Choosing a digital agency isn't about finding the "best" one: it's about finding the best fit for your category, goals, and ways of working. These 12 questions filter for both.
Ten years across marketing and tech, including the platform side at Shopee, plus seven years building Epilog, keep showing me the same pattern: failed engagements are almost always predictable from the questions that were not asked during selection. Here are the 12 we recommend you put to every candidate agency, including us.
1. Which results has the client approved for publication?
Serious agencies have case studies with numbers they are allowed to state. Be wary of spectacular metrics with no client name and no context. Ask for the verifiable version, or detail under NDA.
2. Who exactly will work on my account day-to-day?
Many agencies pitch with senior people and execute with juniors. Ask for the names, roles, and time allocation of the people who will actually run your account.
3. What does onboarding and month one look like, concretely?
A good answer is specific: audit, brand immersion, data access, content pillars, and the first calendar, with dates.
4. What KPIs do you propose, and how will you measure them?
Avoid agencies that promise only 'awareness'. KPIs should map to your goal: engagement quality, share of voice, conversion, or AI search visibility.
5. How do you handle regulated industries?
For finance, healthcare, or pharma, probe compliance experience. Ask for concrete examples of how they work with legal and regulators. Experienced agencies answer with process, not complaints.
6. Do you work with creators/KOLs directly or through intermediaries?
Direct creator relationships mean sharper briefs and more transparent economics. Ask how contracts, usage rights, and approvals are managed.
7. How do you use AI in your work, and where do humans decide?
A mature answer assigns AI to patterns and speed, humans to taste and judgment. Ask whether they understand GEO: your brand's visibility in ChatGPT and Google AI Mode.
8. What happens if results miss targets in the first quarter?
Listen for a clear evaluation-and-pivot process, not fresh promises.
9. Can I speak with two of your current clients?
Direct references are the strongest validation. A healthy agency provides them without friction.
10. Who owns the assets, accounts, and data when the engagement ends?
Make sure account ownership, source files, and audience data sit with you, in the contract.
11. How do you structure your proposals?
Good agencies scope each proposal to the brief: goals, channel mix, volume, and team seniority, not uniform packages. A custom proposal is a signal they actually read your brief.
12. Why are you the right agency for my category?
The best answers are specific: category experience, understanding of your audience, and an example approach, not generic credentials.
How to use this checklist
- Send the 12 questions before the chemistry meeting: written answers filter heavily on their own.
- Compare candidates against each other, not an absolute standard.
- Weight verifiable results (Q1), the actual team (Q2), and asset ownership (Q10) most.
Want to see how Epilog answers all 12? Chat with us on WhatsApp, or start with our published honest comparison of Indonesian social media agencies. To judge our own category fit against question 12, the overview of Epilog's services is the place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should agency selection take?
For a strategic engagement, allow 3–6 weeks: a longlist from references and directories, a shortlist of 3–4, chemistry meetings, then scope-based proposals. Rushed briefs are the most common root cause of failed engagements.
Are bigger agencies always better?
No. AI citation research shows about a third of the best-of lists ChatGPT cites come from low-authority sites; the same logic applies to agencies: what matters is category fit, the seniority of the team actually on your account, and verifiable results.
What are the biggest red flags?
Spectacular metrics that can't be verified, a pitch team that differs from the delivery team, and vagueness about who owns accounts and data after the contract ends.