How to Vet a Content Marketing Agency: 18 Questions to Ask Before You Hire

Hiring the right content marketing agency can make or break your brand’s visibility and growth potential. But are you asking the right questions before you sign the contract? 

When my business partner Julie and I co-founded Masthead in 2012, the practice of content marketing was in its early stages, and brand leaders were just starting to test out how to use it to reach and engage their audiences.

Pretty quickly it moved from an experimental to an essential practice and now most major brands either have an in-house content marketing team, or work with an agency partner like us (or, in many cases, they do both). 

As both the co-founder of our company and the person who leads sales for Masthead, I've been in the room—or on Zoom—answering countless questions from brands looking to hire a content marketing partner. So many of the questions are really insightful, but there are still those things I think prospective clients should be asking…but they don’t think of them during those initial calls and meetings.

If you’re hiring an outside agency (even if several people recommended them to you!), you should always dig in deep and get as much information as possible. After all, brands spend weeks interviewing candidates for a single role, but they rarely apply the level of rigor when vetting a content marketing agency. 

Based on what I’ve learned over more than 12 years as Masthead’s Head of Business Development, here’s my list of questions I’d ask any content marketing agency I was considering hiring. These questions can make the difference between a good agency partnership and a great one—they go beyond the surface to help you make a well-informed decision for your company.

Agency Background & Reputation

Q. What’s the background of your founders and management? Do they come from the editorial space, digital marketing, or another industry? 

Anyone running a content marketing agency should have a highly content-centric background—the gold standard being traditional media and journalism. Only leaders who have worked extensively in publishing (and in some cases, communications or creative) can provide the level of expertise and discernment needed to develop expert-quality, highly engaging original content that comes from a distinctive brand voice and perspective. This is absolutely essential right now to be seen and served up, regardless of the channel (search, social, email, etc.). Tapping a tech company or non-content-first agency that says they can 'do content' is a risk—one that’s not worth taking right now.

Q. What types of clients/brands have you worked with? Do you have specific expertise in my industry?

While it shouldn’t be a dealbreaker if someone hasn’t worked in your exact space (particularly if there are only a few companies doing what you do), it always provides a level of comfort if an agency has at least some experience within your larger vertical.

Some agencies do have the ability to expand your team with creators who not only have published work about your niche but may have actually worked with your brand in the past or reporting on the company’s products and services as a journalist.

Q. Can you share examples of past client results and case studies? What were some measurable outcomes achieved for clients with similar goals?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a really good case study must be worth at least ten thousand—not to mention the value of your time.

An experienced content marketing agency should be able to provide you with several recent studies that not only demonstrate the type of work that they do for specific clients, but how those content assets actually impact metrics, ROI, and the greater (non-metric) goals of the project. You should ask for case studies within the first conversation and if possible, discuss them live with your point of contact.

Q. Can you provide client references or testimonials? Do you have any clients who are willing to speak with me about their experiences working with you?

As you’re getting close to deciding on a content marketing agency partner, don’t be shy to ask for references that you can speak with directly. Any good agency should be able to supply you with at least one if not a few names. Spend time speaking with them as you would a reference for any future employee. They’ll likely be able to provide certain insights that you just can’t get from 1:1 conversations with your future vendor.

Content Capabilities

Q. What’s your approach to creating high-quality content that performs well and achieves certain goals? 

Because this question is fairly open-ended, it should give you a great opportunity to dig into the content agency’s process for developing highly successful content. Ask how this agency sets itself apart from all others out there and ensures excellent results.

At Masthead, we only develop net-new content (or optimize already published content) that’s backed by either a new content strategy that we produce, or an in-depth period of strategic planning and goal setting. As part of answering this question, I’ll dig into what strategic planning entails, including audience research, voice and tone analysis and recommendations, editorial calendar development and team sourcing and onboarding, and more.

Q. How do you source the information that’s included in our content? Will your writers do additional research if needed?

In many cases, your company will provide a lot of the source material for new content directly to the writer. It will include things like stakeholder interviews, research, reports, and studies commissioned by your company, as well as relevant customer service data. However, you may want your editorial team to add additional context by layering in additional research. 

Asking this question gives you and the agency a chance to determine how your team will find sources and discuss what’s acceptable to you and your brand. It’s also a chance to determine if the agency understands the difference between a reputable source (e.g., peer-reviewed journals, professional organizations, outside experts, etc.) and those that are shaky at best.

Q. Are you able to produce multimedia assets like custom images, video, and podcasts? If so, are those produced in-house or with partners?

Thanks to big changes in how audiences discover content, text-only content is losing its ability to be seen at the top of search and within social platforms. You may want to go with an agency that’s capable of producing content in all of its various forms, including audio, images, design, video, and more. A strong content marketing agency should either develop these assets in-house, be able to license the content you need, or have close partnerships with production teams that they can bring in for specific projects. 

Q. How do you approach content repurposing? Do you have strategies for maximizing the value of content by reusing or updating it?

If the content agency you’re meeting with says they can produce content—but seem a little less familiar with strategies for maximizing that content across other platforms, you may want to look elsewhere for an agency. A large part of making content successful is determining (in advance) how it will be repurposed across the brand’s other channels. 

Process & Timing

Q. How often will we meet to discuss content progress and performance?

I’ve found that every client wants a different level of involvement in the content development process—and has their own set of expectations for the ways they’ll stay connected.

