Finding and Screening Agencies for Your Kickstarter Project
Over the last few months, several members of the Launch Studio community have asked for advice on how to find and screen agencies.
This work is challenging and mission-critical, which is why I decided to devote some time to documenting some tips and best practices here.
Proper screening of agency candidates and alignment of expectations provide the foundation for a productive relationship. The success of a partnership between an agency and a creator is founded on the work that happens before that partnership has even been established.
The objective of your search is to find a partner that has a high likelihood of being able to deliver a solid return. It would be really easy to find agencies if they could guarantee results. But they can’t.
So what does it take to find an agency that is a good fit for your project?
At a high level, here is what you are looking for: an agency with a solid track record, coupled with the right set of skills, appropriate tools, strong processes, and attentive service.
Once you’ve identified a promising candidate, then you need to define a clear scope of work, agree on each stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities, and define how you will work together.
This piece will dive deeper into these two different foundational phases of your agency relationship. It is a companion to a blog post I published a few months back with an overview of the types of agencies that you’ll find in the crowdfunding space.
How much due diligence is required?
The amount of work required to screen agencies will depend on the type and scope of work that you are looking to outsource.
If you are looking for an agency to take on a large scope of work, or if their work is more strategic and qualitative in nature, then you should be ready to carry out a thorough screening process.
If you are looking for an agency to take on a narrow scope of work or work that is quantitative in nature, then the screening won’t have to go as deep and will likely take less time.
Here is a matrix that illustrates these relationships.
Let’s briefly explore why these relationships hold true.
If you are outsourcing a big scope of work, you’ll need to assess their expertise across a wide range of disciplines and understand how they will integrate those capabilities in support of your project.
These types of partnerships tend to last for a relatively long period of time, require close collaboration between stakeholders, and involve the investment of a substantial amount of money. The price of making a wrong decision in these scenarios is quite substantial.
If you are outsourcing a limited scope of work, you will only have to assess their expertise in a single domain. These engagements are less costly and the time-horizon of these partnerships tend to be significantly shorter. The risks of making a wrong decision are lower in these scenarios.
If the work is quantitative in nature, like running digital ads for a live campaign, you’ll be able to rely on objective metrics to assess an agencies’ past and current performance. These types of engagements tend to be flexible, with agencies often working on a performance fee model.
If the work is qualitative in nature, like producing a video, it is more challenging to objectively assess the work and its impact since you can’t rely on clear metrics like CPL (Cost per Lead) or ROAS (Return on Ad Spend). These types of engagement also often require a larger commitment and investment up-front.
In the following sections, we’ll explore a handful of strategies and tactics that you can use to find and screen agencies. Consider the type of work that you are looking to outsource to determine how deep you need to go with your due diligence efforts, and which strategies will be most beneficial to your search.
Building the scaffolding for assessing agencies
It’s helpful to start by creating a system to help you capture information about each agency in a structured manner. This will help you come to a decision down the road by making it easier to assess and compare candidates.
The system should be as simple as possible. It should allow you to quickly capture the information that matters most in a format that makes it easy to access later.
What information do you need?
It really depends on the type of work that you are planning to outsource to an agency. So you need to have a clear sense of your requirements to be able to identify what information you’ll need to capture.
Once your agency requirements have been defined, you can specify the types of information that can best inform your decision. These criteria will function as the scaffolding for your research. It will help you collect the most salient information about each candidate.
Here is an illustrative example: if you are looking for an agency to work on pre-launch marketing and video production you’ll want to hear about their video production, digital advertising, lead generation, and email marketing capabilities. You’ll also want to look at examples of their previous work and historical performance data and to get access to client references. Finally, you’ll want to understand their cost structure, and how they work with clients.
The following list contains criteria that might be useful for building your own set of requirements. This is just a starting point to get you going:
Core Capabilities
- Video Production
- Photo Production
- Copywriting
- Lead Generation
- Email Marketing
- Digital Advertising
- Community Management
Past Experience
- Category Experience
- Performance Benchmarks
- Case Studies
- Work Samples
- Client Referrals
Processes & Tools
- Client Services
- Reporting Tools
- Cost Structure
- Agency Size
How to capture this information?
The information can be captured in a spreadsheet, a note-taking app, a physical notebook, or any tool that you like using. You don’t need fancy templates or advanced tools. Just choose a tool that is easy to use and with which you are already familiar.
Whatever tool you choose, here are a couple of tips on how to organize your notes.
- Use a consistent structure. Keeping the criteria listed in the same order will make it easier to compare notes.
- Under each criterion, capture notes from your research and conversations alongside a heuristic score.
