Fellow ad people. It’s Matteo.
The title says it all. But let me be clear on how this post works and the key points:
1. I will be releasing a video on this topic very soon on my new Youtube channel
2. Mediabuyer.com fixes all of these problems and will allow you to find and hire ONLY the top 1% of media buyers on earth with proven results.
Frankly, if you value your time (and not wasting ad dollars) there are easier ways to get a great media buyer than having to go through the trenches all by yourself.
3. I will be breaking down the ins and outs of hiring amazing ad talent in the SIMPLEST way…
.
(FYI this is based on MY experience from screening thousands of online media buyers and hiring for my own businesses – including what I see and hear is working)
So, lets bang the noodle =D
I have to confess something…
These days, hiring media buyers or anyone who runs ads is utterly broken.
Both for media buyers AND companies… its terrible on both sides.
You probably have seen or experienced this before…
The abundance of media buyers makes it tougher than ever to find the best and right one for your specific business.
Especially true if you are running ads at scale.
Look, in today’s world anyone and their cat can now watch a couple of Youtube videos on Facebook ads and call themselves an ads “expert”…
No wonder you keep getting bad media buyers!
It is borderline impossible to know for certain who is the real deal vs who is not. Thats why it’s so hard to trust people in this space and know who to actually listen to or work with.
Why am I telling you this?
Because most media buyers I see will NEVER tell you this. At Mediabuyer.com, we care about getting you cold hard results… EVEN if that means telling you that you aren’t in a position to even be running ads or hiring for it.
Jeez, Why Is It So Hard To Find Media Buyers
Media buyers and anyone who can run ads are a dime-a-dozen these days… I.e. ad buyers are now commoditized unfortunately.
Simply put, the barrier to entry is SO low now that even your grandma could call herself a Facebook ads “expert” tomorrow. (no offense grandma)
There is simply an over abundance of people who can help you run your ads.
THEN its even harder to know if someone’s results and case studies are actually legitimate and real…
AKA they did not fake or exaggerate their numbers…
I see this on Upwork and Facebook literally all the time where people can’t back up any of the bold claims/results on their profile.
The problem is that if you try to post a job in FB groups or Upwork for example, you have to sift through 100s of unproven or shady candidates…
- Most of them will promise you the world and then under deliver
- Many of them do not actually have proven experience with ads
- And some you will find out to be straight up charlatans… (watch out for those)
Oh, and you’re trying to find the needle in the haystack?…
Lol good luck.
So is everyone.
BUT… it is like this for literally everyone, you’re not alone…
Like seriously, how the heck is anyone supposed to get a great media buyer will all this bs! Hiring ad people is like the final boss in Elden Ring… its not a fun time.
So the bad news is that its literally like trying to find the needle in the haystack.
The Good News is that great media buyers are out there… you simply have to know where and how to look for them. Read on 🙂
Where To Find A-Player Media Buyers
BEFORE you decide to scale ads or hire someone to run them…
ASK yourself: are you even in a good position for it?
Again, most media buyers will never ask you this (or even consider this).
Let me save you a lot of time/money: if you do not have a product that works well with ads and is already profitable YOU SHOULD NOT HIRE A MEDIA BUYER
Please please please do not do it.
I am telling you based on my terrible expereinces that hiring before your ads are profitable RARELY works out.
I’ll make another post about this going more in depth on this subject. But for now, just know that the first step is to have profitable ads that you are certain work.
ONLY THEN do you try to find a media buyer…
Have the mindset of “I know for certain this funnel/ads works. Go take what works and place this in other traffic sources to scale.”
AKA you cannot expect the media buyer to figure out the funnel and the ads for you.
Or give them a non-working funnel and expect them to turn an ROI…
Again, it is possible yes but very rare.
Its like hiring a world-class Formula 1 driver and then giving them a tractor to win the race, or expecting them to build the car too… they probably won’t win.
The truly great media buyers will shy away from a poor funnel/product. On the other hand, most other media buyers will either be blind to this or they will tell you the opposite…
Same thing with your monthly ad spend: if you have lower scale ads, quite naturally very good media buyers won’t want to take it on.
Again, I encourage you to try otherwise but this is what I have consistently seen and experienced.
So that is first and essential.
Good and done?
Cool cool, lez move on.
Here are the proven places where you can source and find media buyers:
(Heads up: We currently use these sources ourselves. This is what WE have found and seen what works)
Pro Tip: While going through this post, think about where YOUR market/niche hangs out online… those places are probably where your better media buyers will be
Facebook Groups (the RIGHT way)
Ah, Facebook groups. They are a double edged sword…
It can be one of your best sources or your worst depending on how you go about it.
AKA you’ll usually get 100s of sketchy dms and candidates if you post a ads job on FB.
