Top 10 Paid Media Agencies for Startups in 2025 + Checklist

Reports state that paid ads have a 200% ROI. That’s an excellent return, especially for startups that need to get good value for their marketing spending. Paid ads offer immediate, measurable results crucial for startups seeking quick traction.

Startups and small businesses face limited budgets, intense competition, and the need for fast, tangible results. So, you need a reliable startup digital marketing agency to hold your hands, streamline your marketing, and get you the results you need.

Whether you're a SaaS founder in New York, a fintech startup in London, or an eCommerce brand in Kuala Lumpur, choosing the right paid ads agency can dramatically affect how fast and affordably you grow. In this list, we cover top digital marketing agencies for startups across industries such as SaaS, DTC, fintech, and more.

Top paid ads digital marketing agencies for startups

Kaya, LeadOrigin, Digital Uncut, and NoGood are some of the top paid ads marketing agencies that you can work with. Follow our full list of paid ads digital marketing agencies to learn more.

1. Kaya

Paid ads are about results, and Kaya delivers in two weeks. Whether you want to run Google, Meta, YouTube, or LinkedIn ads, Kaya has developed a data-driven team and innovative Martech tools, such as the Competitor Ad Intelligence tool, marketing data integration, and automated dashboard.

We are a startup digital marketing agency led by founders with vast startup experience at Uber and Revolut. Our strategies and marketing tools are built specifically for startups, and we will help you execute the following:

• End-to-end campaign setup 
• Ads management and optimization
• Landing page design
• Creative design
• Live analytics dashboards

Kaya offers a data-driven, low-risk, and innovative approach that helps you see results within two weeks. For instance, Kaya has helped e-rides improve CTR 4x and double their conversions. You save time, spend less, and achieve more. 

2. Firebrand Communications

Firebrand Communications is a PR and digital marketing agency specializing in public relations, PPC, and paid social media management. Notable clients include AidKit, which aids government programs, and Yubico, enhancing digital platform security.

They offer startup- and tech-focused PR-driven paid media campaigns across Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Firebrand supports campaign strategy, media outreach, creative ad format development, and performance tracking.

Why they stand out:

• Strong expertise blending PR and paid media. This is ideal for startups needing visibility and credibility
• Proven coverage successes (e.g., Fast Company, Business Insider, Mashable)
• Tech startup focus and experience with government‑sector clients

Best for: Tech startups seeking an integrated approach combining paid ads with public relations.

Pricing: Custom quotes

3. Transcend Digital

Transcend Digital is a paid ads digital marketing agency for startups offering PPC and conversion rate optimization (CRO). Notable clients include Ceribell (medical devices) and PaintJet (industrial robotics).

They provide full‑funnel performance marketing: search and display ads, A/B testing, data-driven CRO, analytics dashboards, and tech-stack integrations. Operating since 2015 with global reach including Australia and the U.S., their clients range from startups to Fortune 500s.

Why they stand out:

• ROI-focused strategies supported by case studies showing 7× increase in MQLs and 50% uplift in calls booked
• Full-funnel performance marketing: PPC, analytics, CRO, product & data integration
• Recognized by InfluencerMarketingHub as a startup specialist

Best for: Early-stage to growth-stage startups needing data-backed campaign optimisation.

Pricing: Custom pricing

4. LeadOrigin

LeadOrigin is a Houston-based digital marketing and creative agency offering PPC, social media, SEO, website development, email marketing, and lead nurturing.

They tailor omnichannel campaigns for startups and mid-sized businesses, combining creative design with data-driven tactics. They’ve supported clients like Alphalete Athletics and Team Dermatology—boosting customer acquisition, ROA, and appointments.

Why they stand out:

• Full-suite marketing: paid ads, SEO, web design, email, and branding
• Strong local market expertise, particularly in Houston and wider Texas

Best for: U.S.-based startups seeking an integrated marketing partner with regional insights.

Pricing: Custom pricing

5. Digital Uncut

Digital Uncut is the UK division of Eskimoz, a data-driven performance marketing agency. Founded in 2015 and acquired in 2022, they specialize in PPC management, digital PR, SEO, content marketing, analytics, and remarketing.

Operating from London with ~11–50 staff, they deliver tailored ad campaigns for startups like Gophr and Hiyacar. Their approach integrates PPC with analytics-driven optimization and multi-channel marketing.

Why they stand out:

• Backed by Eskimoz’s global resources, proprietary dashboards, and multilingual support across Europe
• Known for data-rich and transparent reporting and digital performance culture

Best for: UK or European startups seeking a growth-focused agency backed by international expertise.