Finding candidates
Creating a shortlist of agency candidates is an essential foundation for your search. You can find candidates by researching various online resources and asking for recommendations, through social media, internet forums, and communities.
Start with online resources
There are numerous online resources that feature lists of agencies and service providers with experience in the crowdfunding space. They offer a solid jumping-off point for your own search.
Here are a few useful resources:
- We’ve created a directory of trusted service providers. This list features agencies with experience working with creators who launch products on Kickstarter. They have all been recommended by creators from our network.
- Kickstarter has compiled its own list of experts. This list features agencies and consultants that work with creators across categories. Bear in mind that Kickstarter does not really vet the companies featured here.
- Indiegogo also has a directory of experts. This list features a wide variety of service providers, from marketing agencies to prototyping services. The companies featured here have been vetted by Indiegogo.
Crowdfunding-focused forums and communities on sites like Quora and Reddit, and groups on social media networks like Facebook and LinkedIn can also be worth exploring when you are kicking off your search.
Ask for recommendations
Thousands of creators have successfully launched products on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Chances are you can find a couple who would be willing to connect and share tips, best practices, and agency recommendations.
Here are the best ways to connect with other creators:
Start by making a list of successfully funded campaigns that are similar to your own in scale or product category. Then, search for members of their team on LinkedIn and reach out with a request to connect. Make sure to include a friendly note that explains why you want to link up.
From my experience, LinkedIn is the best platform for making this type of connection. Direct messages on Instagram can also work too. If you are working on a niche product, other online forums or social networks might do the trick too.
Screening candidates
Once you have your shortlist ready, it’s time to begin screening your agency candidates. Here are some of the things that you should pay attention to during this part of the agency selection process.
Keep in mind that many established agencies in the crowdfunding space have their own set of criteria, which they use to filter prospective clients. So, they will also be assessing your team’s fit for their services.
Investigate success stories
A lot of big campaigns will have worked with multiple partners, sometimes as many or 5–6 different service providers. When you see a highly successful campaign featured on an agency’s website, you shouldn’t assume that the bulk of that campaign’s success came from that agency’s work.
Sometimes, agencies will feature a client as a client on their website when their engagement was limited to a very short testing period that had a negligible contribution to the success of the campaign.
That means that you should be ready to ask agencies for more information about their involvement in specific campaigns. What exactly did they do for the campaign (e.g., design it, promote it)? How long was the agency involved with the project?
Ask for case studies
Case studies can be extremely helpful because they provide a glimpse into the agency’s process, work product, and impact. A case study should bring to light specific ways that an agency was able to contribute to past clients’ successes.
It is difficult to assess an agency without access to this level of details about their work for a handful of past clients.
Case studies won’t always be available as documents. Sometimes you’ll have to explore case studies through conversations. Be ready to ask agencies to share details about their work and impact on specific clients and projects. This should be really easy for them to do.
When exploring an agency’s past work, the more recent the better. If an agency is only able to share success stories and work samples from several years ago, that should raise a red flag.
Check references from previous clients
You can learn a lot from talking to clients who worked with the agencies on your shortlist. You should ask each agency in your final selection set for a couple of references — existing clients that you can reach out to.
It’s important to keep in mind that any reference provided to you by an agency will offer positive feedback about their services — agencies are only going to elevate the clients with whom they have a good relationship. Even so, they can help you better understand an agency’s work process, capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses.
It is wise to connect with other clients beyond the ones agencies refer to you. The list of past successes featured on an agency’s website is a great place to identify some of their other clients. LinkedIn is a powerful tool that can help you find and connect with people in the companies you’ve identified.
Inquire about the state of crowdfunding
The strategies and tactics that can have the biggest impact on a campaign's launch are always evolving. That’s why past work is not always an accurate indicator of future performance.
It’s really important to get a sense of each agency’s grasp of the current state of crowdfunding and related ecosystems.
For example, iOS’s new privacy features are having a significant impact on Facebook’s tracking and targeting capabilities. This can have major implications for an agency that’s managing digital advertising efforts.
In your conversations with agencies, ask what trends are impacting recent launches, what they think are going to be the biggest challenges for your campaign, and how they would approach your launch with those considerations in mind.
Look for certifications
It can be hard for most creators to ascertain an agency’s level of expertise since most creators are not digital marketing experts. Third-party certifications and programs can provide another helpful signal here.
Many leading platforms have created certification programs to identify companies and individuals that have a high level of competency using their tools. Here are a few examples: Facebook Partner, Google Premium Partner, and MailChimp Partner.
Take size into consideration
In the world of agencies, there are big agencies, small agencies, and everything in between. You should consider an agency’s size in your selection process. Ideally, you want to work with an agency where your business matters.
