Most pitches to a new social media client look the same: a deck about the agency, a list of services, a few case studies from other people's accounts. The prospect nods politely and goes back to their inbox.
The pitches that win do something different. They open with the prospect's own account and say something specific and true about it that the prospect had not noticed. That takes about 15 minutes, and everything you need is public.
A 15-minute content audit is a one-page analysis of a prospect's public short-form video results, built from their last 30 videos and two or three competitors. You calculate their median views, find the videos that beat it, check how often and when they post, compare formats and lengths, and finish with three findings and one test. It needs no login and no access to the account.
What you need
- The prospect's public profile, and the last 30 videos on it.
- Two or three competitors, ideally accounts the prospect already watches.
- A spreadsheet, with columns for link, date, length and views.
- Public data only. You will not see reach, retention or audience details, and the audit should say so.
The 15 minutes, step by step
| Minutes | Task | What you record |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 | Pull the last 30 videos | Link, post date, length and views for each |
| 3 to 6 | Set the baseline | Median views, the best video, and every video at 2× the median or more |
| 6 to 9 | Check cadence and timing | Posts per week, the days and hours they post, any long gaps |
| 9 to 12 | Compare formats and lengths | Which formats and lengths the outliers use, and which the rest use |
| 12 to 15 | Look at the competitors and write it up | What their outliers do that the prospect does not. Then three findings and one test |
Minutes 0 to 3: pull the last 30 videos
Thirty is enough for a stable median and small enough to do quickly. Keep the date range in mind: if the account posts daily, thirty videos is a month, and if it posts weekly, it is most of a year. Say which in the audit.
Minutes 3 to 6: set the baseline
Calculate the median with the spreadsheet formula, then divide each video by it to get an outlier score:
Mark every video at 2× or higher. The count is your first finding: how often does this account break out, and is it getting better or worse?
Minutes 6 to 9: check cadence and timing
Count posts per week and note the days and times. Long gaps show up immediately. Be careful with conclusions: posting time is a weak signal, so only mention it if something stands out, like a month with nothing.
Minutes 9 to 12: compare formats and lengths
Group the videos by type, such as talking to camera, tutorial, text on screen or behind the scenes. Then check which type the outliers belong to and how long they run compared with the rest. A pattern here is the most useful thing in the whole audit, because it points at something the account can change.
Minutes 12 to 15: look at the competitors and write it up
Do a quick version of the same steps for two or three competitors. Look for one thing: what their outliers have in common that the prospect's videos do not. Then write three findings and one test. Resist the urge to write ten.
The one-page template
Copy this structure into a document. Each line has a purpose, and the last one protects your credibility.
What it looks like when it works
This example is illustrative, with invented numbers. Imagine you audit a small skincare brand. Their median is 4,200 views. Three of their last 30 videos beat 2× the median, at 2.1×, 2.6× and 4.4×. All three open by showing the result before explaining anything. Their last ten videos open with a logo. Two of the three competitors you check open with the result too.
Your pitch writes itself, and it is honest:
- Finding 1: Their normal video gets about 4,200 views, and 3 of the last 30 did at least twice that.
- Finding 2: All three of those open with the result first. None of the last ten do.
- Finding 3: Competitors' best videos use the same opening.
- Test: Post six videos over 30 days that open with the result, and score each against the 4,200 median.
That is far more convincing than a deck, because it is about them, it is checkable, and it ends with a small, low-risk next step.
Mistakes that cost you the pitch
- Claiming things public data cannot show. Do not guess at reach, saves, watch time or sales. Say what you can see and say what you cannot.
- Comparing raw views with a bigger competitor. Compare each account with its own median, or the prospect will feel behind for no good reason.
- Writing too many findings. Three findings are remembered. Ten are skimmed.
- Promising results. A test is a test. Say what you will measure and when, not what will happen.
- Using too few videos. With fewer than about a dozen, the median swings too much.
How to do this for every prospect without a spreadsheet
The manual version takes 15 minutes per account, which is fine for one pitch and painful for ten. Statly does the repetitive parts. Add the prospect and their competitors to a niche, and it scans them every day, scores each video against its own account's median and shows the baseline, the outliers, the posting pattern and the best video lengths for each profile in Watchlist. Every table exports to CSV, so you can drop the numbers into your own template, and you can keep each client in a separate workspace with viewer, editor or admin roles for your team. See how agencies use Statly.
When the prospect says yes, the same research turns into creative briefs. Our 30-day UGC research system for agencies shows how.
Questions and answers
What is a content audit for social media?
A content audit is a review of an account's recent posts to see what is working. A short one covers the median views, the videos that beat it, how often and when the account posts, which formats and lengths perform, and what competitors do differently.
Can I audit a prospect's account without logging in?
Yes. You can audit any public account using public data: views, likes, comments, post dates and video lengths. You will not see private metrics such as reach, retention, saves or audience demographics, so say so in the audit.
How many videos should I include in the audit?
Use the last 30 where you can. That is enough for a stable median and small enough to do quickly. With fewer than about a dozen videos the median swings too much to trust.
How many findings should the audit include?
Three, each backed by a number, plus one test to run over the next 30 days. Three findings are remembered. A long list gets skimmed and weakens the pitch.
What should I leave out of a pitch audit?
Anything public data cannot show, such as reach, saves, watch time, sales or audience details, and any promise of results. State what you measured, what you could not measure, and what you will test.
Is there a free social media audit template?
The one-page structure in this guide is free to copy: prospect and sample, baseline, outliers, what the outliers share, cadence, competitor pattern, three findings, a 30-day test, and what the audit cannot show.