Ask an agency how they decide what the first three seconds of a video should be, how they choose which soundbites to cut from an interview, and how they narrow a complex product down to a memorable few points. If they answer with craft language about hooks, pain, sequencing, and pacing (rather than gear lists and turnaround times) you are talking to storytellers. If they lead with camera bodies and delivery timelines, you are talking to a production shop.
Pretty footage is cheap now. Storytelling is not. Below are the questions that separate the two, along with what a strong answer actually sounds like.
How do you decide what to put in the first five seconds of a video?
This is the single most revealing question you can ask. Most agencies will say something like "a strong hook" or "a great shot," which tells you nothing.
A storytelling-first agency will talk about pain. The opening should hit a relevant pain or desire the target viewer is already carrying, not an interviewee introducing themselves, not a company history slate, not a logo animation. The reason is simple: no one cares who is talking yet. They care whether the video is about something they already feel. If the agency cannot articulate that, everything downstream will drift toward "corporate video."
What storytelling framework do you use, and why that one?
You want an agency with a defined structure, not vibes. Ask them to name it. At Full Send, the answer is Donald Miller's StoryBrand framework: hook the viewer with a pain, position the brand as the guide, offer a clear plan, and paint the outcome. It works because it puts the viewer (not the client) at the center of the story.
The framework itself matters less than the fact that they have one and can defend it. An agency that cannot explain their structural point of view will improvise every project, and improvised structure is where flat videos are born.
Can you show me a project where the raw footage was weak and you made it work anyway?
This question filters out agencies who only look good when the source material is already good. Ask for a specific example, ideally one where they were handed footage from a previous vendor.
A telling proof point: Full Send once reedited a client testimonial that a previous agency had already produced (and that had fallen flat to the point of being nearly unwatchable) from the exact same footage. It became one of that client's most impactful pieces. Nothing changed except soundbite selection, sequencing, rhythm, and pacing. If an agency has a story like that, they are editors first and shooters second, which is what you want.
How do you edit music and sound to match the story?
Listen for specifics. Generic answers ("we pick great tracks") are a red flag. Strong answers describe the actual work: mapping the turns of the story, then trimming, extending, and rearranging the song so the musical turns land on the story turns, so energy rises and falls in lockstep with the narrative.
Ask if they build "impact moments," those spots where the music drops out under a powerful line, a reverb tail hangs, a riser builds, and the track slams back in as the line concludes. That is punctuation you can hear, and it is the difference between a video that plays in the background and one that makes a room go quiet.
For a SaaS explainer, how many features would you show, and how do you choose them?
The right answer is a small number, and they should explain why. Full Send narrows to three, mapped to the viewer's pains and the outcomes those features unlock. The reasoning: if everything is exciting, nothing is. If everything is loud, nothing is loud.
If the agency says "we'll cover all your features," politely end the meeting. That answer produces a demo, not a story. For a deeper look at the tradeoffs here, see Full Send's take on choosing the best explainer video style for SaaS brands.
How do you position our brand inside the story?
Storytelling agencies place the brand as the guide, never the hero. The viewer is the hero. Ask how they introduce your company in a video. A strong answer: state the brand name, then follow it immediately with one or two positioning phrases that tell the viewer who you help, what you are qualified to do, and what outcomes you deliver. That is it. No origin story. No values slide. Guide, plan, outcome.
What is your process before you ever pick up a camera?
Great storytelling is decided in pre-production. If the agency treats discovery, scripting, and structural planning as a checklist, the story will suffer. If they treat pre-production as the main event, you are in good hands. Full Send's team has written about why pre-production is the unseen hero of every video that actually works.
How to use these questions
You do not need to fire all seven at once. Pick the opening-seconds question and the weak-footage question first. Those two alone will tell you 80% of what you need to know. If the agency answers with craft, specifics, and a point of view, keep going. If they answer with equipment and process diagrams, keep looking.
When you are ready to compare notes with a team that leads with story, talk to Full Send.
