Growing up in Los Angeles, it has been a wild ride ranging from seeing neighborhoods change over time to more recently the entertainment and tech industries booming — years ago who could have imagined Silicon Beach or the rebirth of podcasts? These are exciting times.

When it comes to content creation ranging from videos for Instagram or TikTok or more long-format content for YouTube and more, there has always been this aura around Los Angeles and how content creation agencies located in the core of the action have the secret sauce, but that’s not usually the case.

Take a step back and think about a few things before we continue on this journey:
1) Who are you truly trying to reach with content?
2) What are the actions you want them to take after?
3) How are you using data to drive the content you’re delivering?
4) And what’s the process for gauging ROI after?

We’ve been in the content creation space for 15+ years guiding companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500s (food companies, financial institutions, etc.) and thought we’d share a few tips for what to look for when hiring a content creation agency in Los Angeles or anywhere else in the world.

First off, when it comes to creating content it has to jive with target markets — their behaviors, interests, linguistics, etc. — and delivering a successful message ultimately comes down to understanding who you’re actually speaking to. Many times an organic photo from an iPhone can have far more impact than a short video that costs $5k+ to produce then flops. We’ve seen this countless times.

Secondly, regardless of the size of a company, the content needs to feel organic and personal. A common mistake, especially with large companies, is over-polishing where content intended for social media becomes commercials that people can’t relate to versus epic, homegrown food content (as one example) that tickles taste buds and spurs sales. Approach content creation as a human that has something special to share.

Lastly, when on the hunt for a content creation agency be sure to ask for examples of what they’ve done in the past. One thing my dad always told me was “don’t tell me what you’re going to do, show me what you’ve done.” Get a firm with the experience to deliver and don’t buy into the hype.

The force is with you.