What to Include in a Paid Media Statement of Work

Most disagreements between a brand and its media partner trace back to a statement of work that left something implicit. The document does not need to be long, but it does need to answer the questions that otherwise surface in month three.

Describe scope as activities, not as outcomes

List the activities being delivered, how often, and by whom. Outcomes belong in a separate section as targets that both parties understand to be forecasts. Blurring the two creates an expectation of guaranteed results that no media buyer can honestly offer.

Define the account ownership question

State clearly who owns the advertising accounts, who owns the creative assets, and what happens to both when the engagement ends. Ambiguity here is the single most common cause of a difficult separation.

Set the reporting cadence and the decision rights

Name the weekly review, the monthly business review, and who on the client side is authorised to approve budget changes. Without a named approver, approvals wait and delivery slows, and it is usually the agency that is blamed for the delay.

State the assumptions

List the conditions the plan depends on: access to accounts within a defined period, product feed quality, landing page response times, and the availability of someone who can answer questions about the product. Assumptions written down become a useful checklist rather than an excuse.

Handle changes and termination plainly

Describe how a scope change is requested and priced, and how either party ends the engagement. A clear notice period and a defined handover obligation make the end of an engagement a routine event rather than a dispute.