Agencies often tout their size as if that’s a testament to their success. However, a bigger agency doesn’t necessarily translate to better service or outcome.
Agencies have a hierarchy of clients, and the largest clients tend to get access to the most experienced team members. If you don’t have a big budget you might not be an important client for a large agency. This might mean that you’ll end up working with the least experienced team and have limited access to their more seasoned directors.
Setting clear expectations
All agencies require that you sign a contract before they begin working with your team. It’s essential to pay close attention to these agreements. They can provide a solid foundation for these partnerships, or put you in an uncomfortable bind.
Agree on a roadmap
Most agencies have a process that they follow when working with a client. It’s important to clearly understand this roadmap before signing an agreement.
Changes to this process can impact the costs of an engagement. That’s why it’s essential to address them before signing the contract.
For example, if you are engaging with an agency to develop all creative assets for your campaign, you’ll want to understand how many opportunities you’ll have for feedback during the development of the video, what types of feedback will be required during each checkpoint, etc.
If the gap in expectations cannot be reconciled this is a strong sign that the agency may not be the right partner to meet your team’s needs.
Set clear expectations for check-ins and reporting
It’s essential to be on the same page about check-ins, such as weekly updates, calls, reports, and so on. An agency may have a set cadence for their check-ins. Or they may be flexible, in which case they will want to take your preferences into account when scoping out their services.
It’s also important to establish clear guidelines for reporting and a shared understanding of the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the campaign. This will empower the agency to properly manage the campaign and to provide reporting that meets your expectations.
Here is an example: in a live campaign online advertising scenario, the KPIs could be the RoAS limit, the ads budget or percent of the funds raised that can go into marketing, and internal goals for total raise.
Agencies are not your project’s parents
Lina Gantar from Nuuk shared a funny metaphor that brings to light a valuable insight into the different nature of the relationships that creators and agencies have with campaigns.
Creators see their project as their baby. They consider it to be their most important priority and are willing to devote an impressive amount of time and energy to bring it to life.
Agencies on the other hand play the role of a nursery. They are simultaneously taking care of several different projects. They create processes, tools, and boundaries to effectively support their portfolio of projects.
The benefit of agencies is that they are able to bring to bear expertise, tools, and processes that can only be developed and maintained by managing many different launch efforts. However, you should not expect them to have the singular focus on your project that you and your team bring to bear.
Identify two points of contact
You often engage senior-level team members during the business development phase, however, once the contract is signed a junior team member takes over the day-to-day management of your project.
This is to be expected. A lot of the day-to-day work of managing a campaign and client relationship can be done effectively by a smart junior team member.
However, you want to make sure you are assigned two points of contact at an agency. Beyond your day-to-day account manager, you want to have access to a more experienced team member who can provide strategic guidance and can serve as a point of elevation should issues arise.
Read the fine print
Most agencies are well-intentioned but their agreements are crafted by their lawyers so they tend to favor the agency. To ensure that your interests are protected, it’s essential to read all of the fine print in these agreements.
The unfortunate truth is that I have seen a few agencies include pretty onerous terms in their contracts. So, make sure that you fully understand the repercussions of signing an agreement before executing it.
Don’t skimp on the foundation
Agencies can enable creators to level up their digital marketing, media relations, and storytelling abilities — just to name a few. That’s why it’s common for independent designers and entrepreneurs to work with agencies when launching products on platforms like Kickstarter.
The success of these relationships is largely determined before an agreement is even signed. It involves properly screening agency candidates and setting clear expectations. Entering into a bad relationship can be extremely costly, in time and money. So it’s worth putting in the work effort upfront, before signing on the dotted line.
Shout out
I want to thank a few people who provided valuable perspectives, and whose input had an impact on the development of this piece.
On the creator side: Anthony Mattana founder of Hooke, Filippo Yacob founder of Primo Toys & FINH, Victor Henning founder of Fjorden, Tamara Mekler founder of Fortuna Coolers, Arun Hingorani, and Derek O’Sullivan founder of Crua Outdoors.
From the agency world: Lina Gantar from Nuuk, Jackson Wightman from Proper Propaganda, Alex Daly from Daly, Oscar Lhermitte from Sidekick, Iddo Sternberg from Jellop, Beatriz Tejeiro from Backercamp.
Questions & feedback
We hope this article has been helpful. If you have any feedback or additional tips and advice, I’d love to hear it. Just drop it in the comments below, or email me at julio@launchstudio.com
Launch Studio empowers independent designers and entrepreneurs who make physical products. Our first course, Kickstarter Masterclass, offers step-by-step guidance that empowers creators to successfully launch products using crowdfunding.
