Why Setup Is Expanding the Setup Agency Network
A note from Joe Koufman, Founder & CEO, Setup
For years, Setup has helped brands find better-fit agency partners. That has always been the mission: help marketers cut through the noise, figure out what kind of partner they actually need, and meet agencies worth their time.
When I started Setup, the idea was simple. Marketers were overwhelmed by agency options, and agencies were spending too much time chasing opportunities that were not a great fit. I believed there had to be a better way to make those connections. I still believe that.
What has changed is the market around us.
TL;DR
Setup is expanding the Setup Agency Network to better serve brands and create clearer paths for qualified agencies.
This does not mean we are lowering the bar, creating a public directory, or turning Setup into a lead engine.
It means brands can access better-fit agency options based on the actual need. Agencies can engage with Setup through the path that matches their credibility, readiness, specialization, and growth goals. And the Setup Agency Collective remains our most selective growth relationship for agencies ready for deeper alignment around better-fit brand opportunities.
The brand need, not an agency’s size, category, or engagement model, will continue to drive the recommendation.
In short: clearer lanes, stronger fit, better brand-agency conversations.
In short: clearer lanes, better-fit agency connections.
Why we are expanding
We already work closely with a select group of Sustainable Pipeline agencies that have been vetted, onboarded, and aligned with Setup around their strengths, ideal clients, proof, and participation expectations. Those relationships remain central to how we serve brands.
At the same time, brand needs are more varied than they used to be. Marketing teams are leaner. Budgets are under more scrutiny. The work is moving faster. And the agency support marketers need does not always fit neatly into one model.
Some brands come to us looking for a broad, scalable agency partner that can support strategy, creative, media, content, analytics, and execution. Others need a boutique PR firm, a social-first content shop, an experiential agency, a digital specialist, or a project team that can move quickly. Sometimes the marketer has a clear brief. Sometimes they simply know something is not working and need help figuring out what kind of partner would solve it.
That is where Setup is at its best: we start with the need, then help determine the right partner model.
To do that well, the Setup Agency Network has to reflect the way brands are buying agency support today. That is why we are expanding how we help brands and agencies.
This is not about lowering the bar, creating a public directory, or turning Setup into a volume-based lead engine. It is about creating clearer lanes so brands find better-fit agency partners and qualified agencies get closer to brand conversations that match their strengths, services, category experience, and growth goals.
More agency options, better organized
After years of talking with marketers and agencies, one thing is clear: brands do not always need the same kind of agency. A CMO trying to reposition a complex B2B company has a very different need than a restaurant brand looking for breakthrough social content, a nonprofit launching a fundraising campaign, or a growth team that needs paid media support quickly.
A single agency model cannot serve all those needs equally well.
The same is true for agencies. Some are large, broad, and built for enterprise-level relationships. Some are smaller, sharper, and highly specialized. Some are strong in a specific category or channel. Some are earlier in their growth journey but have real talent, strong proof, and a clear point of view.
The Setup Agency Network needs a better way to organize those options so brands meet agencies worth considering, and agencies spend time on opportunities with a real reason to engage.
Setup Certified: a credibility signal for qualified agencies
Setup Certified gives qualified agencies a way to show they have been reviewed against Setup’s standards for experience, client proof, capabilities, and readiness. Approved agencies can use the credential publicly and maintain placement in Setup’s private agency database for future fit-based consideration.
For agencies, Setup Certified creates a practical credibility signal. It helps prospects understand that the agency has been reviewed and meets Setup’s baseline standards.
For brands, it gives Setup a broader, more organized group of qualified agencies to consider when a relevant need arises.
Setup Certified does not guarantee leads, referrals, introductions, opportunity volume, Agency Assessment, or acceptance into the Setup Agency Collective. Final certification is subject to Setup validation before agencies receive their seal and approved usage language.
That distinction matters.
Agency Assessment: clarity for agencies that may be ready for more
Some agencies need more than a credential. They need a clearer view of where they fit, where their proof is strongest, which clients they should pursue, and how they should show up in the market.
That is where Agency Assessment comes in.is a deeper evaluation of positioning, proof, ideal client profile, services, category experience, readiness, conflicts, minimum scope, and growth goals.
It helps agencies understand where they are best positioned to win and helps Setup determine whether there is enough fit, readiness, and opportunity alignment to justify a deeper Collective relationship.
Either way, the goal is clarity before commitment.
The Setup Agency Collective remains selective by design
The Setup Agency Collective is our most selective growth relationship for qualified agencies that want a closer path to relevant brand opportunities through Setup.
Collective agencies are evaluated and aligned around what they do best, who they serve well, what proof they can show, and what kinds of brand opportunities are actually worth their time. When a brand comes to Setup with a need, we are not pulling names from a generic list. We look for agencies whose strengths, services, experience, and fit line up with what the brand is trying to solve.
That does not change.
In fact, expanding the Setup Agency Network should strengthen the Collective, not dilute it. Setup Certified and Agency Assessment give Setup better ways to support smaller, faster, more specialized, more local, or more project-based brand needs without forcing those opportunities into the wrong model.
That matters for current Collective agencies because it protects the lane they are already in. It allows Setup to stay focused on stronger-fit brand conversations over time while giving us more flexibility to support needs that may fall outside the core Collective model.
Setup helps create better-fit conversations. Agencies still own the sales conversation, proposal, chemistry, pricing, and close.
The brand need should drive the recommendation
The simplest idea behind this expansion is also the most important: the brand need should drive the partner recommendation.
Not the engagement model. Not the size of the agency. Not whether an agency fits neatly into one old definition of “right.”
The work should dictate the right kind of partner.
Sometimes that partner will be part of the Setup Agency Collective. Sometimes it will be a niche specialist. Sometimes it will be a Setup Certified agency from our private database. Sometimes it will require a broader Custom Agency Search.
Setup’s role is to help make that decision easier.
Better fit on both sides
For marketers, this expansion means more flexibility. You do not need to know exactly what kind of agency you need before talking to Setup. We can help you clarify the need, define the right partner model, and identify qualified agencies worth meeting.
For agencies, this expansion means clearer paths based on where your agency is today.
Some agencies may be a fit for Setup Certified. Others may need Agency Assessment to clarify positioning, proof, readiness, and potential Collective fit. Some may be ready for a deeper growth relationship through the Setup Agency Collective.
The point is not volume.
The point is better alignment before the first conversation, so brands meet agencies worth considering, and agencies spend time on opportunities with a real reason to engage.
What to do next
Whether you are looking for the right agency partner or trying to understand where your agency fits within the Setup Agency Network, the best next step is a conversation.
For brands:
If you are looking for agency support, Setup can help you clarify the need, define the right partner model, and identify qualified agencies worth meeting.
For agencies:
If you are exploring Setup, tell us what your agency does best, who you serve well, and what kinds of brand opportunities you want more of. We’ll talk through fit, Agency Assessment, and whether the Setup Agency Collective is the right next step.
Better-fit agency connections have always been the point of Setup. We are just building a clearer system around them.
This blog was written by Joe Koufman, Founder + CEO of Setup.
Joe is the connector behind Setup. He leads the company’s vision, relationships, and broader marketing community strategy, helping brands find better-fit agency partners and cut through the noise of the agency search process. With decades of business development and marketing leadership experience across small, independent, and holding-company agency environments, Joe believes better marketing relationships start with better connections. He is also the author of The Connector’s Compass.
Setup CEO + Founder, Joe Koufman, sat down with Katie Williams, the CMO of The J.M. Smucker Company, to talk about the balance between humility and confidence, curiosity in leadership, empathy, taking chances, and more.