How to Choose a Great Marketing Agency

Alright, everyone, let’s talk about agencies. Specifically, why people seem to hate them right now. It’s a hot topic, and honestly, for good reason. If you’ve ever been burned by a marketing agency that promised the world and delivered a Google Doc full of vague recommendations, you’re not alone.

So, let’s dig into why agencies are in the hot seat, and more importantly, how you can avoid hiring a dud.

We’re no duds, and we can prove it. Interested in collaborating with a great agency for creative, user acquisition, or data analytics? See how we can help!

Why All the Hate for Agencies?

The gaming and apps space is littered with horror stories about agencies pulling shady moves. The most egregious? Agencies that try to force content creators to hide sponsorships. That’s not just unethical — it’s straight-up illegal in a lot of places.

One creator called out agencies as a “cancer” because they tried to make him post undisclosed ads. And he’s not alone. Agencies want things to look “organic,” but let’s be real — everyone knows money is changing hands. Pretending otherwise is not just bad practice, it’s a fast track to losing credibility.

Setting Proper Expectations

Here’s the first big mistake people make: they don’t define what they actually want from an agency. “Marketing” is a massive umbrella that can include:

• Paid ads
• PR
• Influencer marketing
• Social media
• Creative development
• Data analytics

A lot of agencies claim they do it all. Spoiler alert: they don’t. Some agencies are great at influencer marketing but suck at PR. Others specialize in ads but wouldn’t know how to manage a Twitter account if their lives depended on it.

So, be specific about what you need. Otherwise, you might end up paying thousands for a glorified PowerPoint presentation.

What to Look for When Choosing an Agency

If you’re hiring an agency, start by asking the right questions:

• What exactly do you do? Agencies love to say they “do marketing,” but what does that actually mean? Do they specialize in paid ads, influencer outreach, PR, or social media? If they claim to do everything, that’s a red flag — most agencies have a niche.
• Who will actually be doing the work? Many agencies outsource most (or all) of their work to freelancers or subcontractors. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but you need transparency. If your agency is just a middleman, you should know exactly who’s handling your campaigns.
• Can you show me case studies? Ask for real examples of their work. If they show vague numbers like “we helped this company grow,” push for specifics. What strategies did they implement? What results did they directly contribute to? If they can’t explain, they probably didn’t do much.
• How do you track success? If an agency is only tracking vanity metrics like “impressions” and “followers,” you’re in trouble. A good agency will focus on ROI, engagement quality, and actual conversions. Ask them how they report on campaigns and what KPIs they prioritize.

Why Vetting an Agency Is Important

A lot of so-called “agencies” are just middlemen with a spreadsheet full of influencers and ad rates. They don’t strategize, they don’t optimize — they just take your money and act as a pass-through. That’s not an agency, that’s a scam.

You should be getting a real return on your investment with any agency! Real agencies bring data, insights, and actual results. They should be able to tell you which influencers will actually move the needle versus just having a high follower count. (Yes, there’s a difference.)

Vetting Data-Driven Decision Making

Ask your agency: How do you track success?

• If they can’t provide a clear answer, that’s a huge red flag.
• If they focus only on vanity metrics (follower count, impressions, etc.), they’re not actually performance-driven.
• If they can’t provide past reports or dashboards to show how they measure success, move on.
• A good agency should be able to provide real-time reporting dashboards, detailing engagement rates, conversion metrics, and the ROI of their campaigns.
• Ask them about their tracking methods — do they use analytics tools, A/B testing, heat maps, or customer journey tracking?
• Make sure they emphasize KPIs that matter — such as cost per acquisition (CPA), customer lifetime value (LTV), and actual revenue impact, not just reach and clicks.
• Transparency is key — if they hesitate to show you real results from past campaigns, they might be hiding something.

Vetting Unrealistic Promises

If an agency is saying yes to everything, they’re lying.

Any agency worth your time will push back if you have a ridiculous timeline or budget. If you tell them you need a full go-to-market strategy in two weeks and they just nod and take your money? That’s not confidence — that’s just a bad idea.

A good agency will act as a consultant, not just a yes-man. They’ll tell you when your expectations are unrealistic and help set a plan that actually works. (And you should listen to them, when they tell you you’re being too ambitious!)

Vetting Agency Egos and Brags

If an agency claims they single-handedly made a game successful, they’re full of it.

Marketing agencies are one part of a bigger machine. Even the best marketing can’t save a bad product. And a great game doesn’t just succeed because of a few influencer deals.

Some agencies will try to take credit for entire multi-million dollar successes when in reality, they just hired a few Twitter influencers. Ask them: What exactly did YOU do? Where did your work begin and end?

Agency and Product Synergy

A good agency-client relationship is like a good co-op game: both sides have to pull their weight. If your agency is just taking orders and not advising you, that’s a problem. If they’re making grand claims about how they’ll 10x your game without understanding it, that’s a bigger problem.

Find an agency that actually understands your space. Web3, mobile, PC, console — these all require different strategies. If they use the same playbook for everything, it’s not going to work.

And remember: All the marketing in the world can’t save a bad product. A bad agency will take your money and fail. A good agency can take your money and get a million players through the door. A great agency would tell you that it will be worthless for them to bring you a million players because your game isn’t fun, doesn’t have good retention mechanics, etc.

Great agencies tell you the truth, even when it’s hard to hear.

4 Key Tips for Agency Vetting

Alright, if you take nothing else from this, here are the four biggest things to check before hiring an agency:

1. Align on scope of work. What will they do? What won’t they do? What’s being delivered?
2. How do they track success? Ask to see reports and KPIs. Avoid agencies that focus only on vanity metrics.
3. Who’s actually doing the work? Are they using their in-house team or subcontracting everything?
4. Are their case studies legit? Ask them exactly what they did for past clients. Don’t fall for vague bragging.

If an agency can’t answer these questions clearly? Run.

Looking for a great agency to help you with your game marketing? Reach out to us today!