Red Flags to Watch for When Hiring a Social Media Agency in London
There’s no shortage of social media agencies in London promising the world. More followers, more engagement, viral content—the list goes on. But not all agencies are created equal, and some are more interested in inflating their own success metrics than actually growing your business.
If you’re looking to hire an agency to manage your social media, here are the biggest red flags to watch for. Because while good social media agencies build brands, bad ones build numbers that mean nothing.
1. The “Instant Growth” Scam
If an agency promises you thousands of followers in a matter of weeks, it’s not because they’re marketing geniuses—it’s because they’re buying them.
Here’s the truth: real growth takes time. If you suddenly gain 10,000 followers overnight, but your engagement stays the same, you didn’t go viral—someone just bulk-ordered a bot army.
And don’t believe the classic excuse: “You must have gone viral!” Viral content doesn’t convert at that scale. We’ve had videos hit 4 million views with 100,000 likes, and guess what? We gained 400 followers from it. That’s what real virality looks like.
And let’s talk about organic social media growth in 2025—it’s rough. If you need proof, just look at Love Island contestants. A few years ago, they would leave the show with millions of new followers. Now? They barely gain 50,000. That’s not because people suddenly dislike reality TV stars—it’s because users don’t follow accounts as much anymore.
Social media in 2025 is not about follower count. Growth has slowed for everyone, including our public figure clients, some with over 30 million followers. Their follower count has completely plateaued—it’s just how social media works now.
It’s also worth noting that being seen as selective with who you follow is now a status symbol. People, especially influencers and brands, don’t follow as many accounts as they used to because it looks better to keep that number low. Which means that for brands, earning a follow is harder than ever.
So this is a gentle reminder to think about the content you’re putting out. Is it worth following? Would you follow your own account? Follower growth is no longer the most important metric—what really matters is making your content valuable enough that people want it on their feed.
If an agency is still selling you “follower growth” as a key success metric, run.
2. The Fake “Data-Driven Predictions” Trap
We’ve lost many potential clients to agencies promising them the world with impressive-looking “data” and predictive growth charts. We’re here to tell you: those so-called data-driven projections are about as realistic as me sitting at my desk, eyes closed, mashing my calculator, and assuming whatever numbers I hit will come true.
And here’s the real question: how can they predict numbers on an account they’ve never even logged into? Even logging in is close to impossible, most brands don’t (and shouldn’t) hand over full account access before working with an agency.
We don’t know (and neither do they) if:
You’ve had purchased followers in the past that are dragging down your engagement rate.
How many people following you are verified legitimately not meta verified, the more verified followers, the higher you rank.
Your account has been flagged or reported in ways that suppress your visibility.
Your posts are being hidden in certain locations due to previous bans or restrictions.
How consistently you’ve posted in the past, a neglected account won’t suddenly skyrocket overnight.
Whether you’ve used Instagram’s in-app tools like Reels and Stories—Instagram pushes accounts that make use of its features, and if yours hasn’t, it’s already at a disadvantage.
All of these majorly affect growth, and no agency can predict the future without knowing what’s going on under the hood.
And while we’re on the topic of shady numbers, another big red flag is where your followers are coming from.
If you’re a London-based business, why would most of your followers be from countries where you don’t operate? A quick way to check if someone’s purchased followers for you is by looking at your top audience locations in your analytics.
Certain countries are hotspots for bot accounts and fake followers, including:
Bangladesh
Pakistan
Turkey
India
Indonesia
Egypt
Brazil
Mexico
Russia
While genuine engagement can come from anywhere, if your biggest audience isn’t remotely connected to your actual customer base, someone has inflated your numbers.
Red flags to look for:
A London-based business, but your biggest following is in Dhaka or Jakarta
A sudden gain of thousands of followers overnight, but your engagement hasn’t changed
A high number of followers with no profile picture, no posts, and usernames that look like random letters and numbers
If you’re suspicious, drop us a message… no sales pitch, we have software that can check for you.
3. The “We Post the Same Thing Everywhere” Strategy
Some agencies take a one-size-fits-all approach to content—posting the exact same thing across Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Facebook without adapting it for each platform.
Now, there are exceptions. Reels and TikToks are very time-consuming to create and often work well across both platforms, which makes repurposing them smart. But if you’re seeing the same static Instagram post appearing on LinkedIn, something’s gone wrong.
