UK Startup's Guide To Hiring Ad Experts

I see this all the time. A UK startup, probably bootstrapping or running on a tight seed round, is trying to find someone to run ads. You're scrolling through Upwork, maybe LinkedIn, and everyone promises the world. The problem is, you're not just looking for a pair of hands to click buttons in Ads Manager. You're looking for a partner who can actually move the needle without burning through your limited cash. The market, especially in London and Manchester, is flooded with 'gurus' and generalists. It's a proper minefield.

The truth is, most founders start this process completely backwards. They look for someone cheap, local, and available now. This is a recipe for disaster. What you actually need is someone who understands your specific business model and, more importantly, the absolute nightmare your customer is trying to escape from. If you get that bit right, everything else gets easier.

So, what am I actually looking for then?

You need to forget the idea of hiring a generic "paid ads specialist". It's a useless title. You need someone who is a specialist in your *customer's pain*. Let me explain. Your last marketing hire probably made you a nice little persona document: "Companies in the UK finance sector, 50-200 employees, based in London". That tells you precisely nothing of value and leads to bland ads that get ignored.

A consultant worth their salt will ignore that. They'll ask you: "What's the career-threatening, keeps-them-up-at-night problem you solve?" For a legal tech SaaS targeting firms in the City, the nightmare isn't 'needing better document management'. It's a partner missing a filing deadline and exposing the firm to a malpractice suit. For an eCom brand selling high-performance outdoor gear, the pain isn't 'needing a new jacket'. It's the fear of being underprepared and miserable on a mountain in the Lake District.

Your Ideal Customer Profile isn't a demographic; it's a problem state. A good consultant gets this. They'll build the entire ad strategy around this 'nightmare', from the targeting to the ad copy. This is the difference between burning money and acquiring customers profitably. Many founders think they need an expert in Facebook Ads. No, you need an expert in finding and converting people with a specific, urgent problem.

How do I vet them without getting fleeced?

This is where you need to be ruthless. Forget their impressive-sounding past employers or how polished their website is. The only thing that matters is proof they have solved a similar problem to yours before. For a UK business, that means you need to see UK-based case studies.

-> Case Studies are everything. I'm not talking about a vague testimonial. I mean a detailed breakdown of a campaign for a business like yours. It should show the platform used, the objective, the starting point, the results, and crucially, the Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) or Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) in Pounds (£). For instance, we worked with a UK medical job matching SaaS and were able to reduce their Cost Per Acquisition from £100 down to just £7. That's a specific, tangible result that proves expertise. If they can't show you this kind of detail for a business remotely similar to yours, walk away.

-> The Initial Call is a Test. When you get on a call, don't just let them pitch you. Ask them hard questions. "Based on my website, what's your initial take on my offer and funnel?" "What audiences would you test first and why?" A good consultant will give you free advice right there on the call. They'll probably challenge your assumptions. If they just agree with everything you say and promise you the moon, they're a salesperson, not a strategist. Tbh, we offer a free initial audit for this exact reason. It shows a potential client how we think and gives them value upfront, wether they work with us or not.

-> Watch for Red Flags. A big one for me is when a potential client asks for references after they've already seen our detailed case studies and had a free strategy session. It signals a fundamental lack of trust from the start, and that never leads to a good partnership. If you've seen the proof and had your questions answered with genuine expertise, you should have enough to make a decision. If you're still not sure, they're probably not the right fit, and that's okay.

Ultimately, hiring a paid ads consultant is about finding someone with proven, relevant experience. Where they're based in the UK doesn't matter nearly as much as whether they have the right expertise for your specific challenge.

Okay, but what kind of budget does a UK startup actually need?

Let's be brutally honest. If your budget is only a few hundred quid a month, you're going to struggle to get any meaningful data, let alone results. Paid advertising costs money, and you need to be realistic. The question isn't "what's the minimum I can spend?" but "what's a realistic budget to acheive my goals?"

The cost per result varies wildly depending on your industry and goal. For a simple email signup in the UK, you might pay anywhere from £1.60 to £15. For an actual sale on an eCommerce store, it could be anything from £10 to £75 or more. We've managed campaigns for consumer services where the cost per lead was around £5, and others for B2B where a qualified lead cost over £200. It all depends.

