How should a supplement brand write a marketing agency RFP?
A supplement brand should write a marketing agency RFP that states its products, channels and goals, gives a budget range, sets out claim, data and approval rules, asks the same questions of every agency, and explains how answers will be scored. A tight RFP makes proposals comparable. It also shows early which agencies understand FTC and FDA claim rules and which do not.
- Lead with your claims file: list the claims you can substantiate, so agencies propose campaigns inside them.
- Name every channel: DTC store, Amazon, retail, subscriptions and wholesale each change what an agency must do.
- Set your scoring weights before proposals arrive, and share them with agencies so they answer what you value.
- Ask for a sample claim-approval workflow and a sample report, not just case-study slides.
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What should a supplement brand's marketing agency RFP include?
A supplement agency RFP should include nine parts: company background, goals, scope, channels, budget range, compliance requirements, evaluation criteria with weights, timeline, and a fixed list of questions. Keep it to a few pages. Agencies answer a clear brief better, and you can compare their answers line by line.
The table shows what each part should cover. Fill in every row before you send it. If a row is blank because you have not decided, say so in the RFP. Agencies can then price options instead of guessing.
| RFP part | What to include | Why it matters for supplements |
|---|---|---|
| Background | Brand story, product lines, price points, launch dates, team and current agencies | Agencies need to know if you sell one hero SKU or a wide catalog |
| Goals | Two or three measurable outcomes, such as new-customer growth, subscription retention or Amazon share | Stops proposals that chase reach instead of revenue |
| Scope | Services wanted: paid social, search, Amazon advertising, SEO, email and SMS, creators, content, CRO | Lets you compare like with like |
| Channels | Share of sales by DTC, Amazon, retail and wholesale; subscription share | Channel mix shapes budget split and measurement |
| Budget range | Field left for the brand: [management fee range] and [monthly ad spend range] | Agencies scope to the budget instead of padding |
| Compliance | Claims list, approval workflow, creator disclosure rules, data and privacy rules | Filters out agencies that write risky copy |
| Evaluation | Criteria and weights the brand sets | Tells agencies what you value |
| Timeline | Questions deadline, proposal deadline, presentations, decision, start date | Keeps the process moving |
| Questions | A fixed list every agency must answer in order | Makes scoring fair |
How should you describe your brand, products and goals?
Describe your brand in facts, not adjectives. List your products, formats, price points and the claims you make for each. Give your current channel mix, your main customer groups and what has and has not worked. Then set two or three goals with a number and a date that you choose.
Agencies plan better when they know your constraints. Say if a product is reformulating, if stock is tight, or if a retail launch is coming. Say which claims your legal team has approved and which are under review. That avoids proposals built on headlines you cannot run.
Facts to include
- Products and formats, with the key structure/function claim for each.
- Where you sell, and which channel you want to grow first.
- Current monthly ad spend by platform, if you are comfortable sharing it.
- Customer data you hold: list sizes, subscription base, repeat-purchase data.
- Tools you already use for the store, email, SMS, reviews and analytics, described by category.
- Who will approve work and how fast they can respond.
Writing goals agencies can plan against
A good goal names the metric, the data source and the period. For example: grow new DTC customers each month, measured in your store's analytics, over the next two quarters. Leave the target figure for you to set. Avoid goals tied to platform-reported ROAS alone, because each platform counts conversions its own way. Our 2026 supplement marketing plan template can help you set goals first.
What compliance requirements belong in a supplement RFP?
A supplement RFP should state your claim rules, approval workflow, creator and review rules, data rules and adverse-event routing. Ask each agency to confirm it will work within them. Agencies that push back on claim limits, or promise results that need disease claims, tell you a lot before you sign anything.
Supplements may carry structure/function claims with the FDA disclaimer, but not disease claims, under DSHEA and 21 CFR § 101.93. The FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance expects health claims to be backed by competent and reliable scientific evidence. Creators must disclose material connections under the FTC Endorsement Guides. The FTC rule on consumer reviews and testimonials bans fake reviews and reviews bought on condition of sentiment.
Requirements to list
- Agency drafts only from the brand's approved claims list.
- Every ad, page, email, SMS and creator brief is approved in writing before launch.
- No disease, cure, prevention or treatment language anywhere, including comment replies.
- Creator and affiliate disclosures follow FTC guidance, and the agency monitors them.
- Review requests never offer rewards tied to a positive rating.
- Health complaints in comments, DMs or reviews go to the brand the same business day. The brand must report serious adverse events to FDA within 15 business days under 21 U.S.C. § 379aa-1.
- Tracking and data sharing follow your privacy policy and state consumer health data laws.
- All accounts and data stay in the brand's name.
Ask for a short written answer on each item. For more on the platform side, see our page on Meta and Google ad policies for supplements.
What questions should a supplement brand ask agencies in an RFP?
Ask questions that reveal how an agency works, not just what it has done. Focus on claim handling, channel strategy, measurement, staffing, ownership and exit. Ask every agency the same questions in the same order, and ask for examples or samples instead of promises.
- Who will work on our account, what are their roles, and how many hours a month will each give?
- How do you build and maintain a claims list with a supplement brand?
- Show us your claim-approval workflow, with a redacted example.
- How do you handle a creator who adds an unapproved claim?
- How would you split our budget between DTC, Amazon and retail support?
- How do you measure new-customer cost and repeat purchase outside platform reporting?
- What would you test in the first 90 days, and in what order?
- How do you set up tracking for health-related products, and which data do you keep off ad platforms?
- What do you do when a customer reports a side effect in the comments?
- Whose name will every account and creator license be in?
- Share a sample monthly report.
- What is your fee model, and what does it include and exclude?
