UK E-Learning: Find Your Paid Ads Expert (Guide)

I see this question a lot, and frankly, I'm not surprised you're struggling. The UK market is flooded with so-called 'social media gurus' and 'ad ninjas' who talk a good game but have never actually been responsible for turning a profit on an ad campaign. They'll show you vanity metrics like reach and engagement, but when you ask them how that translates into actual course sales, they go quiet. It's a minefield, and most course creators end up burning a lot of cash before they figure that out.

The problem is, you're not just looking for someone who knows how to click the right buttons in Facebook Ads Manager. You're looking for a commercial partner. Someone who understands that you're not selling a physical product; you're selling a transformation, an outcome. That requires a completly different approach to advertising, one that most generalist agencies just don't get.

So, why is it so bloody hard to find a good ads expert for courses?

First off, let's get one thing straight. You don't need a 'social media manager'. You need a paid acquisition specialist. The job of a social media manager is to build a community, post content, and engage with followers. The job of a paid acquisition specialist is to turn cold traffic into paying customers, profitably and at scale. They are two completly different skill sets.

The second reason it's so tough is that selling courses is unique. Unlike an e-commerce store selling t-shirts, you have no physical product. The entire value is intangible. Your ads have to do some seriously heavy lifting. They need to build trust, establish authority, handle objections, and persuade someone to invest not just their money, but their time, into your programme. This is pure direct-response marketing, and it's a skill many advertisers, especialy in the UK, simply don't have deep experience in.

Finally, the UK market has its own quirks. What works in the US doesn't always translate here. We're a bit more sceptical, the humour is different, and the price sensitivity can be a real factor. An expert who only has experience with American clients will likely struggle to get the messaging and tone right, leading to wasted ad spend. You need someone who understands the nuances of the British consumer. When vetting an expert, this is a critical piece of the puzzle. You need to know how they approach this; in fact, we've got a whole guide on how to properly vet ad experts for the UK e-learning space that covers the right questions to ask.

What should I actually be looking for then? (Hint: It's not certifications)

Forget about Facebook Blueprint certifications or Google Partner badges. They're basically participation awards. Any half-decent advertiser has them. They tell you nothing about whether they can actually make you money. What you need to look for is commercial acumen. The very first conversation you have with a potential expert or agency should be about your business numbers.

If they don't ask you about the price of your course, your profit margins, and what a single customer is worth to you over their lifetime (LTV), end the call. Seriously. They are not the right person. A true expert knows that they can't possibly devise a strategy without understanding the economics of your business. They should be more interested in your balance sheet than their ad creatives in that first call.

The entire game of paid advertising for courses boils down to one simple equation: Can you acquire a customer for less than they are worth to you? This is the LTV:CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) ratio. A healthy business should aim for at least a 3:1 ratio. Meaning, for every £1 you spend to get a customer, they should be worth at least £3 to your business over time. A great expert thinks in these terms. They're obsessed with this ratio because it's the ultimate measure of success.

Most course creators have no idea what their LTV is, which is a massive handicap. Let's fix that right now.

Once you know this number, your entire perspective changes. Suddenly, a £50 Cost Per Lead doesn't seem so scary if you know each customer is worth £2,000 to you. This is the knowlege that allows you to scale aggressively and intelligently. And it's the language a real ads expert speaks.

How do I spot the cowboys from the real pros?

This is where you need to put your detective hat on. Anyone can build a slick website, but the proof is in the pudding. Here’s how you seperate the wheat from the chaff.

First, interrogate their case studies. A genuine expert will be proud to show you their work. But don't just accept glossy PDFs with vague claims like "10x results!". That means nothing. You need to dig deeper. Ask for specific examples of e-learning clients, preferably in the UK.

Here’s what to ask:

• -> What was the total ad spend in pounds?
• -> What was the total revenue generated directly from those ads?
• -> What was the final Return On Ad Spend (ROAS)?
• -> Can you walk me through the strategy you used?

A pro will have these numbers on hand. For instance, one campaign we worked on for a course creator generated over $115,000 in revenue in just six weeks. For another client in a slightly different niche, we generated £107,000 at a 618% ROAS. We know these numbers because we track them relentlessly. An expert who fumbles these questions or gives you vague answers is a massive red flag. They're either hiding something or they don't actually track the only metric that matters.

Second, pay close attention during the initial 'strategy' call. The cowboys will try to dazzle you with jargon and make grand promises. "We guarantee a 5x ROAS!" is a common one. It’s also a lie. No one can guarantee results in paid advertising. There are too many variables. The algorithm, the market, your offer—they all play a part. A true professional will never promise a specific result. Instead, they will talk about their process, their testing methodology, and how they'll work to *find* what works for your specific business.

