If you're thinking about hiring a social media agency, the question on your mind is probably some version of "what am I actually paying for, and when will I see something?" It's a fair question, and the honest answer is that the first month of social media management is mostly about learning, while real growth on Instagram and TikTok usually starts to show in months two and three.
I've been on both sides of this, as a content creator and as the founder of The Fox Creative, a boutique social media agency in NYC that founders hand their accounts to, so I want to walk you through what those first 90 days look like when they're done well. That way you'll know what's normal, what to ask for, and what should make you nervous.
Weeks 1 to 2: Getting your social media strategy set up
The first couple of weeks happen mostly behind the scenes, and that's a good thing. After our first call, we send over an onboarding questionnaire so we can learn your brand properly, from who your customers are to how you talk to them, what's worked before and what you never want to see on your feed.
Then we build your social media strategy. That means choosing the content pillars your account will be known for, writing the copy, and planning example posts using the footage and photos you already have. If you don't have much content yet, this is also when we map out how we'll get it, whether that's you shipping us your product, one of our UGC creators filming it, or a Content Sprint.
By the end of week two, you should have a clear plan in front of you and a first batch of posts to approve. Nothing goes live without your sign-off, so you always know what's coming before your followers do.
Month 1: Learning and testing what your audience wants
Once posting starts, the first month is really about listening. We're watching how your audience reacts to different hooks, formats and topics, and we're using Instagram Trials to test a few versions of the same idea with people who don't follow you yet. One version might open with the product, another with a question, another with a trending sound, and the numbers tell us which direction to lean into on both Instagram and TikTok.
This is also the month where a lot of founders get impatient, and I completely understand why. You might see one post do surprisingly well and the next one barely move. That isn't a sign that something is wrong, because it's exactly the data we need to stop guessing about what your audience wants.
What you should see by the end of month one is a clear picture of what's working, a few early wins, and your first monthly report explaining what we learned and what we're changing because of it.
Months 2 and 3: When social media growth starts to build
This is where things usually start to click. By now we know which formats your audience saves and shares, which hooks keep people watching, and what makes someone tap through to your profile, so we can make more of what works instead of testing from scratch every week.
It's also when we change direction if something isn't working. When we started with Scalable Display Technologies, a B2B tech company with no following and a very small content library, we kept reworking the same footage in new ways and pivoting quickly whenever performance dipped. That account grew from zero to around 14,000 followers, and one video reached 5.4 million views, but none of that would have happened if we'd stuck with the first plan out of stubbornness.
This is exactly why we ask for a three-month minimum. It isn't about locking you in, it's that one month simply isn't enough time to learn what your audience wants and then give them more of it.
What to expect from any social media agency in those 90 days
Whether you work with us or another social media management agency, a good partner should give you a clear strategy before anything is posted, let you approve content before it goes live, explain your results in plain language every month, and tell you what they're changing and why. If you're three months in and still can't say what's working on your account, that's worth a direct conversation.
If you'd like to see how this would look for your brand, you can compare our social media management packages on our Work With Us page, read our case studies, or book a free strategy call and we'll talk through where you are today and what the first 90 days could look like.
