Hiring Media Buyers in Ecommerce
A great media buyer in ecommerce is not just someone who knows how to set up campaigns. They understand unit economics, creative testing, and how to scale spend profitably. They think like business owners, not just platform operators.
What separates good from great
Good media buyers can manage campaigns. Great media buyers can scale them. The difference lies in their understanding of the full funnel — from creative strategy to landing page optimisation to lifetime value. They do not just optimise for ROAS; they optimise for contribution margin and know why the distinction matters.
The platform specialisation question
Should you hire a Meta specialist, a Google specialist, or a generalist? The answer depends on your stage. Early on, you want someone who can run your primary channel exceptionally well. As you scale, you need someone who can think across platforms and allocate budget based on incrementality, not just platform-reported returns.
Red flags in media buyer interviews
Watch out for candidates who only talk about campaign mechanics and never mention business outcomes. A great media buyer should be able to explain how their work impacted revenue, not just ad metrics. If they cannot connect spend to contribution margin, they are an operator, not a strategist.