Vent: Burned $800 on a Facebook ad agency that didn't know basic targeting

I hired this agency out of Austin last March to run my eCommerce ads. They promised a 4x return but after 6 weeks I was down $800 with zero sales. Turns out they were targeting the whole US with no interest layering or lookalike audiences. I had to rebuild everything from scratch myself using YouTube tutorials. How do you check if an agency actually knows their stuff before you hand over cash?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim.wren15d ago

Flip it around and ask them to walk you through their exact targeting plan for your product before you sign anything. I've noticed a pattern where people claim to be experts but can't explain their process step by step without getting vague or defensive. It's like hiring a chef who can't name the ingredients in their signature dish. If they fumble on basics like interest layering or lookalike audiences during a phone call, that's your red flag waving right there.

the_seth12d ago

Yep, this is spot on. I had a guy pitch me his "targeting strategy" once and when I asked him to break down the interest layering for my specific niche, he just kept repeating "trust the algorithm" like a broken record. I asked him what kind of audiences he'd test first if he had my product, and he couldn't even name a single platform tool like Lookalikes or Customer Match. It's wild how many people talk a big game but freeze up the second you ask for a real, basic explanation. If they can't show you the actual steps they'd take from day one, they're just selling a dream with no substance. That chef analogy is perfect, man, it really is that simple.

troy99615d ago

That "can't explain their process step by step without getting vague" line hits hard because it's the same pattern as hiring any other pro-if someone can't walk you through their work like a normal person, they're probably bullshitting.