Before Lightmakers, I spent years at Gartner, the firm known for grading vendors so companies can choose well. The lesson carried over: the brands that hire well do not hire on a pitch. They hire on a short list of questions, asked the same way of everyone.
The short answer
Hire the agency that can show results for brands like yours, with links you can check, measured in sales, led by someone senior, with a clear scope and a commitment in writing. Then trust your gut in the room. Gartner research found that buyers who get genuinely helpful information when they buy are three times as likely to choose the bigger option, with less regret. This scorecard is that information.
The 10 questions.
- Have they done this for a brand like yours? Ask for case studies with real numbers, from brands in your category or at your level. A beautiful reel is not a result.
- Can they show receipts? Look for links to press, posts, and recaps you can click yourself. Screenshots can be cropped. Links cannot.
- Do they measure sales, or just reach? Reach gets seen. Sales get budgets renewed. Ask exactly how they connect the work to revenue.
- Who's senior on your project? Ask who leads the strategy and who is on the team behind them. The person who pitched you should still be in the room after you sign.
- Do they understand your buyer? Notice whether they talk about your customer before they talk about their services.
- Is the scope clear? You should know exactly what you get, and when, before you sign.
- Do they stand behind it? Look for a guarantee, or at least a clear commitment in writing.
- How fast do they respond? Clients rank professionalism, collaboration, and timeliness at the top of what they want from an agency partner. Watch how they handle the first week.
- Do they bring new ideas? Innovation is the quality clients say they most want more of from their agencies. Ask what they would do that you have not thought of.
- Do you trust them in a room? Clients most often leave an agency over people and the relationship. Picture them in front of your press, your partners, your boss.
How to use it.
Score every agency on your short list, including the one you already like. One point per question they clearly pass. Nine or ten is a strong partner. Six to eight is worth a closer look. Below six, ask harder questions before you sign.
The three questions most brands skip.
Questions 3, 4, and 7. Brands ask about creativity and forget to ask how the work connects to sales, who will actually lead it after the contract is signed, and what the agency commits to in writing. Those three answers predict the relationship more than any reel.
Ask yourself
- Could you click through to proof for every claim in the last pitch you saw?
- Do you know who would lead your project day to day?
- Is the scope written down, with dates?
- Would you trust them in front of your press and partners?
Frequently asked questions.
What should I look for when hiring a marketing agency?
Ten things: work for brands like yours, receipts you can click, results measured in sales and not only reach, a senior lead on your project, an understanding of your buyer, a clear scope, a written commitment, fast responses, new ideas, and chemistry you trust in front of your press and partners.
What questions should I ask an agency before hiring them?
Ask who leads the strategy on your project, what they will deliver and by when, what they guarantee in writing, how they connect the work to sales, and to see case studies with links to real press and posts.
How do I know if a creator marketing agency is any good?
Look for case studies with real numbers from brands like yours, links you can verify yourself, and a plan that measures sales rather than just reach. Then score them on the 10 questions in the Lightmakers Agency Scorecard.
Why does chemistry matter when choosing an agency?
Survey data on client and agency relationships finds that clients most often leave over people and the relationship, and that chemistry wins over capability. If you would not trust them in front of your press, partners, or boss, keep looking.
Sources
- Gartner, B2B Brands Need to Rethink Their Content Marketing Strategy (2018)
- Setup, Marketing Relationship Survey (2022, 300+ marketers)
Close.
A good agency welcomes these questions, because it already has the answers. Curious how Lightmakers scores? See our case studies and receipts, or read about the creator brief we use.