Hiring an agency
How to choose a marketing agency: 12 questions to ask before you sign
Choosing a marketing agency? Ask these 12 questions before you sign, use our simple scorecard and watch for the red flags that mean walk away.
Swayam AroraFounder, VerityX · · 6 min read
Choosing a marketing agency is one of those decisions that looks easy and isn't. Every agency's website says roughly the same thing: results-driven, data-led, creative, transparent. The proposals look polished. The sales calls go well.
Then, three months in, you realise you're paying for activity you can't connect to results, talking to someone who isn't doing the work, and locked into a contract that's hard to leave.
Most of those problems are visible before you sign, if you ask the right questions. Here are the 12 we'd want every founder to ask, including when they're talking to us.
Before you talk to anyone: know what you need
Agencies are good at selling what they do. Make sure that matches what you actually need. Before your first call, write down:
- Your goal for the next 3–6 months, as a number (enquiries, sales, booked calls).
- What's missing: strategy, execution, or both. (Our guide to fractional CMOs, agencies and outsourced teams helps here.)
- Your budget, separately for agency fees and ad spend.
- What's worked and what hasn't so far.
With this on one page, every agency conversation becomes more useful, and it's easier to compare them fairly.
Questions about strategy
1. "What would you do in the first 90 days, and why?"
A good agency won't give you a full strategy for free, but it should be able to sketch a sensible first 90 days based on what you've told them. If the answer is a generic list of services ("SEO, social, ads, content"), they're selling packages, not solving your problem.
2. "What would you not do for us?"
This is one of the most revealing questions you can ask. A thoughtful partner will tell you which channels aren't worth your money right now. An agency that says yes to everything will spread your budget too thin.
3. "Who are your best clients, and why do they get great results?"
You're looking for clients similar to you in size, stage and type of customer. An agency that excels with big consumer brands may struggle with a founder-led B2B business, and the reverse is just as true.
Questions about the team
4. "Who will actually work on our account?"
Many agencies are sold by senior people and delivered by juniors. Ask to meet the people who will do the work, and ask how many other clients they handle at the same time.
5. "Who is our single point of contact, and how fast do they reply?"
You want one person who knows your business, owns the plan and answers within a working day. If messages go to a shared inbox or a rotating account manager, expect to repeat yourself a lot.
6. "What happens if our main contact leaves?"
People change jobs. A good agency documents your account, so a handover doesn't mean starting from scratch.
Questions about results and reporting
7. "How will we measure success, and what does a monthly report look like?"
Ask to see a real (anonymised) report. Good reports are short and focus on business results: enquiries, cost per lead, sales influenced, what's next. Be wary of 30-page decks full of impressions, reach and jargon.
8. "Can you share a case study with real numbers, and can I speak to that client?"
Results without numbers are just stories. A confident agency will share specifics and connect you with a reference client.
9. "What will you need from us?"
Every agency needs something from you: approvals, access, product knowledge, maybe time on camera. Knowing this upfront avoids frustration later. If the answer is "nothing", be sceptical; nobody can market a business they never hear from.
Questions about money and contracts
10. "What exactly is included in the fee, and what costs extra?"
Get the scope in writing: number of posts, campaigns, landing pages, revisions and meetings. Ask what happens when you need something outside the scope. Confirm that ad spend is separate and paid directly from your account. (See what outsourcing marketing really costs for typical ranges.)
11. "What's the minimum term, and how do we end the contract?"
A short minimum term is reasonable; it takes time to set up and learn. A 12-month lock-in before the agency has proved anything is a red flag. Check the notice period and what happens to unfinished work.
12. "Who owns the accounts, content and data?"
Your ad accounts, social profiles, website, analytics, CRM and creative files should belong to you, with the agency given access. If you part ways, you should keep everything, including the history.
Red flags that mean walk away
- Guaranteed results. Nobody can guarantee rankings, leads or sales. Promising them is either naive or dishonest.
- They own your ad accounts. You lose all your data and history if you leave.
- No clear point of contact. You'll spend your time chasing updates.
- Vanity metrics only. Followers and impressions without any link to enquiries or revenue.
- Pressure to sign quickly. "This price is only valid today" is a sales tactic, not a partnership.
- They never ask about your business. If the call is all about them, the work will be too.
A simple scorecard for comparing agencies
After each call, score the agency from 1 to 5 on each of these:
| Criteria | What a 5 looks like |
|---|---|
| Understanding of your business | Asked sharp questions; reflected your goals back clearly |
| First-90-days thinking | Specific, prioritised and honest about what not to do |
| Relevant experience | Clients like you, with real numbers |
| Team and contact | You've met the people doing the work; one clear lead |
| Reporting | Short, results-focused, easy to understand |
| Pricing and terms | Clear scope, fair minimum term, you own everything |
| Chemistry | You'd enjoy working with them every week |
The highest score isn't automatically the winner, but this makes the trade-offs obvious and stops a polished pitch from outweighing everything else.
Frequently asked questions
What should I look for in a marketing agency?
Look for experience with businesses like yours, a clear plan for the first 90 days, one dedicated point of contact, simple results-focused reporting, a transparent fee and fair contract terms where you own all accounts and data.
How many agencies should I talk to before choosing?
Three is usually enough. Fewer and you have nothing to compare; more and the process takes longer than it's worth. Use the same questions and scorecard for each one.
Should I choose a specialist agency or a full-service agency?
Choose a specialist if you already have a clear strategy and need excellence in one channel. Choose a full-service agency or an outsourced marketing team if you need a plan and execution across several channels with one point of contact.
How long before I should expect results from an agency?
Expect the first month to be about set-up and the second about testing. Most channels show reliable results after around three months. Paid ads can show early signals sooner; SEO usually takes longer.
The bottom line
The right agency asks more questions than it answers on the first call, tells you what not to do, shows real numbers and lets you own everything. Use these 12 questions and the scorecard, and you'll spot the difference between a good pitch and a good partner.
We built VerityX around the answers we'd want to hear: one dedicated lead, a clear 90-day plan, a one-page monthly report, a short minimum term, and ad spend you pay directly to the platforms. Ask us all 12 questions on a free 30-minute clarity call. We'd be happy to answer them.