AG1, evolving with the business and adapting to where the greatest impact is needed. A unique strength of AG1 is the maturity of our influencer program—we’ve consistently partnered with credible, trusted voices in the space since day one. It’s never been just a performance lever; it’s a core brand pillar that drives long-term trust and relevance.
Currently, I oversee our Affiliate, Social Commerce, and Brand Creator partnerships, along with our ongoing PR and publisher efforts. These programs are designed to fuel storytelling and deliver meaningful impact across the full funnel — whether that be through whitelisting, brand anthems, educational long-form content, or community events.
What is your philosophy on briefing to keep the brand guidelines in place while still giving the influencer creative control?
My philosophy is to let creators create—that’s why you partner with them in the first place. That said, working in the supplement industry brings a unique layer of complexity with compliance and regulations, so there’s always more nuance in how we brief. The goal is to provide clear guardrails while still giving creators the freedom to show up authentically. It’s a balance that keeps things interesting and pushes us to be more thoughtful and education-focused in how we collaborate.
What platforms are you prioritizing with creators?
Right now, we’re exploring newer spaces like LinkedIn, Twitch, Substack, and TikTok live streaming, while continuing to build on our tried-and-true platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and podcasting. It’s all about staying curious and figuring out where our voice fits as the platforms and audiences keep shifting.
How do you measure success for your campaigns?
It really depends on the type of partnership and what we're optimizing for. Success can look like efficient CAC on conversion-focused campaigns, strong click and sales activity for affiliates, high-quality traffic, or even impressions and acceptance rates for gifting efforts. It’s not one-size-fits-all—but we’re intentional about defining success upfront and aligning metrics to the goals of each campaign.
Who would you love to work with?
Emma Chamberlain. She’s just very cool. Sharp, funny, and has quietly built an empire in the fashion world without losing her edge. Oh and she’s only 24. Am I too old to be watching her YouTube vids?
It’s still shocking to me that she is only 24 and has already accomplished so much in her career! Is there an AG1 campaign or influencer post that you’re particularly proud of?
One of the most energizing parts of this work for me is building relationships with talent in a way that goes beyond the usual plug-and-play campaign model. I’m most excited when we’re able to create something long-term and multidimensional—especially with voices who are pushing boundaries and changing the conversation.
A favorite example is the partnership we built between AG1 and Dr. Becky Kennedy of Good Inside. It wasn’t just about brand alignment — it was about shared values and meaningful storytelling. We created a full content ecosystem: a thoughtful conversation between Dr. Becky and our CEO Kat Cole, a few podcast reads, an e-mail series tailored to our members, and even gave our internal team access to her app to experience her parenting tools firsthand. It was intentional, layered, and genuinely valuable—not just for the audience, but for the teams behind it.
Now for a few final, fun questions:
Book, podcast or music on your morning commute?
Podcast — Giggly Squad. I’m a giggler to my core.
If you were on the other side of the business as an influencer yourself, what brand(s) would you want to partner with?
Flamingo Estate. Everything they do feels elevated and intentional, like they’re creating art out of everyday rituals. Their storytelling, their design, their food, and brand activations — it’s all so sensory and chic. It’s the kind of brand that makes you want to step fully into the lifestyle. My dear friend and mentor
, founder of Crown Affair, just hosted a magical event there and I was drooling from afar.
Can you also share the last item you bought based off of an influencer's post and who the influencer was?
This easy, vintage looking throw-on dress from
Grow. Nobody converts me faster than she does.
You can stay in touch with Megan on Instagram and if you aren’t already, give AG1 a follow!
Gooooood morning millennials!!