UK Founders: The Paid Ad Consultant Vetting Guide

I see this question a lot from UK founders. You've built something great, you know you need to get it in front of more people, but the world of paid advertising feels like a minefield of over-promising agencies and "gurus" who burn through your cash with little to show for it. You're right to be cautious. Finding a genuine expert who can sustainably scale your customer base is difficult, but it's not because you need someone down the road in Birmingham or in the same London borough.

The problem is most business owners are looking for the wrong things. They get fixated on location, flashy websites, or slick sales pitches. The truth is, the best consultant for your Manchester-based SaaS company might be a specialist working from a spare room in Bristol. What you need isn't a local expert; you need a niche expert. Someone who lives and breathes your industry, understands your customer's pain points, and has a proven, repeatable track record of turning ad spend into profit. This guide is the framework for finding that person.

So, why is it so bloody difficult to find a good one?

The barrier to entry for calling yourself a "paid ads consultant" is basically zero. Anyone can watch a few YouTube videos, set up a Squarespace site, and start charging for services they barely understand. This floods the market with generalists who apply the same tired template to every client, regardless of whether you're selling artisan cheese or enterprise software. They talk a good game about "brand awareness" and "engagement" but go quiet when you ask about Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) or Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).

The other myth you need to ditch immediately is the obsession with locality. Unless you're running a single-location business like a restaurant and need someone for hyperlocal ads, their physical address is completely irrelevant. The pandemic proved that. We run campaigns for clients across the UK, Europe, and the US. What matters is their understanding of the digital landscape your customers inhabit, their strategic thinking, and their ability to communicate clearly. Do they understand the nuances of the UK consumer market? Yes, that's important. Do they need to be able to pop into your Shoreditch office for a coffee? Absolutely not. In fact, insisting on it drastically shrinks your pool of genuine talent.

You're not hiring a local SEO agency. You're hiring a strategic partner whose primary job is to navigate the complex algorithms of Google, Meta, and LinkedIn to find your next paying customer. Their success is measured in data, not postcodes. It's time to shift your mindset from finding someone *near* you to finding someone who is already *where you want to be* in terms of results for businesses like yours.

The Vetting Framework: How to Spot a Real Pro from a Pretender

Forget the sales pitch. Forget the fancy office. Here’s what actually matters. This is the exact process you should follow to seperate the wheat from the chaff. It's not about finding someone you like; it's about finding someone who can deliver.

1. Dissect Their Case Studies Like an Accountant

This is your number one tool. A case study is not a testimonial. It's a results-oriented report. If a consultant can't show you detailed case studies, the conversation is over. But don't just glance at the headline figures. Here’s how to properly analyse them:

• -> Niche Relevance: Is it a similar business model to yours? If you're a B2B SaaS founder, a case study about a local dog grooming business is useless. You want to see that they understand long sales cycles, lead nurturing, and talking to decision-makers. I remember one campaign we ran for a medical job matching SaaS platform. They came to us with a Cost Per User Acquisition of over £100, which was crippling them. By restructuring their Meta and Google Ads and focusing on intent-based keywords, we brought that down to just £7 per user. That's the kind of specific, relevant result you should be looking for.
• -> Real Metrics: Are they talking about revenue, ROAS, CPA, and lead-to-customer conversion rates? Or are they waffling on about "reach," "impressions," and "clicks"? The latter are vanity metrics. A 1000% ROAS for a subscription box client is a meaningful number. 10 million views for a luxury brand might be great for their objective, but if your objective is sales, you need to see sales figures.
• -> The 'How' and 'Why': Does the case study explain the strategy? Do they mention the challenges they faced and how they overcame them? A good consultant will tell you *why* they chose LinkedIn over Meta, or why they focused on a specific type of creative. It shows they are strategic thinkers, not just button-pushers.

If their case studies are vague, full of jargon, or not relevant to your business, they are not the right fit. It’s that simple.

2. The Initial Call is Your Audition (for Them)

Many founders treat the first call like a chance to be sold to. That's a mistake. You should be in the driving seat. A top-tier consultant will use this call to qualify *you* as much as you're qualifying them. They should be asking you sharp, insightful questions about your business model, customer lifetime value (LTV), profit margins, and sales process.

Here’s what to look for:

• -> They give advice freely: A confident expert isn't afraid to give away value on the first call. They might point out an obvious flaw on your landing page or suggest a targeting angle you haven't considered. We offer a free initial consultation where we review a potential client's ad account right there on the call. It's the fastest way to demonstrate expertise. If they're cagey or talk only in generalities, they're either inexperienced or hiding something.
• -> They manage expectations: A huge red flag is someone who promises the world. "Oh yeah, we'll get you a 10x ROAS in the first month, easy." Bullshit. A real pro will talk about a testing phase, about gathering data, and about the potential risks and challenges in your market. They'll be cautiously optimistic, not wildly overconfident.
• -> They talk about your business, not just ads: Do they ask about your lead quality? Your sales team's closing rate? Your customer churn? They should understand that paid ads are just one piece of the growth puzzle. If they can’t connect their work to your bottom line, they’re just a traffic provider, not a growth partner.

You should leave this call feeling like you've learned something, not like you've just been through a timeshare presentation. For more on this, check out our complete playbook for vetting paid media consultants in the UK.

Should you hire a consultant or try to do it yourself?

This is a question every founder faces. Running ads yourself seems cheaper initially, but the hidden costs in wasted spend and missed opportunities can be staggering. On the other hand, hiring the wrong consultant can be an expensive disaster. Here’s a simple framework to help you decide.

For a more detailed breakdown, we've written a guide on the true cost analysis of hiring a consultant versus going DIY, which can help you make a fully informed decision.

