EdTech Founder's Guide To Vetting London LinkedIn Ads Experts

I see this all the time. An ambitious EdTech founder in London, sitting on a brilliant product, pouring money into LinkedIn Ads with a generic B2B agency and getting absolutely nowhere. The leads are junk, the cost per click is eye-watering, and you're left wondering why a platform supposedly perfect for B2B is failing you so badly. Let me be blunt: the platform isn't the problem. The problem is that you're hiring the wrong people.

London is saturated with agencies that claim to be 'LinkedIn Ads experts'. But the vast majority of them cut their teeth on fast-growth SaaS companies selling a £100/month subscription to other tech companies. They think a B2B sale is a B2B sale. For EdTech, this assumption is financial suicide. Your sales cycle isn't a 14-day free trial; it's a multi-month, multi-stakeholder negotiation tied to school budgets and academic years. Treating it the same way you'd sell project management software is like trying to perform surgery with a sledgehammer. It's messy, expensive, and it wont work.

Over the next few minutes, I'm going to give you a framework for finding a partner who actually gets it. We'll go through why the generalists fail, what to look for in a true specialist, the exact questions to ask to expose the pretenders, and how to set a realistic budget. This isn't about finding an agency; it's about finding an extension of your growth team who understands the unique rythm of the UK education market.

Why Do Most London B2B Agencies Get EdTech So Wrong?

The core issue is a fundamental misunderstanding of your customer's world. A typical B2B agency sees a target like "Head of IT" and thinks they've cracked it. They'll run a standard campaign offering a demo and call it a day. But in EdTech, the Head of IT is just one piece of a very complicated puzzle. Who actually *feels* the pain your product solves? It's probably a Head of Department or an individual teacher. Who holds the budget? That might be the school business manager or the headteacher. Who has to approve the technical implementation? The Head of IT or the Multi-Academy Trust's (MAT) central team. Who might veto it based on curriculum alignment? The Deputy Head (Academic).

A generic agency doesn't think this way. They see a single transaction, not a relationship-building process. They don't understand that you can't just barge in during term time or expect a major purchasing decision in August. They don't get the nuance between a state-funded primary, an independent sixth form college, or a Russell Group university. To them, it's all just 'education'. This lack of specific domain knowledge leads to three critical failures:

1. Flawed Targeting: They'll target broad job titles like "Teacher" and wonder why the leads are from individuals with no purchasing power. A real specialist knows you need to layer targeting: Job Title ("Head of Maths") + Company Industry ("Primary/Secondary Education") + Company Size + Geographic Location (e.g., boroughs within the M25). They know how to build audiences based on specific school names or university lists. It's surgical, not a scattergun approach.

2. Wrong Offer & Messaging: The classic "Request a Demo" call to action is often a poor fit for an overworked teacher or department head. Your offer needs to align with their immediate needs. A downloadable classroom resource, a case study from a similar school (e.g., another school in the same London borough), or an invitation to a short webinar might be far more effective at starting a conversation. The messaging has to speak their language, referencing curriculum challenges or OFSTED frameworks, not generic business jargon like "streamline workflows".

3. Misaligned Timelines & KPIs: The agency will be looking for a quick return within 30-60 days to prove their worth. Your sales cycle could be 6-12 months. This creates a massive disconnect. They'll optimise for cheap, top-of-funnel leads (e.g., a simple content download) to make their reports look good, but these leads will never convert. You need a partner who is patient, who understands the need for lead nurturing, and who measures success not by cost per lead (CPL), but by the cost to acquire a paying school or university, even if that takes two academic terms.

To put it simply, they're playing a different game. This is what the difference in process often looks like:

What Should You Actually Be Looking For?

Now you know what to avoid, let's focus on what a great partner looks like. It boils down to three non-negotiable traits. If a potential agency or consultant can't tick all three of these boxes, they are not the right fit for your London EdTech company. End of story.

1. Provable, Hyper-Relevant Case Studies

This is the most important one. Don't accept vague claims of "B2B experience". You need to see concrete proof that they have successfully navigated the education sector before. Ask to see case studies from clients in EdTech, e-learning, corporate training, or student recruitment. For example, one B2B software campaign we ran on LinkedIn successfully generated leads from decision-makers at a $22 cost per lead. We have also helped clients achieve significant efficiencies, such as in one campaign where we managed to reduce their cost per lead by 84%. These are the kinds of specific, relevant results you should be looking for.

