What to prepare for a LinkedIn agency's setup month
The decisions, access and material that make the first month of a managed LinkedIn programme go smoothly, and the ones that can wait.
The first month of working with a LinkedIn agency is mostly setup: profiles, audiences, messages and a booking flow. Very little of it is visible from the outside, and most delays come from small decisions nobody made in advance.
Here is what to have ready, roughly in the order you will need it.
Week one: decisions only you can makeLink to this section
Who you sell toLink to this section
Write down the companies and roles you most want to meet, as specifically as you can. Include the ones you do not want, too. “Series A to C SaaS, 50 to 300 people, heads of revenue operations” is far more useful than “B2B tech”.
What a good meeting looks likeLink to this section
Agree on what counts as a qualified meeting before any outreach starts. Company size, role, region and a real need are the usual criteria. Writing this down early prevents an awkward conversation in month two.
Who takes the meetingsLink to this section
Name the person who will run the calls and how many they can take each week. An agency can only book into time that exists.
Week two: access and accountsLink to this section
Most programmes run through one or more real LinkedIn profiles belonging to people on your team. Plan for:
- Who owns each profile, and whether they are comfortable with someone helping to run it.
- How access will work, and who on your side approves changes.
- A calendar link that lands on the right person with the right meeting length.
Week three: material that makes messages credibleLink to this section
Messages read better when they can point to something real. Gather what you already have rather than creating new work:
| Material | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Two or three customer stories | Gives messages concrete, honest proof |
| A short product overview | Keeps descriptions accurate |
| Recent posts or articles | Gives the profile something to show |
| Words you never use | Keeps the voice consistent with your brand |
If you have none of this yet, say so. A good agency will plan around it rather than invent it.
Week four: approvals and a feedback loopLink to this section
Decide who signs off on profile changes, posts and message sequences, and how quickly they can respond. A 48-hour approval habit keeps the programme moving; a two-week one stalls it.
Then agree on a simple weekly rhythm: what was sent, what came back, which meetings were booked, and what you learned from them. Feedback from the calls themselves is the most valuable input an agency receives.
The fastest programmes are not the ones with the most material. They are the ones where decisions get made quickly.
What can waitLink to this section
You do not need a new website, a content calendar for the year or a polished sales deck before starting. Those help later. In the first month, clarity about who you want to meet and who will meet them matters far more.
A one-page summaryLink to this section
Before the kickoff call, try to answer these on a single page:
- Who are the three buyer types you most want to meet?
- What makes a meeting qualified?
- Who takes the meetings, and how many a week?
- Whose profiles will be used, and who approves changes?
- What proof can messages honestly reference?
Bring that page to the first call and the setup month will start on a solid footing.
