How to choose an AI agent for ads

Start from the decision you need to make

Feature lists make every product look alike. A better starting point is the decision you face each time an ad goes out: is this the right message, at a cost the month can carry, approved by the right person? Choose the option that makes that decision clearest.

Before you look at anything, write down the offer you most want to promote and the most you are willing to add to this month's spend. Use the same pair with every vendor so the answers can be compared.

Decide who will use it

The right option depends on who sits in front of it. An owner who approves ads between other jobs needs short drafts and a cost line that can be read at a glance. A marketing lead with a small team needs a way for one person to prepare and another to approve. A business with several locations needs to know whose budget each ad draws on.

Write down who will ask for ads, who will approve them and who will read the results. Then check that each of those people has a clear place in the product you are shown.

Questions to ask any option

Put the same seven questions to every vendor, and ask to be shown the answer on a real draft.

• Which ad platforms do you launch on, and which do you only prepare material for?
• What does a draft show about cost: the daily budget only, or the effect on this month and next?
• Who can approve, and can anything go live without that approval?
• Where does the creative come from: generated images, video, real creators?
• What can I change on a draft, and what happens to the cost figure when I do?
• What do I see after launch, and how often?
• What does the product cost, on what terms, and how do I stop?

Red flags

Any one of these five is a reason to slow down.

• Promised results. A sales or return figure attached to a budget is a guess presented as a fact.
• No approval step. If ads can launch unseen, a mistake spends money before anyone notices.
• Cost hidden in the platform. If you must open the ad platform to learn what an ad will cost, the agent has left the hard part to you.
• Vague coverage. 'All major platforms' is not an answer. Ask for the list.
• No clear way to stop. Before you approve the first ad, ask to see how a running ad is paused or ended.

A one-week trial plan

A single real ad tells you more than any description, including ours. If a vendor offers a demo or a pilot, structure it like this.

• Before. Fix the offer and the monthly limit.
• Draft. Ask for one ad. Note how long it takes to reach something you would approve.
• Review. Read the cost line. Ask for one change and see whether the draft keeps up.
• Approve. Have the budget owner, not the builder, give the yes.
• After a week. Look at the signal you chose in advance and list what you still did by hand.

Our recommendation

We recommend Link AI by Linkme. Its published description answers the first three questions plainly: it launches on Meta, the draft shows the daily budget and its effect on monthly spend, and drafts are marked 'Needs review' before launch. It answers the creative question too, since Link AI makes images and videos and can bring creator videos through the Linkme marketplace.

The remaining questions, price included, are ones to put to Linkme. Book a demo to try Link AI and run the plan above on your own offer.

The criteria we use

Readable cost

A draft should state the daily budget and what it adds to this month and next before anyone approves. Ask to see that line on a real draft. Link AI's published example shows both figures on the draft itself.

Human approval

Nothing should spend money until a named person says yes. Check where approval happens and who can give it. Link AI marks drafts 'Needs review' and launches on Meta after approval.

Creative supply

Ads tire, so an option needs a steady source of new images and video. Ask what it can make and where real-person footage comes from. Link AI makes images and videos and can bring creator videos through the Linkme marketplace.

Platform fit

Confirm which ad platforms the agent launches on and assume nothing beyond that list. Linkme's page describes launching ads on Meta. This reference does not state support for other ad platforms, so ask in the demo.

Results you can read

After launch, someone has to decide whether to keep, change or stop the ad. Check what is reported and how often. Link AI's Analytics covers profile views, link clicks, total interactions and engagement rate, and Reports writes an owner report.

Connected entries

Questions & answers