If you’ve ever worked with a Meta advertiser and felt like nothing really improved, you’re not alone.
I speak to business owners who have spent thousands on ads and walked away thinking:
- Facebook ads don’t work
- It must be my product
- Maybe my business just isn’t suited to ads
Sometimes, that’s not actually the problem.
Here’s how to tell if you’re hiring the right person and the questions you should be asking before you hand over your money.
1. Do they focus on strategy or just “running ads”?
A lot of advertisers will tell you they “run ads”.
That’s not the job.
A good Meta advertiser should be looking at:
- Your offer (is it strong enough to convert?)
- Your messaging (would a stranger understand it in 3 seconds?)
- Your landing or sales page (does it actually sell?)
If they’re just talking about campaigns, audiences and budgets that may not be enough to get results in your campaigns.
Questions you should ask:
What would you change about my offer before we even run ads?
What do you think of my messaging, would a cold audience understand it quickly?
Do you review landing pages as part of your process?
What do you look for in a high-converting funnel?
What are the biggest mistakes you see businesses make before running ads?
What can you tell me about my landing page or sales page? Are there any improvements to enable my goal to be achieved?
If they can’t answer that clearly, they’re not thinking strategically.
2. Do they cover creative or focus on targeting?
Meta has changed a lot.
With updates like Meta Advantage+, Andromeda and AI-driven delivery, creative now does most of the heavy lifting and not specifically your audience targeting.
If your advertiser is still obsessing over:
- Interests
- Lookalikes
- Detailed targeting hacks
…they’re behind.
A good advertiser will talk about:
- Creative angles to test
- Testing new hooks
- What creatives are working in 2026
- Why ads fatigue and how to fix it
Questions you should ask:
How many ad variations do you typically test at once?
What makes a strong ad in today’s environment?
How do you know when an ad is fatigued?
What’s your process for coming up with new creative angles?
How often will we be creating new ads, and what’s your process for testing them?
What type of creative would you suggest to test in my industry
What angles would you suggest to test?
If the answer is vague then you may not get the results you are looking for.
3. Do they understand what actually drives sales?
This is where a lot of advertisers fall down.
Running ads doesn’t guarantee sales.
A good advertiser understands the 3 things that drive performance:
- A clear message (what is this + why should I care?)
- A strong offer (why buy now?)
- A price point that allows for profit after ad costs
If those aren’t right, no amount of “optimising” will fix it.
Questions you should ask:
What do you think makes an ad convert vs just get clicks?
How do you evaluate if my offer is strong enough?
What role does pricing play in ad performance?
How do you identify where the breakdown is (ad vs website vs offer)?
What would you look at first if we weren’t getting sales?
If my ads don’t perform, how will you diagnose the problem?
What is your testing process?
You want to hear more than:
- “We’ll test audiences”
- “We’ll optimise the campaign”
You want someone who looks at the whole funnel, not just the ads.
4. Do they set realistic expectations, or do they overpromise?
If someone tells you:
- We’ll get you a 5x ROAS
- We guarantee results
Be careful.
Meta ads don’t come with guarantees, especially in the early stages.
A good advertiser will talk about:
- Testing phase vs scaling phase
- Learning periods
- What success realistically looks like for your budget
- What it takes to test then to scale.
Questions you should ask:
What should I realistically expect in the first 30 days?
How long does it usually take to see consistent results?
What budget do you recommend to properly test ads?
What does a “testing phase” look like with you?
At what point do you decide something isn’t working?
If they promise instant results, they’re selling, not managing.
5. Do they take ownership or blame everything else?
Bad advertisers blame everything. Good ones take responsibility and find solutions.
You want someone who says:
👉 “Here’s what we can control and improve.”
Bad advertisers will blame:
- The algorithm
- The market
- The economy
- Your product
Good advertisers take ownership and say: “Here’s what we can control, and here’s what we’ll improve.”
Questions you should ask:
If results drop, what’s the first thing you look at?
How do you handle underperforming campaigns?
Can you give an example of a time ads weren’t working and what you did?
What do you do when a client’s offer isn’t converting?
How proactive are you in making changes without being asked?
You want someone proactive, not reactive.
6. Do they communicate well?
You shouldn’t need a marketing degree to understand your own ads.
If your reports are full of jargon but no real insight, that’s a problem.
A good advertiser will explain:
- What’s working
- What’s not
- What they’re changing next
In plain English.
Questions you should ask:
How often will I receive updates or reports?
What will you actually include in those reports?
How do you explain performance to clients who aren’t technical?
Will you tell me what’s not working as well as what is?
How often can we jump on a call if needed?
7. Do they actually have experience
There are a lot of “Facebook advertisers” out there who’ve:
- Run their own small account
- Done a course
- Or watched a few YouTube videos
That’s very different to managing multiple accounts, budgets, and industries.
Questions you should ask:
What types of businesses have you worked with?
Can you share real results or case studies?
How many accounts are you currently managing?
Have you worked with businesses similar to mine?
What’s something you’ve learned from managing ads that you wouldn’t know from a course?
You’re not just hiring someone to press buttons, you’re hiring experience.
Final Thought
A good Meta advertiser won’t just “run ads”.
They’ll:
- Challenge your thinking
- Improve your offer
- Guide your strategy
- And help you actually grow, not just spend
If you’ve been burnt before,don’t write off Meta ads completely.
Just make sure next time, you choose someone who knows what they’re doing.
Running Ads But Not Getting the Return You Expected?
In eCommerce, ads don’t work in isolation.
Your results come down to how well your:
- Creative
- Offer
- And backend (like email)
all work together.
If one piece is off, it impacts everything.
That’s why I offer a Free Meta Ads Review for eCommerce brands,
so you can clearly see:
- What’s holding your ROAS back
- What’s worth scaling
- And what needs to change
If you’d like me to take a look, you can reach out here:
Email: shenny@spunkymonkeymedia.com.au
Website: www.spunkymonkeymedia.com.au
Or book a 15 minute chat to see how we can help you: Click here to book a time to chat
About the Author
Hi, I’m Shenny, founder of Spunky Monkey Media.
I work with businesses who are tired of spending money on ads and not seeing results.
Over the years, I’ve managed thousands of campaigns and seen the same pattern. When ads don’t work, it’s usually not the platform… it’s what’s sitting behind them.
That’s why my approach is different.
I focus on the full strategy, your offer, your messaging, your creatives, so your ads actually have something strong to work with.
Because when those pieces are right, ads don’t feel like a gamble. They become a growth tool.
At Spunky Monkey Media, the goal isn’t just to run ads — it’s to help you scale with clarity and confidence.