Red Flags: The Warning Signs You Absolutely Cannot Ignore

Part of finding the right partner is knowing how to spot the wrong one quickly. If you encounter any of the following, my advice is to walk away. There are plenty of good consultants out there; you don't need to settle for someone who raises these red flags.

• The "Guaranteed Results" Promise: This is the biggest lie in the industry. Nobody can guarantee results. There are too many variables: market changes, competitor actions, platform algorithm updates, the quality of your own offer. An expert will talk in terms of probabilities, benchmarks, and a data-driven process of optimisation. They'll promise a rigorous process, not a specific outcome.
• The Black Box Approach: If they're secretive about their methods, that's a problem. You should have full transparency and ownership of your ad accounts. They should be able to clearly explain their strategy, what they're testing, and why. If they talk about a "proprietary algorithm" or "secret sauce," they're usually just hiding their lack of a real strategy.
• Obsession with Vanity Metrics: As mentioned before, if there report focuses on clicks, impressions, or click-through rate (CTR) without tying it directly to your business goals (leads, sales, sign-ups), they are either incompetent or deliberately trying to mislead you. A high CTR is worthless if the traffic doesn't convert; in fact, it often means your ad is misleading, which is something you want to fix. If you're seeing lots of clicks but no sales, it points to a deeper issue you need to solve, often related to your ad creative and landing page alignment.
• Lack of Pushback: A good consultant is a partner, not a "yes-man". If you suggest a bad idea, they should have the confidence and expertise to tell you why it's a bad idea and propose a better alternative. If they just agree to everything you say, you've hired an expensive pair of hands, not a strategic brain.
• The Trust Deficit: This is a subtle one, but important. We've found that if a potential client has reviewed our detailed case studies, had a free, in-depth strategy call with us, and *still* asks for references to call our other clients, it's a sign of a fundamental lack of trust. That relationship is unlikely to work, because they will second-guess every decision. Vetting is crucial, but at some point you have to trust the evidence in front of you. If you can't, it's better for both sides to walk away.

How much does a good paid ads consultant cost in the UK?

This is where many founders get sticker shock, but it's crucial to understand the economics. You are not buying a commodity; you are investing in expertise that should generate a significant return. Cheap is almost always expensive in the long run due to wasted ad spend and missed growth.

In the UK, you'll typically encounter three pricing models:

1. Monthly Retainer: A fixed fee paid each month. This is common and ranges from £1,500/month at the lower end for a skilled freelancer to £5,000+/month for an experienced consultant or small, specialised agency. This model is good because the fee is predictable.
2. Percentage of Ad Spend: The consultant takes a cut of what you spend on ads, usually between 10-20%. This model aligns their incentives with scaling your spend, but can be problematic if they scale spend recklessly without maintaining profitability.
3. Hybrid/Performance Model: This is often a combination of a lower base retainer plus a performance bonus tied to specific KPIs (e.g., a percentage of revenue generated or a bonus for hitting a certain ROAS target). This can be the best of both worlds, as it provides them with stability while heavily incentivising them to hit your goals.

Be wary of anyone charging less than £1,000/month. At that rate, they simply can't afford to dedicate the necessary time and strategic thought to your account. They'll be forced to take on too many clients, and you'll get a cookie-cutter service. The real question isn't "what does it cost?" but "what is the potential return?". A £3,000/month consultant who generates £30,000 in profit is a bargain. A £500/month consultant who wastes £2,000 of your ad spend is a massive liability.

To give you a better idea, I've built a simple calculator below to estimate potential monthly fees based on your ad spend.

Making it Work: You've Hired Someone, Now What?

Signing the contract is just the beginning. The success of the relationship depends as much on you as it does on the consultant. This isn't a "set and forget" service. To get the sustainable growth you're looking for, you need to be an active partner.

First, agree on what success looks like. What are the 1-3 key performance indicators (KPIs) that truly matter? For a SaaS business, it might be 'Cost Per Qualified Trial'. For an eCommerce store, it's 'Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)'. For a service business, it's 'Cost Per Booked Appointment'. Agree on these upfront and make them the centre of all reporting and discussions.

Second, establish a communication rhythm. A weekly check-in call or email summary and a more detailed monthly report is a good standard. The report shouldn't just be a data dump from the ad platforms. A good consultant provides insights: "We tested three ad angles this month. Angle A, which focused on the pain point of X, delivered a 30% lower CPA. We're doubling down on this angle next month and testing it with a new video creative." That's actionable information.

Finally, your input is critical. Your consultant needs fast feedback on lead quality. Are the leads they're generating actually turning into customers? If not, why? This feedback loop allows them to quickly tweak targeting and messaging to improve quality. You also need to be responsive. If they need new ad creative or approval on a new landing page, delaying them costs you money and momentum. The best client-consultant relationships are true partnerships. For a deeper dive, read our guide on how to manage your paid ad agency for maximum ROI.

I've summarised the main points of this vetting process into a table below. You can use this as a checklist when you're speaking to potential consultants.

Finding the right consultant is one of the most impactful decisions you can make for your business's growth. It's not easy, and it requires diligence on your part. But by focusing on a proven track record, strategic depth, and a genuine partnership approach instead of meaningless factors like location, you drastically increase your chances of finding someone who can deliver the sustainable scaling you're looking for.

It’s an investment in expertise that, when you get it right, pays for itself many times over. Don't rush the decision. Use this framework, trust your gut, and partner with someone who is as serious about your business's bottom line as you are.

If you're a UK founder who is tired of the guesswork and wants a straightforward, no-nonsense assessment of your current advertising efforts, we offer a free 20-minute strategy session. We'll look through your accounts with you and give you our honest opinion on where the biggest opportunities for growth are. No sales pitch, just actionable advice.