UK Coaches: How To Vet a Facebook Ads Expert

Right, let's get this sorted. You're a coach in the UK, and you're trying to find a decent freelance ads specialist. It feels like navigating a minefield, doesn't it? Every other bloke on LinkedIn with a MacBook calls themselves a 'Meta Ads Guru', promising the world but delivering a pile of nothing. The frustration is real, and it’s costing you time and money.

Most people think the job is to just find someone to 'run the ads'. That's the first mistake. You're not looking for a button-pusher. You're looking for a strategic partner who understands that ads are just one part of the puzzle. Your offer, your landing page, your follow-up process – it all has to work together. A good specialist gets this. A bad one just talks about clicks and impressions while your bank account gets smaller.

So, forget the slick sales pitches and the promises of "skyrocketing your sales overnight". I'm going to give you a proper framework for finding someone who can actually help your business grow, based on years of being in the trenches, running campaigns for businesses from small eCom stores to major SaaS companies.

So, what makes a good ads specialist actually good?

Before you even start looking, you need to know what you're looking for. It's not what most people think. They get distracted by the wrong things and end up with the wrong person.

First off, let's bust a few myths.

Myth #1: "I need someone local."
Honestly, whether your freelancer is in London, Manchester, or a shed in the Outer Hebrides makes zero difference. This is a remote job. What matters is their experience in your specific niche. I've run campaigns for clients all over the world from my desk. It's about niche expertise, not postcodes. Trying to find the best ads expert in London is a distraction if their experience doesn't match your needs.

Myth #2: "They have a fancy website, so they must be good."
A slick website means they've hired a good web designer. That's it. It tells you nothing about their ability to manage a six-figure ad budget or diagnose a failing campaign. I've seen incredible specialists who have the most basic one-page site, and complete cowboys with stunning sites that are all style and no substance.

Myth #3: "They guaranteed me a 5x ROAS!"
This is the biggest red flag of them all. If anyone *guarantees* you a specific result in paid advertising, end the conversation immediately. They are lying. Tbh in paid advertising, you can't really promise anything as it's impossible to predict how exactly the ads will perform. There are far too many variables: your offer, the creative, the audience, the competition, Meta's algorithm having a bad day. A real professional talks in terms of realistic targets, benchmarks, and a clear testing process, not empty promises.

So what *does* matter?

-> Niche Experience: This is the big one. Have they worked with coaches, consultants, or course creators before? The dynamics of selling a high-ticket coaching programme are completely different to selling a £20 t-shirt. They need to understand value ladders, application funnels, and the psychology of your ideal client. I remember one campaign we ran for a course creator that brought in $115k in revenue in just over six weeks. That experience is directly relevant. Someone who's only ever run e-commerce campaigns will be starting from scratch with your business, on your dime.

-> Strategic Thinking: In your first chat, are they immediately talking about ad creative and targeting options? Or are they asking you about your business? A top-tier specialist will want to know about your client's lifetime value (LTV), your sales process, your cashflow, and the core problem your coaching solves. They know that a brilliant ad campaign pointing to a broken offer is pointless. They should be challenging you and giving you honest feedback, even if it's uncomfortable.

-> Data-Driven Realism: They should be obsessed with numbers, but the right ones. Not just vanity metrics like reach and impressions, but cost per qualified lead, cost per booked call, and ultimately, cost per new client. They should be able to explain their testing methodology clearly. How do they test audiences? How do they test creative? What's the process for scaling a winning ad set? If they can't answer these questions clearly, they're just guessing with your money.

How much is this actually going to cost me in the UK?

This is where a lot of coaches get stuck. You've got quotes ranging from a few hundred quid a month to several thousand, and it's impossible to know what's fair. The truth is, the price tag alone doesn't tell you much about the quality of the service. Here's a realistic breakdown of how UK freelancers and agencies structure their fees.

There are generally three models you'll come across:

1. Flat Monthly Retainer: This is my prefered model and the one used by most serious professionals. You pay a fixed fee each month for the management of your campaigns. It's clean, predictable, and it means the specialist is focused on getting you the best results, not on encouraging you to spend more. For a decent, experienced freelancer in the UK, you should expect to pay anywhere from £1,000 to £3,000+ per month, per platform.

2. Percentage of Ad Spend: This is more common with larger agencies. They'll charge a percentage of your monthly ad spend, typically between 10-20%. The problem here is the incentive. Their fee goes up if you spend more, which isn't always in your best interest. It can work, but you need to have clear performance targets in place to ensure they're not just burning your cash to boost their invoice.

3. Performance-Based: This sounds great in theory ("you only pay for results!"), but it's a huge red flag in practice. No top-tier specialist will work on a pure performance model. Why? Because they can't control your sales process, your offer quality, or your brand reputation – all of which are critical for getting results. This model is usually offered by beginners or desperate agencies. Avoid.

To give you a better idea, here’s a simple calculator to estimate what you might pay. This is just a guide, but it’s based on what we see in the market for quality management.

The key takeaway here is not to just go for the cheapest option. A low-cost freelancer who doesn't know what they're doing can burn through your entire ad budget in a week with nothing to show for it. A more expensive, but experienced, specialist might cost more upfront, but they'll save you a fortune in wasted ad spend and get you to profitability much faster. It's about value, not cost. If you want a more detailed breakdown, we have a complete 2024 guide to UK Facebook ads management costs.

