LinkedIn Ads Agency UK: The Ultimate Vetting Guide

Finding a good LinkedIn Ads agency in the UK, especially for something as specific as online courses, feels like a nightmare. You're right to be worried about where your budget is going. Most agencies are great at spending your money, but not so great at getting you a return. Tbh, the whole process is broken. They talk a good game, flash some generic case studies, and then underdeliver.

The truth is, you don't need a flashy agency with a Shoreditch office. You need a partner who understands that for an online course, a 'lead' isn't just an email address. It's a qualified prospect who is genuinely interested and likely to buy. Let's cut through the noise. I'm going to walk you through how to actually vet an agency, what to look for, the red flags to run from, and what you should realistically expect from a LinkedIn campaign in the UK market.

So, why do so many agencies fail at this?

Simple. They don't understand the difference between B2B lead generation for a software company and selling a high-value online course. They treat it the same, and it's a completely different ball game. They'll run a standard campaign targeting 'job titles' and then wonder why the leads are rubbish. They don't dig deep enough into the *pain point* your course solves.

An online course isn't a piece of software that solves a company-wide workflow issue. It's often a personal development tool for an individual within a company, even if the company is paying. The person who benefits is not the same as the person who approves the budget. This is the nuance that most agencies miss. They'll proudly show you a report with a low Cost Per Click (CPC) and a high Click-Through Rate (CTR), but who cares? You can't pay your bills with clicks. One of the biggest mistakes is focusing on these top-of-funnel metrics instead of what actually matters: Cost Per Qualified Lead (CPQL) and, ultimately, Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). For online courses, you need a strategy that nurtures, not just captures. This is a big reason why so many LinkedIn Ad campaigns for UK courses fall flat.

What are the immediate red flags to watch out for?

This part is easy, because the bad agencies all make the same mistakes. If you see any of these, just walk away. It'll save you a lot of money and headaches.

• Guarantees and Promises: If an agency promises you a specific ROAS or a certain number of leads, they're either lying or incompetent. No one can predict the performance of an ad campaign with that certainty. The market changes, ad auctions fluctuate, creative fatigues. A good agency will talk about their process, their testing methodology, and realistic potential outcomes based on past data, not make wild promises.


• A "Secret Sauce" or "Proprietary Method": This is usually jargon for "we don't really know what we're doing, but this sounds impressive". A solid paid ads strategy isn't a secret. It's about solid research, understanding the customer, rigorous testing, and clear data analysis. Ask them to explain their 'method' in simple terms. If they can't, it's a red flag.


• No Relevant Case Studies: If you're selling an online course for project managers, a case study about a local plumbing company is useless to you. You need to see evidence that they have successfully marketed something similar on LinkedIn. I'm talking about specific experience with e-learning, courses, or at least high-ticket B2B services. For instance, while the niche is different, our experience achieving a $22 cost per lead for B2B decision-makers on LinkedIn for a software client demonstrates platform-specific expertise. That's the kind of specific, relevant experience you should be looking for—proof they can get results on the platform you care about.


• They Want to Lock You into a Long Contract: A 12-month contract from day one is a massive red flag. A confident agency will be happy with a 3-month initial term, or maybe even a rolling monthly contract after that. They should be confident enough in their ability to get you results that they don't need to trap you.

Here’s a simple flowchart to help you through the vetting process. It’s a good way to keep yourself honest and not get swayed by a slick sales pitch.

How do you analyse their case studies properly?

This is where you need to put your detective hat on. A headline like "Generated £500k in revenue" is meaningless without context. Was that from £450k in ad spend? That's not a success, that's a disaster. You need to dig into the numbers that matter.

Here’s what to look for:

• Platform Specificity: Does the case study explicitly mention LinkedIn Ads? Results from Meta Ads or Google Ads aren't directly transferable. The audience mindset and ad formats are totally different. You need proof they can handle the specific platform you want to use. You need a specialist, not a generalist.


• Niche Relevance: As I said before, is it for an online course, e-learning, or something very similar? Selling a subscription box is not the same as selling a professional development course. I remember one campaign we worked on for a subscription box that achieved a 1000% ROAS, which was a fantastic result for that client, but the strategy is worlds apart from how we approach selling courses.


