# Article Brief: Paid Media Agency

**Generated:** 2026-04-30
**Keyword:** paid media agency
**Content Type:** pillar-guide
**Funnel Stage:** consideration
**AEO Primary:** false (commercial/informational hybrid)

---

## Section 1: Target Definition

**Primary query:** paid media agency
**Secondary queries:** what is paid media, paid advertising services, paid media management, hire paid media agency, paid media agency vs in-house, choose paid media agency
**Search intent:** Mixed commercial/informational — users researching what paid media agencies do, when to hire, and how to choose
**Target SERP features:** Featured Snippet (definition), PAA questions, AI Overview
**Target AI platforms:** Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, ChatGPT Search

---

## Section 2: Competitive Intelligence

Competitive intelligence skipped — no MCP tools available. Brief built from context document and manual research.

**Inferred competitive landscape:**
- Typical competitor articles cover: definition, services, pricing, when to hire, agency selection
- MarketerHire differentiation opportunity: position fractional specialists as alternative to traditional agencies (speed, flexibility, no junior teams, month-to-month)
- Gap to exploit: most agency content is generic. Opportunity to inject real pricing data, red flags from customer voice, and specific decision frameworks

---

## Section 3: Content Architecture

### Proposed H1
Paid Media Agency: What They Do & How to Choose One (2026)

### Full Outline

#### INTRO (150-200 words)
- Open with: Direct answer — what a paid media agency is and core services (Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, programmatic)
- Keywords to include: paid media agency, paid advertising, digital advertising agency
- AEO requirement: first 100 words must define paid media agency and list core services as extractable answer
- Hook: Cost/ROI context — typical agency fees vs typical ad spend

#### H2: What Is a Paid Media Agency? (300-350 words)
- Requirement: Define paid media agency, differentiate from content/SEO/organic agencies. List core ad platforms they manage.
- Keywords: primary — paid media agency, what is paid media; secondary — digital advertising agency
- AEO requirement: open with 40-60 word definition block
- Format: opening definition paragraph, then bullet list of core services/platforms

#### H2: What Do Paid Media Agencies Do? (350-400 words)
- Requirement: Service breakdown — strategy development, campaign setup, creative testing, ongoing optimization, reporting/analytics
- Keywords: primary — paid advertising services; secondary — paid media management, agency services
- AEO requirement: open with 40-60 word answer summarizing core services
- Format: sub-sections or bullet list for each service type with 2-3 sentence descriptions

#### H2: When Should You Hire a Paid Media Agency? (300-350 words)
- Requirement: Decision signals — ad spend threshold ($10K+/mo), plateaued performance, lack of expertise, multi-platform complexity
- Keywords: primary — hire paid media agency; secondary — when to hire, signs you need agency
- AEO requirement: open with 40-60 word answer listing top 3-4 signals
- Format: numbered list or bullet list with brief explanations

#### H2: Paid Media Agency Pricing (350-400 words)
- Requirement: Pricing models — % of ad spend (10-20% typical), flat monthly retainer ($3K-$15K range), performance-based, hybrid. Include cost examples by ad spend tier.
- Keywords: primary — paid media agency cost; secondary — pricing models, agency fees
- AEO requirement: open with 40-60 word answer stating typical pricing models
- Format: table comparing pricing models OR structured list with examples

#### H2: In-House vs Agency vs Fractional Specialist (300-350 words)
- Requirement: Three-way comparison — full-time in-house hire, traditional agency, fractional specialist (MarketerHire positioning). Include cost, speed, flexibility, expertise depth.
- Keywords: primary — paid media agency vs in-house; secondary — fractional paid media, hiring alternatives
- AEO requirement: open with 40-60 word summary of when each makes sense
- Format: comparison table (3 columns, rows for cost/speed/expertise/flexibility/ideal use case)

#### H2: How to Choose a Paid Media Agency (350-400 words)
- Requirement: Selection framework — platform expertise, vertical/industry experience, reporting transparency, creative capabilities, trial period availability, references
- Keywords: primary — choose paid media agency; secondary — vetting criteria, agency selection
- AEO requirement: open with 40-60 word answer listing top 5-6 criteria
- Format: numbered list or checklist format

#### H2: Red Flags to Avoid (250-300 words)
- Requirement: Warning signs drawn from customer voice quotes — guaranteed ROI promises, lack of transparency, junior account teams ("one of many clients"), long lock-in contracts, "everyone says they can do everything"
- Keywords: primary — agency red flags; secondary — what to avoid, warning signs
- AEO requirement: open with 40-60 word summary of top red flags
- Format: bullet list with brief explanations. **Opportunity to weave in customer voice quotes.**