Your Step-by-Step Vetting Process

Alright, you know what to look for and what to expect to pay. Now, how do you actually find and vet someone properly? Here's the process I recommend to everyone, it'll help you seperate the wheat from the chaff.

Step 1: The Research Phase

Before you even speak to anyone, do your homework. Go to their website or LinkedIn profile. Are they showcasing results? And I don't mean just fluffy testimonials. I mean proper case studies. We have detailed case studies walking through the full strategies and results for our clients. That's what you want to see. Look for:

• -> The 'Before' State: What was the client's problem? (e.g., "A student recruitment client was facing a very high cost per booking.")
• -> The Strategy: What did the specialist actually *do*? (e.g., "We identified inefficiencies in the ad account and implemented a new campaign structure.")
• -> The 'After' State: What were the measurable results? (e.g., "The result was an 80% reduction in their cost per booking.")

If they can't show you this level of detail, they either don't have the results or they don't understand them well enough to explain them. This initial research is a critical part of how to actually vet ad experts and not just take their word for it.

Step 2: The Consultation Call (The Real Test)

This is where you'll learn everything you need to know. The goal of this call is not for them to sell to you; it's for you to determine if they are competent. A good specialist will take the lead, asking you probing questions about your business. A bad one will just wait for you to ask questions. Here's a flowchart to help you spot the red flags during the call.

Beyond that, you need to be armed with the right questions. Here are a few that will quickly reveal their level of expertise:

• "Can you walk me through a campaign for a client similar to me that *didn't* work at first, and what you did to turn it around?" - This is my favourite. It tests their honesty, their problem-solving ability, and their resilience. Every expert has campaigns that fail initially. The good ones know how to fix them. The bad ones will just say they've never had a failing campaign (a lie).
• "Beyond ROAS, what key metrics will you be focusing on for my business?" - You're a coach, so you want to hear them talk about Cost per Qualified Lead, Cost per Booked Call, and Show-up Rate. If they just talk about clicks (CTR) and cost per click (CPC), they don't understand your business model.
• "What is your process for testing new creative and audiences?" - Listen for a structured answer. "We'll test 3 different ad angles against 2 core audiences in the first two weeks, using a specific budget for each test..." is a great answer. "Oh, we'll just try a few things and see what works" is a terrible one.
• "What will you need from me to make this a sucess?" - This shows you respect their process and positions the relationship as a partnership. A good specialist will have a clear onboarding process and will need your input on your ideal client, your brand voice, and your offers.

For a coach, hiring someone who understands the specific journey of your clients is vital. For a much more detailed breakdown of this, we've put together a specific UK course creator's guide to finding a Facebook Ads expert, which is highly relevant for coaches too.

Step 3: The Proposal and Decision

After the call, they should send you a proposal. This shouldn't just be a price. It should outline their understanding of your goals, the proposed strategy, a timeline for the first 30-60-90 days, and clear deliverables. It's a blueprint for how they'll work with you.

If you've spoken to a few people, use a simple decision matrix to compare them objectively. Don't just go with your gut.

This simple tool forces you to think critically about each candidate beyond just who you 'liked' the most. The entire process isn't just about finding any freelancer; it's about following a structured approach. We've written a comprehensive UK founder's guide to hiring an ad consultant that goes even deeper into this methodology.

What happens after I hire someone?

You found someone great. You've signed the contract. Now what? The work isn't over. The part of your post about finding someone who "truly understands my business" is key here, and it’s a two-way street.

The first month is all about data collection and testing. Don't expect to see a flood of new clients on day one. Your new specialist will be testing different audiences, ad copy, and creative to see what resonates. They're establishing a baseline. You should expect clear communication during this phase, with weekly updates on what's been tested, what the initial data shows, and what the plan is for the following week.

You also need to trust the expert you've just hired. You've done your due diligence. Now let them do their job. Micromanaging the creative or questioning every decision will only slow things down and damage the relationship. It's why we find that if a client is still asking for references after seeing detailed case studies and having a free strategy call, it's a sign they don't really trust us, and it won't be a good fit.

A great partnership involves:

• -> Clear Communication: A weekly or bi-weekly reporting call and a clear, concise report that focuses on the metrics that matter to your business.
• -> Shared Goals: You're both working towards the same objective – getting you more clients, profitably.
• -> Mutual Respect: You respect their advertising expertise, and they respect your expertise in your field of coaching.

Successfully managing the relationship with your agency or freelancer is just as important as the initial hire for getting the best possible return on your investment.

So, is it worth the hassle?

Look, finding and vetting a top-tier ads specialist is a lot of work. It takes time and effort. You might be tempted to just hire the first person who gives you a decent quote, or worse, try to keep muddling through on your own.

But think about the cost of the alternative. How much money have you already wasted on ads that didn't work? How many hours have you sunk into Ads Manager trying to figure it all out? How many potential clients have you missed out on?

Hiring the right person isn't an expense; it's one of the best investments you can make in your coaching business. It frees you up to do what you do best – coaching your clients – while a specialist focuses on keeping your pipeline full. It's the difference between your business just surviving and it truly thriving.

If you're a UK-based coach who is tired of the guesswork and ready for a strategic approach to your advertising, we offer a free, no-obligation strategy session. We'll take a look at your current setup, give you some honest, actionable advice, and show you what a data-driven campaign could look like for your business. Feel free to get in touch to book yours.