What to Ask Before Hiring a Social Media Agency

Social media agencies are easy to hire and hard to compare. Most proposals list the same services — content, reporting, community management — at very different prices. The difference is in how they work, who does it, and whether the numbers they report mean anything.

Ask these questions before you sign.

1. Who will actually manage our account?

You will meet the founder or account director in the pitch. Find out who writes the content, who replies to comments and who builds the reports. Ask how many other accounts that person handles.

If the answer is a rotating team of juniors with no senior review, expect inconsistency.

2. What is included in the retainer?

Get a written list:

• Number of posts per month, by platform and format
• Whether photography, video and design are included
• Copywriting in Arabic, English or both
• Community management hours and response times
• Paid media management fees (separate from ad spend)
• Reporting frequency and format
• Number of revision rounds per post

“Unlimited content” is never true. Clarify the real limit.

3. How do they measure success?

Followers and reach are easy to report and rarely pay salaries. Ask how they connect social activity to business outcomes: leads, orders, store visits, messages or qualified enquiries.

They should be able to explain which metrics they influence and which they do not. A good agency will tell you that reach alone is not a business result.

4. Can we see a real report?

Ask for an anonymised monthly report from a similar client. Look for clear objectives, honest commentary on what underperformed, and a plan for the next month. A report that is only screenshots of green arrows is a warning sign.

5. How is the content approved?

Agree the workflow: content calendar timing, approval deadlines, who signs off, and what happens when a post is urgent. A monthly calendar approved in advance prevents daily chaos.

6. What happens when something goes wrong?

Ask about crisis handling, comment moderation and out-of-hours cover. In Egypt, a single unanswered complaint can spread quickly. Confirm who responds, how fast, and which decisions need your approval.

7. Do they understand your category?

Category experience helps, but curiosity and research matter more. Ask what they noticed about your current accounts, your competitors and your customer comments. If their analysis is generic, their content will be too.

8. How do they handle paid media?

Clarify whether ad spend is paid directly to the platform or through the agency. Ask for read-only access to ad accounts and confirm that you own the accounts, pixels and data.

Agency accounts that you cannot access are a lock-in tactic.

9. What are the contract terms?

• Minimum term and notice period
• Payment schedule and currency
• Ownership of content and source files
• Confidentiality and data protection
• What happens at the end of the contract

A reasonable agency will accept a trial period or a short initial term with clear deliverables.

10. What do they need from you?

The best agency will be direct about dependencies: product access, approvals, budget for production and a single decision-maker. If they promise results without asking for anything, they are selling, not planning.

Red flags

• Guaranteed follower numbers
• No named team or account manager
• Reports without business metrics
• Refusal to give account access
• Content calendars delivered after the month starts
• Prices far below the market with no clear scope

FAQ

How much does social media management cost in Egypt?

It depends on volume, production and whether paid media is included. Compare the scope line by line rather than the monthly total.

Should ad spend be included in the retainer?

Usually not. Keep media budget separate from management fees so you can see both costs clearly.

Can we start with a trial?

Ask for a 60–90 day pilot with defined deliverables and a review point. That protects both sides.

Next step

If you want a clear scope, honest reporting and content that supports sales, talk to our team. We provide social media management and paid media for Egyptian brands.