Guide

How to choose a social media marketing agency: 10 checks before you sign

By Social ScaleX team · Updated 30 September 2026 · 3 min read

The short answer

Hire the agency that lets you keep ownership of every account, reports from your own dashboards, shows client numbers you can verify, and gets reach without shortcuts like bought followers. Before you sign, check who does the work, how influencer posts are disclosed, how ad fees are shown, and what you keep if you leave.

On this page

1. Will you own every account?
2. Do they ask for your password?
3. Can they show real client numbers?
4. Do reports come from your own dashboards?
5. Do they buy followers or use engagement apps?
6. How do they plan to get you reach?
7. Who actually does the work?
8. How do they handle influencer disclosure?
9. Are ad budgets and fees kept separate?
10. What happens if you leave?
Red flags in one list
Sources

We are an agency, so read this knowing that. Every check below is one we expect to be held to ourselves, and each one links to the platform’s own rules so you don’t have to take our word for it.

1. Will you own every account?

Your Instagram, Facebook Page, ad accounts and YouTube channel should sit in your name, with the agency given access. Meta lets a business give a partner full or partial access to its assets, and a partner cannot share those assets with another business; only the owner can. Meta Business Help For Google Ads, Google says an agency must set up a separate Ads account for you. Google

2. Do they ask for your password?

They shouldn’t need it. Instagram’s terms forbid soliciting, collecting or using other people’s login credentials. Instagram Terms Partner access in Meta’s business tools and channel permissions in YouTube Studio exist so that nobody has to share a password.

3. Can they show real client numbers?

Ask to see results from named clients, taken from those clients’ own Insights, with dates. Percentages without a starting number, or screenshots with the account name cropped out, prove little.

4. Do reports come from your own dashboards?

Monthly reports should use numbers you can open yourself: Instagram Insights, YouTube Studio, Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads. On Google, you have the right to know the clicks, impressions and total cost of your ads, and agencies must give you your customer ID on request. Google third-party policy

5. Do they buy followers or use engagement apps?

Instagram warns against apps that offer likes or followers: they can gain complete access to your account, Instagram may remove the engagement they generate, and it can limit your account. Instagram Help Buying likes can also make your account ineligible for recommendations. Recommendations guidelines

6. How do they plan to get you reach?

A good answer mentions original content, watch time and shares. Instagram now recommends only the original when it finds identical content, and removes accounts that mostly post unoriginal material from recommendations. Instagram for Creators An agency built on reposting trending clips is building on a rule that no longer works. Our Reels reach guide covers the details.

7. Who actually does the work?

Ask who will shoot, edit, write captions and run ads, and whether you can speak to them. Many agencies sell with senior people and deliver with freelancers you never meet.

8. How do they handle influencer disclosure?

In India, influencer posts must carry a clear label such as Ad, Sponsored, Collaboration or Partnership, or the platform’s paid-partnership tag, and the label must not be buried among hashtags. ASCI guidelines The Department of Consumer Affairs’ 2023 guidelines say disclosures must be prominent and extremely hard to miss. PIB

This is not a formality. ASCI reported in February 2025 that 69% of India’s top 100 digital stars failed to meet its guidelines, and 43.2% of violations were disclosures buried in hashtags. ASCI report Ask to see a past brief.

9. Are ad budgets and fees kept separate?

Your ad spend should be billed to your own card or account, separate from the agency fee. Google’s third-party policy requires agencies to disclose management fees in writing before the first sale and on invoices. Google third-party policy

10. What happens if you leave?

Ask it before you sign. You should keep the accounts, the content, the raw footage and the strategy documents. On Google Ads, keep at least one admin on your side; Google suggests having more than one admin in an account. Access levels

Red flags in one list

A guaranteed number of followers or views.
A request for your Instagram or Google password.
Ad accounts created in the agency’s name.
Reports built from screenshots instead of your dashboards.
No named clients, or results you can’t verify.
Influencer posts with the disclosure hidden in hashtags.

Sources

Sources checked on 30 September 2026. Platform rules change; if something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.