How to Choose a Content Agency (Without Getting Burned)

We're a content agency, so take this with whatever grain of salt you need. But we've also been on the brand side, we've worked with other agencies, and we've inherited accounts from studios that didn't work out. We've seen what goes wrong.

Here's what we'd look for if we were hiring us.

1. Look at Their Work, Not Their Website

A beautiful agency website means they're good at making agency websites. That's it. What matters is the work — and specifically, work that looks like what you need.

If you're an ecommerce brand that needs social content, and their portfolio is all corporate explainer videos, you're not a fit. It doesn't matter how nice their case studies look.

Ask: "Can you show me 3 projects similar to what we need?" If they can't, move on.

2. Understand Who's Actually Doing the Work

At big agencies, the people in the pitch meeting are not the people making your content. You get sold by senior creatives, then your account gets handed to a junior team you've never met.

At smaller studios (like ours), the person you talk to is the person who shows up on set. Whether we're shooting in NYC, Brooklyn, or Long Island — same crew, every time. That's not a knock on big agencies — sometimes you need their scale. But know what you're buying.

Ask: "Who specifically will be working on our account day-to-day?"

3. Get Clear on Deliverables Before You Sign

The #1 source of agency-client friction is mismatched expectations around deliverables. "Content creation" can mean 3 Instagram posts or 30 video assets depending on who you're talking to.

Before you sign anything, you should know:

• Exactly how many deliverables per month
• What formats (video, photo, both?)
• How many revision rounds
• Turnaround time
• Who provides what (props, products, locations, talent)

If the proposal is vague on any of these, that's a red flag.

4. Ask About Their Process, Not Just Their Price

Cheap content that misses the mark costs more than good content that converts. The question isn't "what's the cheapest option?" — it's "what's the process that gets us the right content?" (We wrote a whole piece on what content production actually costs if you want the real numbers.)

A good studio will walk you through: creative brief → shoot planning → production → editing → revisions → delivery. If their process is "you tell us what you want and we'll make it," you'll end up doing half the creative direction yourself.

5. Red Flags to Watch For

• No contract or vague terms. Everything should be in writing. Scope, timeline, payment terms, content ownership.
• "Unlimited" anything. Unlimited revisions, unlimited content, unlimited support. Nothing is unlimited — that just means they haven't defined the boundaries.
• No portfolio for your content type. If they've never made what you need, you're paying for their learning curve.
• They don't ask about your brand. If the first meeting is all about their capabilities and nothing about your goals, audience, or brand voice — they're going to make generic content.
• Long lock-in contracts. 6–12 month minimums with no out clause. Good work earns retention. Contracts shouldn't be handcuffs.

6. Start Small

The best way to test an agency is a paid trial project. Not a full retainer — a single shoot, a one-month engagement, a specific deliverable. See how they communicate, how they handle feedback, and whether the output matches the promise.

If they won't do a trial, ask why. If the answer is "our minimum engagement is 6 months," that tells you something about how confident they are that you'll want to stay.