How to Find a

Media Buyer
(Plug & Play
INTRODUCTION
Media buyers are essential members of any agency team.

They are responsible for the execution of paid advertising

campaigns on platforms like Facebook or Google.

(Check out more commonly-used terms here).

Finding a media buyer can be tricky and it’s vital that

you’re able to find the right fit for your agency.
WHERE TO FIND
MEDIA BUYERS
Finding skilled media buyers can be a difficult process: as
a small agency owner, you’re unlikely to want to hire a full-
time employee or be able to afford to advertise the job.

This means you’ll need to get creative in your approach.

Ideally, you should look to find three to four potential
media buyers for your agency to interview at a later stage.

Here are the most common ways to find media buyers.

Remember to speak to media buyers as fellow

professionals and respect their time. Don’t ask for free
work or trials, as you wouldn’t expect to as an agency
owner.
Referrals:

Asking for referrals from fellow agency owners is

one of the quickest ways to find media buyers, and
also most reliable. Even if you don’t personally
know any fellow agency owners, if you belong to an
agency group, just post and mention that you are
looking for a media buyer, and which niche they
operate in.

Reddit:

Reddit is a fantastic source of knowledge and

advice. Like Facebook groups, there are thousands
of subreddits dedicated to a wide range of topics.
Redditors are also famously-helpful and willing to
offer advice. Let’s say you’re working in the
eCommerce niche, or you’re thinking of working
with a specific client, if you post a link to the
client’s website and ask for advice, you’ll be greeted
with multiple helpful responses.
Send a direct message to anyone who has given
you great advice and ask for a meeting.
Facebook Groups:

There are thousands of Facebook groups were

media buyers look for work, ask for advice, and
share tips. Join a few and start to read posts from
the most active users: which campaigns are they
working on? How much are they spending? What
are their results like?

Upwork/ Fiverr:

Both Upwork and Fiverr prefer all work to go

through their platform, this means that although, in
theory, you could ‘hire’ a contractor by white-
labeling services from either website, you will have
limited ability to communicate with the contractor.

However, if you do try Upwork or Fiverr, and you end

up being impressed by the contractor delivering
your services, you may ask them to contact you
outside of the platform and work on a different
basis.
HOW TO QUALIFY
MEDIA BUYERS
Once you have found potential media buyers, it’s
important to go through a qualification process to make
sure they have the skills necessary to execute successful
marketing campaigns and are the right fit for your
agency.

You should ask:

How much have you spent on advertising?

This is a common question to ask, and many

agencies require – and many media buyers boast –
incredibly high figures over $1,000,000.

For most agency owners, media buyers who have

spent more than $20,000 can be expected to be
reasonably experienced in their field.
 Which niche do you specialise in?

Just like agencies specialize in niches, media buyers do

too.

If your agency offers paid traffic to dentists, it wouldn’t

make sense to work with a media buyer who primarily
focuses on eCommerce stores.

Do you have any case studies I can see?

Before you interview a media buyer, ask if they have any

pre-prepared case studies that you can see.
HOW TO INTERVIEW
MEDIA BUYERS
Once you have qualified potential media buyers, it’s time
for the interview process.

This is your chance to discuss remuneration,

performance, and both your goals as an agency owner,
and theirs as a media buyer.

It’s important to discuss:

Money

You’ll need to decide how to pay your contractor: on a

client-per-client basis, or for a flat-fee, regardless of
workload. Speak to other agency owners to establish the
going rate in your niche. Don’t be afraid to pay over-the-
odds for a top-quality contractor.
 Priorities

Why does a media buyer want to work for you as a

contractor, and not work on their own agency? Don’t be
afraid to have a frank conversation.

Your media buyer shouldn’t want to work for your

agency as a ‘stepping stone’ but to join and be part of a
bigger team.

Personalities

Even as a hands-off agency owner, you’ll be spending a

lot of time professionally with your media buyer.

It’s important to make sure that you ‘gel’.

HOW TO HIRE
MEDIA BUYERS
If you’ve found a media buyer who’s qualified and is the
right fit for your agency, feel free to make them an offer.

It’s important that you sign both a contract dictating the

nature of their services and a non-disclosure and non-
compete contract.