# How to set up Slack for an ad agency

> Set up Slack for an ad agency: one workspace, a channel per client, Slack Connect or guests for clients, tool bots, naming, and what the free plan keeps.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-06
- **Category**: Agencies
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-guides/how-to-set-up-slack-for-an-ad-agency

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Run one Slack workspace for the agency, give every client its own internal channels, and open a shared channel only for clients who want to talk in Slack. Fix your channel names on day one, put your ad tool bots in the internal channels, and move to a paid plan before the free plan's 90-day history and 10-app cap get in the way.

## What you are building

| Piece | What it is for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One workspace | The agency's home in Slack | Your agency name |
| Internal client channel | Team talk about one client | #client-northwind |
| Leads channel | New leads for that client | #client-northwind-leads |
| Alerts channel | Ad alerts for that client | #client-northwind-alerts |
| Shared channel | Talk with the client's own team | #ext-northwind |
| Agency channels | Work that is not about one client | #int-standup, #int-creative |

Clients never sit in the internal channels. That is where your team argues, drafts and fixes mistakes.

## Step by step

1. **Create one workspace** in the agency's name, signed up with a work email. Invite your team.
2. **Write the naming scheme before the first channel.** Copy our [Slack channel naming conventions for agencies](/templates/slack-channel-naming-conventions-for-agencies) and pin it in #general.
3. **Create the internal channels for each client.** Start with the client channel. Add -leads and -alerts once those messages start to drown the team talk.
4. **Decide how each client joins.** If the client has its own Slack, use [Slack Connect](/glossary/slack-connect), which links a channel between two companies. If not, invite their people as guests to the ext- channel only.
5. **Add your tool bots to the internal channels.** Lead alerts, ad alerts, reports and file links go there, not to the client.
6. **Name an owner and a backup** in each channel's description, for example "Owner: Priya Shah. Backup: Karan Mehta."
7. **Choose a plan.** Check the limits below against your client list.

## What the free plan allows

Slack's India pricing page lists these limits (checked 6 Nov 2026):

- **90 days of message history.** Your team sees only the last 90 days of messages.
- **Up to 10 apps** across the whole workspace, not per client.
- **Slack Connect 1:1 only.** Shared channels with client companies need a paid plan.

Say you run five clients and each needs a lead tool, an alerts tool and a shared drive app. That is three apps, plus your calendar, your file tool and your project board. You reach six apps on day one, and the next client tool pushes you toward the cap. Pro removes the app cap and costs INR 245.25 per user a month paid yearly (checked 6 Nov 2026). For 8 people that is 8 x INR 245.25 = INR 1,962 a month. See [Slack pricing in India](/prices/slack-pricing) for every plan.

## Common mistakes

- **One #clients channel for everyone.** Messages for five brands mix, and someone answers the wrong client.
- **Lead phone numbers in a shared channel.** Keep contact details in internal channels, or in the tool itself.
- **Clients added to internal channels "just for now".** They read the next argument about their budget.
- **No owner.** An alert that belongs to everyone gets answered by no one.

Use the [client onboarding checklist for agencies](/templates/client-onboarding-checklist-for-agencies) for the rest of the setup: access, tracking and goals.

We make Marxx. [Marxx in Slack](/features/slack) posts each client's leads, alerts and competitor ads into that client's own channel, and answers @Marxx questions about that client in the thread.

## FAQ

### Should each client get its own Slack workspace?

Usually not. One agency workspace with separate channels per client is easier to run. Use Slack Connect if a client already has a workspace and wants to talk there.

### Is the free plan enough for a small agency?

It can work for a team of two or three with few tools. The 90-day history, 10-app cap and 1:1-only Slack Connect are the usual reasons agencies move to Pro.

### Should clients see our ad alerts?

No. Alerts are raw signals your team needs to check first. Send the client a short summary of what you found and what you changed.

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