10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Facebook Ads Agency
By Barrie Le Gall, Meta Business Partner · Updated October 2026
Before you hire anyone to run your Facebook ads, ask who will actually do the work, who owns the ad account, how you'll know it's working, and what happens if it isn't. Good answers are specific and in writing. Vague answers, guarantees and long lock-ins are red flags.
In short
Ask who runs your account day to day, not who sells it to you.
You should own your ad account, pixel and data, and give access to whoever manages them.
Reports should start with sales or bookings, not reach and clicks.
A guaranteed cost per lead before anyone has seen your account is a red flag.
Agencies, freelancers and senior consultants all have real downsides. Pick the ones you can live with.
What are the 10 questions to ask?
Ask these of anyone you're considering, including me. Listen for specific answers.
# | Question | A good answer sounds like |
|---|---|---|
1 | Who will run my account day to day? | A named person, with their experience, who you can speak to directly |
2 | Who owns the ad account, pixel and data? | You do. They're added as a partner and removed when you leave |
3 | What do you need from me, and when? | A short, specific list with dates |
4 | How will I know it's working? | A benchmark in sales or bookings, agreed in week one |
5 | What does your report look like? | They show you one, and it starts with sales |
6 | What about the landing page? | They build and test it, or tell you plainly what it needs |
7 | What happens if it isn't working? | A set review point and a way out without penalty |
8 | What's the minimum commitment? | Stated plainly, in writing, before you sign |
9 | What exactly do I pay, and what's included? | Fee and ad spend shown separately, with what's in and out |
10 | When would you tell me not to advertise? | A real answer, such as a budget too small or tracking that's broken |
Who will actually run my account?
This is the most important question. The person who sells you the service isn't always the person who does the work.
In a larger agency, your account may be run by a junior, with an account manager passing messages between you. That can work. But you should know it before you sign, and you should be able to speak to the person making decisions on your money.
Who owns the ad account and the data?
You should. The ad account and pixel should sit in your own Meta Business Portfolio, with the manager given partner access.
If you part ways, you keep your history, your tracking data and your audiences. If an agency set everything up inside their own portfolio, ask now how you'd get it back.
How will I know it's working?
Agree what a good result looks like before the ads start, in sales or bookings, not clicks.
Ask to see a sample report. If the first page is reach, impressions and click-through rate, ask where the sales are. Those other numbers explain results. They aren't results.
Agency, freelancer or senior consultant: which is right?
Each has real strengths and real downsides. Here's a fair comparison.
Agency | Freelancer | Senior consultant | |
|---|---|---|---|
Who does the work | Often a team, sometimes juniors | One person, experience varies | One experienced person |
Strengths | Capacity, holiday cover, several services in one place | Often lower cost, flexible | Direct access, experience behind every decision |
Downsides | Hand-offs, account managers between you and the work | Capacity and experience vary | Limited capacity, cover depends on one person, rarely the cheapest |
Often suits | Larger budgets across many channels | Small budgets, simple set-ups | Businesses that want a senior person on the account |
I'm a senior consultant, a consultancy of one. That means I take on a limited number of clients. If you need a team covering ten channels, an agency may suit you better.
What are the red flags?
A guaranteed result or cost per lead before they've seen your account
An ad account set up in their name only
A long lock-in with no review point
Reports that never mention sales
No clear answer on who will run your account
Never telling you when not to spend
How would I answer these 10 questions?
Here are my answers, so you can compare.
Who runs it? Me. No account managers, no juniors. I've run paid ads since 2010, across more than 100 accounts.
Who owns it? You. I'm added as a partner.
What do I need from you? Access to your ad account and website, your offer, and what a good customer looks like, in week one.
How will you know? We agree a benchmark in sales and bookings in week one.
The report? A plain-English weekly report that starts with sales and bookings.
The landing page? I build it as part of the first 30 days and split-test versions against each other.
If it isn't working? At day 30 you decide. If it isn't working, you walk away.
Minimum commitment? The first 30 days. I tell you what it costs to carry on before you commit to anything.
What you pay? From £1,500 for the 30 days plus ad spend, landing page included. I give you the exact figure on the first call.
When would I say don't? If your budget can't prove anything, if your offer isn't clear yet, or if Google suits you better.
You can see how I label results on my results page.
Frequently asked questions
Should I hire an agency or a freelancer for Facebook ads?
It depends on your budget and what you need. Agencies offer capacity and several services in one place, but often add layers between you and the work. Freelancers can be cheaper and flexible, but experience varies. Ask all candidates the same questions and compare the answers.
How much does a Facebook ads agency cost in the UK?
Prices vary widely. Common models are a monthly retainer, a percentage of ad spend, or a fixed project fee. Always check what's included, especially creative and landing pages. My 30 days start at £1,500 plus ad spend, with a landing page included.
Should I sign a 12-month contract for Facebook ads?
Be careful. A year is a long time to be tied in before you know whether the ads work. Look for a set review point, such as 30 or 90 days, and the right to leave without penalty if results aren't there. Get the terms in writing.
Can I run Facebook ads myself instead of hiring someone?
Yes, if you have time to learn and a budget you're comfortable testing with. Start with tracking, one offer and a landing page. Hiring someone makes more sense when your time is worth more elsewhere, or when you've tried and the results haven't come.
Ask me all 10
On a free 30-minute call, ask me every question on this list. I'll look at your ads and landing page first and tell you straight what I'd change. There's no pitch deck. Book your free review. Or read how I run Meta ads.
