How do you choose a pet marketing agency? Questions to ask before you sign

By Geetika Saini, Founder, Pet Tails Marketing · 13 October 2026 · 5 min read

Choose the agency that answers specific questions with specific answers. Ask who owns the ad accounts and data, how they work out your target ROAS, who will actually do the work, how they handle pet health claims, how they test creative, and how you can leave. Category knowledge helps, but clear process and honest reporting matter more.

Why does picking the right agency matter for pet brands?

Pet brands have a few things most generic agencies have not dealt with: health claim rules for supplements, sizing problems for apparel, subscription maths for consumables and local search for clinics. An agency does not need to have done all of these, but it needs to understand which ones apply to you.

We are an agency, so read this with that in mind. The questions below are the ones we would ask if we were hiring someone else. Ask them of us too.

Who should own the ad accounts and data?

You should. Your ad accounts, pixel or dataset, Merchant Center, analytics and customer lists are business assets. If an agency owns them and the relationship ends, you can lose years of history.

Google Ads makes this easy to set up properly. It has five access levels: Email-only, Billing, Read-only, Standard and Admin. Standard users can edit campaigns. Admin users can also give and change access for others. Many brands keep Admin for themselves and give the agency the level it needs.

Ask: "Will the accounts be created in our name, and what access do you need?"

What questions should you ask about strategy and targets?

1. "How will you set our target ROAS or cost per acquisition?" A good answer starts with your product costs, shipping and margin. Our breakeven ROAS guide shows the maths you should expect them to do.
2. "Which metric will you report as the main one?" Look for a mix of platform numbers and a store-level number such as total revenue divided by total ad spend.
3. "What would you change in the first 30 days, and why?" Specific answers show they have looked at your business.
4. "What would you not change?" An agency that wants to rebuild everything on day one may wipe out what already works.

What should you ask about pet health claims and compliance?

This matters most for supplement brands. The FTC is clear that the brand stays responsible. Its Endorsement Guides FAQ says a company is ultimately responsible for what others do on its behalf, and that handing the work to an agency does not remove that responsibility. The FTC also says advertisers need proof before an ad runs.

Ask: "How do you check claims in ads, feeds and creator content before they go live?" and "What do you do when an ad is disapproved?" Our pet supplement ad policy guide shows the kind of process to look for.

What should you ask about the team and the work?

• "Who will work on our account day to day?" Meet them before signing, not just the person selling.
• "How many accounts does that person manage?" There is no right number, but you should know.
• "Who makes the creative?" In-house, freelancers or creators? Who writes the briefs?
• "How often do we talk, and what is in the report?" Agree the format up front.
• "How do you test creative?" Ask how many new ads they expect to launch per month, and how they decide winners.

What do badges and certifications tell you?

Some. Google's Partners programme requires, among other things, a minimum optimisation score of 70%, $10,000 in 90-day ad spend across managed accounts, and certified account strategists. That shows a level of activity and training. It does not show whether an agency understands pet products or your margins. Treat badges as one input, not the decision.

The same goes for case studies. Ask what the starting point was, what the agency changed, over what period, and how results were measured. A number without that context tells you little.

Which red flags should you watch for?

How should you compare agencies fairly?

Score each one on the same list, after the same conversation:

1. Account and data ownership: clear yes or not clear.
2. Target setting: based on your margins, or on general benchmarks.
3. Claims and policy process: written down, or ad hoc.
4. Team: met the people who will do the work, or not.
5. Creative: a testing plan with volume and rules, or "we'll see".
6. Reporting: includes store-level numbers, or platform only.
7. Exit: clear notice period and handover, or unclear.
8. Fit: did they ask good questions about your business?

That last point often decides it. The agency that asks the sharpest questions in the first call is usually the one that will keep asking them once it is running your account.

If you would like to put these questions to us, our services page explains what we do, and you can book a call below.

Written by Geetika Saini, Founder, Pet Tails Marketing. Pet Tails is a Mumbai-based growth agency for pet supplement, pet apparel and veterinary brands in the USA and Canada. This article is general information, not legal or regulatory advice.