We’re two founders launching a premium D2C skincare brand in Australia (still in stealth mode). We’ve budgeted **$10–15K AUD** purely for Meta (FB/IG) ads + UGC content + IG growth during our launch phase.
We have **no prior experience** with paid ads or GTM strategy, and are trying to decide between:
* Hiring a **digital marketing agency** (quotes we’ve gotten are \~$2–4.4K/month AUD) to manage ad spend up to $20k/ month
* Or working with a **freelancer** (e.g. Fiverr Pro-level Meta buyer charging \~$800/month)
**Goal:** scale fast, test lots of creative hooks, iterate fast, and make our launch count.
We’re wondering:
* Do agencies bring better tools (e.g. Motion, Triple Whale), more data access, or tighter creative testing systems?
* Or can **top-tier freelancers** offer the same if they’re experienced in beauty/eComm?
* What’s the best structure if you’re launching with only UGC creatives and no in-house team?
**What would you recommend?**
Also curious:
* What are **green flags / red flags** you look for when vetting either one?
* What questions helped you avoid bad hires early on?
Appreciate any insight — especially if you’ve launched a product or scaled with paid ads recently.
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