01
Honest about tradeoffs.
When a tool, channel, or agency does not work, the publication says so. The credibility compounds.
Issue 001 / launching soon
A publication for operators who spend money on growth.
What to spend on, how to spend it well, what is changing in the channels you use. Written like a senior operator explaining things to a peer, not like a SaaS landing page.
First time here? Take the operator quiz.
60 seconds, 18 questions, no email until the end. The quiz returns your archetype, what is in your way, and the next 90 days of moves for your stage.
Take the quiz ->02
Grounded in real numbers.
Every claim is backed by data, either from anonymized operator outcomes or cited industry research. No vague growth language.
03
Built for the time-starved.
Short sentences. Specifics over generalities. If a sentence can lose three words without losing meaning, it does.
The pillar guide
The Operator's Guide to Hiring a Paid Ads Agency in 2026
A practical guide for operators hiring a paid ads agency. The four tiers, the rubric we use to rank them, contract terms that matter, and the first 90 days.
By The Spend Report Editorial Team
Coverage at launch
All articles ->Paid AdsHow-to
The Hidden Costs of Switching Paid Ads Agencies
The cost of switching paid ads agencies is rarely the new retainer. It is the learning lost, the algorithms reset, and the operator attention to get back to baseline.
Jun 9 7 min read
Paid AdsHow-to
How to Fire a Paid Ads Agency
A clean exit from a paid ads agency relationship without losing the account. The signals, the documentation, the conversation, and the operational steps that protect the work.
Jun 8 7 min read
Paid AdsHow-to
How to Read an Agency Performance Report
A framework for reading agency performance reports critically. What the numbers actually mean, what gets glossed over, and the five questions to ask every month.
Jun 7 6 min read
Paid AdsHow-to
First 90 Days With a New Paid Ads Agency
A week-by-week framework for the first 90 days of a new paid ads agency engagement. What good looks like, what the early warning signs are, and how to course-correct in time.
Jun 6 7 min read
Paid AdsHow-to
How Paid Ads Agencies Price Their Services
The three pricing models you will encounter, what each one rewards in agency behavior, and how to read pricing as a signal about the agency itself.
Jun 5 6 min read
Paid AdsHow-to
Paid Ads Agency Red Flags
The patterns that say walk away from a paid ads agency, organized by where you encounter them, and the smaller patterns that are warnings but not disqualifiers.
Jun 4 6 min read