#### FAQ Section (250-300 words)
- Questions:
  1. How much does a paid media agency cost?
  2. What's a typical timeline to see results from a paid media agency?
  3. Should I hire an agency or a freelancer for paid media?
  4. What platforms should my paid media agency manage?
  5. Do paid media agencies require long-term contracts?
  6. How do I know if a paid media agency is delivering results?
- Each answer: 40-60 words, self-contained
- Schema: FAQPage JSON-LD

#### CONCLUSION + CTA (100-150 words)
- Summary: Recap when agencies make sense vs when alternatives are better
- Transition: Position MarketerHire fractional specialists as faster, more flexible alternative (vetted experts, 48-hour match, month-to-month, no junior teams)
- CTA: Primary — hire_form ("Get matched in 48 hours") OR book_intro_call

**Total target word count:** 2,400-2,800 words

---

## Section 4: Internal Linking Plan

**Pages this article should link TO (ranked by relevance, max 8):**

1. [Hire a Paid Search / PPC Expert](https://marketerhire.com/roles/paid-search-marketing) — same cluster, service page for Google Ads specialists
2. [Hire a Paid Social Marketer](https://marketerhire.com/roles/paid-social-expert-marketing) — same cluster, service page for Meta/LinkedIn/TikTok specialists
3. [Freelancer vs Agency vs FTE](https://marketerhire.com/blog/freelance-agency-fte-pros-cons) — adjacent cluster, comparison framework
4. [Marketing Team Cost Calculator](https://marketerhire.com/blog/how-much-does-a-marketing-team-cost) — consideration-stage cost resource
5. [Digital Marketing Team Structure](https://marketerhire.com/blog/digital-marketing-team-structure) — team-building context
6. [Hire a PPC Expert](https://marketerhire.com/blog/hire-ppc-expert) — hiring guide for paid search
7. [Demand Generation Agency](https://marketerhire.com/blog/demand-generation-agency) — related agency type comparison
8. [Outsource Marketing Team](https://marketerhire.com/blog/outsource-marketing-team) — broader outsourcing context

**IMPORTANT:** Every URL verified against client-config.json internal_links. No hallucinated URLs.

---

## Section 5: E-E-A-T Specification

**Author:** MarketerHire Editorial
**Credentials:** MarketerHire Content Team — "draws on insights from 30,000+ successful marketer matches and interviews with top marketing leaders"
**Experience signals to include:**
- 30,000+ successful matches (proof point)
- 6,000+ customers
- 95% trial-to-hire rate
- <5% acceptance rate for marketer vetting (top 5% vetted)
- Customer voice quotes from discovery calls (agency fatigue, junior staff issues, transparency concerns)

**External sources to cite (MINIMUM 3, verified URLs):**

1. **Google Ads** → https://ads.google.com/ (platform reference)
2. **Meta Business** → https://business.facebook.com/ (platform reference)
3. **LinkedIn Ads** → https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/ads (platform reference)
4. **HubSpot State of Marketing** → https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing (industry benchmarks for ad spend/performance)
5. **Gartner** → https://www.gartner.com/ (for any enterprise marketing spend data if cited)

**CRITICAL:** Every external citation must be a hyperlink in the final draft. Plain-text brand mentions are NOT acceptable. If citing a report or tool, link to the actual page or root domain.

**"Last Updated" date:** 2026-04-30

---

## Section 6: Schema Plan

**Required schema types:**
- Article/BlogPosting (headline, author, publisher, datePublished, dateModified, image)
- FAQPage (wrapping FAQ section with 6 Q&A pairs)
- BreadcrumbList (Home > Blog > Paid Media Agency)
- Organization (publisher — MarketerHire)
- Person (author — MarketerHire Editorial, or Organization if no individual)

---

## Section 7: AEO + GEO Requirements

**AEO Requirements:**
- First 100 words: direct definition of paid media agency + core platforms/services, extractable as standalone snippet
- Every H2: opens with 40-60 word answer block
- FAQ answers: 40-60 words each, self-contained (no "as mentioned above")
- Comparison in table format (In-House vs Agency vs Fractional)
- Processes/services in numbered/bulleted lists
- Headings match natural search phrasing ("What Is a Paid Media Agency?" not "Understanding Paid Media Agencies")

**GEO Requirements:**
- Every section modular — no cross-references to prior sections
- Key claims cite specific sources (e.g., "According to HubSpot's State of Marketing report, 73% of...")
- Entity names consistent: "paid media agency" throughout (not switching to "paid advertising agency" mid-article)
- Content depth: each H2 section 250-400 words, sufficient to match/exceed typical competitor coverage
- Author expertise woven in: reference MarketerHire's 30,000 matches, customer insights, vetting process naturally where relevant

---

## Section 8: CTA Plan (CRO F3)

**Funnel stage:** consideration
**Primary CTA:** marketing_team_cost_calc (callout_card, position: post-intro)
**Secondary CTAs:**
1. hire_form (primary_button, position: conclusion)
2. book_intro_call (secondary_button, position: conclusion)

Written to `cta-plan.json`.

