An agency does not buy like a brand. It buys for somebody else, with somebody else's money, and under a calendar that is not its own.
The French landscape
Three types of agency, with three ways of buying.
Advertising and media agencies, which buy content to feed paid campaigns. They are the most regular buyers and the most demanding on formats.
Influence agencies, which manage creators for brands and will sometimes treat you as a profile in their catalogue rather than as a supplier.
And content and production agencies, which subcontract part of their shoots when the budget does not allow a crew.
Knowing which one you are talking to changes how you present yourself: the first wants variants, the second wants an audience, the third wants reliability.
How they buy
Rarely one at a time, often in batches.
An agency needs several versions to test, and one contact able to deliver all four at once. That is good news: one negotiation, several files.
The typical process: brief sent in writing, selection of profiles, approval by the end client, then the order. Each step adds days, and none of them depends on you.
What they pay
Correctly, provided the scope is written down.
An agency knows what a production costs and is not looking for the lowest rate; it is looking to avoid surprises. A clear quote, with the number of files, the formats, the revisions included, the duration and the territory, gets a yes more often than a low, vague rate.
Add the rights line separately. That is the part the end client pays for anyway, and it disappears if you do not write it.
What they will try to get without paying for it
Three things, systematically, and with no bad intent.
Extra revisions, because the end client changes their mind. Extra formats, because a campaign extends to another channel. And an extension of the duration, because the video works.
The answer is not to refuse: it is to have priced each of them in advance. An extension priced in the initial quote sells in one sentence; the same extension negotiated afterwards costs a relationship.
The timescales
They are long before, short after.
Count several weeks between first contact and the order, then a few days between the order and the expected delivery. That is the opposite of what most creators imagine.
So keep room in your schedule for agency orders, and charge for the rush when it comes from a delay that is not yours.
Three types of agency, three expectations
| Type | What it buys | What it demands |
|---|---|---|
| Media agency | Variants to test | Precise, dated formats |
| Creative agency | A faithful execution of the script | Little freedom |
| Influence agency | A post on your own account | Statistics after release |
What you ask before saying yes
The end client's name, the licence duration, the number of revisions included and the exact payment date.
What gets an agency to call back
Delivering ahead of the date, naming the files as requested and flagging a problem before it becomes a delay.
How to reach them
One method, boring and effective.
Identify the agencies already working for brands in your category, by looking at who signs the campaigns you see. Write to the person in charge of production or content, not to the general address.
Send three examples of the same kind, your usual timescale, and one sentence saying your administrative file is ready. That last sentence has more effect than a portfolio.
