Short answer: The most useful questions to ask a Facebook ads expert before hiring are about tracking, account ownership, campaign structure, creative, measurement and reporting. Good candidates answer in plain language, ask about your business before promising anything, and are happy for you to own every asset. Weak candidates talk about hacks, guaranteed ROAS and interest targeting, and get vague when you ask how they measure results.
How to use these questions
You do not need to be an expert to run a good interview. You need to listen for three things: clear reasoning, honesty about what they do not know, and questions back to you. Someone who launches into a strategy before asking about your margins, products and tracking is guessing.
Pick the questions that matter most for your business. Under each group I have added what a strong answer usually sounds like, so you can compare candidates fairly. If you are still deciding between a freelancer and an agency, read Meta Ads specialist vs Facebook ads agency first.
Questions about tracking and data
- How will you check my tracking before spending money?
- Do you set up the Conversions API as well as the Meta Pixel, and how do you avoid counting the same purchase twice?
- Which conversion event should we optimise for, and why?
A good answer: they want to audit Events Manager first, check that purchase or lead events fire once with the right values, and make sure browser and server events are deduplicated. They choose the optimisation event based on volume and business value, for example purchases for a store, or a qualified lead event rather than any form submission for a service business.
Questions about account ownership and access
- Whose ad account, Page, pixel and catalog will we use?
- How do you want me to give you access?
- If we stop working together, what happens to the account and its data?
A good answer: everything stays in your business portfolio and they work through partner access. Jon Loomer, a well known Meta Ads educator, lists agencies owning client assets such as Pages as a common mistake that makes later transitions difficult. If the candidate wants your password or prefers to use their own ad account, that is a no.
Questions about campaign structure
- How many campaigns and ad sets would you run for my budget?
- When would you use Advantage+ sales or leads campaigns, and when would you switch something off?
- How do you handle the learning phase?
A good answer: fewer, better funded ad sets rather than many small ones. Jon Loomer suggests aiming for at least 50 optimised events per week to exit the learning phase, and consolidating ad sets to get there. A strong candidate also explains that the target is a guide, not a rule, and that acceptable results matter more than the label. For stores, my post on Meta Ads for eCommerce campaign structure shows what a simple setup looks like.
Questions about creative
- Who makes the ads, and how many new ones do you expect each month?
- How do you test new creative, and how do you decide a winner?
- What would you need from us: product samples, customer reviews, founder videos?
A good answer: clear roles. Either they produce creative, or they write briefs and your team or a creator produces it. They test genuinely different concepts, not just new headlines, and judge them on purchases or qualified leads over a sensible period.
Questions to ask a Facebook ads expert about measurement and reporting
- Which numbers will you report, and how often?
- How do you separate new customers from existing ones?
- How do you check Meta’s numbers against my store or CRM?
- Which attribution setting do you use, and why?
A good answer: spend, results, cost per result and revenue, compared with your own sales data. For stores, they should mention defining audience segments in the ad account’s advertising settings, so the audience segments breakdown shows how much spend reaches new, engaged and existing customers. They should also be cautious with view through results. Jon Loomer flags inflated conversion results from attribution settings as another common agency mistake.
Questions about fees, scope and experience
- How do you charge, and what exactly is included?
- Who will actually work on my account day to day?
- Can you show me how you think about an account like mine?
- What is the notice period, and how does handover work?
A good answer: a clear fee model in writing, ad spend paid by you directly to Meta, and a named person doing the work. For experience, a walkthrough of a similar account or an audit of yours is more useful than a screenshot of a big ROAS number, which you cannot verify. Certifications such as the Meta Certified Media Buying Professional show exam knowledge and need yearly renewal, so ask if theirs is current, but treat it as a bonus, not proof. To sense check ad spend expectations, see my guide to Facebook ads cost.
Answers that should worry you
- “We guarantee 5x ROAS” or any fixed result before they have seen your account.
- “Just send me your login.”
- A long list of interest audiences and retargeting campaigns, with nothing about tracking or creative.
- Reports built around reach, likes and clicks instead of sales or qualified leads.
- No questions about your margins, prices, customers or sales process.
What I recommend: shortlist two or three candidates, ask each the same core questions, and score their answers on clarity and honesty. Then start with a defined trial of 60 to 90 days with agreed goals. If you are hiring internationally, my guide on hiring a Facebook ads expert in Bangladesh covers access, time zones and contracts.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most important questions to ask a Facebook ads expert?
Should I ask for case studies?
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Need straight answers about your Meta Ads?
If you would like to put these questions to me, I welcome it. As a Meta Ads specialist, I work inside your own accounts, explain my reasoning and report on real revenue. Book a free ads audit and I will show you what I would fix first in your account.