London's Guide to Hiring a Facebook Ads Expert

Right then. You're a coach in London, and you're drowning in a sea of freelance "experts" all promising you the world with Facebook ads. They've got slick websites, talk a big game about funnels and ROAS, but you've got a nagging feeling they're all full of it. You're right to be sceptical. The truth is, most of them are useless for a business like yours.

They've cut their teeth selling fast-fashion from a Shopify store or dropshipping widgets, and they think generating a qualified lead for a £5,000 coaching package is the same thing. It isn't. It's a completely different discipline, and if you hire the wrong person, you'll burn through your cash faster than a tourist on Oxford Street. I've seen it happen dozens of times. What you need isn't a generalist; you need a specialist who understands the nuance of selling a high-value service to a discerning clientele.

So, why are most London 'Facebook Ads gurus' a waste of money?

The problem starts with the very promise they make. "Guaranteed results" is the first red flag. Tbh in paid advertising, you can't really promise anything. Anyone who tells you they can guarantee X number of leads for Y budget is either lying or naive. The platform changes, audiences get fatigued, and what worked last month might completely bomb this month. A real expert knows this; they talk about a process of rigorous testing and optimisation, not about guarantees.

The second issue is their background. London's ad scene, especially around the Shoreditch and Old Street tech hub, is heavily skewed towards e-commerce and B2C apps. These freelancers are conditioned to chase volume and low-cost conversions. They see a £5 Cost Per Lead and think they're doing a great job. But what good are 100 leads at £5 each if none of them are qualified, can't afford your services, and waste hours of your time on dead-end discovery calls? One campaign we worked on for a course creator generated $115k in revenue by focusing intensely on the *quality* of the lead, not just the cost. A cheap lead from a bad audience is worthless.

They're focused on vanity metrics. Clicks, impressions, even cheap leads. These look great in a monthly report but do nothing for your bank balance. A proper specialist for a coaching business knows the only numbers that matter are Cost Per Booked Call, Cost Per Qualified Call, and ultimately, your Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) for a new paying client. If your freelancer isn't speaking this language from day one, you're on the wrong track. It's a common issue we see, and it's why so many businesses find they're just wasting money on London Facebook ads without a clear strategy tied to actual business outcomes.

How do you actually vet a freelancer without getting burned?

You need a framework. A simple, no-nonsense process to filter out the time-wasters and identify the genuine experts. It boils down to two key tests: the Case Study Test and the Discovery Call Test.

The Case Study Test

This is your first line of defence. Before you even speak to them, demand to see their case studies. And don't be fobbed off with vague claims or flashy logos. You need to see specifics, and more importantly, you need to see *relevance*. If you're a leadership coach targeting execs in Canary Wharf, a case study about selling jewellery on Pinterest is irrelevant. It shows they can work the platform, but it tells you nothing about their ability to understand your audience's deep-seated problems.

You're looking for experience with:
-> Coaches, consultants, or therapists.
-> High-ticket service providers.
-> Lead generation campaigns, not just e-commerce sales.
-> Businesses that require a consultation or sales call to close a deal.

For instance, we've helped a recruitment SaaS reduce their CPA from £100 down to just £7. That's a lead generation campaign focused on a specific professional audience. That experience is far more applicable to a coach than a case study boasting a "1000% Return On Ad Spend" for a subscription box. The context is everything.

The Discovery Call Test

If they pass the case study test, the next step is a call. This is where you turn the tables. Don't let them just pitch you. You need to interrogate them. The quality of the questions they ask *you* is the single biggest indicator of their expertise.

A novice will ask: "What's your monthly ad budget?" or "Who is your target audience?"
An expert will ask: "What's your average client lifetime value (LTV)?" "What's your current sales process from lead to close?" "What specifically defines a 'qualified' lead for you versus a 'bad' lead?" "What are the biggest objections you face on sales calls?"

See the difference? The expert is thinking about your entire business system, not just the ads. They understand that the ads are just one part of the puzzle. They're trying to figure out if they can actually get you a return on your investment, not just spend your money. This process can feel daunting, which is why having a clear plan for vetting Facebook ad experts in a competitive market like London is so important.

To make it clearer, here's a simple flowchart for your vetting process.

What should I expect to pay a decent freelancer in London?

Let's be brutally honest here. You get what you pay for. If you're looking for someone on PeoplePerHour or Upwork for £500 a month, you're going to get someone who is either inexperienced, overloaded with clients, or just plain bad at their job. They'll set up a campaign, let it run, and send you a report. That's not management; that's administration.

A genuine expert who will dedicate time to understanding your business, crafting bespoke ad copy, testing audiences, and optimising for qualified calls will charge a proper fee. In London, for a skilled freelancer or a small, specialised agency, you should expect to pay a monthly retainer. This fee is for their time, strategy, and expertise.

Pricing models you'll encounter:

-> Flat Monthly Retainer: This is the most common and, in my opinion, the best model for lead generation. It aligns your interests. You're paying for their brain and their time, regardless of ad spend. For a good freelancer in London, expect this to be anywhere from £1,500 to £4,000+ per month.

-> Percentage of Ad Spend: More common for large e-commerce accounts. Typically 10-20% of spend. This model is flawed for lead gen as it incentivises the freelancer to simply spend more of your money, not necessarily to get better results.

