The short answer
To hire a good Facebook ads consultant, ask for screenshots of real ad accounts with results in your industry, check that they will fix tracking (Meta Pixel and Conversions API) before scaling, confirm you keep ownership of your ad account, and make sure the person who sells you is the person who runs your campaigns. Expect a written plan, a weekly report in business numbers, and a minimum ad budget large enough to test.
Hiring someone to run your Facebook ads means handing them your budget and, often, your growth plan for the year. The wrong hire is expensive twice: once in wasted ad spend and again in the months you lose. This guide covers what a Facebook ads consultant should do, how they usually charge, and the questions that separate the good ones from the rest.
What a Facebook ads consultant should do
A Facebook ads consultant, also called a Meta Ads consultant, plans and manages advertising on Facebook and Instagram and is responsible for a business result: leads, bookings or sales at a cost that makes sense. At minimum, expect:
- An audit of your ad account, pixel and Conversions API before any budget increase
- A written plan: offer, audiences, campaign structure, creative tests and budget
- Campaign setup and daily or weekly optimisation
- Creative direction: angles, hooks, ad copy and briefs for visuals
- Feedback on your landing page, lead form or WhatsApp flow
- A regular report in business numbers, not just reach and clicks
Consultant, freelancer or agency?
A consultant or senior freelancer gives you direct access to the person running your account, but has limited capacity. An agency gives you a bigger team for design, video and other channels, but your account may be handled by someone junior after the sales call. Neither is automatically better. The key is knowing who will actually touch your campaigns every week.
How Facebook ads consultants charge
There are three common pricing models. Ad spend is always separate and paid directly to Meta.
| Model | How it works | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat monthly retainer | Fixed fee for an agreed scope | Predictable budgets and scope | Scope creep, or too little time for your account |
| Percentage of ad spend | Fee grows with your budget | Accounts that scale over time | An incentive to spend more rather than spend better |
| Performance-based | Fee tied to leads or revenue | Proven offers with clean tracking | Disputes about attribution and lead quality |
Many consultants combine a base retainer with a percentage or bonus once spend passes a threshold. Whatever the model, the fee should be clear before work starts.
10 questions to ask before you hire
- Can I see real ad account screenshots?Not mockups or vanity metrics. Ask for Ads Manager screenshots with cost per result and ROAS, ideally in your industry.
- Who will run my account day to day?Make sure the person on the sales call is the person doing the work, or meet the person who is.
- How will you check my tracking?A good answer mentions the Meta Pixel, the Conversions API and matching reported results against real sales or CRM data.
- What will you do in the first 30 days?You want a specific plan: audit, fixes, tests and the metrics that decide what happens next.
- How do you decide what to scale and what to cut?Listen for clear rules based on cost per result and statistical confidence, not gut feel.
- How do you handle creative?Creative drives most results on Meta now. Ask who writes the hooks and how often new ads are tested.
- Will I own the ad account and data?The answer must be yes. You should own the Business Manager, ad account and pixel.
- What will you report, and how often?Expect a weekly or fortnightly report with spend, cost per lead or purchase, revenue and next actions.
- What budget do you need to test properly?A good consultant tells you when your budget is too small, instead of taking the job anyway.
- What happens if results drop?Ask how they diagnose problems: creative fatigue, tracking breaks, offer issues or seasonality.
Red flags
- Guaranteed results or a fixed ROAS before seeing your offer, margins and funnel
- No real screenshots, only testimonials
- They want to run ads from their own ad account instead of yours
- Reports focused on reach, impressions and likes instead of leads and sales
- Long lock-in contracts before any results
- No questions about your sales process, margins or customer value
Hiring a consultant in another country
Many business owners in the US, Australia and New Zealand work with consultants abroad. It works well when three things are clear: overlapping hours for a weekly call, reporting in your currency, and fast communication on WhatsApp, Slack or email. I work this way with clients outside the UAE, from my base in Dubai.
A simple next step
Before you hire anyone, get a second opinion on your current account. In my free 30-minute strategy session I review your ads, tracking and funnel, and you leave with a 90-day plan whether we work together or not. You can also see real screenshots from the accounts I have run or read how I work as a Meta Ads consultant.
Performance marketing consultant based in Dubai. $5M+ in Meta and Google ad spend managed for 50+ businesses in the UAE, USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand. About Mubeen · LinkedIn