Pricing: Custom pricing

6. NinjaPromo

NinjaPromo is a global, full-service marketing‑as‑a‑service (MaaS) agency founded in 2017. They specialize in paid media and paid social, SEO, influencer marketing, PR, and web/mobile app development. With offices in the U.S., UK, UAE, Europe, China, Australia, and Canada, they serve sectors like B2B, SaaS, blockchain, gaming, fintech—also supporting startups, e‑commerce, and small businesses.

They deliver subscription-style service across paid and organic channels, covering strategy, campaign execution, analytics, creative, and performance optimization.

Why they stand out:

• Recognized across 2025 for excellence in paid social, PPC, SEO, and FinTech/SaaS digital marketing awards
• Affordable entry (~$50–$99/hr), with project sizes ranging from $10K to $200K+
• Strong project management, reliable communication, and transparent reporting
• Deep expertise in blockchain and Web3 campaigns

Best for: Startups and scaleups in tech, SaaS, or blockchain seeking a global partner with both paid and organic expertise.

Pricing: Custom pricing

7. Tuff Growth

Tuff Growth is a Denver, CO–based growth marketing agency founded in 2016. They act as a “plug-in” growth team for startups and scaleups, delivering PPC, paid social, CRO, SEO, analytics, UX, and web optimization. Their model emphasizes lean, experiment-driven campaigns with fast iteration.

Why they stand out:

• Ideal for B2B and SaaS startups in need of rapid channel validation and CAC optimization
• Known for fast campaign testing cycles and agile performance marketing across Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube
• Transparent and nimble: flexible retainers or sprint-based contracts ($7.5K–$20K+ per month)
• High client satisfaction around results and collaboration, mixed feedback on consistency and execution

Best for: Early-stage to growth-stage startups looking for a performance-first growth partner that integrates seamlessly into small teams.

Pricing: Custom pricing

8. NoGood

NoGood is a New York–based paid media and growth marketing agency serving startups and scaleups. Their services include paid social ads, PPC, CRO, performance branding, and content strategy. Clients include startups like Invisibly and JVN.

They emphasize a high-impact, data‑driven approach focused on performance, with a no‑fluff style and agile execution.

Why they stand out:

• Startup-centric focus, combining PPC and performance branding
• Strong track record with performance metrics (CRO, lead quality, ROI)
• Agile, results‑oriented delivery model that adapts to campaign data
• Some clients cite occasional project delays and timeline challenges

Best for: U.S. startups needing a growth mindset with both paid media and branding expertise.

Pricing: Custom-based

9. Intero Digital

Intero Digital is a U.S. full-service agency offering paid media, branding, content creation, SEO, and website development. With multiple U.S. locations, they serve clients like Arcadia Data, Tuscany Pavers, and Covail.

Their approach combines strategic planning with creative execution and technical delivery.

Why they stand out:

• Deep strategic and technical expertise across paid media, branding, and web
• Strong multi-channel capabilities including Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and programmatic
• Experienced in handling mid-market to enterprise startup needs
• Some clients note relatively high pricing and frequent account manager turnover

Best for: U.S.-based startups and scaleups needing a high-touch, multi-channel paid media and branding partner.

Pricing: Custom retainers

10. WEBITMD

WEBITMD is a California-based startup marketing agency offering paid media, sales strategy, branding, email marketing, and web design/optimization. Clients include Andy Henderson Hay and Mystic Journey Crystals.

They focus on integrating paid ads into broader marketing and sales operations.

Why they stand out:

• Strong connection between paid media and sales enablement
• Full funnel service – from creative to conversion-focused web optimization
• Focused on client onboarding clarity and alignment (noted as an improvement area by some clients)

Best for: Startups seeking a unified marketing-sales partnership that ties ads to revenue.

Pricing: Custom packages

What is a paid media agency for startups?

A startup-focused paid ads agency or paid media agency is a marketing company that helps startups run targeted advertising campaigns across channels like Google, Meta, LinkedIn, and TikTok. These agencies use performance data to drive website traffic, leads, or sales. These agencies are widely known as startup marketing agencies.

What does a startup-focused paid ads agency do?

Here are four essential paid ads services that a digital marketing agency for startups can offer:

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising

Startup-focused digital marketing agencies help startups to compete against larger companies through focused targeting and nimble adaptation.

Instead of broad, expensive keyword campaigns, startup marketing agencies like Kaya help you identify highly targeted keywords that balance between volume, conversion and cost. By being nimble and adaptable, they can quickly iterate on your campaigns and exploit gaps in larger competitors' campaigns. This helps to maximize the value of each click all while staying budget-conscious. 

Social media advertising

Startup digital marketing agencies use social listening technologies to help you identify new trends and early adopters for your brand. Traditional agencies may not offer the same attention to your marketing needs.