Each platform has a different audience and purpose:
LinkedIn is for thought leadership and credibility. A polished, industry-relevant post works here.
Instagram is for visual storytelling and engagement. A trending meme, behind-the-scenes shot, or aesthetic product photo thrives here.
TikTok is fast-paced, trend-driven, and casual. A carefully curated Instagram post will likely flop here.
Facebook leans towards community-building and long-form storytelling.
Red flag: If an agency doesn’t tailor your content for different platforms, they’re just ticking boxes—not building an actual strategy.
4. The “Ads Will Fix Everything” Lie
Paid ads absolutely have their place in social media, and when done right, they can be an incredibly powerful tool. But any agency that only focuses on paid ads and ignores organic strategy is taking the easy way out.
Ads work best when they support a strong organic presence. If your organic content isn’t engaging, ads won’t magically fix that.
Not every business needs aggressive ad spend. Some businesses benefit more from high-quality organic engagement.
If your entire marketing plan relies on ads, what happens when you stop spending?
A good agency will use ads strategically, to retarget warm audiences, boost high-performing content, or bring in new leads. A bad agency will use ads as a quick fix for a lack of organic strategy.
Red flag: If an agency’s entire plan for you is just running ads, they’re likely not thinking long-term.
5. The “We Work with Everyone” Issue
A great social media agency should be able to work across industries, but if an agency claims they specialise in everything, they probably don’t specialise in anything.
We get approached by potential clients all the time. Some are a great fit, some aren’t. And when we know we can’t genuinely help someone, we say no. Because what’s the point? We certainly can say we specialise in hotels, restaurants, public figures and have a thorough understanding of b2b brands. We’ve turned down potential clients, such as a Japanese artist looking to launch a studio in Tokyo, we don’t know about his type of art and certainly don’t understand the Tokyo landscape from a social media business perspective.
We like an easy life. And an easy life doesn’t include unhappy clients who were sold false promises and demanding angry Zoom calls relentlessly.
If an agency is willing to take on every single client who knocks on their door, ask yourself:
Are they just chasing contracts?
Do they actually understand my industry?
Can they show real, detailed case studies, not just big names with no context?
Red flag: If an agency doesn’t ask questions about your brand, audience, and goals before signing you, they’re more interested in numbers than results.
6. The “Guaranteed ROI” Lie
No agency can guarantee a return on investment in social media. There are too many variables.
The algorithm is unpredictable.
Audience behaviour shifts constantly.
Competitors are also fighting for visibility.
Any agency that guarantees specific revenue numbers or engagement rates is making things up. If an agency says, “We guarantee 500 new followers a week,” or “Your sales will double in three months,”—they’re selling a dream.
Red flag: They claim you’ll get X leads or Y sales within a set timeframe. No agency can promise that.
A real agency will talk about strategy, potential growth, and how to track progress properly—not guarantees they can’t back up.
7. The “They Ignore Instagram SEO” Problem
Instagram SEO is one of the biggest shifts in social media strategy in the last two years, yet many agencies haven’t caught up.
Keyword-rich captions now matter more than hashtags. If your agency still focuses purely on hashtags, they’re behind.
Alt text isn’t just for accessibility, it boosts discoverability. If they don’t mention this, they’re missing key optimisation steps.
Engagement behaviour matters. The way people interact with your posts (saving, commenting, resharing) influences your ranking on Explore and in search.
If an agency isn’t actively optimising your content for Instagram search, you’re already behind.
Red flag: If they’re still using outdated tactics like hashtag dumping without understanding how Instagram SEO actually works.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Fall for the Hype
There are great social media agencies in London, and then there are agencies that talk a good game but deliver nothing but inflated numbers and recycled content. The best way to protect yourself? Know the red flags before you sign a contract.
Instant followers? Fake.
Predicting exact numbers? Impossible.
More posts = better? False.
Focusing on vanity metrics? Useless.
No industry experience? Risky.
Relying only on ads? Short-sighted strategy.
Social media is more than just numbers, it’s reputation, brand positioning, and audience trust. If you want it done properly, make sure the agency you choose actually understands that.
And if you’re unsure about your current following or engagement stats, drop us a message. No sales pitch, just honest advice.