How to Build an RFP That Doesn’t Suck
Most RFPs suck.
Let’s just say what every ad agency is thinking: most Requests for Proposal don’t actually help you find the right match.They’re too vague to be useful, too rigid to be strategic, or too bloated to inspire anything but templated responses.
But the goal of an RFP isn’t just to collect paperwork. It’s to choose the right advertising agency for your business. If you want thoughtful, tailored responses from the best advertising agencies, the kind of partners that actually move the needle, you need to write an RFP that doesn’t make them roll their eyes and move on.
Here’s how to build one that actually works.
Decide If You Even Need an RFP
First things first: challenge the assumption that an RFP is required at all.
Many companies reach for the RFP process out of habit or because it feels like the right way to be thorough. But issuing an RFP too early or when it’s not necessary can drag out your timeline, limit who you hear from, and flood your inbox with proposals that all sound the same.
When it makes sense:
- You’re managing a large budget (typically $100K+) and need formal evaluation across multiple options.
- Your organization requires procurement compliance or board approval.
- You’re dealing with multiple stakeholders and want to align everyone on consistent criteria.
- You’re comparing agencies with overlapping capabilities and need an apples-to-apples format.
When it doesn’t:
- You’ve already identified a shortlist of agencies based on referrals or reputation.
- You’re hiring for a single project under $50K.
- You’re looking for chemistry and agility more than structured comparison.
- You can get what you need from a few honest conversations and a simple proposal.
Don’t build a 15-page RFP if you’re just looking for landing page copy or a short PPC test. Use the right tool for the job. Don’t let process get in the way of choosing the best agency for your business.
What Most Clients Don’t Consider About RFPs (From the Agency Side)
Responding to an RFP is expensive.
Not just in time, but in actual resources like strategy, creative, internal meetings, decks, and reviews. For most agencies, a well-developed RFP response is a multi-day investment across multiple team members. At least for the ones worth your time.
You’re essentially asking for a compressed version of a discovery process and pitch. Up front. For free. With no guarantee of a conversation.
That’s fine if the opportunity is big enough. But in most cases, it’s a gamble.
Agencies can’t and shouldn’t churn out 30+ RFPs a year just hoping a few hit. That’s not sustainable unless the agency is built for high volume work, running a sales team that specializes in proposals, or prioritizing scale over selectivity.
None of that is inherently bad. But it does mean that the agencies who participate in the most RFPs are often the ones best set up to win RFPs. They are not necessarily the ones best equipped to build long-term partnerships.
Meanwhile, some of the best agencies, highly specialized, process-oriented, and deeply creative, simply opt out. Not because they’re uninterested or arrogant, but because they’ve learned the ROI on unpaid proposals is too often negative. They’d rather spend that time serving existing clients or investing in thoughtful conversations with qualified prospects.
So what does that mean for you?
If you’re relying solely on an RFP to source candidates, you’re probably not seeing all the right agencies. You’re seeing the ones who can afford to play the RFP game. That’s a very different thing.
Want better candidates? Run a smarter process. Talk to people. Ask around. Then, if you need to formalize things, issue an RFP to a shortlist. Not the entire internet.
Start With the Problem, Not the Deliverables
If you’ve ever wondered why so many agency proposals feel generic, it’s because so many RFPs are.
Instead of explaining the actual business challenges behind the request, most RFPs jump straight into outputs. “We need a new website.” Or “We need 12 emails, 2 landing pages, and a Google Ads campaign.” Or “We want a rebrand with a 6-week timeline.”
The result? Agencies respond with surface-level solutions. You get estimates and timelines, but no real thinking.
If you want to hire an ad agency that gets results, your RFP needs to be more than a checklist of tactics. It should reflect the actual problems your business is trying to solve, and the kind of outcomes you expect from a top-tier agency partner.
Describe:
- Business context. What’s happening in your industry or organization that led you to seek agency support?
- Pain points. What isn’t working right now? Where are you stuck?
- Internal obstacles. Are there approval bottlenecks, budget constraints, or staffing gaps that could affect collaboration?
- Goals and outcomes. What would success look like six months after this engagement wraps?
The more transparent you are about the actual need, the more qualified agencies can tailor their thinking to address it. And if you’re not sure exactly what the problem is yet, say that. An honest RFP is always better than a polished fiction.
