You should not have to become a media buyer to hire one. But your agency cannot see a delayed shipment, a change in margin, or a promotion that somebody mentioned in a hallway.
A paid social agency needs current business constraints, usable creative, appropriate account access, and a clear route to decisions. The agency’s job is to turn those inputs into a plan, explain what is missing, and make the next step easy. The client’s job is to supply the facts and approvals the agency cannot invent.
This is a working checklist for that handoff, at kickoff and whenever something changes. For the broader timeline, see what your first 90 days with a paid social agency should deliver.
Image: Cacao & Cardamom seasonal creative from BPM’s portfolio, an example of the product assets and occasion-specific messaging that go into a brief.
Tell us what a good order looks like
Revenue is a starting point. Share which products leave enough money after discounts, shipping support, fulfillment, and expected returns. If you cannot share detailed costs, agree on approved acquisition-cost or contribution targets with the person who owns the numbers.
Explain whether the priority is first-time customers, repeat orders, a launch, or clearing a particular product. Those are different assignments. A returning customer buying a bestseller may be a good order without proving that a new-customer campaign is working.
Write down the budget ceiling, who can approve a change, and any cash or stock constraints. “Grow as much as possible” is much easier to act on once “possible” has a definition. Our guide to bringing finance into the agency conversation can help with that discussion.
Share the changes that affect the promise in the ad
A promotion brief should include the actual offer, eligible products, exclusions, start and end times with a time zone, and the destination page. Add the person who will confirm that the discount works.
For a seasonal gift campaign, the order deadline and shipping promise matter as much as the headline. If the delivery cutoff changes, the ad and page may both need an update. Put that change in the agreed communication channel; do not assume the media team will discover it at checkout.
The same goes for low stock, new packaging, price changes, product substitutions, and website releases. An agency should ask for a regular update and flag gaps. A client should have one reliable place to send it.
Send source material, not just a logo folder
Useful creative inputs include original product photos, demonstration footage, approved claims with supporting material, common buying objections, and the questions customer support keeps answering.
Tell the team which assets have permission for paid advertising and what restrictions apply. A creator’s organic post is not automatically a usable ad asset. Record the approved usage, duration, and any editing limits rather than leaving the designer to guess.
Feedback works better when it identifies the issue. “This shows the old lid” gives the team a fix. “Can we make it pop?” gives them another round of interpretation. The agency should explain the concept and ask focused questions so you are reviewing a decision, not reacting to a mystery.
Use this shared handoff checklist
- Business target: Client supplies the commercial goal and approved limits. Agency restates them as campaign and reporting decisions. Complete when both sides can explain what earns more spend.
- Product and offer: Client confirms stock, pricing, terms, and shipping dates. Agency checks the ad against the destination. Complete when the advertised path works.
- Creative inputs: Client provides current assets and usage permissions. Agency identifies missing shots or evidence. Complete when the brief can be produced without guesses.
- Access and tracking: Client grants agreed access or connects the relevant owner. Agency tests the access and measurement it needs. Complete when the task works, not when an invitation is sent.
- Approvals: Client names the final approver and backup. Agency supplies a clear review request and deadline. Complete when feedback is consolidated and launch authority is explicit.
- Website fixes: Both sides identify who can implement a change and what is in scope. Complete when a reported problem has an owner, priority, and next action.
Add an owner, due date, and link to the relevant file beside each item. Keep customer details and other sensitive information out of a broadly shared checklist.
Give the right access, then test it
Keep business ownership of your accounts. Use the platform’s supported permissions instead of sending a personal password. Grant what the agreed work needs and review access when responsibilities change.
For example, Shopify supports collaborator accounts with controlled permissions. The agency should specify what it needs to inspect or change. Read-only reporting access and permission to edit a live storefront serve different purposes.
Someone still needs to test the actual workflow. Can the team see the correct account? Can it verify a purchase event? Can the person responsible for the landing page make the agreed fix? Finding that out on launch morning wastes everyone’s time.
What if something is not ready?
The agency should name the dependency, explain its effect, and offer a workable next step. If new footage is delayed, perhaps an approved product demonstration can run first. If checkout is broken, reducing or pausing affected spend may be the responsible move.
Missing inputs should never become a blanket explanation for poor performance. The agency still owns its strategy, execution, reporting, and recommendations within the engagement. A useful update says what is blocked and what work can continue.
When you discuss paid social support with BPM, bring the questions you want off your plate. We can define the scope and the handoffs together, so hiring help actually feels like getting help.