When you review their case studies, look deeper than the headline numbers. What was the actual objective? Was it just generating cheap MQLs or did they drive pilot programs and actual school contracts? Who was the target audience? Did they reach budget-holders? What was the return on ad spend (ROAS)? A good case study tells a story that demonstrates a deep understanding of the market, not just an ability to press the right buttons in LinkedIn Campaign Manager. If their best example is for a fintech company, thank them for their time and move on.

2. A Genuinely Deep Grasp of the UK Education Landscape

A true specialist should sound more like an education consultant than a marketing exec. They should effortlessly use terms like MATs, Russell Group, FE Colleges, and SLT (Senior Leadership Team). They should understand the pressures of the academic calendar and know that trying to get a headteacher's attention in the last week of term is a fool's errand.

If you're based in London, they should also have some local knowledge. They should be aware of the major university clusters and the big academy trusts operating across the capital. This isn't just trivia; it informs strategy. For instance, knowing that a particular MAT has a centralised procurement process for software changes the entire targeting approach. You don't target individual schools; you target the central trust executives. This level of nuance is something a generic agency, even one based in London, will almost certainly miss. For more on this, check out this complete guide to LinkedIn ads for London founders.

3. A Strategy-First, Not Tactics-First, Approach

In your initial chat, pay close attention to the questions they ask you. A pretender will jump straight into tactics. They'll talk about ad formats, A/B testing copy, and bidding strategies. A true expert will start with strategy. They'll ask about:

• Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP): Not just their job title, but their daily frustrations, their career goals, and what keeps them up at night.
• Your Offer: They'll probe why your product is a 'must-have' right now for a school, not just a 'nice-to-have'. They might even challenge your offer and suggest creating lead magnets more aligned with the LinkedIn audience.
• Your Sales Process: How do you currently turn a lead into a customer? Who is involved? How long does it take? They need to understand this to build a campaign that feeds your process, not one that ignores it.
• Your Business Metrics: What is the lifetime value (LTV) of a school contract? What is your current customer acquisition cost (CAC)? Without these numbers, it's impossible to know if a LinkedIn campaign is truly profitable.

Their first deliverable shouldn't be a set of ads; it should be a strategic plan that outlines the target audience, the messaging angles, the offer for each stage of the funnel, and the key performance indicators (KPIs) that actually matter to your business. This demonstrates they're invested in your growth, not just in spending your ad budget.

How Do You Separate the Experts from the Amateurs?

Alright, you've shortlisted a few agencies that seem to have the right credentials. The initial consultation is where the truth comes out. You need to go in armed with specific, challenging questions designed to expose anyone who doesn't have genuine, in-the-trenches EdTech experience. Don't let them control the conversation with a generic slide deck. Here are the questions you need to ask:

Question 1: "Walk me through the most successful LinkedIn campaign you've run for a UK EdTech company. What was the precise objective, who exactly did you target, what was the offer, and what were the tangible results in terms of qualified meetings or signed contracts, not just leads?"

This is an open-ended question that forces them to tell a story. Listen for the details. Do they talk about targeting "Heads of English" at schools rated "Good" or "Outstanding" by OFSTED? Do they mention using a lead magnet like a "GCSE Revision Guide" before asking for a demo? Do they talk about tracking success through to the CRM to see which leads turned into actual revenue? If they give you a vague answer about "generating brand awareness" or "driving website traffic," it's a massive red flag.

Question 2: "Our primary target is curriculum leaders in Multi-Academy Trusts across the South East. How would you approach building and reaching that specific audience on LinkedIn? What challenges would you anticipate with this type of audience?"

This tests their practical, hands-on knowledge of the platform's targeting capabilities. A good answer would involve a multi-pronged approach: using a list of target MATs for account-based marketing (ABM), layering job function ("Education") and seniority ("Director" or "Head") targeting, and potentially testing interest targeting for educational leadership publications or associations. They should also mention the challenges, such as small audience sizes making delivery difficult, or the fact that not all decision-makers will have accurate job titles on their profiles. It shows they've actually done this before and know the pitfalls.

Question 3: "Based on your experience, what is a realistic Cost Per Lead for a demo request from a UK university departmental head? And what sort of Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) would we need for that to be profitable?"