Define the Scope Without Overengineering It
The next mistake most RFPs make is swinging in the opposite direction. They try to define every deliverable, timeline, and output down to the last pixel.
That’s not scoping. That’s self-sabotage.
When you overprescribe, you limit what agencies can bring to the table. You’ve already solved the problem in your head, and now you’re just hiring hands to execute it. But what if you’re wrong?
Instead of outlining a menu, focus on defining boundaries.
Your RFP should include:
- Desired outcomes. What change are you hoping to drive?
- Mandatory requirements. Compliance needs, integrations, language support, etc.
- Optional components. Features or services you’d like but can live without.
- Audience or function. Who this work is meant to serve internally or externally.
If you’ve done work internally or with a past agency that created relevant assets or frameworks, include those too. But don’t expect agencies to rubber-stamp them. Their job is to build on your foundation, not stay boxed inside it.
Be Transparent About Budget and Timeline
Talking about money can feel uncomfortable. But withholding your budget doesn’t give you leverage. It gives you irrelevant proposals.
Agencies work across a wide spectrum of pricing models. Some are optimized for high-volume, low-cost production. Others are boutique teams that go deep and charge accordingly. If you don’t share your budget or at least a range, you force every agency into guesswork.
Some will aim high and scare you off. Others will aim low and underbid, only to scope-creep or underdeliver later. Either way, it’s a mess.
Instead, give them:
- A target budget or range, even if it’s broad.
- Whether that includes paid media or just agency fees.
- Whether travel, production, or third-party costs should be accounted for.
- Any relevant caps, funding cycles, or approval milestones.
Same goes for timeline. Don’t just say “ASAP” or “by Q2.” Share:
- Hard launch or campaign dates.
- When you expect to select a partner.
- How long internal reviews typically take.
- Flexibility on rollout timing.
Good agencies will work with you. But they can’t plan for what they don’t know.
Ask Smarter, More Strategic Questions
The questions you ask in an RFP are a mirror. If you ask generic ones, you’ll get generic answers.
And let’s be honest, half the RFPs we see ask the exact same questions in the exact same way:
- What makes you different?
- Describe your process.
- List your awards.
Every agency has canned answers for those. And they all sound good.
Instead, use the RFP as a way to understand how an agency thinks. Not just what they’ve done.
Ask things like:
- What challenges do you anticipate based on what we’ve shared?
- How would you approach prioritizing deliverables in a limited timeline?
- What would your first 30 days look like on this project?
- What does success look like in similar partnerships you’ve had?
You can also ask for a brief strategy outline or POV, but be respectful of time. Agencies will be more forthcoming when they’re not being asked for full-blown spec work upfront.
Make It Easy to Respond
This one gets overlooked constantly. But it matters more than you think.
If your RFP takes hours just to interpret, agencies will either ignore it or respond half-heartedly. The best agencies aren’t desperate. They’re discerning. The way you handle your process is a preview of what working with you will feel like.
Make it simple:
- Use a clean, scannable format (Word doc, PDF, etc).
- Allow email submissions. Avoid requiring proprietary portals unless required by procurement.
- Give at least two weeks to respond, more if the scope is complex.
- Don’t ask for unpaid spec work unless the budget justifies it. And even then, tread carefully.
And finally, communicate. Acknowledge receipt. Send reminders. Share timelines. Close the loop even if they’re not selected.
You’ll be shocked how much goodwill and better proposals you’ll get by including yourself in the process.
Final Thoughts
If you’re leading an RFP process, chances are you’re under pressure to get it right. You’re balancing internal expectations, real business challenges, and the pressure to find a partner who won’t just check boxes, but actually move the needle.
The hardest part? Getting to the root of the problem in a way that others inside your organization can rally around. And that outside partners can actually solve. That’s where most RFPs miss the mark. They’re over-engineered in the wrong places and under-defined in the ways that matter.
You don’t need a template. You need clarity.
That’s where we can help. At Frank, we offer a fresh set of eyes and an experienced perspective. We won’t write your RFP for you, but we can help you cut through the noise and better articulate the business problems you’re trying to solve so the agencies responding to you can actually respond with something meaningful.
If that sounds helpful, let’s talk. You’ll walk away with sharper language, a tighter scope, and a more focused process for finding the right agency, not just any agency.
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