Questions to ask a marketing agency before you sign, and the answers to listen for
Every agency is at its best in the pitch. To find out what working with them will really be like, ask plain questions: who'll do the work, how they'll measure success, who'll own the accounts, and what they'd tell you not to do. There are twenty below, grouped by what they reveal, each with what a good answer sounds like and the point at which to start worrying.
They work just as well for a consultant, a freelancer or a fractional marketing lead. If you haven't yet decided which of those you need, start by choosing between them. And if it's social media or a website you're buying, read these alongside choosing a social media agency and how to choose a web designer.
Before the meeting
Send every agency the same short brief: what your business does, what you want marketing to achieve, what you've tried, your budget range and your timescale. That way their answers can be compared, and the way each one handles a brief tells you something in itself. Two or three agencies is usually enough.
Will they suit a business like yours?
1. What have you done for businesses like ours? Listen for specific examples: the business, the problem, what they did and what changed. Worry if every example is a large brand with a large budget, or if the answer never gets past generalities.
2. What would you not take on for us, and why? Listen for a clear sense of where their strengths end. Worry if the answer is "nothing", because no agency is good at everything.
3. Who would you refer us to if we are not a fit? Listen for names and reasons. An agency that knows its limits usually knows who covers them.
4. What do you need to know about our business before recommending anything? Listen for questions about your customers, your margins, your sales process and what you've already tried. Worry if they recommend a solution before they've asked any of that.
Who will actually do the work?
5. Who, by name, will do the work on our account day to day? Listen for names, roles and an offer to meet them. Worry if the people pitching won't be the people working on your account and you can't meet the ones who will. Meeting the people who do the work is one of the things that sets independent, founder-led agencies apart.
6. Who checks their work before it reaches us? Listen for a senior person who reads the work and signs it off. Junior people doing the work is normal; nobody checking it isn't.
7. How many other clients will they be working on? It's a perfectly fair question, and the answer tells you how much attention your account will realistically get.
How will you know it's working?
8. How will you measure success, and when will we know if it is working? Listen for measures tied to your business, such as enquiries, sales and cost per customer, and a date for a first judgement. Worry if success is described only in impressions, reach, followers or rankings.
9. What will you need from us to get there? Listen for specifics: access, approvals, content and time. A good agency is clear that results depend on both sides.
10. What does a monthly report look like? Ask to see a real one, with the client's details taken out. Worry if it's pages of activity charts that never mention enquiries or sales.
11. Can you guarantee results? The honest answer is no. For search in particular, Google's own guidance on hiring an SEO says no one can guarantee a number one ranking on Google. Be wary of anyone who says yes.
What will it really cost?
12. Exactly what is included in the price, and what costs extra? Listen for a written list. The usual extras are ad spend, content production, photography, software and extra rounds of changes.
13. Which costs are your fee and which are paid to others? Ad spend paid to Google or Meta, software subscriptions and any freelancers they bring in should all be shown separately from their own fee. You'll meet several ways of pricing, and what marketing costs in the UK sets them out, with our own prices alongside for comparison.
14. Is any of your fee a percentage of our ad spend? There's nothing wrong with that, but it does give the agency a reason to recommend spending more. Just know which model you're buying.
15. What happens if the work takes longer than planned? On a fixed price, the agency carries that risk. On a day rate or a retainer, you may. Either way, get the answer in writing, and if you're weighing one against the other, it helps to know what a fixed-price project actually includes.
Who owns what, and how do you leave?
16. What is the minimum term, and the notice period? A long minimum term isn't a warning sign in itself. Ask what it protects for you, whether the price reflects it, and how you could end it if the work isn't being done. A short first term followed by a rolling arrangement is also a perfectly reasonable thing to ask for. If it's SEO you're buying, our piece on twelve-month SEO contracts looks at when a long term makes sense.
17. Who will own the ad accounts, analytics, website and content? Listen for "you do". Everything should be in your business's name, with the agency given access. Google Ads, for example, has access levels up to Admin, and someone in your business should hold Admin access.
18. What happens when we part ways? Listen for a clear handover: accounts, logins, files, and a note of what was done. Worry about exit fees or vague answers.
How will they start?
19. What will happen in the first 30 days? Listen for a clear sequence: learning about your business, setting up tracking, agreeing measures, then the first piece of work. Worry if the first month is all activity and no groundwork.
20. What would you tell us not to do? This is the most revealing question of all. An agency that can tell you what not to spend money on is advising you, not just selling to you.
Six checks every quote should pass
Whatever you're buying, whether it's a website, SEO, social media, a fractional lead or a fixed-price project, the same six things decide whether a quote is safe to sign. The questions above cover each of them, and this is what a good answer looks like, all in one place.
- Who does the work. You know the name of the person who'll do it day to day, and you've spoken to them, not only to whoever sold it to you (question 5).
- Who owns the accounts. Every account, the website, the domain and anything made for you are in your business's name, with the supplier given access (question 17).
- The fee, kept separate. The supplier's fee is shown apart from ad spend, software and anything else paid to others (question 13).
- The term and the notice. You know the minimum term, the notice period and what you'll get at handover (questions 16 and 18).
