Every week a founder messages asking how to vet marketing agencies. The standard checklists online are written by agencies trying to look good. This one is written from the other side — what we'd actually check if we were in your seat.
Before the first call
1. Look at their own marketing
If an agency can't generate leads for themselves, they can't generate them for you. Obvious, but founders skip it. Look for:
- A blog with recent, substantive posts (not listicles).
- An active LinkedIn or YouTube presence with the founder visible.
- Public case studies with numbers, not just logos.
If all three are thin, keep walking.
2. Check who's actually running accounts
Most agencies sell with senior talent and deliver with juniors. Ask for the names and LinkedIns of the people on your account. Look at their actual backgrounds, not the agency's combined years.
3. Ask for three references in your category
Not testimonials. References. You should be allowed to talk to three current clients, ideally in a similar stage and industry. If the agency can't provide that, they either don't have that depth or won't let you talk to clients — both bad.
On the first call
4. Ask them what they'd kill first
Every business has things to stop doing. An agency that only sees things to start is selling you their default retainer. A good agency, in the first 30 minutes, will tell you at least one thing you're currently doing that they'd kill.
If they agree with everything you say, they're not paying attention. Or they're afraid to lose the deal.
5. Ask about their weakest service
"We're best-in-class at everything" is a lie. The real answer from a good agency is specific — "our SEO program is stronger than our lifecycle program; we usually recommend a lifecycle specialist for that."
Self-awareness is a signal.
6. Ask how they price when the work gets harder
Retainers have a hidden incentive: the agency earns the same whether they do more or less. Good agencies have mechanisms — scope review, sprint add-ons, milestone billing — to handle that. Bad agencies just coast.
On the proposal
7. Does the proposal describe your business?
A proposal that could be pasted from a template (generic stats, generic playbook) means the agency hasn't actually read your site. Keep looking.
8. Are the KPIs specific?
"Increase traffic 30%" is weak. "Lift organic sessions from [your current number] to [specific target] by month 6, measured in Search Console" is strong. Specificity is a proxy for competence.
9. Is there an exit clause?
Any retainer longer than 3 months without an exit clause is a red flag. Good agencies are confident in their work and don't need a lock-in.
After the contract
10. Watch the first 30 days closely
The onboarding month is the tell. Good agencies:
- Schedule a deep-dive workshop in week 1.
- Deliver a full audit by week 2.
- Start shipping actual work by week 3.
- Have a working rhythm established by week 4.
If month 1 is mostly account-manager updates with no shipped work, you've hired a project manager, not a strategic partner.
11. Watch who runs the weekly meeting
The strategist named in the pitch should be in the weekly — and leading it, not just attending. If it's only the account manager from week 3 onward, you've been bait-and-switched.
12. Watch what changes in month 3
By month 3, a good agency has enough data to start proposing changes to the roadmap — including things like "we should stop spending on X and move it to Y." A bad agency is still running month-1 plays on autopilot.
We've published this checklist because it's the filter we wish more founders used. It costs us some deals — we're not the right fit for everyone — but the clients who work through it are the ones who stay for 3+ years. That's the trade we'd rather make.
If you're evaluating us, use the checklist. Ask us the hard questions. And if we're not the fit, we'll tell you — we'd rather refer you to someone better than win a deal we'll lose in 6 months.
When you're ready to start the audit, book a discovery call — we'll bring the person who'd actually run your account.
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