However, there are great media buyers that hang out on FB especially if you’re doing paid social ads or are an online business like E-commerce, Info, coaching/consulting, SaaS and tons more.
So thats where we start: find and identify FB groups that are relevant to YOUR niche.
They do not have to be job board groups either.
For example, SaaS? Find all the highest quality saas groups for marketing/ads.
E-commerce? There are literally tons of ecom based FB groups…
If you are in some FB mastermind groups that revolve around ads/marketing for example, that can be a GOLD mine.
In fact, some of the best media buyers in our Mediabuyer.com database have come directly from the amazing people I’ve met through a program’s FB group.
Mastermind groups, paid programs or communities, or members of high quality groups like Hyros Prime or AdLeaks Premium groups are a couple of great places of where good media buyers hang out.
The main takeaway with FB groups is to find the best groups with high quality members.
Ie the A-player and proven media buyers.
Simply put, leverage the groups with high level ad spenders as much as you can.
Then my suggestion is to search around in those groups or make a post asking for recommendations of great media buyers.
Doing this has been much MUCH effective for us to find higher-quality talent rather than posting a job post in a generic job board group… Because that is the lazy way that results you sifting through 100s of mostly bad media buyers or bad fits.
The best media buyers do not need to sit around in FB job boards all day.
You have to put in some work to find them.
That means actively hunting, networking around, and talking to more people.
Use this approach and I promise you will make better connections and have much higher chances to find the true A-players.
Upwork
Particularly for any freelance, contract, or part-time role… Upwork is usually easier to access higher quality media buyers.
Much more than Fiverr which kind of scares me frankly.
With Upwork, your challenge is more so to VET results and make 200% sure that the media buyer you are talking to is the real deal.
See, the problem with Upwork is that anybody can throw anything they want on their profile when in reality, it may actually be a total lie or fabricated result/case study.
I’ll save my horror stories but I’ve seen people say they have worked for Google or managed like $50M in ad spend and then they cannot even provide one reference or back up any of their claims.
Aka you will have ZERO clue whether they are is legit or not. You can be fooled easily…
So thats the sad and unfortunate truth.
To make Upwork work, here are my best tips that consistently help weed people out:
- Make sure your job post is extremely clear with exactly WHAT and WHO you are looking for (and who/what you are NOT looking for)
- Disqualify people on your post (“this is not for you if you have not managed 6-figure monthly ad spends or haven’t worked with DTC ecom”)
- Pre-emptively mention that you would like them to verify and back up their results or case studies.
- Include a juicy compensation or performance model on top of the base pay for them. Something win-win will make your role way more attractive to A-players.
- This goes without saying, but ALWAYS ask for past client referrals and inquire about how it was working with them and their performance. (at least 3-5 references to get a good idea)
- Go hunt using Upwork’s search engine for the media buyers that fit your criteria. And be cautious of any big numbers people mention on their profile. Then save their profile is they could be a fit.
- Mark your job as “Invite-only” initially then personally invite your saved freelancers to the job post. Basically, focus on the best potential candidates first.
- Then if you run low on applicants. You can open the job up to “Upwork talent only” or “Anyone”. Beware you will be opening the flood gates to a lot of crap-shoot talent
If you really want to ensure a great fit, I strongly recommend you trial at least 3-5 media buyers and get a feel for how it is working with them and whether they can perform or not.
It’s easy. Just give them each a KPI to shoot for, some trial ad spend, and support them FULLY for the next 2-4 weeks.
I can’t recommend trials enough.
This is really the only way to know who can deliver and move the needle forward in your business… and know who is the real deal!
If you are ready to do some diligent hunting and verification, Upwork is actually great to find some awesome ad runners.
I have this love/ hate relationship with Upwork…
Because to be honest I’ve hired more bad media buyers than good ones on it… granted I knew nothing of what I know now – BUT the good media buyers I’ve hired from Upwork have made up for every bad one tenfold.
With Upwork, be ready to hunt hunt hunt and vet vet and vet some more.
Make sure they can back up their results and provide references and then trial them.
Linkedin is kind of like a combination between FB groups and Upwork.
It can be great since almost everybody has a linkedin that clearly states what they do.
It’s pretty easy to find media buyers and almost always find at least 2-3 different methods to get in contact with them.
The Bad News: Linkedin requires significantly more time to look for the right media buyers AND sift through mostly “meh” applications.
This is why we like to personally reach out to a media buyer with Linkedin rather than only posting a plain ol job…
Because the conversion/success rate of directly reaching out to a top media buyer in a personal and authentic way can be significantly higher.
So ya, it requires more work but it works.
Look, the good media buyers are usually not hunting for work as much.
