The Real Cost
What Paid Advertising Actually Costs
Ad management fees are only part of the equation. Here's what you're really paying for — and what you're risking — with each approach.
| DIY Google/Meta self-serve |
Other Agencies Average US agency |
 Flat-rate management |
Full-Time Hire In-house Media Buyer |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management Fee | $0 your time instead |
$1,500–$5,000/mo or 15–20% of ad spend |
$1,600/mo flat never a % of your spend |
$5,000–$8,500/mo salary + benefits |
| Setup & Onboarding | YouTube tutorials | $2,000–$5,000 | $1,500 one-time $1,000 for existing clients |
Months of hiring + training |
| Your Time per Week | 8–15 hours | 1–2 hours | 1–2 hours | 3–5 hours managing + approvals |
| Ad Creative & Copywriting | You write it all | Often outsourced (extra cost) | ✓ | If they have creative skills |
| Raw Content (Photos/Videos) | You create it | Client provides (or extra cost) | Client provides* we edit & optimize for ads |
If they have creative skills |
| A/B Testing & Optimization | Trial and error | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Monthly ROI Reporting | — | Basic dashboards | Full ROI analysis | If trained to report |
| Pricing Model | Free (but your ad spend is at risk) | % of spend — they profit when you spend more | Flat rate — our incentive is your results, not your budget | Salary regardless of results |
| Risk of Wasted Spend | High | Low–Medium | Low | Low (if experienced) |
| Commitment | None | 6–12 months typical | 3-month minimum 15-day no-questions exit |
At-will, but hiring takes 2–4 months |
*Raw content (original photos, videos, and footage) is always provided by the client. We handle all editing, ad creative design, copywriting, and optimization.