If you’re looking for an external team member or agency that’s available on a daily or real-time basis to answer questions or participate on Slack, It’s vital to discuss that up front. This way the agency can either dedicate the resources or let you know if they’re unable to meet those expectations. 

Q. What is the timeline for receiving content—and how many revisions are included?

Like the question above, this one is all about setting expectations. Many agencies can handle quick turnaround times if they know what’s expected (we have some publishing clients with 72-hour turnarounds) as they can onboard team members who are willing to be semi-on-call for the work. 

However, if you’re not up against a specific clock for content, it's probably going to be less expensive for you if your turnarounds are in the more realistic 3 to 4-week range for a first draft. Ask the agency how many revisions are included in the pricing (at Masthead, it’s usually two or three) 

Q. How do you handle urgent or last-minute requests?

Once you figure out if your agency prospect can handle urgent/quick turnaround requests, you’ll want to ask what kind of additional fees will be required of you. Typically the faster you need it, the more you’ll pay for the content…anywhere from 25 - 50 percent more than the standard rate.

Talent Sourcing & Team

Q. How do you find the talent you work with? Where do your writers, editors, designers, and content strategists come from?

Even in this extremely tech- and AI-focused area, an agency’s most powerful resource is the people who bring creative content to life for its clients. It’s very important to ask the agency you’re interviewing how they vet, onboard and continually educate that talent they’re providing to you. Are they continuously seeking new talent, or do they prefer to work with a closed group of people that they already trust? Dig deep into their methodology. There’s no right or wrong answer—but you may find that you like the flexibility of an agency that can source top-tier talent in topical areas that become important to you as time goes on.

Q: What’s the structure of the team that I’ll be working with? Who will be my primary point of contact? 

The answer to this should come easily to an experienced content marketing agency: they should be able to clearly outline the team members involved in your account, including their roles and areas of expertise. 

This can include an account or project manager (who typically is your main POC), content strategist, SEO experts, writers, editors, designers, and other specialists, depending on your brand’s specific needs.

Brands should inquire about the tenure and expertise of the team members who are hand-picked for the partnership, says Amy Ogden, founder of The Collective. The purpose of asking this question is to evaluate how the agency is matching the team structure and expertise to the brand's goals. 

Q. Can I review writing or other creative samples from the people who would be working on my account? What’s the plan if I’m not happy with someone assigned to the project?

Not all agencies will allow you to pick and choose who serves on your editorial team, so if that’s important to you, definitely address it in the early stages of meeting with potential content marketing agencies. (At Masthead, we have a lot of flexibility to change out team members and build a custom bench, so it’s something that we typically allow once we’ve agreed to work together). 

Along these same lines, you should also ask about a scenario where you’re less enthusiastic about any one writer or creator’s work. Will the agency be willing to find replacement talent if you’d like them swapped out? It’s important to establish this, and even outline it in the agreement if you suspect you’d like more control over your creative team.

Technology

Q. What is your agency tech stack? 

This is one of those questions that I’m rarely asked, but I think is incredibly important! You should dig into the type of software or apps that your prospective agency is using to support project management, copy flow and routing, tracking and performance, analytics insights, search optimization, audience sentiment, email campaigns, paid search—and any other types of work that are relevant to your brand. 

You should also ask if the agency is flexible enough to utilize your technology instead of theirs. A good agency will be happy to route things within tools, for example, or train on any programs they haven’t used before if it makes your life easier. 

Q: How do you use AI to manage certain processes, or to create/modify content?

Although this question appears lower on the list, AI is so important that it should be one of the first topics you discuss with any agency you're considering, whether for content marketing or other services.

There are so many considerations (legal, ethical) concerning the use of AI for content, you should clarify if the agency is using artificial intelligence in any way to support idea generation, outlining, sourcing, or writing. Your company likely has its own guardrails for how AI can and should be used, and you’ll want to make sure the agency’s approach aligns with your own.

You should also get a sense of how much human input will go into your content. The best content marketing agencies ensure that human perspectives, voices, research and oversight are at the heart of every asset they create or update for your company.

Cost & Contracting

Q. How do you structure your pricing? Are your fees based on retainer, project-based, or hourly work?

Probably a good idea to get this question asked and answered within the first call! Some agencies will not take on a new client unless they meet a project minimum, or agree to work the agency for a year or more. Ideally, you’ll find a content agency that offers a way to work together on a more limited basis (project, six-month minimum) to give you a chance to experience their project management style, editorial quality, and more before you commit long-term. 

Some agencies also offer an option for you to work directly with their talent on an hourly or per-piece basis. This is a great model if you need hard-to-find content specialists, but have the capability to manage and edit their work directly in-house.

Q. How flexible are your contracts? What happens if my needs change midway through the term?

No matter how good everyone’s intentions are at the start (or what you think the work is going to be) you should always anticipate that things may change part way through the engagement. Find out what kind of game plan you can have—a structure preferably built into the agreement—if your content needs to evolve during them. A great agency will be able to move and shift with you. 

Choosing the right content marketing agency is all about asking the right questions to ensure they’re a good fit for your brand. With the insights you’ve gathered, you’ll be better equipped to make a decision that leads to a successful partnership.

Ready to find a content partner that truly gets your vision? Reach out to Masthead, and let’s explore how we can help you achieve your goals with impactful, strategic content.