How to Choose a Performance Marketing Agency: 9 Questions to Ask
Choosing an agency costs you money, but the bigger cost is time. Three wasted months in a fast market can cost you a position you do not get back. The problem is that every agency says the same things. These questions surface what the pitch does not.
1. Show me an account that did not work — and why
Anyone can show a winning screenshot. Ask about failure. An agency that claims every client succeeded is either new or not being straight with you.
A good answer describes the situation, what they tried, what they concluded and what they changed afterwards. That tells you they diagnose rather than just execute.
2. How do you handle creative?
Creative is the largest performance lever. If the answer is "send us your assets and we'll upload them," you are hiring an operator, not a growth partner.
- Do they have a framework for testing hooks and angles?
- Do they produce or direct content, including UGC?
- Do they measure performance per creative, not just per campaign?
- Do they have a refresh plan before ads fatigue?
3. What will you do about tracking?
If the answer is "the pixel is already installed, we're fine," that is a red flag. A serious agency audits tracking first: Pixel, Conversions API, deduplication, and reconciling platform numbers against your store.
4. Who actually works on my account?
A common pattern: you are sold by a sharp founder and then handed to a junior. Ask directly who owns the account day to day, what their experience is, how many accounts they carry, and whether you can speak to them without a go-between.
5. What do you measure, and how will I see it?
Agencies that lead with impressions, reach and engagement are steering away from the metrics that matter. You care about cost per purchase, ROAS and contribution to profit.
- A regular reporting rhythm, not reports only when you chase
- Direct access to the ad account — never hidden from you
- Explanation of decisions, not just a dashboard of numbers
6. Whose name are the assets in?
This one quietly costs brands dearly. Your ad account, pixel, datasets and Business Manager should be owned by you, with the agency granted access. If an agency resists, that is a direct risk: the day you part ways, you could lose the data, audiences and learning history you paid to build.
7. What can't you do?
A simple question that reveals a lot. An honest agency will tell you they cannot fix a weak product, cannot work miracles in month one, and cannot outrun bad fulfilment. An agency that can do everything is selling you something.
8. How is your success measured — is any of it tied to mine?
There is a meaningful difference between a flat retainer and a model where part of the agency's income depends on your results. The second aligns incentives. It is not mandatory, but the answer tells you how much confidence they have in their own work.
9. What are the exit terms?
Ask up front: how long is the commitment, how does it end, and what gets handed over if you leave? A confident agency does not need to lock you in — it keeps you with results.
Red flags worth walking away from
- Guaranteed specific numbers before they have seen your account
- Refusing to give you direct access to your own ad account
- Talking about "secrets" instead of explaining their method
- Screenshots with no context — no timeframe, industry or spend level
- Long mandatory contracts with no clear justification
- Reporting that leads with engagement rather than revenue