› Paid Media
Spend Sharp. Grow Faster.
Performance marketers who make every dollar work harder — and can prove exactly where it went. From Google Ads and Meta to programmatic and the performance leads who own the number, these are paid media specialists who turn spend into a system you can scale with confidence.
Disciplines
What we place in Paid Media
Four specialist areas, from hands-on channel execution through to the leaders who own the number — paid search, paid social, programmatic and performance leadership. Whether you need someone to build the campaigns or set the whole paid media strategy, we introduce specialists we know personally and would back with our own budget.
Search
PPC / Paid Search
Google Ads and Microsoft Ads specialists who turn budget into measurable, repeatable pipeline — structuring search, shopping and Performance Max for profit, not just clicks. The people who can tell you which spend is working and which is quietly wasted.
Social
Paid Social
Social-first performance marketers across Meta Ads, TikTok and LinkedIn who build creative-led campaigns that scale profitably. They treat creative as the real targeting lever and read incrementality, not just in-platform ROAS.
Programmatic
Programmatic & Display
Programmatic traders and display specialists who scale paid media spend without waste — running DSPs, retargeting and prospecting across the open web. They know when programmatic earns its place in the mix and when it quietly drains budget.
Leadership
Performance Leadership
Heads of Performance and paid media directors who own the whole paid number — channel mix, budget allocation, measurement and the team. The senior operators who set the strategy and hold the line on what good looks like.
How we help
People, partners & platforms
Paid media rewards focus — the right specialist, the right partner, or the right platform, depending on where the spend is leaking. Kindred covers all three, first warm introduction in 72 hours.
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People
3 ways to hire
Permanent
Full-time paid media specialists — Google Ads, Meta and programmatic owners, vetted on the analytical and strategic instinct that turns budget into pipeline.
Contract & Freelance
Launch cover and seasonal spikes — freelance paid specialists who take a live account in days, run it hard, and hand it back clean.
Fractional Lead
A fractional performance lead to own strategy, budget and channel mix a few days a week — accountable for every dollar before you scale.
FAQ
Paid Media questions
What founders and marketing leads actually ask before hiring — or restructuring — their paid media function.
In-house or agency for paid media?
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Agencies give you breadth and tools fast; an in-house hire gives you focus and accountability. As a rough line, under ~$50k/month spend one strong specialist usually beats a retainer.
What should a paid media hire cost?
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In Sydney, a Head of Performance Marketing runs roughly $130k–$160k; senior freelance programmatic talent around $750/day. Channel specialists sit below that.
Do I need a specialist or a generalist?
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Below one channel, a generalist is fine. Once paid search and paid social each justify real budget, you want specialists — the platforms have diverged too far for one person.
How do I know spend is being wasted?
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Watch for last-click ROAS as the only metric, no incrementality testing, and budgets that never shift between channels. Good hires measure contribution, not just attributed return.
When do I hire a performance lead?
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When you're running three-plus channels, spending six figures a year, and no one owns the number end-to-end. Before that, a senior specialist with agency support is usually enough.
How does Kindred place paid media talent?
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We only introduce performance marketers we've personally vetted — a shortlist of three to five, not a CV dump. First intro within 72 hours, across permanent, freelance and fractional.
The right people know people.
Join the Kindred network and tap the talent, partners and platforms you won't find on a job board.