12 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Meta Ads Expert in India
Anyone can show a screenshot with a big ROAS. These 12 questions reveal whether a Meta Ads freelancer or agency can actually grow your revenue, with the answers that should worry you.
Hiring someone to run your Meta Ads is risky. You're handing over money, sometimes lakhs a month, to a person whose skill is hard to judge from the outside. Everyone has a case study. Everyone has a screenshot showing a big ROAS.
I'm a freelance performance marketer myself, so I've sat on the other side of a lot of these conversations. These are the questions I'd ask if I were hiring, and the answers that should make you nervous.
If you're still deciding between a freelancer and an agency, read freelance performance marketer vs agency in India first.
About results
1. "Where do your results come from?"
The best answer: the client's own records, like Shopify revenue, a CRM, or a booking system. Ads Manager numbers are useful, but they're Meta's estimate of its own credit.
For example, my 12.51x ROAS for a jewellery brand's top campaign comes from Shopify revenue, and the 5.9x month for a Munnar resort comes from bookings recorded in its CRM, with cancellations excluded. If someone can't tell you where their numbers come from, treat the numbers with caution.
2. "What does a normal month look like, not just the best?"
Every marketer shows their best number. Ask what a normal month looks like too. For the jewellery brand, the top campaign was 12.51x and the best month 8.32x, and the honest follow-up is that every month from January to August closed above 5x, with February the weakest at 5.33x. A trustworthy marketer will tell you about the weak months without being pushed. See the full case study.
3. "What went wrong on an account, and what did you do?"
Everyone has bad months. A good answer is specific: CPMs doubled, tracking broke, a creative burned out, and here's what changed. A bad answer is "nothing ever goes wrong".
About your business
4. "What do you need to know about my margins?"
A good marketer asks about your margins, average order value and repeat purchase rate before talking about ROAS targets, because a "good" ROAS depends entirely on your break-even. Here's how break-even ROAS works for Indian brands.
5. "What happens after someone clicks the ad?"
They should care about your landing page, checkout, follow-up speed and CRM. If they only talk about targeting and creative, they'll optimise for cheap leads that never buy.
6. "How would you measure success for my business?"
Listen for cost per sale, cost per booking, ROAS and revenue. Be wary if the answer centres on reach, impressions, likes or followers.
About how they work
7. "How would you structure my account?"
They should describe a simple, logical structure: prospecting, retargeting, maybe a catalogue campaign, with reasons. Dozens of tiny ad sets on a small budget is a warning sign. Here's why that causes problems.
8. "How often do you test new creative, and who makes it?"
Creative drives most results on Meta today. Find out who writes, designs and edits the ads, how often new ones go live, and how winners are chosen.
9. "What will your monthly report include?"
Ask to see a sample. It should show spend, results that matter (sales, bookings, qualified leads), cost per result, what was tested, what was learned and what's next.
About ownership and trust
10. "Whose name will the ad account be in?"
Yours. The Business Manager, ad account, pixel, page and Instagram should all belong to your business, with the marketer given partner access. If they create everything in their name, you could lose your data and history if you part ways.
11. "Do you guarantee results?"
Nobody can honestly guarantee a ROAS. Ad costs change, competitors change, and your product, price and follow-up matter as much as the ads. Guarantees are usually a sales tactic.
12. "What do you need from me?"
A good marketer will tell you plainly: product information, access, fast approvals, honest feedback on lead quality, and someone who follows up with leads. Advertising works best as a partnership.
Red flags and green flags at a glance
How to run a trial
If you're unsure, agree a short trial, perhaps 60 to 90 days, with:
- A clear goal based on your numbers (cost per sale or ROAS above break-even)
- A defined budget
- A weekly check-in and a monthly report
- An agreement that you own all accounts and data
That's long enough to see whether they understand your business, and short enough to limit the risk.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Meta Ads expert cost in India?
It varies widely by experience and scope. Freelancers often charge less than agencies for the same ad spend, but compare on what's included: strategy, creative, tracking and reporting. I covered typical ranges in my freelancer vs agency guide.
Should I give a marketer access to my ad account?
Yes, through partner access in your own Business Manager. Don't hand over your personal Facebook login, and don't let them create the business assets in their own name.
How long before Meta Ads show results?
You'll usually see early signals within the first two weeks. Allow two to three months to properly judge results, especially for considered purchases where sales come weeks after the first click.
Want to ask me these questions? I'm happy to answer every one. Get in touch.
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