13 ESSENTIAL questions to ask a content creation agency you want to hire
Key takeaways
Just like any new relationship, there are some classic green and red flags to look for when hiring a new content creation agency.
But if you ask the right questions upfront, you’re more likely to find that perfect match much faster.
And remember, relationships are a two-way street. There is a list of green and red flags that agencies will look for in their clients too. Find them all here.
“Content, in all its forms, is the single most critical element of any marketing campaign.”
Agencies bring more to the table than a single contractor or new employee.
They’re experts with access to resources, tools, market knowledge, and experience.
Ideally, your content creation agency relationship will be a long and happy one.
But, like with any new relationship, you want to do your research first and ask the right questions. What green and red flags should you watch out for?
That’s what this guide is all about.
In this guide to asking your new content creation agency the right questions:
Your checklist for hiring a content creation agency
The 13 crucial questions to ask potential content agencies
Your checklist for being a great client
Psst… we’re a content creation agency
Your checklist for hiring a content creation agency
Hiring the right content agency gives you skilled specialists with immediate market access that can advise you on getting the greatest bang for your marketing buck.
But how do you find the “right” agency?
Here’s a checklist of basic green and red flags to look for in your search for the perfect content agency.
Some of these checks should come before you spend the time meeting with them to ensure you only talk to viable candidates.
This list, of course, is non-exhaustive.
But it gives you a good baseline for filtering your content agency candidates before committing to a meeting.
13 critical questions to ask a content agency before you hire them
Here’s a list of crucial questions to help you find the right content creation agency for your needs.
We’ve also listed the considerations you should take into account for each question - so that whatever answer they give, you know how to proceed.
1) What are your areas of specialisation (industry and content types)?
You have three key considerations here:
How long are you planning to work with this agency? If you’re after a long-term partnership, then they can learn your industry. If it’s a limited or one-off project, you’ll need to provide much heavier content briefs to those not familiar with it.
How complex or nuanced is your industry? Writing blogs about quantum mechanics is a whole different ballgame to food recipes, for example.
What types of content are you looking to create? Writing a blog takes a different skillset to creating a high converting landing page or a press release, so you want to ensure that they have the skills to fulfil your needs.
2) What results have you generated for other clients and what did you do next to maintain momentum?
What you’re looking for here:
Evidence of results and a clear path for how they got there.
Ingenuity and creativity for the next steps, based on solid evidence and with a clear understanding of how their proposed actions will influence KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
These things demonstrate a measured approach, with transparency every step of the way.
3) What kinds of challenges have you faced in your agency and how have you overcome them?
This one is pretty self-explanatory.
Find out how the agency deals with unexpected problems. Are they honest about their experience and demonstrate agile solutions?
4) Who is your ideal client and how do they communicate with you?
Will you fulfill their expectations of a good client?
There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to ask this question.
Are they looking for realistic things from you, and do they align with your preferred working style?
5) What does “success” look like to you and how do you measure it?
Putting success measures in place is critical in every area of every business.
It’s the only way to ensure that money is well spent.
Here’s what to consider when measuring content agency performance:
KPIs should directly relate to the scope of work. For example, if an agency looks after all your marketing from start to finish then you may want to measure sales volume, cost per acquisition, customer lifetime value, profit margin, and other larger metrics.
If the agency is managing a smaller component then it’s not fair to judge their performance based on things outside of their control. So you might instead look at keyword rankings, monthly organic traffic, number of revisions required, or the amount of time you spend reviewing and approving their work.
Bear in mind that the results an agency can generate are akin to a chef working with particular ingredients. An established brand with a loyal customer base is going to get much better results from the same piece of content than a brand new company with no audience or reputation.
Are you confused with any terminology in this blog? > Bookmark our marketing jargon dictionary.
6) What’s your capacity like in the short and long-term?
Obviously you want to know whether an agency can deliver on your needs now and in the future.
But if you feel that the agency is a good fit, and they don’t have the capacity right now, they might be hiring and training new staff.
You might consider starting small with a trial project and increasing the workload over time.
7) What’s the structure of your agency and who would we have contact with?
Your considerations here:
Who are you dealing with on a daily basis? Is it one person that has the authority to make decisions, asks the right questions, and has direct influence over the work? Or are there lots of different contacts that might get messy? Perhaps someone junior that will just pass along messages? Think carefully about your preferences.
