The short version
Before you hire a social media agency, ask who will actually do the work, what they’d change first, how they decide what to post, who makes the content, how they handle comments, how they measure success, and what the quote includes. Insist on an itemised quote, on owning your own accounts, content and data, and on a clear way out. Good agencies answer with specifics and ask you as many questions as you ask them. Walk away from guaranteed follower numbers, vague reports, and anyone who wants to own your accounts.
Hiring a social media agency is hiring the voice your customers hear most often. Get it right and you get a team that knows your brand as well as you do. Get it wrong and you’ll spend a year paying for posts nobody remembers.
These are the ten questions we’d ask if we were on your side of the table, what a good answer sounds like, and when to walk away.
What should you ask a social media agency?
1. Who will actually work on our account?
A good answer: names, roles, how much of their time you’ll get, and a chance to meet them before you sign.
Walk away if the senior people in the pitch vanish once the contract is signed.
2. What would you change first, and why?
A good answer: specific observations about your current channels, made before the meeting because they bothered to look.
Walk away if they haven’t looked, or the answer could apply to any brand.
3. How do you decide what to post?
A good answer: a strategy tied to your audience and goals, a handful of recurring themes, and a calendar you approve in advance.
Walk away if “we follow the trends” is the whole answer.
4. Who makes the content?
A good answer: clarity on who shoots, edits and writes, whether in-house or trusted freelancers, with examples of their own work.
Walk away if everything turns out to be templates and stock photos.
5. How will you handle comments and messages?
A good answer: agreed response times, a plan for complaints, and a guide to your tone of voice.
Walk away if nobody mentions community at all. For many customers, your comments section is your customer service.
6. How do you measure success?
A good answer: a few measures tied to your business goals, agreed up front, and monthly reports that say what worked, what didn’t and what changes next.
Walk away if the reports are screenshots of likes, or if anyone guarantees follower numbers. Guaranteed followers are usually bought ones.
7. What’s included in the quote, and what costs extra?
A good answer: an itemised quote covering strategy, how much content, production, community management, ads management and reporting, with any ad spend kept separate from fees.
Walk away if you get a single number with no breakdown.
8. Who owns the accounts, the content and the data?
A good answer: you do. Accounts stay registered to your business, the agency gets partner access through tools like Meta Business Suite, and you receive the raw files.
Walk away if they want to own your page or your ad account.
9. How do you handle approvals and disclosure?
A good answer: a simple approval workflow, a plan for brand safety, and correct ad labels on any creator content under ASCI’s guidelines.
Walk away if they treat disclosure as optional.
10. What happens if it isn’t working, or we want to leave?
A good answer: an agreed review point, a reasonable notice period, and a clean handover of everything that’s yours.
Walk away if the contract locks you in with no way out.
What are the red flags?
- Guarantees of followers, views or “going viral”.
- A pitch with no questions about your business, customers or goals.
- Every client’s feed looks the same. Look at their other clients before you look at their deck.
- Reports full of numbers that don’t connect to anything your business cares about.
- A price that seems too good, which usually means templates, stock and the most junior people.
What should a good agency ask you?
A good agency interviews you back. Who your customers are, what you want them to do, what’s worked before, what you’d never post, who approves things, and how quickly feedback can come back. If they don’t ask, they’re guessing.
How much does a social media agency cost?
It depends on the scope: how many platforms, how much content, whether production and community management are included, and whether they run ads. We don’t publish prices, because the right scope varies so much. Ask every agency for an itemised quote with ad spend kept separate, so you can compare like for like.
New to all this? Start with our guide to what social media marketing involves. Or see how we manage social media for brands, and ask us all ten questions.
Questions people ask
- What should I look for in a social media agency?
- People you’ll actually work with, a point of view on your brand formed before the first meeting, work you admire for other clients, clear measurement tied to your goals, an itemised quote, and a contract that leaves you owning your accounts, content and data.
- What questions should I ask a social media agency?
- Who will work on our account? What would you change first? How do you decide what to post? Who makes the content? How do you handle comments? How do you measure success? What’s in the quote? Who owns the accounts and content? How do you handle approvals and disclosure? What happens if we want to leave?
- Should a social media agency own my accounts?
- No. Your accounts, followers, content and ad history are business assets. Keep them registered to your business and give the agency partner access through tools like Meta Business Suite, so nothing leaves with them if you part ways.
- What does social media management include?
- Usually strategy, a content calendar, content creation, posting, community management (comments and messages) and monthly reporting. Paid ads, creator partnerships and production are sometimes included and sometimes extra, which is why an itemised quote matters.
Naspen · Creator, influencer & social media agency
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