What to Look for in a Meta Ads Expert Before You Hire

Hiring a Meta Ads expert sounds easy, until you waste weeks on someone who burns through budget without bringing in real revenue. We’ve seen it happen time and time again. Someone claims they ran $1M in ad spend but can’t explain what drove the results. Or they know how to launch campaigns but not how to scale them.

If you’re looking to grow through Meta, you can’t afford to hire someone just because they know how to set up a few ad sets. You need someone who thinks beyond clicks, someone who gets performance, creative strategy, and business outcomes.

At GrowthBuddy, we’ve interviewed hundreds of Meta Ads professionals to shortlist only the ones who can genuinely grow a business. Here’s exactly what we look for when hiring top-tier talent, and what you should, too, if you want someone who can actually scale your account, not just manage it.

Must-Have Skills in a Meta Ads Expert

1. Focuses on revenue, not just vanity metrics

A real Meta Ads expert doesn’t stop at CTR, impressions, or even CPM. Those numbers are easy to inflate, and they rarely tell the full story. What matters is: Did the ad drive profit? Can they lower the customer acquisition cost (CAC) while increasing the lifetime value (LTV)? Are they improving blended ROAS, not just last-click attribution?

The right expert should approach ad performance like a growth operator, not a media buyer. That means asking questions like:

• “How much revenue did this audience generate?”

• “Are we attracting high-value customers or low-quality leads?”

• “How do these results tie back to the business model?”

We filter out candidates who get stuck on surface-level metrics in the first stage. If they can’t show how their campaigns drove actual business outcomes, we don’t move forward. Neither should you.

2. Stays ahead of platform changes

The Meta Ads platform doesn’t sit still. Between algorithm shifts, new campaign types, and tighter tracking restrictions post- ios 14.5, what worked last year can fall flat today. A solid expert knows how to keep up – not by guessing, but by constantly testing and adapting.

If someone’s still relying on the same ad structure and audience segmentation they used in 2021, that’s a problem. The best performers now understand how to work with Meta’s current tools, such as Advantage+ campaigns, and know how to adapt their strategy based on what’s actually working today.

Red flag to watch out for: If you ask how their approach has changed in the last 6–12 months and they can't give a specific answer, they’re probably not keeping up.

At GrowthBuddy, we focus on verified experts who can demonstrate a track record of staying ahead of the platforms and trends, not falling behind them. 

3. Strong creative strategy and testing frameworks

Meta’s algorithm has become increasingly creatives-driven. You can have the best campaign structure in the world, but if your ads don’t grab attention and convert, you’ll burn through your budget quickly. 

A meta ads expert knows how to test different hooks, formats, and messaging angles with a clear framework, including briefing UGC creators, analysing performance by creative type, and iterating based on what drives results, not gut feeling.

If someone treats creatives as a task for someone else to “figure out,” that’s a red flag. They should be actively involved in the testing process and know how to work with designers or content creators to get what they need.

💡 Good question to ask: “How do you typically test and scale creatives across campaigns?”

4. Proactive account diagnosis and problem solving

What separates a solid Meta Ads expert from someone just going through the motions is how they respond when things don’t work.

You want someone hands-on with the data who notices a drop in ROAS before you do, investigates the cause, and already has a plan in motion before you even ask. They should regularly review performance, spot patterns, and test hypotheses, rather than waiting for instructions. The best experts think like owners and don’t need to be micromanaged because they’re already acting on the signals.

Something we always notice: The good ones start sentences with “Here’s what I tested and why…” while the mediocre ones start with “Yeah, performance dropped, I’m not sure why…”.

We always look for people who have that ownership mindset. It's the difference between someone who runs ads and someone who drives growth.

5. Knows how to scale without killing performance

We’ve seen brands lose momentum because they hired someone who could manage small budgets, but had no idea what to do once the numbers got bigger. That’s a costly lesson you don’t need to learn the hard way. Anyone can increase budgets, but doing it without wrecking your CPA or tanking ROAS takes actual skill.

The right expert understands how to scale methodically. They know how to monitor audience fatigue, expand reach without going broad too fast, and adjust creative timing and spend pacing. It’s a balancing act between stability and growth, and not many can consistently pull it off.

Pro tip: Ask how they’ve scaled an account without performance dropping. The good ones will walk you through a playbook. The rest will give you vague answers about “doubling budgets and letting it run.”

6. Communicates clearly and reports what matters

You shouldn’t need a translator to understand your ad performance. A real Meta Ads expert knows how to turn data into decisions and explain them in plain English without drowning you in reports. They highlight what’s working, what’s not, and what they’re doing about it. They share insights that actually matter to your business, not just a spreadsheet of numbers with no context.

Reality check: If you’re constantly asking for updates or struggling to understand what’s happening in your ad account, you’re not working with the right person.

We always look for experts who communicate like strategic partners, not outsourced freelancers. You should feel confident in the direction of your ads without needing to micromanage every move.

Conclusion

If you're pouring money into paid acquisition, you deserve someone who understands how to grow a business, not just run ads.

At GrowthBuddy, we don’t just send you a resume and wish you luck. We handpick Meta Ads experts who have already been tested for the exact skills mentioned above. People who know how to drive revenue, keep up with the platform, and communicate like a true growth partner.

If you’re tired of guesswork and want someone who can actually make a difference, without taking months to find, let’s talk.