What to Look for in a YouTube Agency for Financial Services

If you've decided to invest in YouTube for your financial planning practice, the next decision is who to work with. There are hundreds of YouTube agencies and video production companies. Most of them have never worked with a financial advisor. Most of them have no idea what your local financial marketing regulations mean or why they matter.

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Choosing the wrong agency doesn't just waste money — it wastes months. You'll get generic content that doesn't resonate with your audience, compliance issues that your compliance team flags, and a channel that doesn't generate leads.

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Here's what to look for — and what to avoid.

Financial Services Experience Is Non-Negotiable

This is the single most important criterion. A general YouTube agency — even a very good one — doesn't understand your world.

Why it matters:
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• Compliance: Financial services content has real regulatory boundaries. An agency that doesn't understand the distinction between general and personal advice, licensing obligations, or local regulatory guidelines will write scripts that your compliance team rejects. You'll waste time in revision cycles and potentially publish content that puts you at risk.
• Audience understanding: Your viewers aren't watching for entertainment. They're watching because they have serious questions about their money. The tone, pacing, and depth of content that works for a financial advisor's audience is completely different from what works for a tech company or lifestyle brand.
• Topic expertise: An agency that specialises in financial services knows which topics drive qualified leads (retirement planning, tax-advantaged accounts, investing fundamentals) versus which ones attract the wrong audience. They've seen the data across multiple channels and can shortcut the trial-and-error period.

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What to ask: "Which financial services clients have you worked with? Can I see their channels?"

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If they can't name specific financial advisors, wealth managers, or financial services firms they've worked with — and show you the results — keep looking.

They Should Handle Strategy, Not Just Production

Many video production companies will film and edit your videos beautifully. But they expect you to tell them what to film. That's only half the service.

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A good YouTube agency for financial advisors should provide:

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• Topic research based on search demand, competition analysis, and your target audience
• Content strategy: what to publish, in what order, and why
• Script writing that balances educational value with compliance requirements
• Performance analysis: what's working, what isn't, and how to adjust
• Channel optimisation: titles, descriptions, thumbnails, cards, end screens, playlists

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If an agency's pitch is "you tell us what to film and we'll make it look good," they're a production house, not a YouTube growth partner. You're paying for strategic thinking, not just camera work.

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What to ask: "Who decides what topics I cover each month? How do you determine content strategy?"

Compliance Should Be Built Into the Process

For financial advisors, compliance isn't optional — and it shouldn't be an afterthought.

What good looks like:
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• Every script includes appropriate general advice language from the start
• The agency understands what you can and can't say under your licensing framework
• There's a clear review process before filming and before publishing
• The agency is willing to work directly with your compliance team
• Video descriptions include standard disclaimers as a template
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What bad looks like:
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• "We'll write the script and you can add the compliance stuff"
• No mention of compliance in their process
• Resistance to adding disclaimers because "it kills the vibe"
• No experience working with compliance teams

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What to ask: "How do you handle compliance in your production process? Have you worked with compliance teams before?"

Look at Their Results, Not Their Showreel

A slick showreel means they can produce good-looking video. It doesn't mean they can grow a YouTube channel.

What to look for:
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• Channel growth metrics: subscriber growth, view counts, watch time for channels they manage
• Lead generation results: not just vanity metrics, but actual business outcomes (enquiries, clients, revenue impact)
• Consistency: channels that publish regularly, not portfolios of one-off projects
• Relevant case studies: ideally in financial services, but at minimum in professional services where trust and expertise matter
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Red flags:
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• They show you their own YouTube channel (which has 200 subscribers)
• They show production quality but no growth metrics
• All case studies are from completely unrelated industries
• They can't share specific numbers

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What to ask: "Can you show me a financial advisor channel you manage? What were the results after 6 and 12 months?"

Understand What's Included (and What's Not)

Agency pricing varies widely because inclusions vary widely. Make sure you're comparing like for like.

Essential inclusions (these should all be standard):
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• Content strategy and topic research
• Script writing
• Filming (with their equipment)
• Professional editing
• Custom thumbnail design
• YouTube SEO (titles, descriptions, tags)
• Publishing and channel management
• Monthly performance reporting
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Things that are sometimes extra (ask upfront):
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• Short-form clips for social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok)
• YouTube Ads management
• Additional videos beyond the standard package
• In-person filming (some agencies charge travel costs)
• Channel setup and branding (some charge a setup fee)

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What to ask: "What's included in your monthly fee? Is there a setup fee? What costs extra?"

Ownership and Exit Terms Matter

Before signing, understand what happens if you leave.

You should own:
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• Your YouTube channel and all content on it
• All video files and raw footage (or at minimum, the published files)
• Your channel branding and artwork
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You should NOT be locked into:
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• Multi-year contracts with no exit clause
• Arrangements where the agency owns your channel
• Situations where your content is held hostage if you cancel

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A good agency is confident enough in their work to let you leave. They'll have reasonable minimum commitments (6 months is standard for YouTube, because results take time) but won't trap you.

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What to ask: "Do I own my YouTube channel and all content? What happens if I cancel — do I keep everything?"

The Australian Factor

If you're an Australian financial advisor, working with an Australian agency has real advantages:

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• Timezone alignment: no 6am or 11pm calls
• Cultural understanding: they know Australian financial services, super, the tax system, and how Australians communicate
• Compliance knowledge: ASIC, AFSL, RG 234 — not SEC, FINRA, or any other US regulatory framework
• In-person filming: if you're in the same city, in-person production quality is significantly better than remote
• Market knowledge: they understand the competitive landscape, what other Australian advisors are doing (or not doing), and where the opportunities are

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You can work with an overseas agency. But every compliance briefing, every cultural nuance, and every Australia-specific topic will require extra explanation. With an Australian agency, that context is already built in.

Questions to Ask in Your First Meeting

Use this checklist when evaluating any YouTube agency:

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• Which financial services clients have you worked with? Can I see their channels?
• How do you handle compliance — specifically your local regulatory guidelines and licensing requirements?
• Who determines the content strategy and topics each month?
• What does your production process look like, step by step?
• What's included in the monthly fee? What costs extra?
• What results have you achieved for similar clients after 6 and 12 months?
• What's the minimum commitment and cancellation process?
• Do I own my channel and all content if I leave?
• How do we communicate day to day?
• Can I speak to a current client as a reference?

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If an agency can't answer all of these confidently and transparently, that tells you something.

See How We Stack Up

We're Compound One — a done-for-you YouTube production agency that works exclusively with financial services firms. We built the system behind New Money (1M+ subscribers) and now produce channels for firms like Wattle Partners (400% lead increase in 12 months).

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If you want to see what a specialist financial services YouTube agency looks like in practice — whether you're in Australia or abroad — start with a free growth audit.

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We'll analyse your market and opportunities — no obligation.