Episodes
694
May 11, 2026
You're Probably Not Wasting Money on Ads
Advertisers are quick to shut off ads when results look bad, but poor short-term performance isn't the same as wasted budget. New businesses and first-time advertisers are building awareness and data even when early numbers look awful. Jon explains why overreacting to initial results is usually a mistake, when you're actually wasting money through high volumes of junk traffic or mismatched demographics, and how to diagnose and fix those problems before they spiral.
693
May 6, 2026
Does Adding More Ads Actually Hurt Performance?
Today's question is about whether adding too many ads to a single ad set can actually hurt delivery. Meta removed its old recommendation of no more than six ads per ad set, but that doesn't mean more is always better. Jon explains why starting small with a couple of creatively diverse ads and adding more only when needed is the smarter approach, why the delivery algorithm may get lost when it has too many options for the budget, and why pruning ads that Meta rarely shows should be part of your t...
692
May 4, 2026
Don't Get Attached to Your Ad Process
Two new features are changing how Jon creates ads. Push delivery lets you force spend to any existing ad to get answers, eliminating the need to start every new ad with a creative test. And the new creative workflow lets you combine multiple images and videos into a single ad with customizable text and URLs per creative, consolidating what used to require dozens of separate ads. Jon explains why both features make his previous process obsolete and why tying yourself to any single approach guaran...
691
April 29, 2026
Are You Setting Up Client Access the Wrong Way?
Today's question is about the recommended structure and access levels between a client and agency when onboarding. Setting this up incorrectly can lead to serious problems, including getting accounts banned. Jon explains why the client should own all of their own assets and add your agency as a partner rather than a person, what access levels to grant for each asset, and why sharing login credentials or creating assets under the agency's business manager leads to problems when the relationship e...
690
April 27, 2026
Why Meta Keeps Pushing Value Rules
Meta has spent years removing advertiser control over targeting and placements, so actively encouraging value rules seemed contradictory. But it makes sense when you see where things are headed. Jon explains how a new test version lets you bid based on custom audience labels for lead quality and customer value, why value rules fill a knowledge gap the algorithm can't solve alone, and why they'll replace traditional delivery controls as Meta locks everything else down.
689
April 22, 2026
How Do You Reach Only New Customers?
Today's question is about whether to exclude existing customers from your ads when you want to acquire new ones, and how to do it. Meta retargets existing customers by default, which isn't automatically a problem because those people convert easily and keep your costs down, but it can mask real performance or lower your average order value. Jon explains why you need to confirm there's an actual problem before excluding anyone, how to use website and customer list custom audiences together since ...
688
April 20, 2026
Your Excuses Are Holding Back Your Results
Advertisers love to blame Meta when results tank, pointing to outages, Advantage+ enhancements, and automated settings as proof the platform is out to get them. There's a little truth in every complaint, which is exactly why they spread, but they're also excuses that keep you from finding actual solutions. Jon explains why blaming Meta makes you look like an amateur to clients, how to troubleshoot performance drops by using breakdowns to isolate the real cause, and why the answer is almost alway...
687
April 15, 2026
Do You Need to Warm Up a New Ad Account?
Today's question is about whether a brand new ad account, Facebook page, and pixel need any special treatment before running sales campaigns. Conventional wisdom says to build followers first, run awareness campaigns, or season the pixel with top-of-funnel activity. Jon explains why these recommendations are nonsense and often counterproductive, how building low-quality engagement early can poison your remarketing audiences, and why optimizing for purchases or leads from day one is the fastest p...
686
April 13, 2026
Stop Hiding Your Ad Account from Clients
Agencies that hide ad accounts from clients claim their campaign setup is proprietary, but modern best practices mean minimal campaigns and simplified structures that aren't worth hiding. The real value an advertiser brings isn't something a client can copy by looking at your settings. Jon explains why hiding your work destroys trust, why the fear of being replaced means you need to rethink where you add value, and why using the client's own ad account and assets is better for everyone.
685
April 8, 2026
Can Your Audience Be Too Niche for Meta Ads?
Today's question is about whether a niche B2B audience can be too small for Meta ads to work effectively. Any business with a large enough real-world market to be profitable has an audience on Facebook and Instagram, so the issue isn't reach. The real question is whether Meta advertising will be worthwhile. Jon explains why no business is technically too niche for Meta, how success depends on creative, offer, lead qualification, and follow-up rather than targeting, and why the cost and quality o...
684
April 6, 2026
Social Proof Might Not Matter After All
Advertisers assume ads with thousands of comments and reactions perform better due to social proof, and fear making edits that would erase that engagement. But Jon duplicated an ad with 6,000 comments and the new version starting from scratch immediately matched and even beat the original's performance. He explains why we might be overvaluing social proof and why the content of your ad matters more than engagement signals.
683
April 1, 2026
Does a Higher CPM Mean You Should Spend More?
