Use this plain-English checklist to compare media buying agencies, spot hidden fees, and choose a partner built for small business growth.
Quick take
- The best agency isn’t the one with the fanciest deck. It’s the one that’s commercially clear, explains the plan in plain English, and can show you how they’ll measure success.
- You’re hiring an agency to make decisions easier: what to run, where to run it, how much weight you need, and what to do next.
- Always separate media spend from agency services, and confirm whether planning/buying/reporting is management fee free / no additional management fee where applicable.
- If they can’t explain it simply, they probably can’t run it simply.
Before you start: get clear on what you actually need
- What’s the goal? (leads, sales, foot traffic, awareness, market expansion)
- What’s your trading area? (where you can actually sell/service)
- What channels are you considering? (TV, radio, outdoor, publishing, digital)
- Who owns creative? (you, them, or a partner)
- What does “success” look like in 90 days?
- This makes agency proposals comparable.
The small business media buying agency checklist (copy/paste)
A) Strategy and planning (do they know whatthey’redoing?)
- How will you recommend the right channels for our goal (and what won’t you recommend)?
- How do you decide the right markets (metro vs regional) for a small business?
- How do you define minimum viable weight so we’re not “too light” to work?
- Can you explain the plan in one paragraph, in plain English?
- What assumptions are you making about our customer and buying cycle?
What good looks like:
- clear rationale, not buzzwords
- a simple plan you can repeat back
- trade-offs explained (reach vs response, control vs efficiency)
B) Commercial clarity (what are we really paying for?)
- What is media spend vs agency services (line by line)?
- Are you management fee free / no additional management fee for planning, buying and reporting (where applicable)? What’s included?
- Are there any volume rebates, incentives or commissions we should know about?
- What fees might appear later (changes, reporting, trafficking, tags, production)?
- How do you handle cancellation, pauses, or changes in spend?
Red flag answers:
- vague “admin” or “service” lines with no scope
C) Buyingapproach(how will you build the schedule?)
- How do you choose stations/sites/programmes/placements — and why?
- Do you buy for reach, response, or both? How does that change the schedule?
- How do you handle availability constraints (especially outdoor)?
- How do you optimise once the campaign is live?
What good looks like:
- clear explanation of what can be optimised (and what can’t)
D) Measurement and reporting (will weactually understandwhat’s happening?)
- What will you report on monthly (the 5–8 KPIs that matter)?
- How will you measure offline channels without pretending it’s last-click?
- What will you do if results are flat — what changes first?
- Can we see an example report (jargon-free) and the “what we’re doing next” section?
What good looks like:
- consistent monthly reporting
- insights + actions, not just charts
E) Creative and messaging (will the adsactually work?)
- Who writes the brief and what does a good brief look like?
- How do you make sure creative works across channels (TV/radio/outdoor + digital)?
- How do you test and learn without burning budget?
F) Team,processand service (will this be painful?)
- Who will I deal with day to day — and how senior are they?
- What’s your communication cadence (weekly/fortnightly, monthly, quarterly)?
- How do you keep things simple (one team, one plan, one invoice)?
- What do you need from us to make this successful?
The “compare agencies” scorecard (quick and practical)
- Plain-English planning: /10
- Minimum viable weight explained: /10
- Measurement approach: /10
- Service + responsiveness: /10
If you can’t score them, you don’t have enough clarity yet.
Common traps small businesses fall into
- Choosing based on a low headline fee (then paying elsewhere)
- Buying too many channels at once
- Under-weighting mass media so nothing moves
- Expecting perfect attribution for offline
- Accepting reports that don’t lead to decisions
FAQS: hiring a media buying agency
Should I hire a specialist media buying agency or a full-service agency?
It depends on what you need. If mass media planning and buying is the core requirement, a specialist can be a better fit. If you need heavy creative and digital execution, you may need a broader team — or a partner ecosystem.
What’s a reasonable reporting cadence?
Monthly reporting with a short weekly/fortnightly check-in during active campaigns is common for small businesses.
How do I spot hidden fees?
Ask for a line-by-line split of media spend vs agency services, and ask what’s included, excluded, and charged as “extra”.
Recommended Further Reading
How to Spot Hidden Fees in Advertising (and What to Ask Before You Sign)
Agency Management Fees vs Media Spend: What You’re Really Paying For
Signs Your Advertising Agency Isn’t Built for Small Business Growth
If you want a media buying partner built for small business growth — with clear commercials and jargon-free reporting — we can help. Get in Touch.