- What does your handover look like if we part ways?
Compare answers with our supplement agency contract checklist, so what an agency promises in the RFP ends up in the contract.
What does a copy-ready supplement agency RFP outline look like?
Use the outline below as your RFP. Replace each bracket with your own details. Keep sections in this order so every proposal follows the same structure. Send it to a short list of agencies, give them a questions window, and share answers to questions with every agency at once.
- About us: [brand, founding year, products, formats, price points, team].
- Where we sell: [DTC store, Amazon, retail, wholesale; subscription share].
- Our goals: [two or three goals with metric, data source, period and target set by us].
- Scope: [services wanted; services we keep in-house].
- Budget: [management fee range] and [monthly ad spend range].
- Claims and compliance: [approved claims list attached; approval workflow; creator and review rules; adverse-event routing].
- Data and privacy: [tools in use by category; data that must stay off ad platforms; account ownership rule].
- Questions for agencies: [fixed list, answered in order].
- What to send: [proposal, team, sample report, sample approval workflow, fee schedule, draft contract].
- How we will score: [criteria and weights].
- Timeline: [questions due, proposals due, presentations, decision, start date].
- Contact: [name, email, single point of contact].
Add a short confidentiality note, since your claims list and sales figures are sensitive. Ask agencies to confirm they will not reuse your materials. If you plan to sign an NDA first, say so at the top of the RFP and send it before you share the attachments.
How should a supplement brand score agency responses?
Score each response against criteria and weights you set before proposals arrive. Use a simple scale, such as one to five per criterion, and have at least two people score on their own before comparing. Weight compliance handling and measurement heavily, because those are hardest to fix after you sign.
| Criterion | Weight (brand sets) | What a strong answer shows |
|---|---|---|
| Claim and compliance handling | [ ]% | A real approval workflow, a claims list process, creator controls |
| Channel strategy | [ ]% | A reasoned split across DTC, Amazon and retail, tied to your goals |
| Measurement and reporting | [ ]% | Metrics from your own data, a clear sample report, honest limits |
| Team and capacity | [ ]% | Named people, stated hours, supplement or health-brand experience |
| Data and privacy | [ ]% | Named tools, clear rules on health-related data |
| Ownership and exit | [ ]% | Everything in your name; a written handover list |
| Fees and value | [ ]% | A fee model you can trace, with inclusions and exclusions |
After the written round
Invite the top two or three agencies to present. Ask the people who would run your account to attend, not only the sales lead. Give each agency the same short exercise, such as reviewing one of your product pages and flagging claim risks. Then check references, asking past clients how the agency handled claim reviews, reporting and handover. Rescore after the presentations, using the same weights, so the final choice rests on evidence rather than the best pitch.
Red flags in responses
- Guaranteed ROAS, revenue or rankings.
- Sample ads that imply a supplement treats or prevents a disease.
- Vague answers on who owns accounts and creator content.
- No answer on adverse-event routing.
Ichelon Consulting US answers supplement RFPs with a named team, a sample Monday report and retainers from $499/month, custom-scoped. You can book a call to ask questions before you issue an RFP, or read more on our supplement and D2C health brand marketing page.
Related pages from the US team
Supplement & D2C Health Brand Marketing
How Ichelon Consulting US plans and runs supplement brand marketing.
Supplement agency contract checklist
Ten clauses to check before you sign.
2026 supplement marketing plan template
Set goals and budget before you brief agencies.
How much a nutraceutical agency costs
Pricing models and cost drivers explained.
Every practice welcome — Goals-Driven engagements from $499/mo
We benchmark your last 90 days, agree monthly goals with you, and track them live on Ichelon Agency OS with a report every Monday. Performance-Linked Payout Models are available. Our US leadership is based in Dallas, and strategy calls run in US business hours.
Common questions
How long should a supplement brand's marketing agency RFP be?
A supplement brand's agency RFP works best at a few pages plus attachments. Cover background, goals, scope, channels, budget range, compliance rules, scoring criteria, timeline and a fixed question list. Attach the approved claims list separately. A short, specific RFP gets more comparable proposals than a long one that leaves agencies guessing at what matters.
Should a supplement brand share its budget in an RFP?
Yes, a supplement brand should share a budget range for the management fee and for monthly ad spend. Without it, agencies scope to very different sizes and proposals are hard to compare. A range protects your negotiating position while letting agencies propose what is realistic. Ask each agency to show what changes at the low and high ends.
What compliance questions should a supplement brand ask an agency?
Ask how the agency builds a claims list, who approves copy, how it controls creator scripts and disclosures, how it handles review requests, and what it does when a customer reports a side effect. Supplements may make structure/function claims but not disease claims. An agency that cannot describe a written approval workflow is a risk.
How should a supplement brand weight RFP scoring criteria?
A supplement brand should set its own weights before proposals arrive and share them with agencies. Many brands weight compliance handling and measurement heavily, because weak claim control or poor tracking is costly to fix later. Score each criterion on a simple scale, have at least two people score separately, then compare and discuss differences.
How many agencies should a supplement brand send an RFP to?
Send an RFP to a short list of agencies you have already screened, rather than to everyone. A short list keeps reviewing manageable and lets you give each response real attention. Screen first for supplement or health-brand experience, account-ownership practices and willingness to work within an approved claims list, then invite those agencies to respond.
A note on this guide: it explains marketing practice, not legal advice. Rules on privacy, advertising and insurance change and vary by state, so confirm anything compliance-related with your own counsel.
Preparing a supplement agency RFP?
Book a call with Ichelon Consulting US. We can talk through scope, claim rules and scoring with you, and send our sample report and approval workflow.