Does the agency outsource any of the work? This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but make it clear up front who is responsible for timely, on-budget deliverables.
8) What are your agency’s values and how do they translate into your work?
Company values are likely to influence deliverables and how they’re produced.
So make sure that you’re in alignment on your principles.
For example, here’s how our values at Paste & Publish translate to our client work:
Transparency: We have open and honest lines of communication with our clients. This applies regardless of whether we’ve smashed it or if we’ve made a mistake.
Sincerity: We love what we do, and it shows. Alongside delivering timely work, we are always looking for creative new ways to help our client brands shine, showing them that we have a genuine interest in their long-term growth.
Custodianship: When a client trusts us with their brand, we treat it with the same care and respect that they do. We also take our custodianship of the planet to heart and put 5% of our revenue aside to help environmental organisations with their marketing.
Learn more about what we’ve done for clients.
9) Can you give me an idea of your content creation process and what working together would look like?
Here you want to think about:
Does the agency have a well-designed workflow? Do they have collateral showing their processes or operations like a brochure, infographic, or a landing page?
Does the process make sense for your business? Are you happy with the number of touchpoints you’ll have while content is being produced? Is this agency fairly rigid in their workflow or are they open to your adjustments?
10) Which tasks would we be responsible for, and what are your expectations for our involvement?
You will need to review and approve work. Is there anything else an agency expects of you, and does that feel manageable?
This is something that will (and probably should) change over time.
As an agency gets to know your brand and expectations better, they will need less input to deliver high-quality work.
11) How long can I expect projects to take on average and how do you manage deadlines?
This will be a tricky question to answer, because delivery times are contingent on a range of factors. (You are one of them!)
So if they’re not entirely clear, this isn’t necessarily a red flag just yet.
In fact, if they talk about the following influencing factors rather than give you a definitive answer, that could be a good sign of an honest agency.
Size and scope of a project.
Budget and urgency.
Complexity of the work (if a project requires more specialist, senior staff, it may take longer).
The agency’s current capacity.
12) What are your preferred tools and software?
It’s good to get a feel up front for what software a potential vendor uses and whether you’ll need to learn anything new to work with them.
This might feel like a drag. But sometimes, it’s a great opportunity to evolve your tech stack.
Good agencies are experts at what they do. If they’re established and using particular software for generating amazing results, maybe you should consider using it too!
13) Can you give me an idea of your pricing structure, and what’s not included in these costs?
Ideally you’ll have a budget in mind for your content marketing.
If you don’t know what to expect, it’s worth talking to a few content creation agencies to get a feel for what the “industry standard” looks like.
But you’re likely to find some variation in pricing structures.
Here’s what to consider when it comes to pricing:
Some agencies work on hourly rates, some on fixed quotes, others on retainers, and many on a combination of these. None are necessarily better or worse. It depends on what is the right fit for you, and what generates the best results.
Check whether any tools, tech, or subscriptions that might be required are included in the agency’s fees - or if they are added extras.
It’s also worth asking how the agency deals with scope creep. This is when a job slowly becomes bigger and bigger than was originally planned and budgeted for.
The cheapest price isn’t necessarily the best deal. And the most expensive agency doesn’t necessarily do the best work. What matters is that the relationship is a good fit for your needs. You usually get what you pay for, and as you work more with an agency, their deliverables should reflect a better understanding of your industry and requirements.
These 13 questions aren’t the only ones you could ask.
If you want to get into the nitty-gritty of “when you do want invoices paid”, or “what do your contracts look like”, you can.
But that can come after you’ve narrowed down your top candidate.
It depends on how much these factors matter to your organisation.
Your checklist for being a great content agency client
Woah, there! You thought that was it?
Relationships are a two-way street.
Content creation agencies do a great job of amplifying your brand and pouring fuel on the fire.
But if you’re hard to reach, disorganised, or unresponsive, you won’t get the best results.
Here’s what your role looks like in a productive client-agency relationship.
It’s not rocket science, right?
In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re a content creation agency…
Well hey, look at that!
If you’re hunting for a content creation agency, you may have stumbled on a wee gem.
(If we do say so ourselves).
Chat with us today about how we could help you smash your brand’s marketing goals this year.
