An agency's public client list establishes that the agency presented the creator as a client on the date you checked. It does not independently establish the current relationship, the full service scope, or who writes the creator's messages.
Treat the listing as a source claim and look for corroborating public information relevant to your specific question.
Check the listing before interpreting it
Read the page itself. Confirm the creator's public handle or linked destination, not just a similar display name or photograph.
Look at the surrounding heading. “Clients,” “past campaigns,” “featured creators,” and “people we admire” describe different relationships. A logo wall without a clear label provides less usable information than a dated project description.
If the page is unavailable and all you have is a search snippet, preserve that limitation rather than claiming a full-page inspection.
Seek a matching public statement
A creator linking to the same business or naming its role can strengthen the source chain. The two statements should refer to the same creator, time period, and activity.
A fictional agency might list a creator under a past promotional campaign while the creator names it as a former commercial representative. Those statements could agree on a historical relationship without describing current account operation.
Matching names alone are insufficient. The role and date matter.
Separate status from scope
Use a two-column note:
Scroll across the table on smaller screens.
| Relationship question | Operational question |
|---|---|
| Is a current relationship publicly supported? | What task is publicly described? |
| Is the source current or historical? | Does the statement actually cover messages? |
| Do the sources refer to the same public identity? | Are any limits or exceptions stated? |
A clear answer in the first column does not automatically fill the second.
OnlyDetect's methodology treats public sources and their observation times as evidence. It does not claim access to private agency contracts.
Write the narrowest accurate conclusion
Appropriate wording might be: “The business listed this public profile under a named campaign on the date checked.” If the creator's own statement confirms a role, attribute that statement too.
Avoid “verified agency-run” unless the evidence actually establishes the operational claim and its current scope. Do not infer fraud if an old page is slow to update.
The editorial policy separates a published claim from an independent finding. The management versus representation guide explains why even a supported business relationship may not answer the message-authorship question.