You have to go out and find them.
Luckily, with Linkedin’s powerful search engine, you can use a lot of the filters to find the ad buyers who fit your criteria, niche, and business type.
Tip: interchange words like, “Facebook ads media buyer”, “ppc manager”, “paid social specialist”, “ad buyer”… since they are synonymous.
If you then reach out in a quick, direct and authentic way with a win-win offer/opportunity, people will bite much more than you might think.
Try to also reach out to them via email or dm outside of linkedin if you can cuz… linkedin dms is not usually a primary communication channel.
This is what I have found that works to get really good media buyers on linkedin. There are other ways too so don’t be fixated. I encourage you to be creative with WHERE you look.
For example, posting a job that links to a personal VSL on the application page I have seen attracts more higher quality applicants.
Or find the ad/marketing linkedin groups and communities and join them.
Keep in mind some of the points we covered in FB groups and Upwork.
Either way, you will still have to screen thoroughly, have them back up some of their results or case studies, and ask for references.
Hope you are starting to get the pattern =P
The Twitter ads community is pretty active and has higher quality media buyers.
BUT unlike some of the other sources here, not everyone has or uses Twitter…
(I must preface that depending on what niche or industry you are in, Twitter may be more or less helpful. Typically better for online businesses)
Since you cannot post a job on Twitter… this one is all about finding, following, attracting, and reaching out to the right ad people.
Take an approach similar to Facebook groups: use the search engine to find and follow the media buyers and ad communities in your niche or industry.
For example, the e-commerce ads community is super active on Twitter.
From there, you will find the more established media buyers in your space. Just reach out to them keeping the points in mind from Linkedin.
Pro tip: check out who they follow or listen to in terms of ads and you’ll find even more people. You can tweet and ask people for recommendations for independent media buyers. I’ve found great candidates this way and found people are usually friendly on Twitter.
More importantly, you must still verify that they are the real deal and are who they say they are… aka check references, do trials, back up case studies, etc.
So watch out: Twitter has some people who talk big but can’t walk the walk…
By far the best way to source media buyers on Twitter is to leverage a large but relevant audience to promote your role.
Generic Job Board Sites
ZipRecruiter, Indeed, SimplyHired are all regular ol’ job board sites.
There are TONS of them.
I’m categorizing these into one because they are more or less doing the same thing: you post a job to get more eyeballs/applicants.
Generally, these are better for more full-time or independent hires… BUT that doesn’t mean you won’t get a bunch of low-quality applicants unfortunately.
Its the unavoidable downside of these job board sites…
And exactly why it’s that much more important to disqualify rigorously and weed out the tire kicker applicants.
On the job post itself you can mention: What you are vs are not looking for, Who it is for vs who it is not for, the more specific the better.
To really weed out the bad fits and attract A-players, link to an application page on your site and make it compelling!
Think, “what is in it for them?”
Attached with a quick video or loom on that page and it works GREAT to explain the role/opportunity better.
The main point here is to
1) have a compelling role/offer for them to even want to be a part of, and
2) focus on maximizing qualified applicants through qualification and disqualification.
The annoying part about these job board sites is that out of all the 100s of applicants you receive, only a very small handful of them will actually be good suitors.
That is why we disqualify heavily.
Personally I’m not a big fan of these job board sites very much as I’ve found better ads talent from other places.
That does not mean you can’t tap into it. These sites depend more on the type of role you are hiring for and your business type and industry. In general, these sites are better for Full time and in-person roles and few agencies.
Pro Hack: try to find the job board sites in YOUR Niche or industry. For example, there are job board sites or remote or marketing-only gigs like DynamiteJobs, Remote.co, Laskie, Marketerhire, GrowthCollective.
I encourage you to try our competitors and see the types of candidates you get.
Unlike traditional job board sites, we have a 90 day guarantee when you hire because we KNOW our media buyers deliver superior results with ads than the industry.
Mediabuyer.com is the only marketplace with proven, vetted media buyers.
Built for full transparency and backed by results. You can quite easily find and hire A-player media buyers who all have strictly vetted track records of results.
Bonus: Find Hang Out Spots
The quality of the candidate SOURCE plays a huge role in the quality of your final hire.
Do not forget that.
This is why Fiverr is terrible for finding good ad buyers while an exclusive high-level growth mastermind group will likely have a bunch of incredible ones.
The hack is to figure out where YOUR niche’s best media buyers hang out online and get in front of them. Similar to Russell Brunson’s dream 100 concept.
This post covers the consistent places that yes I currently use today and I can tell you they work. Though there are at least 30-50 other pockets of media buying sources I can think of but I’ll leave that list for another video… Be creative where you look.