This question cuts right to the commercial realities. It tests their knowledge of UK market benchmarks and their understanding of business metrics. Be wary of anyone who gives you a suspiciously low number without asking more questions about your product's price point and sales cycle. A true expert will likely give you a range (e.g., "It could be anywhere from £80 to £250, depending on the seniority and subject area") and will immediately turn the question back to you, emphasising that the 'acceptable' CPL is entirely dependent on your LTV.

To really understand this, you need to know your own numbers. An agency can't tell you what's profitable if you don't know what a customer is worth. Here’s a calculator to help you figure that out.

An expert who sees you've done your homework and understand your own metrics is far more likely to respect you as a client and give you an honest assessment. Knowing your numbers is the foundation of any successful advertising campaign, something we explore more in our guide to vetting LinkedIn Ads experts in the UK.

What Are the Warning Signs of a Bad Fit?

Sometimes, the best decision you can make is to walk away. During your conversations, keep an ear out for specific red flags. These are the tell-tale signs of an agency that is either inexperienced, incompetent, or just not the right partner for a serious EdTech business. If you hear any of these, proceed with extreme caution.

One of the biggest red flags is a reluctance to talk about money in a realistic way. They might try to brush past the costs or give you vague estimates. Don't let them. You need to have a frank conversation about budget before you sign anything.

How Much Should You Actually Be Spending?

Let's be clear: LinkedIn is an expensive platform. You are paying a premium to reach high-value professionals in a business context. Anyone who tells you that you can get meaningful results with a £500 monthly ad spend is either inexperienced or being dishonest. Especially in a competitive, high-value market like London.

The cost is driven by a simple auction dynamic. You are competing with thousands of other advertisers—including big-budget tech and finance companies in London—who are all trying to reach the same pool of decision-makers. A click from a "Director" at a major company is valuable, and LinkedIn prices it accordingly.

So, what's a realistic starting point? For a serious campaign targeting UK education professionals, you should be prepared for the following:

• Cost Per Click (CPC): Expect to pay anywhere from £6 to £15 per click for a reasonably well-targeted audience. Clicks from very senior or niche roles (e.g., University Vice-Chancellors) can be even higher.
• Cost Per Lead (CPL): This varies hugely based on your offer. For a simple content download (a "lead magnet"), you might aim for a CPL of £20 - £50. For a high-intent action like a "Book a Demo" request, a CPL of £100 - £250 is much more realistic. As I mentioned, we ran a campaign for a B2B software client that achieved a CPL of $22 for decision-makers, which was a fantastic result, but this is not always typical for a new campaign.

Your total ad spend should be reverse-engineered from your goals. Don't just pick a number out of the air. The calculation should be: (Target Number of Monthly Leads) x (Estimated Cost Per Lead) = Recommended Monthly Ad Spend

So, if your sales team can handle 20 demo requests per month, and you estimate a CPL of £150, your starting ad spend should be £3,000 per month. This doesn't include agency fees, which will be on top of that. If you spend less than this, you likely won't get enough data quickly enough for the algorithm to optimise or for your agency to make informed decisions. You'll be stuck in a permanent state of "testing" without ever achieving real momentum.

Use this simple calculator to get a rough idea of what a starting budget could look like based on your own targets.

What Should You Do Now?

You now have a complete framework for finding and vetting a LinkedIn Ads specialist who can actually deliver results for your EdTech company. Knowledge is only powerful when it's acted upon, though. It's time to move from learning to doing. Here is your step-by-step plan to get started.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

Choosing an advertising partner is one of the most significant decisions you'll make for your company's growth. The wrong choice means months of wasted time, burnt cash, and immense frustration. The right choice can build a predictable, scalable pipeline of new schools and universities that transforms your business. It's not a cost; it's an investment in expertise.

The process I've outlined isn't easy. It requires you to do your homework, ask tough questions, and think critically about your own business model. But the reward is finding a partner who becomes a genuine extension of your team, someone who is as invested in your success as you are. They will save you from the costly mistakes we see so many founders make and will accelerate your path to becoming a leader in the UK EdTech space.

If you're an EdTech founder in London and this process still feels daunting, or if you'd just like a second opinion on your current strategy, we offer a completely free, no-obligation 20-minute strategy session. We'll take a look at what you're doing, listen to your goals, and give you some straight, actionable advice based on our experience running campaigns for companies just like yours. It's not a sales pitch; it's a helping hand. Sometimes, a short chat with someone who's seen it all before is all it takes to find the clarity you need to move forward.