- The measure and the date. One or two measures tied to your business, such as enquiries or cost per enquiry, and a date to judge them by, agreed before the work starts (question 8).
- What you get. A written list of what you'll have at the end and by when, and of what isn't included (question 12).
The warning signs
- Guaranteed rankings, leads or returns.
- A solution recommended before anyone understands your business.
- Success measured only in impressions, likes or rankings.
- A long minimum term with no break clause, no agreed measures and no way out if the work isn't being done.
- Accounts, websites or content held in the agency's name.
- No chance to meet the people who'll do the work.
- Vague deliverables that could mean anything.
- Pressure to sign quickly.
Take the questions with you
Tick each one off as you get a clear answer. Your ticks are saved in this browser, and you can print the list to take into the meeting.
- What have you done for businesses like ours?
What a good answer sounds like
Specific examples: the business, the problem, what they did and what changed, from businesses of your size or sector rather than large brands with large budgets.
- What would you not take on for us, and why?
What a good answer sounds like
A clear account of where their strengths end, such as a channel they would hand to someone else. "Nothing" is the wrong answer.
- Who would you refer us to if we are not a fit?
What a good answer sounds like
Names and reasons: the kind of specialist or firm they would send you to, and why they would be a better fit.
- What do you need to know about us before recommending anything?
What a good answer sounds like
Questions back to you about your customers, margins, sales process and what has been tried, before any recommendation.
- Who, by name, will do the work day to day?
What a good answer sounds like
Names and roles for the people doing the day-to-day work, and an offer to meet them before you sign.
- Who checks their work before it reaches us?
What a good answer sounds like
A named senior person who reads and signs off the work before it reaches you.
- How many other clients will they be working on?
What a good answer sounds like
A number, given without hesitation, that leaves room for your account to get real attention.
- How will you measure success, and when will we know?
What a good answer sounds like
Measures tied to your business, such as enquiries, sales and cost per customer, and a date for the first judgement.
- What will you need from us?
What a good answer sounds like
A specific list covering access, approvals, content and your time, with the point made that results depend on both sides.
- Can I see a real monthly report?
What a good answer sounds like
A real report sent to a current client, details removed, that leads with enquiries or sales rather than pages of activity charts.
- Can you guarantee results? (The right answer is no.)
What a good answer sounds like
No, with a reason, and a description of what they expect instead and by when.
- Exactly what is included, and what costs extra?
What a good answer sounds like
A written list of what is included and what costs extra, such as ad spend, content production, photography, software and extra rounds of changes.
- Which costs are your fee and which are paid to others?
What a good answer sounds like
Their fee shown separately from money paid to others, such as ad spend, software and freelancers they bring in.
- Is any of your fee a percentage of our ad spend?
What a good answer sounds like
A plain yes or no, and if yes, why that model suits your account.
- What happens if the work takes longer than planned?
What a good answer sounds like
A written answer saying who carries the cost of overruns. On a fixed price, it should be the agency.
- What is the minimum term and the notice period?
What a good answer sounds like
A clear minimum term and notice period, what the term protects for you, and how you could end it early if the work is not being done.
- Who will own the accounts, analytics, website and content?
What a good answer sounds like
"You do": every account in your business's name, with the agency given access, and someone in your business holding Admin access.
- What happens when we part ways?
What a good answer sounds like
A clear handover of accounts, logins, files and a note of what was done, with no exit fees.
- What will happen in the first 30 days?
What a good answer sounds like
A concrete sequence: learning about your business, setting up tracking, agreeing measures, then the first piece of work.
- What would you tell us not to do?
What a good answer sounds like
A specific answer, such as a channel to drop or a spend to hold back, with a reason tied to your business.
The questions don't stop once you've hired someone, and judging whether your agency is doing a good job picks up where these leave off. If you'd like to hear our own answers to all twenty, ask for a free call.
If you'd rather start with a plan than a supplier, our 90-day marketing plan is a fixed £2,500, and the rest of our prices are on the services page.
Questions people ask
What should I ask a marketing agency before hiring them?
Ask who will actually do the work, how they'll measure success, what results they've had for businesses like yours, exactly what's included and what costs extra, what the contract terms are, and who will own the accounts and content. The quality of the answers tells you more than the pitch does.
What are the red flags when choosing a marketing agency?
Guaranteed results or rankings, a long minimum term with no break clause and no agreed measures, reports built on impressions and likes rather than enquiries or sales, accounts held in the agency's name, vague deliverables, and never being able to meet the people who'll do the work.
How many agencies should I speak to?
Two or three is usually enough to compare approaches and prices properly. Send each one the same brief, so you can compare their answers on the same terms.
Should I ask for references?
Yes, and ask to speak to a client who's similar to you and has been with them for more than a year. A logo or a testimonial on their website tells you far less than a conversation.
Do these questions apply to consultants and freelancers too?
Most of them do. Anyone you pay for marketing should be able to tell you who does the work, what you'll get, how it will be measured, what it costs in full, and who owns what at the end.
I founded oXo Creatives, an independent marketing agency and consultancy, in 2013 and run it full-time. Until 2026 I ran it alongside senior in-house marketing roles at Google, PlayStation and King, partner management at Meta, and digital product at NatWest.
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