Match the scope to the gap
List the work you can do in-house and where you need help. Ask whether the agency provides strategy, production, publishing, replies or the full service. Ask who will do the work and who will be your contact.
Read the proof
Look for named case studies with a clear starting problem and results. Check the dates, channels and source of each result. Ask how that work relates to your goal. A result for another brand is not a promise for yours.
Check the retainer fit
Ask for inclusions, exclusions, approval steps and reporting. Compare the scope as well as the price. Check GST, travel, creator costs and any separate production work. Read the cost guide before you book a call.
Agree what success means
Choose the measures together. Ask how the team will use results to change the work. Confirm account access and ownership so your brand can keep its accounts and content records.
Step by step: build a useful shortlist
First, give each agency the same starting brief. Describe the gap, your audience and the work your staff can keep doing. Next, read its service scope and named case studies. Ask who did the work and which tasks the agency owned. Then discuss the delivery team and the approval process. Find out who your usual contact will be and how feedback reaches the creators. Finally, request a written scope. Compare that scope with the other proposals before making a decision on price. A lower quote can cover less work, so the headline number is not enough.
Worked example: Filterbuy
Filterbuy's published case separates the starting problem, the work and the results. Giveaways had brought followers who ignored other posts. The agency tested six content directions and made more of the short clips that made a stranger's day. Monthly views across four channels rose from 101,000 in June to 1.67 million in September 2026. The page names Metricool as the source. When comparing agencies, look for this detail: what was wrong, what changed, which period was measured and where the figures came from.
Scope checklist: check the whole relationship
Check who owns ideas, product facts, shoots, captions, approval, publishing and replies. Ask how an urgent issue reaches the right person. Confirm the files and account access your business keeps. Review travel, creator costs, extra changes and GST treatment alongside the fee. Include the effort your own staff must provide, such as people on camera or product checks. Put gaps back to the agency as clear questions rather than filling them with guesses. The aim is a comparison of the same work, including the tasks that will stay inside your business after the agency starts.
Ask how a report changes the work
An attractive report is less useful if the next plan ignores it. Ask how the team reads weak posts, audience questions and business feedback. Find out who chooses the next test and how that choice reaches the content brief. Our services page describes connected strategy, content and community work. Whatever agency you choose, look for a clear route between those tasks. Ask how it will discuss an idea that does not land. The answer helps you assess the working process, rather than judging the relationship only from a pitch or a strong piece of creative work.