Hey friend,

How’s it going? 🌻

One of the most common situations content marketers walk into: There is already an agency.

No one really managed them. The founder approved things occasionally. Or worse — nobody reviewed anything.

And now there are:

• 60+ blogs with zero conversion
• Random keyword targeting
• No distribution system
• No performance tracking

And you, the new Content Marketer, are expected to fix it all. This is not rare. I have experienced it firsthand at least twice. And I can say for every content marketer out there, this often becomes messy!

But the reality is, small marketing teams do need agencies. I am not saying stop working with agencies completely. But the mistake that costs content folks often is:

👉 Continuing with one agency blindly for years
👉 Hiring an agency reactively
👉 Outsourcing responsibility instead of execution

This edition will help you decide how to partner with an agency wisely.

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First, decide what kind of support you actually need

Before evaluating agencies, clarify your own role. Most content-agency relationships fall into 3 models:

Model 1: You own the strategy, the agency owns the execution

This is the healthiest model for most SaaS content teams.

You decide:

• What topics to create
• ICP + positioning inputs
• Funnel mapping
• Keyword priorities
• Content quality expectations

The agency executes:

• Writing
• Editing
• Formatting
• Publishing support (sometimes)

The biggest mistake here is that content marketers often become micro-managers.

You end up:

• Rewriting every article
• Fixing structure
• Changing angle
• Doing all the research yourself

At that point, the agency is not executing. You are.

Here is how to avoid this

Before signing a contract:

• Ask who exactly will write for you
• Review writer-level portfolios, not just agency case studies
• Evaluate the editor's background
• Give a paid test assignment
• Check niche understanding (very important)

Your goal: Minimize feedback loops, not maximize control.

Model 2: Agency owns strategy + execution, you oversee

This happens often in:

• Early-stage companies
• Founder-led marketing
• SEO-led growth orgs

It looks simple:

Agency plans → you approve
Agency writes → you review
Agency publishes → you monitor

But this model is high-risk for content marketers. Because if something goes wrong, you are accountable — not the agency. Even if the founder chose them.

Why does this model become messy

Many agencies sell “full-service SEO”, but they are:

• Strong only in keyword planning or old-school SEO
• Weak in positioning + messaging
• Weak in product depth
• Weak in narrative thinking

Result:

• SEO traffic grows
• The pipeline doesn’t
• Brand voice becomes inconsistent

And then you are asked to “fix content quality”.

If you must operate in this model (though I recommend not to), you need strong governance. For example:

• Know who owns the strategy internally at the agency
• Know the research process
• Know the review hierarchy
• Define briefing frameworks
• Define approval checkpoints
• Ensure strong account management

Also, pay slightly more for maturity. Cheap full-service agencies are usually expensive in the long term.

Model 3: Agency as scale layer (execution infrastructure)

This is more common in:

• Mature SaaS orgs
• Strong internal marketing teams
• Companies investing heavily in organic

Here:

• Strategy is internal
• Writing may be internal
• Editors may be internal
• Agency supports with:
  • Tech SEO
  • GEO / AI visibility
  • Programmatic scaling
  • Link building
  • Content ops support

This model works best when you already know what good content looks like. The agency is not shaping thinking; they are scaling it.

Why is this model powerful

Internal teams:

• Have product access
• Can interview customers
• Understand nuance
• Own narrative

Agencies:

• Bring process
• Bring scale
• Bring specialized execution

But this model requires:

• Higher budgets
• Strong internal clarity
• Process maturity

If done right, this becomes the most effective long-term setup.

How to actually evaluate an agency (practical checklist)

Regardless of model, here is what most content marketers don’t check but should:

1. Case studies are not enough

Ask for:

• Writer samples in your niche
• Funnel-specific examples (TOFU vs BOFU)
• Performance breakdown (traffic → pipeline)

2. Talk to real clients

Not references they curate.

Ask:

• What went wrong?
• How do they handle feedback?
• How do they handle delays?
• How strategic are they actually?

3. Ask for a mini opportunity analysis

Before signing:

• What will they prioritize on your website?
• What will they NOT do?
• What timeline assumptions are they making?

This reveals whether they understand reality or are just pitching.

4. Evaluate process maturity

Ask:

• How do topics move from idea → publish?
• What quality checkpoints exist?
• What happens if performance drops?
• Who owns accountability?

5. Evaluate thinking depth, not just deliverables

Good agencies:

• Push back
• Challenge assumptions
• Ask product questions
• Think in narrative systems

Weak agencies:

• Only ask for keywords
• Only track word count
• Only report traffic

🗃️ More resources for content marketers from SaaS Splash Bulletin Archive

• ​Role of a Content Marketer: Agency vs. Product Startup​
• ​How to turn your invisible work as a content marketer into tangible proof​
• ​How to showcase the impact of content on the pipeline based on basic attribution​

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P.S. Do you have any questions about the newsletter? Want to share your feedback? Feel free to reply to this email.

Onwards and upwards,

Sreyashi

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