To help you get a feel for the numbers, I've built a little calculator. Play around with it to see how different conversion rates and costs per click (CPC) can impact your budget for a UK-based campaign. This should give you a more realistic starting point for your financial planning.

Remember, this is just your ad spend. The consultant's fee is on top of that. For a bootstrapped startup, managing this can be tricky. You have to weigh the cost of hiring an expert against the cost of making expensive mistakes on your own. Often, a good consultant pays for themselves by avoiding wasted spend and getting you to profitability faster. For founders considering their options, our guide on paid acquisition for bootstrapped startups offers a low-budget playbook.

Freelancer vs. Agency vs. In-House: What's the right choice?

This is a constant debate for founders. Each model has its pros and cons, especially for a startup in the UK where salaries and agency retainers can be hefty.

Freelancers are often the go-to for startups. They're typically more affordable than an agency and you get to work directly with the expert. The downside is that you're reliant on one person. If they get sick, go on holiday, or are just swamped, your campaigns can suffer. Vetting is also absolutly critical, as the quality varies massively.

Agencies bring a team to the table. You get a strategist, a media buyer, maybe a copywriter. This can be great, but it comes at a price. Many UK agencies have high minimum retainers that are out of reach for early-stage startups. You also risk being a small fish in a big pond, getting passed off to a junior account manager.

In-house gives you full control, but it's a huge commitment. You're not just paying a salary (which is significant for a good media buyer in the UK), but also benefits, equipment, and training. It rarely makes sense until you're spending a significant amount on ads each month and have a proven, repeatable acquisition model.

For most startups I talk to, a specialised freelancer or a small, boutique consultancy is the sweet spot. You get the expertise without the massive overheads of a large agency. The cost difference between an agency and an in-house hire can be surprising, and this guide helps break it down for UK founders.

I've hired someone. How do I not mess this up?

Hiring an expert is only half the battle. Your success with paid ads is a partnership. The biggest reason I see founder-consultant relationships fail is a misalignment of expectations and a fundamental misunderstanding of what drives results.

First, you have to understand that paid ads are not a magic wand. There will be a testing phase. Some ads will fail. That's part of the process. A good consultant will set this expectation from day one. They're not gambling; they're using your budget to systematically buy data and find what works. You need to give them the room (and budget) to do that.

More importantly, you can't outsource your offer. This is the number one reason campaigns fail, and it's something the founder has to own. I've seen so many startups with a "Request a Demo" button as their only call to action. That is an incredibly arrogant, high-friction ask. Why would a busy decision-maker give you 30 minutes of their time just to be sold to? A good consultant will push you to create a better offer—a free trial, a valuable resource, a free audit tool. Something that provides instant value and makes the prospect sell themselves on your solution. For instance, for one B2B SaaS client, we generated 1535 trials by focusing the campaign on their compelling free trial offer instead of a high-friction 'Book a Demo' button.

Your job as the founder is to provide the deep customer insight—the 'nightmare' we talked about. Their job is to translate that into effective campaigns. It's a two-way street. If you simply hand over the keys and expect results, you'll probably be disappointed. For more on this, we've put together a framework for managing your new hire to ensure you get maximum ROI.

So, here is your action plan

Finding the right person is a process of systematic vetting, not luck. You need to approach it with a clear framework to avoid the time-wasters and find a true growth partner. I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

Finding the right person is tough, but it's one of the most important hires you'll make. It's not just about getting ads live; it's about building a predictable engine for growth in your startup. Don't rush it, and definitly don't settle for a generalist just because they're cheap.

Getting expert help is about more than just execution. It's about getting a strategic partner who has seen inside dozens of businesses like yours. They've already made the costly mistakes, so you don't have to. They can save you months of wasted time and thousands in wasted ad spend by pointing you in the right direction from day one. If you're a UK founder feeling stuck and want an expert opinion on your current strategy, we offer a completely free, no-obligation consultation where we'll audit your campaigns and give you actionable advice. Feel free to get in touch if you think that would be helpful.

Hope this helps!