I must also confess finding media buyers is really only half of the battle…
The other key part is actually screening and vetting properly so you don’t end up hiring a bad fit or bad media buyer.
I will soon drop a video and post covering this in depth. Stay tuned.
How much time does this take?
If you get Mediabuyer.com… ONE DAY.
You can literally find and hire A-player media buyers in as little as 1-3 days. We will hand-match you with proven media buyers the SAME day, who all have rigorously vetted track records of RESULTS.
Literally, even this afternoon we can get you matched.
Otherwise if you go the traditional way… expect 2-6 weeks AT LEAST.
But are they really A-players?
Yes. The way we verify someone’s results isn’t by looking at sketchy screenshots.
Because its way too easy to get fooled by and lied to that way…
Every media buyer at Mediabuyer.com goes through a strict vetting and verification process to make 200% sure they are an UNQUESTIONABLE veteran with paid ads.
Whether it is Google ads or Facebook ads, Tiktok or YouTube ads…
They all have proven track records of producing high level results (aka ad ROIs).
THEN you can see their entire verified track record in a transparent way right on their profile. Yes, that means you can actually SEE their verified results.
The real game changer here is that you can trust that the media buyer is not lying or fluffing up numbers… You can actually hire a proven media buyer with confidence.
Our strict screening process allows us to be certain that a media buyer can perform and produce ad ROIs. They all had to go the extra mile to rigorously verify their track record and results, provide multiple references, pass interviews, etc.
Is Mediabuyer.com the only marketplace that can do this?
Again… other media buyers and job board marketplaces will tell you they are the only ones who have them.
Again, they are lying.
Mediabuyer.com is not the only marketplace with media buyers.
Mediabuyer.com However:
—Hands down has the most experienced online media buyers in the world. Period. They have worked for awesome brands and high level companies like Athletic Greens, Tony Robbins, Jordan Belfort, Samcart, V Shred, and many more for good reason.
People find better media buyers at Mediabuyer.com than anywhere else.
“Mediabuyer.com has been the best to use and had the best media buyers out of about 5 platforms/ job boards I’ve tried.” -Blaze Tripp, Mediabuyer.com Client
—Has the BEST support specifically for ad hiring to help you get the perfect long-term fit and high performer. You get a dedicated rep who is also an ad buyer themselves to help you at every step of the way at NO EXTRA COST.
—Is the most transparent platform on earth for hiring ad talent. Everyone’s results with ads are transparently displayed so it is obviously clear they are the real deal.
—Has the FASTEST time to hire in the industry. Most of our competitors take at least 2-7 days to find the right media buyers for you. We match with relevant media buyers the SAME business day.
—We are the only hiring platform built SPECIFICALLY FOR MEDIA BUYING. This is all we do. We are niche for good reason. Its hard to hire anyone to run your ads at scale. Last I checked there is currently no other fully fledged solution designed specifically for hiring media buyers…
—I am the only Founder of a marketplace that is a real media buyer AND ads hiring expert. I have personally screened thousands of media buyers and used all the same job board sites you use. Besides also working at Hyros with Becker, I understand what and who you actually need in order to scale with the right ads talent.
—We are the ONLY company with a 90-day Guarantee and the ONLY one that guarantees the results the media buyer delivers. We ONLY make money when you find a perfect long-term fit who delivers you results first.
We are the only company that encourages you to go try our competitors because we KNOW you won’t find more proven ads talent anywhere else.
More importantly… I am one of the only Founders in this industry that will be completely transparent with you and REFUSE to take your money if you are not 200% happy with your media buyer.
In fact, Thats why I’m even starting Mediabuyer.com and one of the main problems our community is aiming to solve.
We understand that hiring media buyers sucks on both sides and is broken…
We care about making hiring for ads TRANSPARENT and EASY so you do not have to risk hiring another bad fit or bad media buyer.
We care about our community and our clients’ success – we all strongly believe in a more transparent future with ads and building a better way for incredible media buyers and companies to find each other.
Feel free to learn more about Mediabuyer.com and book a demo call here.
Again, I’ll run through all of this in my video soon SO stay tuned.
Mentioned Resources
Mediabuyer.com Hiring
If you are a business running ads at scale and are looking for vetted, proven media buyers like the ones I mentioned above, CLICK HERE to get more information on Mediabuyer.com
A-Player Media Buyer Hiring Tips
This is community sourced training based on our media buyer’s proven results. We have nothing else to sell you. With this value, we simply hope one day you will consider joining our platform and our fun little family :).
Apply as a Media Buyer
If you are media buyer yourself with an exceptional track record can ALSO prove that to us, you can get more details and apply HERE.
Hope you’ve enjoyed. Catch you on the flip.
-Matteo F
Founder of Mediabuyer.com
