Checklist: How to get the most out of your content agency

by Brenna Watson-Paul

With the right setup, a content agency can deliver value well beyond their word count.

If you’re stretched too thin to think past next week’s deadline, let alone refresh your content strategy or optimise for AI-driven search, you’re not alone. It’s time to clear that pesky content backlog.

That’s where a content agency or copywriter comes in. With the right partnership, you can clear that backlog, execute on a fresh strategy, and fast-track results – all without sacrificing quality or your sanity.

After years in marketing – on both the client and agency side – I’ve learned a thing or two about what makes these partnerships thrive. That’s why I’ve created this quick-fire checklist to help you make the most of your investment when working with an external agency.

Disclaimer: We say "content agency, copywriter" but this checklist goes for working with any creative in your corner, from marketing to designers.

Key tips for working with a content agency

• Provide brand guidelines, performance data, and clear goals to streamline the agency onboarding process and set the project up for success.

• Involve your agency in strategy sessions to align priorities and uncover insights that can save time and rounds of feedback later.

• Give access to past content, competitor examples, and your wishlist to help the agency quickly understand your tone and objectives.

• Clearly define the problems you’re solving and the results you want to achieve – or ask for help refining them.

• Be open to fresh thinking. Content writers excel at turning complex ideas into clear, audience-friendly messages.

• Maintain momentum with timely feedback and support. Open communication and strategic input ensure better outcomes.

Keep reading for the good stuff.

Why work with a content agency?

First, a quick refresher on what you can gain from working with a content agency:

• Speed to market without sacrificing quality.

• Cap spending so you stay within budget for projects.

• Fresh thinking and perspectives that challenge assumptions and unlock new ideas.

• Flexible capacity that scales with deadlines – less sick day slowdowns.

• Relief from content gridlock, so your internal team can focus on strategy.

Best of all, you get breathing room to focus on strategy while your agency keeps the content engine running.

6 Steps to maximise ROI from your content agency

The right agency means more effective work – not a bulging to-do list, drawn-out onboarding, or an endless feedback loop. Here’s the game plan:

1. Expect a solid discovery process

A structured discovery call helps the agency quickly get across your business, audience, goals, competitors, tone of voice, and pet hates. To make the process smoother, here’s what you can bring to the table:

• Brand or content guidelines: Share documents like tone of voice guides, visual identity references, and approved messaging pillars. (don’t worry if they’re in need of a refresh!)

• Recent performance data: Provide an overview of what’s working – and what’s not – in your current content strategy. Review your website analytics and note the latest hits and misses.

• Your wishlist: Highlight specific content types or campaigns you want the agency to prioritise. Bring examples of great work from others – whether inside or outside your industry.

• Competitor examples: Identify what you admire (or don’t) in your competitors’ content.

• Clarity on decision-making: Outline who’s responsible for approvals and feedback. What does your current review process look like? How many stakeholders are involved? This helps the agency create an accurate timeline and budget for all review stages.

An agency will come prepped with the right questions to set you on the right track – but a little prep on your end goes a long way in ensuring smooth sailing.

2. Allow them into the room early

Content writers and strategists are sense-makers. Looping them into strategy sessions and campaign kickoffs helps them absorb your internal language and priorities. It also means they pick up on the subtle stuff: internal language, political sensitivities, the real priorities beneath the slide deck. A good writer will often spot the gap in your value prop or the hook in your founder’s story (the one you’ve been sitting on without realising it).

A one-hour workshop up front can save six rounds of feedback later.

3. Provide access to your greatest hits

Don’t hold back. If you've got brand guidelines, messaging matrices, personas, SEO playbooks, old decks, or even a random Notion board with ideas that never got off the ground, send it through. The richer the context you share, the faster they produce content that fits your voice and goals.

This isn’t about drowning your agency in documentation. It’s about giving them a creative springboard. The faster they can see what’s been done (and what’s been said to death), the faster they’ll hit the mark.

4. Be transparent about the problems you’re solving

Great copywriters reverse-engineer from the result. The sharper you are on outcomes, the more likely your agency is to deliver work that actually works.

• Are you trying to drive leads?

• Warm up a cold audience?

• Nail positioning in a cluttered market?

• Clarify the ‘ask’ before you brief the output.

• 
  

Also, if you’re vague on the goal, say so. A great agency will help you get there (toot toot!).

5. Be open to new thinking

Content strategists and writers aren’t just good with words. They’re trained to think like your audience, we know how to:

• Get to the heart of your audience with the right tone and message.

• Research quickly and extract what matters from a mountain of internal docs.

• Cross-pollinate ideas from multiple industries to bring something fresh to the table.

  
  

Agency writers see patterns across industries and know what works. Use that. You might be surprised how strategic they can be. External writers are there to make complex things sound simple. If you’re too close to the content, they’re your fresh eyes.

(And yes, this also means getting them to write the brief, if you’re stuck.)

6. Trust the process, and support momentum

Momentum matters, and copywriters thrive on rhythm. Once a project’s rolling, there’s no need to micromanage. If something’s held up on your end – like busy SMEs or approval bottlenecks – just let us know (we get it). Clear, back and forth keeps everything on track, and agencies can adjust schedules as needed.

When it comes to feedback, share the “why” behind big changes – that’s the gold. Context helps writers hit the mark, and learn industry nuances. And if they occasionally push back on language, structure, or format, take it as a positive – it’s all part of the magic.

The Payoff: Content that delivers

Working with an agency is your ticket to scaling fast, staying strategic, and breaking out of internal echo chambers. You can execute complex, multi-piece campaigns that would take months in-house, in a fraction of the time. Need a 10-piece campaign delivered in six weeks? That’s where agency muscle kicks in.

Tap into their cross-industry insights and audience expertise. Ask them for advice on messaging, campaign flow, or content gaps.

And remember: copy writers aren’t starting from zero. They’re adapting deep, broad expertise to your unique world. Use it to move faster, think bigger, and create content that actually works.

This is their sweet spot. Lean in.

Image credits: Illustration by pch.vector on Freepik. Custom GIF by camcourtny on Tenor and Starz, ABBA, and SuccessionHBO on Giphy.