Hiring decision · 10 min
In-house vs Agency vs Solo Specialist
A direct comparison of control, depth, cost and operating speed for paid media teams.
Hire in-house when paid media is a full-time strategic capability. Use an agency for breadth and production scale. Use a senior solo specialist when you need direct ownership without agency layers.
The verdict
Hire in-house when paid media is a full-time strategic capability. Use an agency for breadth and production scale. Use a senior solo specialist when you need direct ownership without agency layers.
The hidden constraint
The decision usually turns on management capacity, not fee. Someone must still provide customer context, approve creative and close the measurement loop.
What to verify
Ask who will actually work in the account, how sales outcomes return to platforms and what the off-ramp looks like.