Display and banner advertising

Many startups struggle with ad blockers and fraudulent clicks from bots, limiting their reach and wasting ad budgets. Startup marketing agencies use the latest AI technologies to get around these. They also have better resources to analyze customer data to create precise profiles that you can target.

Remarketing campaigns

Startup marketing agencies understand that high Cost-Per-Click (CPC) is unhealthy for your budget. They also know that a lack of resources may lead you to repeat ads, creating ad fatigue. Understanding these issues allows them to help you where it matters.

Platforms used by paid ads agencies

Paid advertising agencies typically run campaigns across a range of digital channels, each with unique strengths:

• Google Ads: Appear on search results when users are actively looking for products or services, ideal for high-intent targeting.
• Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram): Great for interest-based and behavioral targeting across Meta’s vast user base.
• YouTube Ads: Ideal for video storytelling and top-of-funnel brand awareness through skippable and in-stream formats.
• TikTok Ads: Highly engaging short-form video ads tailored to Gen Z and millennial audiences.
• LinkedIn Ads: Perfect for B2B startups targeting professionals based on job title, company size, or industry.
• Microsoft Ads: Expands reach beyond Google, covering Bing, Yahoo, and other partner networks with similar intent-based targeting.

Understanding pricing models for paid ad agencies

Startup marketing agencies offer various pricing structures depending on your goals and budget:

• Flat monthly retainers: Ideal for predictable budgets and ongoing optimization (used by Kaya, Tuff Growth)
• Percentage of ad spend: Common for performance-focused teams (e.g., 10–20% of total media budget)
• Project-based pricing: Best for startups testing paid ads for the first time or running limited-time campaigns
• Hourly consulting or sprints: For startups who want short-term help with strategy or auditing

Make sure to match the pricing model with your startup's growth stage and cash flow.

Selecting the right digital marketing agency for your startup for paid ads

If you are a startup looking for the right agency for your business, here are some factors you should consider:

Define your business goals

Identify marketing goals, such as brand awareness or sales, to guide your digital marketing efforts. Align agency services with your needs for specialized expertise and focused strategies.

Evaluate agency expertise 

Check the agency's experience with startups. For instance, if you’re at the pre-seed stage, it may not be ideal to partner with agencies with more growth experience. Both stages require different marketing approaches. Review case studies and testimonials to validate their past client profile and results.

Consider price and packages

Paid ads offer various pricing models, each with unique cost benefits. Evaluate costs versus value. Also, consider the proposed ROI to determine the best fit for your marketing goals. 

Best practices for effective paid ad campaigns

Here are the best practices for running effective ad campaigns:

Keyword research and selection

Primary, long-tail, and LSI (latent semantic indexing) keywords target search phrases that customers may use. So, they drive web traffic and provide context to your ad. You can use any of these tools.

• Google Keyword Planner 
• SEMrush
• Ahrefs
• Google Search Console

Ad copy and creative development

Crafting a compelling ad copy involves the following steps:

• Write clear, concise, and compelling headlines.
• Highlight unique USPs and benefits.
• Include strong CTAs to drive user engagement.
• Use quality visuals that align with your brand.
• Create multiple ad variations for A/B testing.
• Test different ad copy and visual combinations to determine effectiveness.
• Analyze A/B test results and optimize based on performance.

Targeting and segmentation

Effective targeting involves grouping audiences based on demographics (age and gender), psychographics (interests and values), and locations. Here are ways to go about it:

• Define your target audience’s demographics
• Use psychographic data to understand their interests and behaviors.
• Utilize geo-targeting to reach their specific locations.
• Create segments based on behavior and purchase history.
• Adjust targeting criteria based on the performance of your campaign.
• Regularly review and refine your audience segments to improve conversion rates.

Performance monitoring and optimization 

Monitoring metrics gives you insights into your campaign’s effectiveness and profitability. The following are key metrics to track:

• Click-Through Rate (CTR)
• Cost Per Click (CPC)
• Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)
• Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)

Analytics tools and user feedback help refine targeting, adjust ad creative, and improve strategies for maximum ad performance and ROI.

Case studies

E-rides

E-rides struggled with marketing decision-making as their data was all over the place. Kaya solved the problem through its paid ads expertise, allowing it to integrate and access all marketing data from a single, automated dashboard.

Abbot

When you struggle with marketing like Abbot did, you would need a reliable partner. Kaya partnered with Abbot, integrating its marketing data to help them deliver successful paid ads campaigns.

Checklist: How to choose the right paid media agency for your startup

Final thoughts

You can leverage digital marketing through strategic paid ads to enhance the visibility of your startup and achieve rapid growth. Startup digital marketing agencies can help you achieve this outcome.

However, remember to partner with the right agency whose services align with your brand’s marketing objectives and one that can deliver fast results on a budget.