-> Performance-Based: Sounds great in theory ("pay per lead"), but it's rare. A good freelancer won't work this way because too many factors outside their control (your website, your sales process, your offer) affect the final outcome. If someone offers you this, they're likely desperate for clients and will probably send you low-quality leads to hit their numbers.

The bottom line is you need to see this as an investment. A £2,000/month retainer might sound steep, but if that expert brings you just one new coaching client worth £5,000, you've already made a significant return. A cheap freelancer will cost you their fee *plus* all the wasted ad spend. It's the most expensive mistake you can make. Understanding the real cost of Facebook ads management in London is the first step to budgeting for success.

What numbers actually matter for a coaching business?

This is where we separate the pros from the amateurs. Most coaches come to us obsessed with Cost Per Lead (CPL). They've heard it's the metric to watch. It's not. For a high-touch business, CPL is a vanity metric. You could have a £2 CPL, but if they're all time-wasters, your true cost is infinite.

You need to think like an investor and calculate your maximum affordable cost per lead. This starts with knowing your numbers. The most important one? Customer Lifetime Value (LTV).

Let's break it down:

Average Revenue Per Client (ARPC): What's a typical client worth to you over their entire engagement? Let's say it's £6,000.
Gross Margin: For a coach, this is usually high. Let's say it's 90% after any minor costs.
Your LTV (Gross Margin) is £5,400.

Now, a healthy business model aims for at least a 3:1 ratio of LTV to Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). This means you can afford to spend up to £1,800 (£5,400 / 3) to acquire one new client.

The final step is to work backwards from your sales process.
If you close 1 in every 5 qualified discovery calls (a 20% close rate), you can afford to pay up to £360 per qualified call (£1,800 / 5).

This is your magic number. Now, when a freelancer tells you they can get you leads for £50, you can ask the right follow-up question: "That's great, but what percentage of those leads typically turn into a *qualified discovery call*?" If they don't know, or can't answer, they're not the right fit.

To help you figure this out for your own business, here's an interactive calculator.

What does a "good" Facebook Ads strategy for a London coach look like?

Alright, so you've found a good freelancer who understands your numbers. What should they actually *do*? A common mistake is to just run ads straight to a "Book a Call" landing page. This is like asking someone to marry you on the first date. It's too much, too soon. For a high-value service, you need to build trust and demonstrate value first.

A simple but effective funnel is what's needed. It's not about complex, 20-step sequences; it's about a logical progression of trust-building.

The key here is that you're not just blasting a cold audience with a hard sell. You're filtering and qualifying people at each stage. By the time someone reaches your "Book a Call" page from a retargeting ad, they already know who you are, what you stand for, and how you can help them. They are infinitely more likely to be a qualified lead. The principles are very similar to what we've used for other high-value offerings, and you can find more detail in this guide for UK course creators, as the strategy overlaps quite a bit.

Should I hire a freelancer or an agency? And does 'local' really matter?

This is a common question. Do you go for a solo practitioner or a larger agency? And do they need to be able to meet you for a coffee in Covent Garden?

Freelancer vs. Agency:

-> Freelancer: You'll likely get more direct attention from the expert themselves. They are often more flexible and can be more agile. The downside is they are a single point of failure; if they get sick or go on holiday, your campaigns might be left unattended. A good freelancer is an extension of your team.

-> Agency: They have more resources, a team of people, and potentially broader experience. However, you risk being assigned a junior account manager who is just following a template. You're often paying for the agency's overheads. Make sure you know who, specifically, will be working on your account.

There's no right answer, it depends on your needs and comfort level. The important thing is the expertise of the individual *actually doing the work*. This is a critical point that many overlook when they start their search for a freelancer in London.

Does Local Matter?

Honestly? No. The idea that you need a "local" ads manager is outdated. I'd argue that expertise trumps geography every single time. A world-class lead generation specialist based in Manchester who has a proven track record with coaches is infinitely more valuable than a mediocre generalist based down the road from you in Islington.

The work is done online. The meetings are on Zoom. The results are in the ad account. As long as they understand the UK market and your specific clientele, their physical location is irrelevant. Don't limit your search to the M25. In fact, broadening your search often means you can find better talent for a more reasonable price. The solution is almost always to find the right expert, not the closest one.

To wrap things up, hiring the right person is a process of systematic vetting. It's not about being wowed by a sales pitch; it's about finding a strategic partner who understands your business model and is focused on the metrics that actually drive growth.

This is the main advice I have for you:

Why you might just need an expert hand

You can, of course, try to do all of this yourself. You can spend months learning the nuances of the Meta Ads platform, thousands of pounds testing what works, and countless hours that could have been spent doing what you do best: coaching your clients.

But the reality is that paid advertising is a full-time profession. It requires constant learning, testing, and adaptation. Hiring an expert isn't an admission of failure; it's a strategic decision to buy back your time and leverage specialised knowledge to grow your business faster and more predictably. It's an investment in a system for consistent client acquisition, not just another business expense.

Ultimately, managing a freelancer or agency effectively is a skill in itself. It requires clear goals, mutual trust, and a focus on the right data. When you find the right partner, they become one of the most valuable assets in your business.

If you're tired of the guesswork and want a no-nonsense audit of your current advertising efforts, or a clear strategy to finally start generating qualified leads, we offer a free 20-minute consultation. We'll look at your business, your goals, and give you honest, actionable advice you can use, whether you decide to work with us or not.