---

## Section 9: Lead Magnet Match (CRO F4)

**Matched lead magnet:** lm-marketing-team-cost-calculator
- **Title:** Marketing Team Cost Calculator
- **Landing URL:** https://marketerhire.com/blog/how-much-does-a-marketing-team-cost
- **Match score:** 0.68
  - Topic: 50% (tags: marketing-team-cost, budgeting, hiring-cost overlap with agency cost/pricing)
  - Funnel: 30% (consideration stage match)
  - Persona: 18% (VP Marketing, CMO evaluating agency vs in-house)
  - Freshness: 0% (current, updated 2026-02-20)
- **Position:** post-intro
- **Pitch:** Evaluating agency pricing? Use our free calculator to benchmark what your full marketing team should cost — agency, in-house, or fractional — based on your stage and industry.
- **Rationale:** topic 50% · funnel match (consideration) · persona 18%

**Secondary lead magnet:** lm-freelance-revolution-2026
- **Title:** The 2026 Freelance Revolution Report
- **Landing URL:** https://marketerhire.com/blog/freelancer-statistics
- **Match score:** 0.54
  - Topic: 35% (freelance, hiring-models, hybrid-teams)
  - Funnel: 20% (awareness/consideration overlap)
  - Persona: 14% (hiring decision-makers)
- **Position:** mid-article
- **Pitch:** See how 6,000+ companies are building hybrid marketing teams with fractional specialists instead of traditional agencies.
- **Rationale:** topic 35% · funnel partial match · persona 14%

Written to `cta-plan.json`.

---

## Section 10: Journey Plan (CRO F5)

**Next steps (post-article navigation):**

1. **Rank 1:** [Freelancer vs Agency vs FTE](https://marketerhire.com/blog/freelance-agency-fte-pros-cons) — same cluster (hiring models), deeper comparison, page_type: guide, reason: "same cluster, deeper funnel — reader who finished paid media agency overview likely wants hiring model comparison"

2. **Rank 2:** [Hire a Paid Search / PPC Expert](https://marketerhire.com/roles/paid-search-marketing) — adjacent cluster (paid search specialists), decision stage, page_type: product, reason: "adjacent cluster, decision stage — reader evaluating agencies may want to see fractional specialist alternative"

3. **Rank 3:** [Marketing Team Cost Calculator](https://marketerhire.com/blog/how-much-does-a-marketing-team-cost) — consideration stage, page_type: calculator, reason: "funnel progression to cost benchmarking tool"

**Secondary offer:** lm-marketing-team-cost-calculator (calculator, same as primary lead magnet — strong fit for this article)

Written to `journey.json`.

---

## Section 11: Internal Link Recommendations

Ranked by semantic relevance, capped at 8:

1. [Hire a Paid Search / PPC Expert](https://marketerhire.com/roles/paid-search-marketing) — same cluster, Google Ads/PPC specialist hiring
2. [Hire a Paid Social Marketer](https://marketerhire.com/roles/paid-social-expert-marketing) — same cluster, Meta/LinkedIn/TikTok specialist hiring
3. [Freelancer vs Agency vs FTE](https://marketerhire.com/blog/freelance-agency-fte-pros-cons) — same cluster, hiring model comparison
4. [Marketing Team Cost](https://marketerhire.com/blog/how-much-does-a-marketing-team-cost) — adjacent cluster, cost benchmarking
5. [Hire a PPC Expert](https://marketerhire.com/blog/hire-ppc-expert) — same cluster, PPC hiring guide
6. [Digital Marketing Team Structure](https://marketerhire.com/blog/digital-marketing-team-structure) — adjacent cluster, team building context
7. [Demand Generation Agency](https://marketerhire.com/blog/demand-generation-agency) — adjacent cluster, related agency type
8. [Outsource Marketing Team](https://marketerhire.com/blog/outsource-marketing-team) — adjacent cluster, outsourcing models

**IMPORTANT:** Every URL verified against client-config.json. No hallucinated URLs.

---

## Section 12: AEO-primary Flag

**aeo_primary:** false

Rationale: While the keyword "paid media agency" has informational components, the primary intent is commercial (high CPC $99.39, strong vendor evaluation signals). Not a pure question/how-to query. Standard AEO formatting (answer blocks, FAQ) will be applied, but Skip Stage 6 (conversion pass).
