How to choose a marketing agency in London for your startup: 10 questions to ask
Ten questions that separate a good fit from an expensive mistake, from who does the work to what happens when you want to stop.
London has hundreds of marketing agencies, and from the outside many of them look the same. The difference shows up three months in, when you find out who’s actually doing the work and whether anything has moved. These are the questions I’d ask before signing with anyone, including us.
About the people
1. Who will do the work day to day? Ask to meet them. If the senior person in the pitch disappears after the contract is signed, you’ll know.
2. Have they worked with companies at your stage? A startup with a few months of runway needs different things to a brand with an annual campaign budget.
3. Do they understand selling, or only marketing? If you need customers, ask how their work connects to pipeline, not just to followers and impressions.
About the money
4. What exactly is included each month? Get it in writing, including what’s quoted separately.
5. What’s the minimum term, and what happens after it?
6. What costs sit on top? Ad spend, creator fees, hosting and stock imagery are common extras.
About how it works
7. How will I see progress? Weekly updates, a shared portal, a monthly report? Ask to see an example.
8. How do approvals work? Nothing should be published or sent in your name without your sign-off.
9. What will the first 90 days look like? A good partner can describe it month by month.
10. What happens when we want to bring this in-house? The best answer is a plan to hand over, with you owning everything that’s been made.
Still deciding whether an agency is the right model at all? Compare an agency with hiring or a fractional CMO.
Red flags
Guaranteed results, no published prices and no clear answer to “who does the work” are the ones I’d walk away from. Good agencies are confident about the work and honest about what they can’t promise.
We publish every price and show all the work in StudioBook, our client portal, so these questions are easy to check. If you’re comparing a few options, request a 20-minute call and ask me all ten.
Common questions
What should I ask a marketing agency before hiring them?
Who will do the work, whether they’ve worked with startups at your stage, how their work connects to sales, what’s included each month, the minimum term, extra costs, how you’ll see progress, how approvals work, the first 90 days, and how they’ll hand over.
What are the red flags when choosing an agency?
Guaranteed results, no published or clear prices, and no straight answer about who will actually do the work.
Where is Kyndra Studios based?
Kyndra Studios is based in London and works with founders across the UK and globally.
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