Today's question is about CPM being double in the US versus the UK and whether that means you should allocate double the budget. CPM varies by country due to competition, but higher CPM doesn't automatically mean worse performance. Jon explains when to combine countries versus split them, how Meta balances costs and conversion rates, and why you should let results guide your budget allocation instead of CPM alone. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Questi...
682
March 30, 2026
What Meta Isn't Telling You About Your Creative
Meta provides no transparency about which specific images or videos perform best when using flexible format, related media, or AI generated creative. Breakdowns exist but share almost no useful detail. Jon explains why this lack of transparency is intentional at this point, why it matters for creative teams who need feedback, and why Meta needs to share this information despite the risk of advertisers misusing it.
March 25, 2026
How Do You Advertise Products with Long Buying Cycles?
Today's question is about advertising expensive products with long buying cycles that fall outside the seven or 28 day attribution window. Should you run traffic campaigns instead of purchase campaigns if most conversions won't be tracked anyway? Jon explains why you need to confirm this is actually happening, how multiple ads for different awareness levels can keep conversions within windows, and when to consider alternative approaches. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go...
680
March 23, 2026
Does Meta Steal Credit for Conversions?
Advertisers claim Meta steals credit for conversions that were actually driven by email or Google, calling conversion reporting vanity metrics. But attribution is messy and trying to assign single-source credit misses the point entirely. Jon explains what different conversion types actually mean, why obsessing over credit is foolish, and how effective campaigns require multiple channels working together where shared credit matters more than exclusive credit.
679
March 18, 2026
What Do Most Advertisers Get Wrong About Meta Ads?
Today's question is about the single most common point of confusion Jon wishes everyone understood about Meta ads. He can't pick just one, so he gives three. Jon explains why the algorithm being literal shapes everything, why targeting control is mostly unnecessary now, and where advertisers should actually focus when results aren't good. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question and record your question today.
678
March 16, 2026
How Meta Changed Attribution
Meta changed how click attribution works, and it's mostly for the better, but some advertisers might see a negative impact. Click-through conversions now require an actual link click, while social clicks and other engagement moved to a new engage-through attribution with a shorter window. Jon explains what changed, why some conversions will be lost, and which strategy gets hit hardest by the update.
677
March 11, 2026
Should You Start New Campaigns with Creative Testing?
Today's question is whether to launch a brand new campaign with creative testing or start testing later with new creatives. There's no absolute right answer, but Jon has a preferred approach with clear reasoning behind it. He explains why starting new ads with a test answers questions you'll have later, avoids the messy workaround of duplicating existing ads, and ensures you get meaningful data from the start. Want your question to be answered on a future episode? Go to JonLoomer.com/Question...
676
March 9, 2026
Why Your Ads Aren't Working Today
Ads that were working fine suddenly tank, and advertisers assume Meta changed who they're showing ads to or messed up delivery. But there's usually a simpler explanation. Jon breaks down the five real causes of sudden performance drops, including randomness, competitive variables, website issues, and event delays, and why obsessing over daily results drives you crazy when seven-day averages are what matter.
675
March 4, 2026
Does Manual Bidding Actually Work?
Today's question is about using manual bidding like cost caps to control costs while scaling budget when campaigns perform well. By default, Meta tries to get the most results while spending your entire budget, which means a mix of auction costs. Jon explains why setting manual bid controls usually leads to inconsistent delivery and questionable quality, how it might restrict you to low-quality placements, and why outsmarting the algorithm rarely works. Want your question to be answered on a fu...
674
March 2, 2026
How I Actually Approach Targeting in 2026
Most advertisers obsess over targeting inputs that either do nothing or actively hurt results. Jon explains why he ignores audience suggestions, age restrictions, detailed targeting, and lookalikes entirely, how he uses value rules to handle demographic problems instead, and why the only inputs worth touching are locations and exclusions.
673
Feb. 26, 2026
Do You Need Separate Ad Sets for Customer Personas?
Today's question is about testing different customer personas using the creative testing tool. Advertisers used to create separate ad sets for each persona with adjusted targeting, but that's outdated now. Jon explains why all customer personas can exist in one ad set, how Meta finds the right audience for each ad combination through creative diversification, and when splitting by persona actually makes sense versus when it's unnecessary complexity. Want your question to be answered on a future...
672
Feb. 24, 2026
The Case for Removing Audience Suggestions
Audience suggestions cause confusion because advertisers think they're tight constraints when they're not. Jon proposes how Meta could eliminate suggestions entirely while keeping audience controls like location and exclusions. The result would strip away the illusion of control, prevent mistakes based on false assumptions, and force advertisers to focus on what actually matters without pretending inputs do more than they do.
671
Feb. 19, 2026
What to Do With Creative Testing Results
Today's question is about determining what works from top performing ads to inform the next batch of creative. Creative testing used to isolate single elements, but now ads generate thousands of combinations through text options, placements, and enhancements. Jon explains why finding one winning combination isn't the goal anymore, how to use the creative testing tool to identify themes instead of specific winners, and why success comes from many winning combinations in aggregate. Want your ques...