A good discovery call should feel less like a sales pitch and more like a consultation. They should be asking you more questions than you ask them. They want to understand your student avatar, your funnel, your sales process, what you've tried before, and what your business goals are. If they launch straight into a pitch about their 'secret formula', they're just a glorified salesperson. This is such a crucial step, and something that our guide on how to vet a Facebook ads expert for UK coaches goes into in much more detail.

To make it easier, I've mapped out the typical vetting journey.

What kind of ad strategy actually works for UK courses?

Most amateurs will tell you to run "Brand Awareness" or "Reach" campaigns. This is terrible advice for a course creator. You are not Coca-Cola. You don't have millions to spend on making people feel fuzzy about your brand. Every single pound you spend on ads must be geared towards one thing: getting a measurable return.

That means your campaigns should *always* be optimised for a conversion event, like a lead (e.g., webinar registration, PDF download) or a purchase. When you tell Facebook's algorithm to find you people who are likely to convert, it uses its immense data to do exactly that. When you ask it for "reach", you're telling it to find the cheapest possible people to show your ad to, who are often the least likely to ever buy anything. You're actively paying to reach non-customers.

A proper strategy involves a full-funnel approach. This isn't as complicated as it sounds. It just means you have different campaigns talking to people at different stages of awareness:

• Top of Funnel (ToFu): This is your cold audience. People who've never heard of you. Your ads here need to grab attention, identify a pain point, and introduce your solution. You're typically driving them to a valuable free resource (a lead magnet) to capture their email address.
• Middle of Funnel (MoFu): These people know who you are but haven't bought yet. They might have downloaded your freebie or watched a video. Here, your ads are about building trust and demonstrating your expertise. Think testimonials, case studies, or invitations to a webinar.
• Bottom of Funnel (BoFu): This is the hot audience. People who have visited your sales page, or even added your course to the cart but didn't finish. Your ads here are direct and urgent, reminding them of the offer and overcoming last-minute objections.

For most B2C courses, Meta (Facebook and Instagram) is the dominant platform. For high-ticket courses aimed at professionals, LinkedIn Ads can also be very effective, though it's much more expensive. A competent expert will be able to advise on the right platform mix for your specific audience and budget. Building out this strategy is essential, and The Complete Guide to Paid Ads for Online Course Creators is a resource we put together that breaks this down in more detail.

But what kind of performance can you realistically expect? It varies wildly, but here are some general benchmarks we've seen from our own campaigns for UK course creators.

Should I hire a freelancer or an agency?

This is a common question, and there's no single right answer. It depends on your budget, your needs, and how involved you want to be.

A freelancer can be a great option, especially when you're starting out. They're often cheaper and you get to work directly with the person doing the work. The downside is that they're a single point of failure. If they get sick, go on holiday, or are just swamped, your campaigns can suffer. They might also be a specialist in one area (e.g., Meta ads) but lack expertise in others (e.g., copywriting, landing page design).

An agency, on the other hand, gives you access to a team. You'll typically have an account manager, a media buyer, a copywriter, and maybe a designer all contributing to your success. They have more robust processes and can handle larger ad spends. The trade-off is usually a higher cost and the risk of being passed off to a junior account manager if you're not one of their bigger clients. Finding a good one, especially a Facebook ads expert in a competitive market like London, requires its own careful vetting process.

Ultimately, the vetting process I've outlined applies to both. A great freelancer will operate with the same commercial mindset as a great agency. Focus on finding the right expertise and partnership fit, regardless of whether they're a one-person band or a 20-person firm.

Okay, I'm ready. What's the process?

Finding the right paid ads partner is one of the most important hires you'll make. Get it right, and you unlock predictable, scalable growth for your course business. Get it wrong, and you'll just be setting money on fire. Don't rush the decision. Be thorough, ask the tough questions, and trust your gut.

To help you, I've broken down the entire process into a simple, actionable plan.

This process might seem like a lot of work, but it will save you an immense amount of time, money, and heartache in the long run. The alternative is cycling through cheap, ineffective freelancers or agencies every six months, never gaining any real traction.

Managing paid advertising effectively is a full-time job. The platforms change constantly, new strategies emerge, and what worked last month might not work today. As a founder, your time is far better spent working on your courses, your students, and your business vision. Trying to become a world-class ads expert on the side is a recipe for burnout and mediocre results.

If you're selling courses in the UK and want a second pair of expert eyes on your strategy, we offer a free, no-obligation 20-minute strategy session. We can audit your existing campaigns (if you have any) or just talk through a potential strategy and give you some actionable advice you can take away and implement yourself. No hard sell, just straightforward help.