Ask who decides what to post, who films, who owns the work, how long the contract runs, how results get measured, and what proof they have from a business like yours. The twelve questions below cover those and the rest, each with a good answer and a red flag. If you have hired before, you know the pitch sounds better than the first quarter. Read these off the page on every call and get the answers in writing.
The 12 questions, good answers and red flags
| # | Ask | A good answer | A red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Who decides what we post, and how? | A method, such as studying formats already proven in your market and rebuilding them for you | "Three posts a week" with no plan, or trends unrelated to your business |
| 2 | Who films, where, and how much of my time does it take? | Someone comes to your business on a day booked around your week, and names the hours they need | You send them photos and clips |
| 3 | Do I have to be on camera? | No, and they can say what they film instead: your product, your staff, your customers, the back room | One format for every business |
| 4 | How many finished pieces a month, and what counts as one? | A number, and "finished" means cut, captioned and ready to post | No number, or one clip reposted to pad the count |
| 5 | Which platforms, and why? | A reason tied to where your customers look | Every platform at once with nobody watching any of them |
| 6 | Who owns the account, posts and raw footage if we stop? | You do, all of it, in writing | They hold the logins or charge to hand things over |
| 7 | How long is the contract, and what happens after? | A minimum that matches how long the work takes, then an easy exit | A long lock-in with no reason, or no minimum paired with fast promises |
| 8 | Do I need an ad budget, and is anything billed on top? | A clear yes or no, and a quote that lists what it covers | Ads pushed in month one, or charges you learn about later |
| 9 | How long until I see results, and what moves first? | A timeline in months, and what should move first (usually reach) | Guaranteed follower counts or results in two weeks |
| 10 | How will you show me it is working? | Numbers that tie posts to customers: messages, bookings, people at the door | Reports full of likes with no line about customers |
| 11 | Can you show me a client like me, with sources? | A named client, before and after, dashboard numbers, and which figures are estimates | Big numbers with no source |
| 12 | How many clients do you carry, and who will I talk to? | A roster size, the name of your strategist, and a reply time | The person who pitched you disappears after you sign |
Which questions matter most if you have been burned before?
Questions 2, 6 and 11. Number 2 tells you whether you will still be the one holding the phone. Number 6 tells you what leaving will cost. For number 11, ask for the client's handle and scroll it yourself. Cover the logo. If you cannot tell whose business it is, you have your answer.
What does a good answer on results look like?
For question 9, expect months. Reach usually moves first and customers come last; the checkpoints are in how long organic social media takes. For question 10, a useful report ties views, saves and follows to messages and bookings. Which numbers to watch is in how to measure Instagram results.
Our answers, so you can compare
We are an organic agency in San Diego County, and a crew films at your business whether or not you want to be on camera. We post on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and LinkedIn. You own everything. The contract runs three months, then month to month, with no ad budget and nothing billed on top of the published price. Danny answers messages himself within 24 hours. Our clearest result, with where each number came from, is in the Monday Morning case study.
Ask us the same twelve. Write down where our answers are better than your current agency's, and where they are worse.
Questions people ask
Is it a red flag if an agency will not share prices upfront?
An agency that quotes only after seeing your business is normal; Launch Social publishes its prices: $2,500 a month for Part Time Content and $3,500 a month for Full Time Content. The red flag is a quote that leaves things out once it arrives. What social media management costs in San Diego lists what a quote should name.
What should I bring to the first call with a social media agency?
Bring your goal in one sentence, the names of the businesses you compete with, and one line on what your last agency or manager got wrong. The new agency then has something concrete to answer.
What if the agency says I do not need them?
Take it seriously. An agency that turns down your money on the first call has little reason to shade its other answers. The deciding factors are in how to choose a social media agency in San Diego.
Related
- Social media management in San Diego
- How to choose a social media agency in San Diego
- Signs your social media manager is not working
- What a social media manager does each month
- Launch Social reviews on Google
Want this done for you? Book a free 15-minute call with Danny. We look at your account and the businesses you compete with, and you leave with a written plan for your next 90 days, whether you hire us or not.