• The Holy Trinity of Metrics: You need to see three things: 1. The Ad Spend. 2. The Revenue or Number of Leads. 3. The Timeframe. Without all three, the case study is just marketing fluff. With them, you can calculate the ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) and get a true picture of performance.


• Cost Per Lead (CPL): For lead generation campaigns, what was the CPL? A low CPL might look good, but were the leads any good? Ask about the lead-to-customer conversion rate. I'd rather pay £150 for a lead that has a 25% chance of converting into a £2,000 course sale than £20 for a lead that never replies to an email.

When you're on a call with them, ask them to walk you through a relevant case study. Don't let them just read the summary. Ask "What was the biggest challenge in that campaign?", "What was the first thing you tested?", "What creative angle worked best and why?". Their ability to answer these questions off-the-cuff will tell you if they actually did the work or if they're just a salesperson reading a script. When hiring a paid ad agency in the UK, this level of detail is non-negotiable.

Does my agency need to be in London?

Absolutely not. This is one of the biggest myths. Unless you want to pay for their expensive office rent through your fees, there is no advantage. The best talent is distributed all over the UK. What matters is their expertise in your specific area, their communication, and the results they can get. A great agency in Manchester, Edinburgh, or Bristol is infinitely better than a mediocre one in London. And tbh, any agency worth their salt is set up for remote collaboration. We work with clients all over the world.

Don't filter your search by location. Filter it by proven experiance and expertise in LinkedIn Ads for online courses. In fact, some of the very best specialists are boutique agencies or even solo consultants who don't have the overheads of a big London firm. You often get better service and more direct access to the person actually running your ads. If you're an EdTech founder, your focus should be on finding true LinkedIn Ads experts who understand your unique challenges, regardless of their postcode.

What results and costs can I realistically expect in the UK?

This is the million-dollar question, isn't it? It depends massively on your course price, your audience, and the quality of your ads and landing page. However, I can give you some realistic ballparks based on what we see with our clients.

LinkedIn is an expensive platform. You are paying a premium to get in front of professionals. Don't expect to get leads for a few pounds. For a high-value online course (£500+), you could be looking at a CPL anywhere from £40 to £200+. Yes, that sounds high. But let's do the maths. If your course is £1,500 and you convert 1 in 10 leads, your Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) is £400 - £2,000. If your CPL is on the lower end, you're making a great return. If it's on the higher end, it's not viable.

This is why your entire funnel is so important. You can't just throw traffic at a sales page. You might need a free webinar, a downloadable guide, or a strategy call to nurture those expensive leads and turn them into customers. I remember one B2B campaign we managed on LinkedIn that achieved a CPL of around $22 (£18-ish), but that was for a software product with a clear, immediate value proposition. An educational course often requires more of a sell.

Let's compare this to Meta (Facebook/Instagram) for a moment. You'll almost always get cheaper leads on Meta. But the quality can be much lower. It's a trade-off between volume and quality. LinkedIn gives you incredible targeting precision, but you pay for it.

To help you budget, I've built a simple calculator. Play around with your course price, your expected lead-to-sale conversion rate, and your target Return on Ad Spend to see what a viable Cost Per Lead might be for your business. This is a much better way to approach budgeting than just picking a number out of thin air.

What questions should I ask them on the intro call?

This is your chance to really test them. Don't let them control the conversation with a standard sales presentation. Come prepared with specific, tough questions. Your goal is to get past the fluff and understand their actual process.

I've put together a table of the main questions you should ask, what a good answer sounds like, and what a bad answer (a red flag) sounds like. Think of this as your interview script.

Choosing the right agency is probably the single biggest factor that'll determine your success with paid ads. It's not something to rush. Take your time, do your homework, and trust your gut. If something feels off during the sales process, it'll only get worse once you've signed a contract. The goal is to find a true partner who is as invested in your growth as you are.

If you've done your due diligence, reviewed their case studies, and had a great intro call where they demonstrate genuine expertise, you shouldn't need to ask for references. Tbh, if someone asks us for references after all that, it's a bit of a red flag for us as it shows a fundamental lack of trust from the start.

This whole process is a lot of work, but it's far less painful than being stuck with the wrong agency, burning through your budget with nothing to show for it. If you want an expert opinion on your current strategy or want to see if we'd be a good fit to help you scale your online course, feel free to book in a free, no-obligation strategy session with us. We'll take a look at what you're doing and give you some honest, actionable advice you can implement right away.